This week’s episode of The Strolling Useless: Useless Metropolis, “Novi Dan, Novi Početak”—Croatian for “New Day, New Starting”—tries to dwell as much as its title. The story presses laborious on the accelerator, however the narrative’s gasoline tank feels greater than half-empty. Whereas the plot goals to ship emotional resonance by its leads, Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), the execution falters—dragged down by weary characters and a joyless solid that appears as worn out because the Useless Metropolis they inhabit.
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“Novi Dan, Novi Početak” – THE WALKING DEAD: DEAD CITY, |
Maggie’s arc—as soon as the emotional spine of The Strolling Useless universe—teeters on collapse. Her determined seek for Hershel (Logan Kim) results in a confrontation with The Croat (Željko Ivanek). In a pivotal second, Maggie learns that Hershel willingly sacrificed his toe on the request of The Dama (Lisa Emery). It’s a revelation that shakes her deeply: Hershel could also be extra loyal to The Dama than to his personal mom.
Good factor The Dama is lifeless. Psych. She’s alive—and worse, Hershel lured his mom straight to her. The Dama knocks Maggie out chilly.
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“Novi Dan, Novi |
Regardless of the potential energy of those twists, Cohan’s efficiency feels muted. Not as a result of the fabric isn’t emotionally wealthy, however as a result of the emotional wells have run dry. You possibly can see it within the actors’ eyes: there’s nothing left within the tank.
Plot-wise, The Croat’s transformation from unhinged sadist to sage-like escort is jarring—not in a provocative means, however in a “wait, actually?” means. Viewers have been conditioned to concern him. He’s slaughtered, tortured, manipulated—and now he’s waxing poetic about his mom whereas giving Maggie pep talks? With out correct buildup, this shift seems like a betrayal of the brutal determine viewers liked to detest.
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“Novi Dan, Novi |
Then there’s Negan. His descent again into violence after seasons of slow-burning redemption is equally gutting. Viewers have invested in his battle to alter, and now, with little warning, he is able to plunge again into the abyss. Why would the showrunner sacrifice the emotional capital followers have poured into this man? It doesn’t make sense—no less than not but. There’s one remaining episode to justify the alternatives, however the threat of alienating followers is actual.
And maybe most insidious is the present’s unrelenting bleakness. The tone is pitch black, the themes unrelenting, and pleasure seems like an outlaw emotion. Living proof: Negan trudging by a gauntlet of undead kids. That sort of imagery leaves a mark—not simply on the viewers, however seemingly on the solid, who now put on their roles like leaden armor. The weariness is palpable. The spark that after electrified this franchise is flickering.
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| “Novi Dan, Novi Početak” – THE WALKING DEAD: DEAD CITY, Pictured: Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan. Photograph: Robert Clark/AMC© 2025 AMC Networks Inc. All Rights Reserved. |
Useless Metropolis was as soon as a daring enlargement of the Strolling Useless universe. Now, it limps towards its finale, weighed down by its personal ambition and darkness. The present might but ship an ending that redeems these dangers—however for now, it feels just like the story, and maybe its solid, are able to let go.
As for that finale—The Dama is alive and clearly a wildcard. What’s her endgame? And does The Croat know she’s nonetheless respiration?
General Ranking: 6/10
Lynette Jones