In fact, viewers who stick around through a somewhat slow start will indeed be rewarded with answers to every question the series raises, whether germane to world-building (how are they keeping so many lights on?) or to the plot (why is Negan wanted by the law?). The idea of a post-zombie-apocalypse civilization in Manhattan raises many questions about world-building and logistics, and it’s clear that showrunner Eli Jorné has pondered these questions at length. But at its best moments, the look and feel of the show is at least a clear departure from previous iterations of the franchise. Easter eggs for locals are nearly nonexistent, apart from a few sly mentions of pigeons and cockroaches. To be fair, more could be done with New York as a setting (even if the series was actually filmed across the river in New Jersey). The show maximizes its practical effects and sets by sandwiching indoor scenes between cinematic establishing shots, which gives certain pivotal moments the feel of grandiose set pieces without having to actually stage them as such. There’s a real Mad Max sensibility to the Manhattan survivors’ setup: the New Yorkers of “Dead City” don motorcycle helmets bedecked with saw blades, drive cars covered in railroad spikes, and get around the city by ziplining from rooftop to rooftop. “Dead City” proves to be one of the most gruesome sub-sections of the TWD universe, with some truly inventive new ways in which to showcase the dead’s potential to decompose, split apart, melt, or otherwise become, well, more dead.Īs with all good New York City-set shows, the city itself emerges as a character, and in this case, it practically serves as yet another villain. This controlled performance by Ivanek is especially strange given that he is sharing the antagonist spotlight with an abundance of over-the-top undead gore. ![]() Though Ivanek is no stranger to playing creepy characters, he plays this one with restraint and subtlety that’s not only uncharacteristic of The Walking Dead universe, but of Ivanek himself, who has been a far more unsettling presence on shows like “24,” “Big Love,” and (most memorably) “Oz.” ![]() Negan explains that he considers The Croat to be “an exceptionally insane son of a bitch,” but the insanity on display is fairly pedestrian as far as Walking Dead villains go. The pair explores Manhattan aided by helpful locals, but their quest is further complicated by Armstrong (Gaius Charles), a Wild-West-style lawman who’s been tailing Negan for months. When she realizes that The Croat is connected to Negan, she enlists the latter to help her mount a rescue mission. As “The Walking Dead: Dead City” opens its six-episode first season, Maggie’s community is raided, and her son Herschel is taken hostage by a warlord known only as The Croat (Željko Ivanek).
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