Chewing the Fat with Jeff Fisher - S2 E5 | Talking Walking Dead | Dead City 

Episode Date: June 4, 2025

Talking Walking Dead: Dead City  Season Two, Episode Five…  Titled: The Bird Always Knows     With myself Jeff Fisher, Jason Buttrill & Maximus Fisher     SHOW DESCRIPTION:  Negan makes some big moves, while Maggie takes matters into her own hands     Each week we discuss the latest episode and what the future may and should hold.  We also discuss all things Dead.  Email the show [e-mail]    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Season 2, episode 5 of the Walking Dead Dead City, titled The Bird Always Knows. Dead City holds true to its name this week. Many new people join the ranks of walkers and a beloved pet get squished. This is talking Walking Dead. Welcome to it. Myself, Jeff Fisher, Jason Butchow, Maximus Fisher, as we take a look at the latest episode of Dead City. the show description, Negan, makes some big moves while Maggie takes matters into her own hands. I personally enjoyed this episode, probably the best, for sure, this season.

It was fun. It was fun. Now, there's a couple of issues throughout it, but overall, a really good episode. Mr. Butchral, welcome to Talking Walking Dead, another edition. How are you? Well, thank you, thank you. Doing well. I think I'm in agreement. It was a good episode. episode. It gave us back that kind of unpredictability of, you know, who's going to survive and who's not, which is always good. The only thing that I guess is weird about me saying unpredictable, we should have known these characters were going to die a long time ago. Actually, kind of like your, you know, fat people remarks and, you know, blind. They probably should have died a long, long, long time ago. Absolutely. And not have made it to this point in the universe, but, hey. Right. Okay, okay, sure. Sure, we got it. You survive.

All right, we're with you. Maximus. I thought it was a good episode as well. A lot of death. There's a surprise. Ha, ha. Really, two episodes ago, I was clearly not a fan of that episode. No, true.

It's true. But, yes, it was pretty good. A lot of death, which was very, very good. Some pretty good death scenes as well. Some characters we've wanted to die for a while. and some good Negan stuff in my opinion. Okay. Was there a death of the metaphorical Negan that we all love?

I think so. I don't think so, but I mean, maybe the death occurred a long time ago. It did. This was like the final nail on the coffin, like get over it, guys. He's never coming back. I wrote in my notes at that point, never getting old Negan back. Okay, yeah, exactly. I mean, it was, and Max, of course, is like, that's the real deign.

I kept saying, no, I can't, no, I did not say that. I said he's always, I did not say that. I did not. I said he's always not killed kids. We know this. Yeah, I know. I got it. But there was just, that was it.

We're never getting the negon that we want back. It just isn't going to happen. It just isn't going to. In fact, you can make the case, and I, you know, I will make the case that Negan should die. Season two, Negan gets killed, falls out of a building, gets stabbed, whatever. Something happens to them. Because we lost, I mean, how many, we lost Christos, we lost the Dama, we lost Roxana, the Queen of the Bush people. All of those people.

We lost all the Bush people, right? At least most of them. We lost the Colonel or Navarez, the Babylon B, chick that was in charge in Manhattan. We lost the rat. Negan killing the rats was a good call. That was a great call. That was a great call. The episode ending with him scraping it off his boot?

Yeah, that was well worth it. No question about it. That was fun. And he's been working Croat through the whole thing. And he's got, you know, now he's got that inner voice of Croat working well because he was arguing with the Dama. And it was, oops, oh, hey, sorry, I'm going to push you over and you're going to burn. Now, the question I have is she really dead?

Did she actually burn to death? Or is she, are we going to have the singed Dama ruling us for a while? I think she's hanging out with a husband from Fear of the Walking Dead somewhere in a helicopter. I forgot about him. He is still a lot. He's a lot. I don't even know what you're talking about. He's still alive.

Do we continue to call Negan Negan or is he now Ned? No, his name is Nagan. His name is Nogh. His name is Ned. His name is Negan Smith. But, okay. I don't know. I think it's Ned.

You know, he's, Ned is the guy that used to be something else that we just don't really know anymore. And he kind of does it his own way. He doesn't do it the old way. Doesn't do it the way we want him to. He's not going to return and give that glimpse of Negan anymore. Did his birth certificate change? Yes.

That scene, that scene with what's his face, Christos and the family, it was, you know, I get it. Oh, that's the way you always had a thing. with children and that was Negan. No, I'm sorry. And I believe, remember when they got in a car after Croat pulled his double cross there and killed them all.

And he said, I was a shock. And he said, don't worry, I saved the kids for you. Yeah, I don't think he did. I think they're all dead. The old, the old Negan, not the current Ned, would have saw the kids, would have been like, oh, yeah, it's kids, you know.

I love kids. It's great. Right. Christos, you don't deserve to live to protect them, only I can. So here's a bat to the forehead. Because I only can take care of them. You guys come with me now. Or you can stay here, but no, you're underneath. Right.

He doesn't have that scene where he exhales, shh, you know, drags his shoulders down. Yes. Like, I love you, man. Oh, I know. Good job, Ned. Like, yeah, that's a very Ned thing to do. And yet they're all... You need to work together.

And yet they're all dead now. No, the Because of him. He saved the kids What the Croat said. That's what the Croatian said. That doesn't believe the Croat. I don't.

I don't. I believe that. I will say that a couple episodes from now, Negan will find out that everyone is killed. All the children. All the children.

And that will really, I mean, that will bring back why he kicked Croat out to begin with. And that will then make Ned have a Back to school heart to heart with the Croat and then instruct him on why that was a bad thing

and how it hurt Ned's feelings. But he bought the Hallmark store and got a nice card from the Hallmark store. Jason, I refuse to acknowledge this Ned thing. His name is Megan. That's what he's going to do. That is very possible. That is very possible. Holy cow.

And they'll find out I think the card store is right next to the men's suit store the Croat was getting his new suits from in this episode. That was fun. That was fun. And that was hilarious when the Dama was like, get a new suit. He looked like a door man. What would she call? She said,

she said, you look like a bell hop. Bellhop. Yeah, Bellhop. That was awesome. Yeah, Madam Dam,

kind of resorting to her one defense mechanism. I'll just bite you on the hand. I was like, okay, this is just too. At that point, I was like, if she doesn't die very viciously,

right now. It's just a slap in face. And she did die. She burnt the death. But the better point is, why did this not happen a long-ass time again? Yeah, no kidding. It took Negan to

convince the Croat. To convince the Croat. That he was being treated poorly from her to end it. Because, I mean, Croats right. You know, everything the Croat said he wasn't wrong. That's the thing. No, he was not.

He was not at all. About the methane production, all that. And I did like the death of the Queen of the Bush people, Roxanna. The hanging of her was fun. I don't, I mean, we of course didn't believe that Maggie was going to get hung. So it was fun watching how she got out of that. You know what I mean? You were just waiting for the scene of how she's going to get out.

it. And I guess it was worth it. And then seeing all the... No, that's okay. We all know she's not going to die. So she's going to find a way out of it. It's just a matter of what kind of cool way they're going to try to get her out of it. And I think

it worked. All the Bush people getting killed by the walkers too. Yeah, she was, they actually kicked the, you know, stoole out from underneath her and then she gets saved. Was it Ginny that pulled the... It was Jenny that pulled the rope off her. Yeah. So, and Ginny is, you know, That, Jenny, may be the one to kill Niggott if she wants to, and that's the same thing that happened to what's his face in fear, right?

Your boy. Oh, John. Yeah, John Dory got killed by the girl. In fear, that's what's going to happen to Niggins. I don't think so, but... Yep. That's the hanging scene, yeah. The little clues like that make me just remember, like, the old show and how far it's gone.

Like, we've talked about lineups before. Like, I remember there was a lineup, a death lineup, and like fear. I think with Morgan, with the other cowboy group. And we were talking about it then as well, how they're just, the magic of that is just completely. They've ruined it for the audience because we know that you're not going to get rid of Maggie. We know it. So that should be a lot more dramatic event. And it's just not because we're like, okay, how are they going to get her out of it?

Yeah, that was the point of the scene, right? is that you know she's not going to die. They're not killing Maggie off. So how does she get out of it? Okay. It's just like, okay. Yeah. Yeah, I don't know.

It just, I guess I just missed that old magic. Remember back in the original lineup? There was all this speculation. There were people like analyzing camera angles and shadows. Remember that? Like, who would he kill all this? Yeah. But the reason it was like so impactful is because, you know, like, you don't do.

a life and death situation like that unless someone impactful is about to die. Somebody has to die. And now they do this all the time and you know they have just a handful of characters that can carry the carry of this show and you know none of them are going to die. To be fair, fear shocked us with a few deaths. We did not

think they would kill a few main characters and hilariously that those main characters were some of the driving forces of that show and once they were gone it was a bit of a mistake to get rid of them. Yeah, no kidding. I mean, the days of thinking that Rick is going to get killed and he bites the throat out of the guy

next to the car. Those were awesome scenes, right? Those were the scenes where you think, holy crap. No way, that's awesome. So, again, I appreciate how, you know, at least they're attempting to have a good outcome of a person you know is not going to die.

