The Walking Dead: Dead City (2023) s02e02 Episode Script

1
[MAGGIE] Previously on Dead City
Manhattan can once again
inspire and spread hope,
which is why we've been
going from town to town
drafting soldiers for
an exploratory mission,
as is the federation's right by treaty.
She thinks she's coming
to Manhattan and she's not!
You're not my mother!
Ginny can go, but I can't?
I'm only going because I have to.
[THE CROAT] There is to be
an exploratory mission
followed by a massive land invasion.
So, we must be ready
with an army of our own.
[MUSIC]
[MUSIC]
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
[THEME MUSIC]
[MUSIC]
[VICTOR] Shit. Scared me [CHUCKLES].
I was told to do maid service, but uh
clearly the room's still occupied.
[SOFT MUSIC]
You know, when I was a kid,
my dad forced me to learn the violin.
And I started taking lessons.
Fought it the whole way.
My teacher thought I might
find some inspiration
in Vivaldi.
[PLAYING THE FOUR SEASONS]
Not for me. Too, uh, light.
My mom suggested Mozart.
[PLAYING EINE KLEINE NACHTMUSIK]
Too dry.
Dad was a big Brahms guy.
But I'm not even gonna play you Brahms
because Brahms is
the absolute fucking worst.
And then
I found Bach.
[PLAYING
VIOLIN PARTITA NO. 2 IN D MINOR]
Bach
was full.
It was layered.
And exciting.
So even when my dad was being
a tyrannical fucking asshole,
I always had Bach.
If I could just focus on Bach,
then maybe I could get through
another shitty lesson.
[MUSIC]
Constable Hook will take us
into the Hudson,
then we'll dock at Pier 25.
Governor's Island can serve as cover
in the event of an engagement.
Engagement?
This is an exploratory mission.
Sure. But you never know, right?
Back to your unit, Soldier.
I got it.
[MUSIC]
A ferry?
The Croat is gonna see us
coming from miles away.
- How could you not
- Hey, hey.
Sure, look, a ferry's not discreet,
but that's why the bay was chosen.
No way he can see us from here.
And with the element of
surprise, we'll be able to
He already knows that
you're coming thanks to you.
You told him who you were, right?
Where you came from?
He's probably been prepping
for an invasion
since the second that you escaped.
He's smart and paranoid.
He may not know how
or when, but trust me,
he knows that you're coming.
If I'm gonna convince Governor Byrd
to change things up at the 11th hour,
you're gonna need to give me
more than a hunch.
[TENSE MUSIC]
[ENGINE RUMBLING]
[WALKER GROWLING]
Hey.
Lucille must be thirsty, no?
- [WALKER SCREAMS]
- [STABBING, BODY THUDS]
[DVORAK'S QUINTET NO. 2
IN A MAJOR PLAYING]
[THE CROAT] We just received the signal.
We can presume their ship
is being loaded and fueled
as we speak,
but they will never reach the island
now that the others are with us.
One.
Just the one group.
We're still waiting on
Christos and Bruegel.
Well, yes, but their services
are not yet being required.
My Burazi have been preparing
for this very circumstance
for some time now. You'll
be quite pleased, Dama.
This is a gift I received from Bruegel
after your church service.
Are you familiar with it?
No.
Saturn devouring his son.
As Roman myth goes, the titan Saturn
feared a prophecy that
he would be overthrown
by one of his offspring.
So he decided to eat
his children one by one
as they were born.
But the sixth child,
Jupiter, tricked his father
into eating a stone in his place.
Other painters of his time,
the academies,
they shied away from
ugliness and brutality.
But not Goya.
He was the father of modernism,
a revolutionary.
[MUSIC]
[SIGHS]
Right.
So what do you think of the plan?
What do you think?
Or are you too distracted,
all aflutter at the thought of
your family's arrival?
[SIGHS]
[MUSIC]
Look, I think it's a solid plan.
I do. It'll knock out the ship.
But it certainly isn't a death blow.
Like you said though,
just the first wave.
So we just crank it up.
We give 'em a Fourth of July,
laser light-style spectacular.
And not just for the ship,
but their people back home.
And also the folks that are on our side.
You know, these gangs are having
trouble making up their minds?
Now, Jesus Christ, let's just erase
any lingering doubts, shall we?
[SIGHS AND CHUCKLES]
Negan is right.
The two of us,
we will work together
to come up with a more
spectacular element to our defense.
[MUSIC]
You holding up okay?
Look
Things may have come out
wrong before, back home.
That's on me.
But it's just us here now.
And we've only got each other,
so if you need anything,
I'm here.
[MUSIC]
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
I got it.
[MUSIC]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
[FENCE RATTLES]
[HERSHEL] Mom?
Hershel
what are you doing here?
Krista let me take a horse,
and I tracked you.
I was just sitting there after you left,
thinking about where you were headed
and what could happen to you.
I mean, they basically kidnapped you.
What did you do when I was kidnapped?
You didn't just sit around.
No fucking way.
So
Okay
- I'm sorry.
- It's okay.
We'll keep you hidden tonight,
but you are heading back
first thing in the morning.
What is all this?
A signal.
To the Croat?
Then we gotta go.
We gotta get outta here.
We gotta get Ginny.
I mean, if he knows they're
coming, there's no way we can
[NEW BABYLON SOLDIER]
Hey there, you two.
[MUSIC]
You were spotted fleeing
the camp, deserting,
- which is why
- I wasn't fleeing, I was
Which is why Which is why, Soldier,
you were being followed
in the first place.
Clearly your son was
waiting to help you
Governor Byrd, I
She was only following orders.
I asked her to look for proof
that the Croat knows we're coming.
Does he?
We found a smoke signal.
That's how he communicates
across the Hudson.
She's right. I can vouch for that.
And if he knows we're
coming, he'll be ready.
[MAGGIE] We need to postpone.
Send a small group in a canoe,
a raft, something
And leave our entire army
behind? You can't be serious.
We've been planning for months.
Now is the time to strike.
What's your take, Colonel?
The Croat might know we're coming,
but not tonight.
If we leave right away, we
regain the element of surprise.
Okay. We deploy immediately.
Find General Houseman.
Why the hell did you bring me here
if you're not gonna listen
to a damn thing that I say?
Me and my son and anybody else
here who has got their head
on straight are going home now.
The law against draft evasion
also applies to desertion.
That is what you're fixed on right now,
- hanging me from a tree?
- No, not just you.
You and the 20 soldiers you stood in for
starting with that one right there.
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
Insubordination is also a crime.
- Secure her in the shaft alley.
- Don't fucking touch me!
- Get your hands off of him!
- Put him in there, too.
Don't touch him!
He wasn't even supposed to be here!
I don't see how detaining the
boy is gonna solve anything.
It's not a matter of opinion, Colonel.
It's about the law.
[MUSIC]
[WALKERS GROWLING]
[MUSIC]
[THE CROAT] Negan
You must be excited, no?
The bastards who tried to execute you
will now be facing their own execution
at your hands.
Come on, Negan.
Why so glum?
In the old days, back
at the Sanctuary
[CHUCKLES]
You used to relish the chance to
take down anyone who crossed us.
[CHUCKLES]
Only days after I arrived,
there was a group of-of-
of savages. They attacked our home.
Took us by surprise.
Demanding we hand over all provisions.
Naturally, we expected Negan
to fight back, but
to our astonishment,
he meekly surrendered.
As a show of respect,
Negan wanted to honor the
savages with a sort of
gozba.
Feast.
A lavish feast.
We would provide all
the food, all the drink.
Serve them. We were utterly dismayed.
Where had our fearless leader gone?
Then
Come on. You tell it.
You tell it better. Come on.
A meal like this, you have never seen.
Bigger than before times.
I'm talking 10 Las Vegas
buffets lined up in a row.
And then there was the
main course, the meat.
Venison, the finest that the
forests of Virginia could offer.
But see our guests,
they didn't get that meat.
No, see at the last second,
I had my butchers switch it out
for walker meat.
[LAUGHING]
If only you could have seen them,
throwing their guts up all night.
Let's just say by dawn,
the Sanctuary's walker moat
had grown considerably.
Main point is you, you protected us.
You gave our enemies exactly
what they deserved.
[MUSIC]
[ENGINE RUMBLING]
I know that you wanted to help, but,
this is why I came here.
This is exactly the reason
I wanted to come by myself.
I mean, Jesus Christ, Hershel.
Hershel?
[ARMSTRONG] Give us a minute.
[DOOR CLOSES]
I'm sorry. I don't
agree with this at all.
- Okay, then let us out.
- You heard what Major Narvaez
What, she doesn't answer to you?
I thought that you're a colonel.
You punched her.
Then at least get them
to turn the boat around
and save the 50 innocent lives
that are heading straight
- into an ambush.
- Look, maybe you're right.
Maybe the Croat tries something,
but New Babylon will fight back.
We're bigger, better equipped,
better organized.
You are wrong. You have
got this blind spot.
All of you.
You can't see it, but you're so obsessed
with getting back what you lost
that you overlook anything
- that gets in your way.
- That's not true.
You underestimate me, fine.
But do not underestimate the Croat.
You know what he's capable of.
Let us go. Let us all go.
I'm sorry.
No.
Hey. Hey!
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
Can you believe it?
We are traveling to the city
the same way that
hundreds of thousands of
laborers did every single day.
Did you know this very ferry was
[MUSIC]
- [VOMITS]
- [COUGHS]
[CHUCKLES] God
[MUSIC]
Get ready. Keep it tight.
[TENSE MUSIC]
My God.
[THE CROAT] Ironic to think
the natural resource
pulling them to the island
will be the agent of their demise.
The mechanism is beautiful
in its simplicity.
I had originally been
contemplating a more
elaborate strategy, but then an
old mnemonic from my childhood
floated into my mind,
something my secondary
school chemistry teacher
would recite for us.
Forgive me for the bastardized
translation.
It won't sound nearly as poetic
as the original.
Sodium and water, what
a fierce little pairing.
Strongly exothermic, they
come together in a flaring.
Electrons transfer in the water,
releasing heat and light.
Hydrogen and sodium hydroxide,
what a sight.
Gaseous byproducts emitted in a plume.
So be careful while you work,
or else you'll end up with a
boom.
[CHEERING]
[SOLDIERS PANICKING]
[TENSE MUSIC]
What the hell was that?
The buoys, they're bombs.
Methane bombs, I think.
Some kind of trigger on impact.
It's a minefield.
Cut the engine and drop
anchor immediately.
Secure all units below deck.
[GENERAL HOUSEMAN] Yes, ma'am.
Another one. Look out!
[BOMB EXPLODES]
[SOLDIERS SCREAMING]
Whatever orders you've been
given, you've got to forget 'em.
I need you to help, okay?
Did they give you the keys
to our handcuffs?
Please, come back.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Hershel, I need you to listen to me.
There's a There's a
broken pipe above you.
If you stand up, your handcuffs
can reach the sharp part of it.
Honey, please, I need
you to listen to me
because we've gotta get off
this boat right now.
- We don't have a lot of time.
- I fucked it up.
I fucked it all up.
No. I'm so sorry for what
I said to you earlier.
None of this is your fault.
You should Ginny?
What are you
[HACKSAW SAWING]
Thank you.
Hold out your arms. Hold out your arms.
Listen to me, I need
you to focus, please.
You came out here to help me, right?
That's what I need you to do.
I know you can do it.
Okay.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
If we stay anchored, I think it
should buy us some time.
[MAN] Go, go, go. Go, go.
Ginny, get this one.
I got it. She's my mom.
Go find whoever you can
and bring 'em here.
