Summary
“People Are a Resource” gives us some welcome backstory on the Croat and some other characters, but it’s very much a “calm before the storm” episode, so can feel a little plodding.
This recap of The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 1 Episode 3, “People Are a Resource”, contains spoilers.
The latest episode of The Walking Dead: Dead City, “People Are a Resource”, divides its action into three plot strands of wavering quality. Instead of a typical play-by-play, we’ll divide this recap into three sections to reflect this, organized by rough order of importance and focus.
And yes, despite the fall of Manhattan to the ravenous undead, staunch city-dwellers still refer to outsiders as “bridge and tunnel”, even in the post-apocalypse. New York is thoroughly immovable in its attitudes.
The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 1 Episode 3 Recap
Let’s start with Ginny and get this out of the way.
Why does Negan teach Ginny to whistle?
As we saw in Episode 2, Ginny has left the relative safety of the Hilltop offshoot and spends this episode making her way into Manhattan with the aid of a cooler.
But most of Ginny’s development here comes in flashbacks. I have no idea how old she’s supposed to be, but she carries a stuffed dinosaur with her. Since she’s defined by her mutism, and thus her trauma, I can imagine this is some form of arrested development. Either way, in the past, it frustrates Negan.
But it also brings out his nurturing side. He’s trying his best to get through to her, and it seems to be working, but she still seems to be clinging to things that bring her comfort. Instead of trying to force her to speak, Negan instead teaches her to whistle in the same way his wife Lucille used to when she was sick and needed something. If Ginny whistles like that, Negan assures her, he’ll be there.
What did the Croat do before the apocalypse?
Perlie, who is now a “guest” of the Croat, provides us with our longest amount of time yet in the company of the villain.
Before the fall of humanity, The Croat was a scientist specializing in alternative energy. In the present day, he has used his expertise to figure out a way to turn walkers into liquid fuel.
Dead City mostly uses this as an excuse to give The Croat a villainous affectation. When he discovers the meat he is served for dinner is rotten, he gives a cautionary scientific explanation of its dangers before smashing the cook’s head to a pulp. So, he isn’t just violently insane, but he’s also quite annoyingly verbose.
Before he can be accepted in the Croat’s “sanctuary” – the choice of words is, I assume, not a coincidence – Perlie has to prove himself as capable, so he’s locked inside a cage for a deathmatch with several walkers, which he stoves in with his boot. The Croat, impressed, describes his fight as the best they have seen in years, and shares more of his backstory, highlights of which include his wife and children being killed and fed to another family.
After some more psychological torture when the Croat reads aloud the letter Perlie keeps in his boot, Perlie reveals that he came to Manhattan in pursuit of a fugitive named Negan.
Who does Negan kill in Dead City Episode 3?
Speaking of Negan, he and Maggie spend “People Are a Resource” trying to convince Amaia, Tommaso, and Luther to break into the Croat’s compound, from which Tammaso is apparently the only person to ever escape.
Part of Negan’s persuasive tactics involves recounting a similar story about a despotic leader who recruited psychopaths into a perceived “sanctuary” and was eventually taken down by those who rebelled against him. Maggie bristles at the reminder, but the point is made.
The New Yorkers remain skeptical, though. Maggie expects her eagerness to get Hershel back to be sufficient motivation for everyone, but why would it be? These people don’t know her. She’s asking them to risk their lives for someone they’ve never met. Negan’s moral angle is a much better one. Amaia and Tommaso want rid of the Croat more than they want to rescue Hershel, so when they hear that Negan blew his ear off and the Croat will seek out revenge if he’s used as bait, they’re a little more amenable to the plan.
Meanwhile, Maggie and Negan do a little more bonding. The former tells him about how Hershel’s teenage attitude contributed to him being kidnapped, and she can’t hide her disdain at his efforts to defend himself; the latter explains how he sent Annie away to Missouri after a violent attack. It’s probably less ideal being told about these things rather than shown them, but I appreciate the background.
Anyway, Tommaso draws up a hilariously amateurish map of the Croat’s complex, and a rough plan is formed, though it’s thrown into some jeopardy when Luther confronts Negan, having found his wanted poster among his belongings. He insists Maggie and Negan leave. A fight breaks out, and Negan is forced to kill him, which probably won’t do well for long-term relations among the group.
You can stream The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 1 Episode 3, “People Are a Resource” exclusively on AMC and AMC+.
