The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 Episode 3 recap - What is Hershel's connection to The Dama?

Things are getting wilder and messier for Negan and Maggie in The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2. Previously, we saw Maggie and New Babylon's forces being brutally attacked by the people employed by The Croat. This took place after they continued sailing towards Manhattan, despite Maggie's warnings. Meanwhile, during the attack, Negan, now working for the Dama and The Croat, hesitates to kill Hershel. The Dama notices what Negan did to save Maggie's son and kills Negan's friend Victor, as revenge.

At the end of the episode, we see Maggie, Hershel, Ginny, and the remaining New Babylon members reach the Manhattan shores.

The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 Episode 3, titled Why Did the Mainlanders Cross the River? released on Sunday, May 18, 2025, at 9 pm ET on AMC. The synopsis of the episode reads,

"Negan tries something new with The Croat; Maggie travels into a dangerous, surprising place."

This episode dives right into Hershel Ree's mysterious past in Manhattan, unravelling his shocking connection with The Dama - the master manipulator. As the remaining New Babylon Federation members struggle to survive, Hershel's loyalty remains uncertain.

The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 Episode 3: What is Hershel's connection to The Dama?

The episode opens with a flashback revealing Hershel's initial days as The Croat's prisoner. Hershel was kept in custody to lure Maggie and Negan to Manhattan. The Dama is suspiciously good to Hershel- she brings him food, clothes, and even proper bedding. An unusual kind of bond forms between the two- The Dama slowly brainwashes Hershel. She takes him to a lavish room that transforms itself into an elevator that lifts him high above the ruined city. She paints a vision of reinvention, and Hershel, being a child, buys into the Dama's dream. This mysterious bond explains his strange and distant behaviour with Maggie, and the reason why he signals The Croat about New Babylon's arrival.

The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 Episode 3: Will Maggie discover Hershel's betrayal?

In the present day, Maggie and Perlie try to find a safe shelter for the Federation members in Manhattan. Maggie finds a park thinking it would be a suitable temporary hideout, but suddenly, a walker with no heart arrives and kills a survivor. Maggie soon realizes that the park is filled with walkers, and thus they try to run away. In between the chaos, Hershel gets separated from the group. Maggie and the rest of the survivors take shelter in a building called The Cafe on the Lake, where they find another set of survivors.

Hershel, who seems to be on a different mission, takes out his sketch and tries to figure out his location. He encounters Joan, a survivor who saved him earlier. She seems quite fascinated by his sketch. However, Joan is fatally wounded by Waylan, The Croat's henchman. When Waylan tries to harm Hershel and Joan, Negan stabs Waylan with a spear. In the blink of an eye, Negan vanishes in the forest, and Hershel takes the injured Joan to the Cafe by the Lake's building. When Maggie reunites with Hershel, tensions rise. She questions him about Negan, but he snaps, accusing her of being obsessed with her old enemy. On the other hand, the weird group of survivors headed by Roksana takes out Joan's heart after her funeral and feeds it to the walkers. Maggie understands the origin of the heartless walkers, but her bigger concern is Hershel's growing detachment.

The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 Episode 3: Is Hershel choosing the Dama over Maggie?

The episode's chilling ending confirms Hershel's allegiance is shifting. In another flashback, the Dama hands him a pencil and informs him that he will have to make tough choices to protect their vision. Hershel accepts it with a faint smile, symbolizing his willingness to help her.

Meanwhile, Negan returns to The Croat and informs him that Waylan was killed by the walkers during their surveillance duty in the park. Can Maggie save his son Hershel from The Dama's twisted utopia?

Also read: The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 Episode 2 recap: Why did the Dama kill Victor?

Trending

To know more about what happens next, watch The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 Episode 4 next Sunday at 9 pm ET on AMC and AMC+.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback