Sumith Prasad
The fifth episode of AMC’s post-apocalyptic series ‘The Walking Dead: Dead City,’ titled ‘Stories We Tell Ourselves,’ follows the aftermath of Maggie Greene’s efforts to find her son Hershel after getting into the Croat’s building with the help of Tommaso, Amaia, and the rest of the members of their community. Maggie learns a startling truth about Tommaso before a tragedy threatens his and his partner’s lives. Perlie Armstrong continues to hold Negan at gunpoint. The Croat meets his mysterious partner-in-crime, who is not happy to learn that the former hasn’t captured Negan for good. The engrossing episode ends with a startling revelation concerning Hershel’s kidnapping and here’s everything you need to know about the same! SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Walking Dead: Dead City Episode 5 Recap
‘Stories We Tell Ourselves’ begins with Maggie, Tommaso, Amaia, and Ginny continuing their journey through a tunnel to find Hershel. As their journey continues, Tommaso produces two oxygen tanks out of nowhere and gives the same to others. Maggie, who realizes that Tommaso had the tanks in his backpack during the entire journey, asks him why he has been lying to them. She also asks him how he knows the whole route inside the Croat’s den. Tommaso struggles to come up with a convincing answer, only for others to realize that he had struck a deal with the Croat to lead the members of his community to the place.
Maggie lets Amaia know that she can go to Hilltop rather than share her life with the betrayer after their mission. Perlie continues to hold Negan at gunpoint as he wants to arrest the murderer for good. Negan tells the marshal that he killed the magistrate and the rest of his victims for what they did to his wife Annie and that the officer would have done the same if he was in his position. When Negan realizes that Perlie wouldn’t free him, he tries to escape alone but he doesn’t want to leave someone behind to a painful death. He carries the marshal to a school bus and treats the latter’s wound with a first-aid kit.
The Croat goes to the Dama and lets her know that Negan slipped away from him. Although she is not happy about the news, she gives her blessings to the Croat to find Negan, who apparently is going to be an essential part of what they have been building. Tommaso reveals to Maggie that the Croat offered him a boat to the mainland in return for leading his people to the former’s den. He betrayed his community to live in a safe place with Amaia. Meanwhile, a small group of walkers attacks Maggie, Ginny, Amaia, and Tommaso, only for Tommaso and Amaia to die during the fight against the undead.
The Walking Dead: Dead City Episode 5 Ending: Is Maggie Lying? Why Did the Croat Really Kidnap Hershel?
After Tommaso and Amaia’s deaths, Maggie and Ginny become the only survivors of their group. Realizing that Ginny is mad at Maggie for separating her from Negan, the Hilltop leader tells the former that she needs the girl’s father figure to retrieve Hershel, who is kidnapped by the Croat for Hilltop’s grains. Ginny knows that Maggie is lying about the Croatian kidnapping her son for her community’s resources since she did look into the tank situated in the community while she was there. When Ginny looked into the same, she realized that the tank was filled with grain, which cannot happen if the Croat did indeed steal the same as Maggie tells her, Negan, and everybody else.
In reality, the Croat didn’t kidnap Hershel in return for a lifetime supply of Maggie and her community’s grains. The Croatian only wants Negan in return for giving back Hershel to his mother. Maggie doesn’t risk telling the absolute truth to Negan fearing the latter wouldn’t join her for finding her son as a scapegoat. Therefore, she creates a narrative in which the Croat’s principal aim is not Negan but Hilltop’s grains. Maggie must have thought that Negan won’t become a sacrificial lamb on his own but he may put his life on the line to save her son since that’s the least he can do after killing her husband Glenn.
Maggie has been betraying Negan ever since meeting him, seeking help to retrieve Hershel. Although she is someone who holds certain principles, it is understandable that she is prioritizing her son’s life over the life of the murderer of her husband. Maggie lost Glenn due to Negan and the last thing she likely wants is to lose her son again in the name of the same man. Therefore, she sets out to ensure that she wouldn’t lose Hershel even if it means sacrificing Negan in return for her son’s life.
Will Negan and Ginny Reconnect?
Ever since seeing the grain storage at Hilltop, Ginny must have realized that Maggie is leading Negan to the latter’s death. That is seemingly the reason why she risks her life to travel to Manhattan on her own. She is not scared of the thousands of walkers on the island because she is on a mission to save the life of her father figure. At the end of the episode, she fires a flare gun to attract the attention of Negan so that she can reveal the truth about Maggie and Hershel’s kidnapping to the former leader of the Saviors to make sure that the latter will not walk into his own death.
Since Negan sees the light, he is expected to find its source. However, Maggie may make sure that Negan and Ginny don’t reconnect, at least until she gets Hershel back from the Croat. If Ginny reunites with her father figure, Negan may learn about Maggie’s lie and her intention to present him as a sacrificial lamb to the Croat. He may not only stop helping Maggie to find Hershel but also try to hurt her for betraying him. Due to these reasons, Maggie may want to separate Ginny and Negan until she reunites with Hershel. She may lock up Ginny in a safe place and continue looking for Hershel with Negan.
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