Another season of The Walking Dead: Dead City comes to a bloody close, and our steadfast survivors are just a little bit closer to building a civilized community on the walker-torn landscape that is Manhattan. Warning: Spoilers for The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 3 Finale, Episode 8, “Tenebrae,” ahead!
Unfortunately, not all of this season’s new additions made it to the end. Last week, leader Renata (Aimee Garcia) was killed by eccentric-survivor-turned-complete-maniac Dillard (Jimmi Simpson). And now, Dillard is with his undead brethren, after a harrowing finale fight that saw Maggie (Lauren Cohan) stabbed and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) cradling Dillard in his final moments.
That emotional goodbye was also a difficult parting on-set, as Cohan and Morgan told us in the TV Insider office. They both really wanted the Westworld vet to stick around for another round. “His character is like so tender and vulnerable, and that’s also what leads you right into how he has this downfall, and how his philosophy and his life developed,” notes Cohan. “It was so painful….you really don’t want to lose people in the show, ever, but we really didn’t want to lose Jimmi, and we campaigned so hard [to keep him around].”
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And, what, get Dillard a therapist? Maybe. At least when Negan was around Dillard, he had a pal to play video games with. “The extent of [Negan and Dillard’s] bond during the season,” adds Cohan, “I think, burst the banks of even what was written.”
Now that the show is hopefully headed towards a fourth season (the series has yet to be renewed), viewers will see new strides as Maggie leans more into a leadership position within the community, with Negan as her head of security. (“I’m glad you said yes, because I’ve got something I need you to do,” Maggie tells Negan in the final moments, alluding to a job not-yet complete.) Maggie and Luis (Raúl Castillo) are cleaning up the streets. Hershel (Logan Kim) is learning to tattoo. A fresh start feels like it’s just on the horizon.
“I would love to see Maggie lead,” confirms Morgan. “I think that there’s been a lead-up for a long time, since [she] led Hilltop, and a lot has changed since then, and a lot of growing has been done by everybody. But I think Negan’s always known that she’s the one to lead this new world. And they can start in New York — and it shall. But I think at this point, Negan’s going to do whatever he can to back her play – and he’s got her back. She probably doesn’t trust that [though].” He laughs.
“There was a retraction for Maggie this season in not wanting [to lead],” she continues. “Now it’s really understanding what it really is to do it. And that having your kid makes you stronger at it. Finding the connections and the similarities makes you stronger at it. Something in your relationship with yourself makes you better equipped. Maggie, post the definition of ‘the farm girl,’ ‘the wife,’ ‘the warrior,’….all that stuff comes together in this actualization.”
Check out the video interview above for more.
The Walking Dead: Dead City, Seasons 1-3, Streaming Now, AMC+