Previously on Dead City...
It was a brainchild of a man named Bruegel.
If we can form an alliance,
then New Babylon won't stand a chance.
We're still waiting on Bruegel.
Methane. We got it, you don't.
Who were you trying to spare?
Does the city have some kind of pull on you?
I'm on your side, Maggie.
From now on, we do this together.
You see, power equals power.
It's as simple as that.
I can't stop thinking about it.
It wasn't just the church, it was the whole block.
Radio City Music Hall.
It-It- It was like traveling back in time.
Like waking up from a long nightmare.
How magical would it be to get the grid back on,
to see Fun City all lit up again?
You are hungry. Good.
We've got a very big day ahead of us.
It makes no sense.
We demolished an armada without his help.
Bruegel should be coming to us.
All that matters is he's willing to talk, right?
He wants to discuss terms.
He is a-a slippery eel looking only to feed his own mouth.
I don't know why we trust a word he says.
We shouldn't.
We've only won a battle, not the war.
New Babylon will be back,
and they will have learned from their mistakes.
We need our army, which means we need Bruegel and his men.
So we just have to make nice,
stay one step ahead of him.
Leave that to me. I would say I have a gift
for determining weakness and exploiting it.
Don't forget anything in the car.
Takes a lot to faze you.
Can't say the same for him.
There's a reason we needed you.
He is too emotional. He's volatile.
Things have to remain amicable today.
Make sure he doesn't fuck it up.
Whatever you say, boss.
I imagine your family
must be crossing the Appalachians by now.
Very treacherous pass.
Well. I'll pray for them.
So what, supposed to ring the damn doorbell?
And once I got Hershel back,
the Croat took Negan away.
I'm guessing that they weren't heading off to have a beer.
So you traded him.
I thought you two were working together.
I thought Negan was helping you.
He killed Hershel's dad.
And I had to get my son back.
I'd have done the same.
And then you saw him in the park yesterday with the Burazi.
I mean, he was using one of their spears.
Did he say anything?
No.
Negan's been with the Burazi, he's gotta know something
about the methane, where they're set up.
He's our only lead.
We gotta find him. Learn what he knows.
How are you gonna explain this to Narvaez?
You being the Negan slayer and all.
I'll figure it out.
You tell anyone else? Ginny?
I didn't think it was a good idea.
I found something in her bag. A gun.
A gun?
I think she took it from one of the other officers.
And it felt like... she didn't want anybody to know.
Like she was saving it for someone.
Let's keep this between us for now.
Hope the traffic wasn't too bad.
Welcome. Welcome.
I assume that you found whatever it was
you were looking for in the park?
Uh, no.
But the park usually leaves nothing to find.
And anyway, more important matters arose.
I like what you've done with the place.
It's more, uh, more refined
than when Christos and his people called it home.
For him, canvases were kindling, sculptures projectiles.
I was shocked to hear he had lost it to you
in one of your little games.
Ah, go big or go homeless.
Got yourself a lot of mirrors here, slick.
It's to help reflect the natural light coming into the museum.
Um, electricity would be nicer, obviously.
Or methane torches.
Speaking of which... this-this isn't wine, is it?
It's a small token of our respect.
Careful. I don't expect you to know,
but it is highly flammable. All it takes is a match.
Well, then it's a good thing
none of us are looking to play with fire today.
In all seriousness, thank you. Thank you.
With this much methane, I'm sure we could probably
power a toaster.
Kidding.
Would you like your jackets off? Coats, coats, coats.
Um, who-who are you? Who-who might you be?
Mr. Pierce is a recent immigré. A historian.
I brought him along to record all the history we'll be making.
Oh, I'd love to read it when it's all done.
It's meant mostly for posterity.
Oh, it's an inspirational tale. Thermopylae.
I-I so apologize for forcing you to come all this way.
Not at all.
It was the least I could do for such a lavish gift.
I so knew you'd appreciate the Goya.
But before we continue and get into all this
nitty-gritty stuff, I'd love to show you around.
Oh, lead the way.
Oh my darling, I will.
You know, I couldn't make up my mind,
the dog eating the chicken...
Why do I get the feeling we're going on an audio tour?
We'll just be gone a day or so.
The only reason that I'd ask you to stay
is to keep an eye on things.
I'm thinking we keep it small. Maggie, Hershel, and me,
seeing as we're the ones who know the Burazi.
We'll move along the perimeter, pick up what we can.
If we're lucky,
we'll find out where they're housing the methane.
There's no perimeter. Not anymore.
They left this morning for the old art museum
at the edge of the park.
Which means it's time for you to go.
Like we discussed.
If you give us a day, I'll scout the museum
while the others pack up.
When I get back, we'll head out.
Yes, sir.
Okay, we're all squared away.
We should head out soon.
Sun's not gonna wait for us.
Christmas night, 1776,
the general plans a surprise attack on Trenton.
The odds are against him,
but he's hoping to change all that dramatically.
He hopes to capture two thirds of England's forces
and turn the entire war around.
And so, Washington crosses the Delaware.
This is my favorite piece in the whole museum.
I mean, a small federation of colonies
taking on a powerful island?
Or rather...
a small island taking on a federation of powerful colonies?
And to think this went for 15.3 million at Sotheby's.
Can you imagine?
I-I mean, not that we're counting zeros anymore.
Negan. Just curious what you think.
It's cool, I guess. Never been a big art lover.
I'm more of a movie poster kinda guy.
Speaking of dramatic odds,
you yourself have quite defied them.
The armor, the weaponry, the accoutrements.
It's the space itself.
All of it won in a gamble at the plaza, no?
You are, uh... What do they call it? Uh...
New money.
Hmm, I guess Lady Luck has just smiled on me.
Oh no, Lady Luck has not only smiled, she has kissed you
on the mouth.
How many fights has your champion won in a row?
- I've never counted. - Twenty-six--
- Wow. - I believe.
Wow.
Now if I were someone upon whom Lady Luck had frowned...
like Christos,
I might wonder how your champion could be
so persistently victorious.
I don't know that it's such a big mystery, right?
Biggest dude wins.
And even from the cheap seats the other night, you, my friend,
you have the biggest dude.
A big fuckin' Frankenstein of a dude.
He is, isn't he?
Well, you're all gonna be happy then because today
you have a front row seat
to an exhibition match. A feisty friendly.
On that note, I'm hungry. Are we hungry? Lunch?
Come, please. After me.
Let's hold up a second.
The museum should be five blocks from here.
How do you always know where you are?
He grew up here.
When I was a kid, my brother and I'd cut class.
Take the train down, and hang out in the park all day.
Our school was strict, so we had to sneak out.
Can't tell you have many times Joel pulled a fire alarm.
What's a fire alarm?
What?
It-it was a bell. And you'd--
- You'd pull it. - Pull it.
All right, here's a question.
What food do you miss most?
For me, it's no contest. Breakfast sandwich.
Like the kind you'd get in a hole-in-the-wall bodega.
Jelly donut.
Maybe a Kit Kat.
♪ Gimme a break, gimme a break Break me off a ♪
♪ piece of that Kit Kat bar ♪
Sometimes, early on, you'd luck out and find a candy bar.
Last time I saw a candy bar was three years in.
It was my birthday...
And he surprised me.
I don't see what was so great about the old world.
From what it looks like,
it's just everybody fighting each other.
Killing each other for resources.
You know, for power.
That's not all it was.
It's true.
The more people try to bring it back,
it just leads to more fighting, and killing.
Hey, where are you going?
Hershel.
I saw some blackberries.
Okay, just be careful.
I know.
Interesting that even when nothing is at stake,
you still let your champion fight.
"Champion." "Champ-champion."
"Champion."
I'm sorry. I'm not--I'm not making fun.
It's just your accent is just so fucking exotic.
- It's Serbian? - Croatian.
It's a wonderful accent.
It's "interesting."
Not hungry?
Oh, no.
I'm saving myself for the second course.
I hear raccoon au poivre is on the way.
That's it!
I-I knew I'd seen you before!
See, I'd been doing all this research on the old world,
and in one of the New York papers,
I kept coming across these reviews of-of plays
and musicals. They were so witty and scathing.
And next to each review there was a photo, and it was her.
She used to be the critic.
I mean, she could make or break careers.
Dictated culture for decades.
She basically ran the city. And then--
Oh god, there was that whole thing at the, um--
What was it called? The-the King something Theater?
What whole thing?
Um...
There was, um, this writer who wrote a play called
The Little Empress. It was a thinly veiled mockery.
Well, that sounds like a goddamn hit.
It-- Well, it was actually.
Um, and at one of the shows,
there was an altercation with the writer and, um...
And, um?
Well, she, um...
I bit him.
Mr. Pierce,
what was that drawing you were showing me?
The one with the, um, fallen skybridge.
Um. I, uh...
Riveting.
And uh, who-who drew it again?
It was a boy you picked up along your way.
Hershel, if I'm not mistaken.
Oh, don't worry.
I knew our boy was involved
the second he sent the smoke signal.
Um, pass the carrots,
the carrot please.
Uh, more satisfaction for me by carrot.
No, no, no, no. No, no.
What do you think?
The Burazi are watching the cars, not the museum.
There's no methane there. Must be something else.
We'll wait for Negan then.
Having a kid...
...it's the scariest thing of all.
Especially when it's just you.
All I think about day and night
is keeping my girls safe.
