TL;DR: Negan slips further into old habits, Maggie headbutts authority with righteous fury, and the Dama shows she’s more Cersei than community leader. Episode 2 is brutal, tense, and layered with moral murk. It’s the kind of Walking Dead storytelling we used to get before things got too bloated — and thank Lucille, we’re back in it.

Introduction: Negan’s Redemption Arc Gets Complicated… Again

Let’s face it — The Walking Dead franchise has more spinoffs than the MCU has multiverses, but Dead City has clawed out a niche thanks to its urban hellscape setting and the complex codependency between Maggie and Negan. Season 2’s sophomore episode, “Another Shit Lesson,” asks a gnarly question: Can Negan ever truly be redeemed… or does he just wear redemption like a Halloween costume?

Spoiler alert: If the Dama gets her way, Negan’s about to get a full villain reboot, and we’re all just here for the trauma.

Maggie and the Militarized Morons of New Babylon

First, let’s talk about New Babylon. These guys are the cosplay version of the U.S. military — all bark, barely-trained bite, and the tactical nuance of a Call of Duty noob. Last week, Maggie reluctantly hitched a ride with this bunch to avoid bloodshed at home. This week, she tries (and fails) to steer this ship — literally and metaphorically — away from disaster.

Dascha Polanco’s Major Narvaez is shaping up to be this season’s necessary antagonist-with-a-uniform, but so far she’s more bureaucracy than brain. Her “attack now, think later” strategy turns the ferry raid into a Michael Bay blooper reel. And guess what? Maggie told you so. Maggie always tells you so.

But the standout here is the quiet tension between Maggie and her son, Hershel. There’s love, guilt, and trauma stitched into every line they share — which isn’t many, but it’s effective. Hershel’s haunted, Maggie’s unraveling, and Ginny (still mute, still mysterious) looks like she’s ready to John Wick someone with that hidden gun.

Negan and the Dama: A Symphony of Violence

Negan starts the episode in a pensive state. No witty quips, no swagger. Just quiet mourning and a violin-playing kid trying to offer peace. Logan Schmucker’s Victor is the sweet, tragic heart of the episode, and his scenes with Negan are some of Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s best. You can see it — the guilt, the internal tug-of-war. The man wants to stay good… but he’s a chess piece now.

Lisa Emery’s Dama, however, isn’t playing checkers or chess — she’s playing Saw. She demands loyalty through calculated emotional terrorism, and by episode’s end, she proves she’s not bluffing. The murder of Victor — brutal, senseless, elegant in its cruelty — is this show’s reminder that consequences aren’t just for the weak. They’re for everyone.

Oh, and yes: Negan let Hershel escape. Yes, it costs Victor his life. And no, I don’t think it’s the last time Negan will try to play both sides of the apocalypse.

Battle on the Ferry: Apocalypse Now with Fireworks

The action centerpiece of the episode is the doomed ferry raid. We get explosions. We get chaos. We get classic “TWD” irony — the people trying to help make it worse. Negan’s firework-powered ambush is like something out of Home Alonemeets Saving Private Ryan. Charlie Byrd gets blown to bits, and Maggie goes full action mom to save her kid. This is peak Dead City: urban warfare mixed with emotional stakes.

The moment when Negan hesitates, seeing Hershel on the escape boat, is the heart of this whole season — this old-school bat-swinger can’t be the monster anymore, even when survival depends on it.

Character Deep Dive: Hershel, Ginny, and Maggie’s Fractured Core

We need to talk about Hershel. He’s following his mother into fire. He’s angry, confused, and just starting to realize his mom’s old friend (read: the guy who murdered his dad) might be the reason he’s still alive. This season’s going to lean hard into the idea that Maggie can’t protect her son from the world’s moral rot — because she’s soaking in it herself.

Then there’s Ginny. She’s gone from silent background figure to wild card. Her expression when Maggie hugs Hershel? Pure pain. Her checking for the gun? Pure intent. I don’t know what she’s planning, but it’s probably something that’ll make Negan cry again.

Final Thoughts: The Old Negan Is Back… Sorta

There’s a moment in this episode when Negan tells Victor a story about feeding people walker meat. He grins. It’s nostalgic. But it’s also… fake. The smile dies in his eyes the second the Croat turns away. It’s performative. The bat is back. The persona is back. But is the killer back?

That’s what this whole season hinges on.

“Another Shit Lesson” isn’t just the episode title — it’s the thesis. Every character learns (or refuses to learn) the same bitter truth: survival doesn’t care about morality. But maybe the audience does. And maybe Negan still does too.

The Verdict

✔️ Intense character drama
✔️ Taut pacing and effective action
✔️ Great use of urban environments
❌ New Babylon still feels undercooked
❌ Victor deserved better