The Walking Dead: Dead City – Novi Dan, Novi Početak – Review: The Weariness is Palpable

This week’s episode of The Walking Dead: Dead City, “Novi Dan, Novi Početak”—Croatian for “New Day, New Beginning”—tries to live up to its name. The story presses hard on the accelerator, but the narrative’s fuel tank feels more than half-empty. While the plot aims to deliver emotional resonance through its leads, Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), the execution falters—dragged down by weary characters and a joyless cast that looks as worn out as the Dead City they inhabit.

“Novi Dan, Novi Početak” – THE WALKING DEAD: DEAD CITY,
Pictured: Lauren Cohen as Maggie Rhee. Photo: Robert Clark/AMC © 2025 AMC Networks Inc. All
Rights Reserved.

Maggie’s arc—once the emotional backbone of The Walking Dead universe—teeters on collapse. Her desperate search for Hershel (Logan Kim) leads to a confrontation with The Croat (Željko Ivanek). In a pivotal moment, Maggie learns that Hershel willingly sacrificed his toe at the request of The Dama (Lisa Emery). It’s a revelation that shakes her deeply: Hershel may be more loyal to The Dama than to his own mother.

Good thing The Dama is dead. Psych. She’s alive—and worse, Hershel lured his mother straight to her. The Dama knocks Maggie out cold.

“Novi Dan, Novi
Početak” – THE WALKING DEAD:
DEAD CITY, Pictured: Logan Kim as Hershel. Photo: Robert Clark/AMC© 2025 AMC Networks Inc. All
Rights Reserved.

Despite the potential power of these twists, Cohan’s performance feels muted. Not because the material isn’t emotionally rich, but because the emotional wells have run dry. You can see it in the actors’ eyes: there’s nothing left in the tank.

Plot-wise, The Croat’s transformation from unhinged sadist to sage-like escort is jarring—not in a provocative way, but in a “wait, really?” way. Viewers have been conditioned to fear him. He’s slaughtered, tortured, manipulated—and now he’s waxing poetic about his mother while giving Maggie pep talks? Without proper buildup, this shift feels like a betrayal of the brutal figure viewers loved to loathe.

“Novi Dan, Novi
Početak” – THE WALKING DEAD:
DEAD CITY, Pictured: Zelijko Ivanek as The Croat. Photo: Robert
Clark/AMC© 2025 AMC
Networks Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Then there’s Negan. His descent back into violence after seasons of slow-burning redemption is equally gutting. Viewers have invested in his struggle to change, and now, with little warning, he’s ready to plunge back into the abyss. Why would the showrunner sacrifice the emotional capital fans have poured into this man? It doesn’t make sense—at least not yet. There’s one final episode to justify the choices, but the risk of alienating fans is real.

And perhaps most insidious is the show’s unrelenting bleakness. The tone is pitch black, the themes unrelenting, and joy feels like an outlaw emotion. Case in point: Negan trudging through a gauntlet of undead children. That kind of imagery leaves a mark—not just on the audience, but seemingly on the cast, who now wear their roles like leaden armor. The weariness is palpable. The spark that once electrified this franchise is flickering.

“Novi Dan, Novi
Početak” – THE WALKING DEAD:
DEAD CITY, Pictured: Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan. Photo: Robert
Clark/AMC© 2025 AMC
Networks Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Dead City was once a bold expansion of the Walking Dead universe. Now, it limps toward its finale, weighed down by its own ambition and darkness. The show may yet deliver an ending that redeems these risks—but for now, it feels like the story, and perhaps its cast, are ready 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 still breathing?

Overall Rating:  6/10 

Lynette Jones