Making sure they never go through what we had to.
I know I seem...
hard on the outside.
But deep down, I'm...
...terrified all the time.
When I got back from Manhattan,
I wanted to take my family and go.
But where?
Strange to think I'm fighting so hard to bring back
a world that my daughters never knew.
Is that what they even want?
I guess we gotta wonder.
How much of it is for them and how much for us?
Why are you here?
It's not for New Babylon, that much is clear.
I'm here to kill the man that killed my father.
You know, I grew up outside of Jacksonville.
Surrounded by family.
And then, suddenly... I was all alone.
For years.
When I got to New Babylon,
they looked at me like I was an animal.
But there was one person who refused to give up on me.
She'd soon be Governor Byrd.
She gave me this very pistol.
She said it came with a respect for order and justice.
She taught me that no society can flourish without the law.
That no crime...
no murder...
can go without retribution.
That man that killed your father,
you say he's still here, on the island?
Is his name Negan?
Thank you. Thank you so much.
Um, may I say that, back in the old days,
I-I was in a position of power and influence.
Some people, they loved me. But a lot more hated me.
So I got myself a bodyguard for protection.
His name was Tony. Even after, you know,
the shitstorm to end all shitstorms,
he remained loyal, by my side.
He taught me the true meaning of service.
Which is what I mean when I say I'm gonna serve you.
To our newfound alliance.
Mm. I dare any mainlander to set foot on this island.
I dare any lawman to give me or you a ticket for jaywalking,
or you peeing in the park.
Because we grow today not only in numbers, but in zeal.
And to that end,
I would like to propose a small, tiny addendum,
which I believe will just strengthen our alliance.
Let's build a second methane facility
right here in the museum.
We would double our output.
All that's needed is the sharing and pooling
of scientific expertise.
What say you?
Absolutely not!
I will have to remind you
that you are in no position to ask for anything.
We are the ones who beat New Babylon on the water.
We are the ones who are holding all of the cards.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, that's one opinion.
He is cheating.
It's okay. It's okay. It's all right.
I asked before,
how is it Bruegel's champion never loses,
winning for him endless spoils?
How is it he and his cronies grow only richer
while the others-- the others sink into poverty?
Your champion, his reflexes are quick. No?
Maybe too quick.
Have you injected him with something perhaps?
- What are you talking about? - Methylphenidates?
Is that even possible?
Dextroamphetamines? Because Negan was right.
He truly is a Frankenstein.
This is so absurd I can't even say any more to you.
- Traces of the chemicals... - Keep going. "Interesting."
...can easily be detected through
the administration of fenproporex,
which I would be more than happy to do.
If Christos and the others were to hear of this,
I can only imagine how they would react.
But I am thinking
that this does not need to happen.
Because we are all friends here.
You know...
it's getting late.
We should get your coats.
You know what? You're offended.
Understandably.
I mean, if I was accused of amping up a walker to cheat,
hell, I'd be pissed off too,
but the thing is, we both still want something.
All right? So, we do it your way.
All right? If Frankenstein wins, you get your methane.
But we pick a guy and he wins,
then you join our alliance, no addendums.
You're on.
Hey, I've been thinking.
Do you--do you remember the, um,
story about when we were on the road
and you found the lightning bug?
Do you actually remember it?
Yeah.
And the way that I tell it, is that how you remember it, too?
Uh, it's like you said, uh,
we were on the road.
You said I was five or six, but I think I was older.
Earlier that day, you told me to-to get some firewood.
Wh-when I came back, I could...
Could hear you crying. To yourself.
You were always so sad at that time.
And you didn't know I was back yet,
so I pretended to take a little longer.
But that night I wanted to do something to...
I don't know, cheer you up, I guess.
And then I saw this lightning bug in the distance,
so I just...
I'm sorry.
I didn't know.
Hey.
What is it?
Who's down there?
Negan.
They're going back to the museum.
Then we need to find a way in.
How do we get to 'em?
I can create a distraction or something.
And then I can get him alone.
How?
I've got an idea.
Not that I like it.
You're, uh, sure about this?
I like an underdog.
Okay.
That would be an underdog.
Control of the methane is too important to wager on a game.
And with such a duplicitous individual.
Okay, well, the rules. No physical contact at any time.
The fight lasts as long as it does until there's a solid kill.
What else? Armor.
There's no restrictions on armor,
as long as the back of the head is exposed.
Speaking of which, take your pick.
You know, I think I'm good.
Like I said, I like an underdog.
Okay.
Bruegel!
What? What? What is it?
Oh, my god. Oh, my fucking god!
Oh, my god! Oh, my god!
How the fuck does this happen? How did this--
Get in there! Put it out!
Get the candles! Pick the candles up!