[MUSIC]
What is that?
Governor Bryd, watch out.
[BOMB EXPLODES]
[MUSIC]
Mom!
Give me your hand.
Get the other cleat.
[WALKERS GROWLING]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
All right, go ahead. Fire.
[VICTOR] Fire!
Fire.
[MUSIC]
[SCREAMS]
[CHEERING]
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
You good?
Just wait.
[WALKERS GROWLING]
[MUSIC]
Okay. Fire.
Fire!
[CANNON FIRES]
[BOMB EXPLODES]
[CHEERING]
[SOMBER MUSIC]
[WALKERS GROWLING]
[WALKERS SNARLING]
[TENSE MUSIC]
[SOMBER MUSIC]
There's too many.
We've gotta move. Let's go! This way.
Come on! We gotta go!
- Let's move!
- [MAN] Fall back, fall back.
Granted, it was our first
battle, but what a rout.
It was resounding, explosive!
[DOOR OPENS]
Washed up near Pier 45.
M-my-my name is Benjamin Pierce.
And I'm just a writer, a historian.
I'm-I'm not part of the army.
Umm okay, I can I can prove it.
Here. These are my notes.
Good to meet you, Mr. Pierce. [SCOFFS]
I look forward to reading your
history as soon as it's legible.
Have we met before?
[DAMA] I very much doubt that.
What would you like us
to do with him, Dama?
Let him visit with us for now.
In case I have any questions.
Oh, I almost forgot.
Before we get to the celebrating,
there's a loose end that needs tying up.
Who were you trying to spare?
[DOOR OPENS]
Right on cue.
You asked to see me?
It's Victor, right?
Whatever you're planning,
you take it out on me, not him.
Wow.
You made quite the impression.
You've cracked his shell.
That is no easy task.
Trust me.
I understand you play the violin.
I only ask because a violin
was found at your station.
Outside his cell.
I'm guessing you are very talented.
That would certainly make
an impression on me.
And the last thing I would ever do
is rob the world of what
little is left of the artists
and the visionaries.
Are you a fan of classical
music, Mr. Pierce?
Being a self-proclaimed
historian, I'd imagine so.
We would love to hear you play.
Please.
It's okay. Take your time.
It's not like your life depends on it.
[PLAYING BACH'S
VIOLIN PARTITA NO. 2 IN D MINOR]
I was stalling because there was a kid.
- That's it.
- A kid?
Some random kid who
didn't deserve to die.
[VICTOR CONTINUES PLAYING]
[APPLAUDING]
Bravo. Bravo.
I have to say, hearing you play
like that with so much control
and expression, in this sacred space,
brought me back.
It brought me all the way back
to the old days, the old city.
I mean, Bach!
[LIGHTLY CHUCKLES]
He was the best of his time.
The culmination of everything
that had come before him.
Or another way to say it,
he was the best of what everyone
else had been doing for a time.
A long time. He didn't change the world.
He didn't imagine something new.
He wasn't a revolutionary.
He just perfected what had come before.
Instead of pushing us forward,
he chose to take us back.
I am not interested in going back.
No! No!
No!
[SOMBER MUSIC]
You did good.
Very, very good.
All right, now that we've
taken care of that.
[MUSIC]
[CHAMPAGNE CORK POPS]
[SOFT MUSIC]
[ENGINE RUMBLING]
That's them again.
I saw a park up the street.
It's dense, overgrown.
We can hide out there
till sunset at least.
She's right.
She's been right this whole time.
[MUSIC]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
I'm sorry about everything from before.
I don't know what is going
on with me. I just
freaked out.
I'm just
I'm glad you're okay.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
I love you, Mom.
I love you, too.
[SAD MUSIC]
[MUSIC]
[ENGINE RUMBLING]
Let's move.
[MUSIC]
[BIRDS CHIRPING]
- You've been making a lot of noise.
- [STABS, WALKER THUDS]
We don't plan on staying.
We've got the park surrounded.
If the soldiers are dead, I'll find 'em.
They're not, I'll finish 'em off.
[WALKERS GROWLING]
Look out at the city.
We get to build something new.
Don't see what is or was
See what could be.
Constable Hook will take us
into the Hudson,
then we'll dock at pier 25.
At the start of the season,
Governor Byrd is very much
in charge of New Babylon.
She's sort of the general kind of
leading her troops into battle.
And Narvaez is kind of like
her second in command.
Back to your unit, soldier.
Narvaez and Maggie meet in this season,
and they are completely at odds.
For her, it's like, "We have a goal.
This is business. We have
to get this methane".
And she has a way
of sticking to the rules,
and she sticks to them very well.
Don't get in her way.
We really see them face off
against their philosophy,
their approach to everything.
And it makes for some really,
really tense moments.
Cut! Really good.
It's really fun when you get
to come head to head
with someone and they're
equal in so many ways,
and they see things so differently,
but they can kind of climb
the mountain the same,
just on different sides of it.
And that's what we got to do,
and it was awesome.
Secure her in the shaft alley.
- Don't touch me! Get your hands off of him!
- And put him in there, too!
When we were casting Narvaez,
there really was never
anybody but Dascha.
We had had ideas of, like,
what Narvaez could be,
and she takes it and pluses it
and pluses it
out of this stratosphere.
I remember, on day one, she showed up
and just immediately,
she just got all the little
nuances of the character.
Working with Dascha is amazing.
She's a comedian.
Am I alive? Am I alive?
Welcome to "Dead City,
The Walking Dead".
I'm alive, I'm alive.
Don't worry. I'm here.
Between setups, between takes,
like, she's cracking jokes.
She's got the crew laughing.
She's got the cast laughing.
That's our That's our team. Yeah!
Oww, oww.
And I hope you're
recording all this, right?
Oh, yeah.
She's an amazing talent,
and it's so great to have her
as a part of the show.
I actually, if you notice,
she has a gold tooth.
And that was something
that I came up with
after I had met with the team.
We were right about to shoot,
and I knew we didn't have time to do
like, create a gold tooth,
but it was such an awesome
idea, and I don't know why.
It just made sense for the character.
It was just spot-on.
We painted the tooth at first,
for the first couple of scenes,
I think it was 1 or 2,
and then I went about it
and I got my gold tooth, and here it is.
♪
The boat sequence was a huge sequence.
They shot a majority
of that on the stage
where we built a giant
replica of this boat.
And there was explosions
and stuff like that.
It was so realistic.
3, 2, 1!
Boom.
[EXPLOSION]
There are some real
explosions in there, you know.
A lot of real stunts of people
getting yanked off the boat
and some real fire.
And it was pretty crazy.
And we shot some pieces
on the actual boat.
It's based on a real ferry.
The production designer,
you know, their whole team,
they worked wonders.
I think it shows, and
it turned out to be
a really powerful sequence.
Fire!
[CANNON FIRES]
[EXPLOSION]
[CROWD CHEERING]
Before we get to the celebrating,
there's a loose end that needs tying up.
Who were you trying to spare?
Lisa Emery is returning
this season as The Dama,
and we're going to understand
the Dama a lot more
and what she's up to, what her goals are
and how she accomplishes those goals.
Lisa is this most loving,
cool lady you'll ever meet in your life,
and she plays this
off-the-charts lunatic.
I am not interested in going back.
- [KNIFE PLUNGES]
- No!
There's something about both
how Lisa and Zeljko
can play these characters
that you don't want to
[BLEEP] with them.
Even Negan, when he was at his
best and his best crazy time,
you knew it was an act that he put on.
With these two, you don't know.
And I think that's a testament to both
who they are as actors
and the writing and all of it
and what they're able
to bring to the table
and able to pull it off
and make it believable.
You have to have two great actors,
and that's what we have in those two.
All right.
Now that we've taken care of that
[OUTRO MUSIC]