Put it out, now! Put it all out!
Throw yourself against it. Don't hurt it.
It's 200 years old, for fuck's sake!
Turns out we are playing with fire today.
You little fucking shit. Tap it.
Not too hard, not too hard, not too hard.
Touch it, touch it gently.
There's liking the underdog,
and then there's just being stupid.
I assume you know the difference.
Well, let's hope so.
That's it. There we go.
How do these things happen?
No one knows.
Where are you going?
Little boy's room.
Uh, rat has a tendency to go right through me.
Maggie.
You came back.
Why?
Not for you.
Be a little strange if, uh,
you came back to bust out the guy
that you threw in the slammer.
If you can call this the slammer.
Looks to me like you're a free man.
Like you're holding up just fine.
Yeah.
So what?
Forget a credit card or something?
Oh, shit. I get it.
Finally got you on the payroll.
So, coming to me for help?
I mean, I am sensing a bit of a pattern here, Maggie.
I won't bullshit you.
I know we don't got a lot of time.
We need to secure the methane, the whole operation.
It's for a just cause. It's gonna help a lotta people.
Anything you can tell us, where it's being processed,
- how we-- - Good seeing you, too.
You know what?
I wanna hear it from you.
I'll meet you and Hershel back at the rendezvous point.
The hell are you doing coming back here?
What are you thinking?
Do you think I want to be here?
I don't give a shit about the methane.
Sooner I help them, sooner Hershel and I
can go back to living our lives in fucking peace.
And so I'm, uh-- I'm putting up all the risk as always.
I don't need anything from you, just a location.
I can't help you.
I can barely help myself.
I give you anything, even something small,
then the people I'm looking out for,
I-I can't.
I can't.
Who?
Annie and Joshua.
St. Patrick's Cathedral.
51st and 5th.
Maggie, there's something else.
It's Hershel.
She got to him somehow. He is helping her.
Who? Who got to him?
Listen to me. You can't trust him.
No.
Look, I am telling you, that's how they knew--
You don't know what you're talking about.
You have to go.
Right now. Go.
Well, isn't this a nice surprise?
Since you waived the armor,
I say the proceedings can begin.
Technically, I didn't waive anything.
Just nothing in your closet fit quite right.
Yo, oil.
Oil?
Ah, I see. You're both slippery bastards.
- Let him go. - All right.
Here we go.
Frankenstein can't get him.
That's it, that's it. Keep moving, keep moving.
Hey, hey, hey, hey! Come on over.
Come on, smell, smell, smell. Come on, come on.
Get over here, shorty. Come on.
Hey, hey! What the hell are you doing?
The rule says no physical contact.
Come on, come on, come on.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, oh!
Come on, boys. Come on, boys!
- Hey! - What are you doing?
Why? Why?
No physical contact.
What are you doing? Snare him.
Serves you right. Snare him.
Come on! I see.
Come on, come on, come on.
Come on, boys.
Hey, hey, hey. No touch.
At least he put up a good fight.
Wow!
That was one for the history books, huh?
I hope you got all that down, Mr. Pierce.
Now even though we won the match,
I think what we've really won is each other's trust.
Um, we played by the rules-ish.
We gave them quite the show.
So... in the spirit of trust,
I am willing to join the alliance,
no strings attached.
Well, come on. For you.
And you. Both of you.
Come on, give it up. Give it up.
To the alliance!
Come on!
Maggie.
Where's Hershel?
I'm the first one here. You're the second.
What took you so long?
Nothing.
It just... took me a while to get out.
Did Negan give you anything?
Do we really have to do this again?
Oh, don't worry.
The Dama would like to find you a more...
permanent home.
I don't know how you pulled that off,
but you always do.
I loved it.
Your family would be so proud.
They will be proud.
Negan.
Join me.
Power is a funny thing. It fuels you.
It lights your way. It heats you up.
It's what makes the world go round and round.
The old world, at least.
Ah, we were so close today. I could almost taste it.
You did wonderfully today.
You moved well. You fought well.
We've had a good run.
We've had a really good run.
Come on. Tony,
I've been good to you, no?
Tony?
Come on.
Yes.
Ah, there have been-- There have been costs, right?
But I'd like to think in a way
that I've served you, too.
I have given you the most valuable thing of all
in this world...
a purpose.
But...
now that our secret's out,
you're no longer of any use to me.
We were so close.
And yet,
I picked up a really good tip today.
Can't say the odds are great, but, hey,
you know what they say,
higher the risk, higher the yield.
I'm not out of moves just yet.
Our forces are almost ready.
All that's left is Christos.
You really think you could take The Burazi?
I want you to bring Negan to us.
I'm as good as it gets, and I'm all you got.
I wouldn't be so sure about that.
It looks like I'm late to the party.