I mean, Daryl's girlfriend in the Daryl show, we thought she was going to, the nun, we thought she was going to survive. Yeah, yeah, we did. Yeah, I thought for, sure she was going to survive. Sure, but it's not the end of the show if she does die. No, it is not.

You know, it's like. No, it is not. It's like, man, oh, that sucks. That's another, that's another block in Daryl's hatred of other humans. I'm done. Yeah, yeah, we're moving on. So, you know, it was cute. You know, so now we have, we're left with what, pearly, the colonel or the major or whatever

his name is, the marshal, and Maggie. Jenny and Herschel. Herschel. Those are the last. And Herschel told Maggie what his beliefs are. Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Herschel was confessing to Maggie because, I mean, he knew that mom did know.

I mean, you just know that mom knows. So he's got to come clean. And we'll see. We'll see how that happens. And we had, we had, what's his face? Bruegel. Brugel show up at the end. That was fun.

Sorry, you missed the party. Oh, right, right. Yes, I missed the party. So, I mean, it was, because he was keeping an eye on the park anyway. We knew that from the episode before when he said, did you find what you were looking for in the park? So we knew that he was keeping an eye on what was happening with the Bush people. I did like, you know, the, I'm sure you appreciated it, Jason, the bag of stones. The bird always knows.

And, you know, with the telltale. signs of the stones and how they can tell your future because everyone knows that that's the way you tell your future is pick a stone out of a bag but you know it was hilarious that then she goes oh yeah by the way the whole all the stones are they're the same yeah it's just a matter of how i feel at the time and tell you oh yeah that's what's going to happen i see it all so it was you know have a nice day it was a fun twist on that the bush people are just they've got to be one of the weirdest groups I've ever seen the entire universe. I'm kind of sad to see them go. Kind of sad to see them go because I did like them and they were they were allowed to just

be the park and I like that a lot. I did. I was kind of hoping that they would build on their just kind of mystique and like as they were wailing. I was kind of hoping the walkers would walk past them. Yes. That would have been so cool. I thought so cool. I thought that's exactly what was like they wailing. The walkers just don't touch them. I'm really surprised that it did because they laid the groundwork for that. Yeah. They should have done that and they just not explained it. Like, you know, like, wait, what? But just never explain it again.

Yes. I don't disagree with that because I was expecting that. That's a good callback because I thought for sure that was going to happen because of the groundwork they laid in the previous episode. Yeah. With the offerings. Yes, that should have happened so that we continue with the Bush people. And they would

especially have done that because the queen died. I mean, they would have been all It was cool seeing her walker kill Nervaez, who, by the way, I was happy she got her face ripped off. Yeah, no doubt about that. It was good to see her go about time. She had to go away. I was tired of her. No question.

Please, stop it. We all were. We all were. And I made such a big deal out of her character. And I was like, no, no, she's got to go. But I am bummed that they didn't leave the Bush people. alive with the walkers that should have happened yeah that absolutely should have happened and because and you still could have had the queen uh kill navarez because she had they had not giving given an

offering of her and navarez wasn't on bush people anyway so that still could have happened and the bush people would still survive and uh be in the park yeah that should happen you put yeah and you make such a good point with the uh the all the buildup like Why do all that? Like, why have us question why the walkers never actually come and attack their compound? Yeah. And they can just kind of walk out with them. Like, why build that up?

And then they're having, the, the, the, the, the fire going. The fire, the noose. She's got the people, the, the bush people in, captured and under guard. That definitely should have happened. Definitely should have happened. The walkers should have protected them. It makes you wonder if it just didn't make the cutting room floor. or something for some weird reason.

I don't know. But regardless, it would have had tons of podcasts like ours and publications writing about what the hell actually happened. It would have been good. I agree with you guys on that completely. I thought that's where they were going to.

We all thought like, oh, crap, are the walkers going to actually just dodge the, dodge the forger's and go straight for the new battle camps? And we're just going to go like, what the heck just happened? Definitely. Walking Dead. What are you doing? What's happening?

I think if you were going to get them all killed this episode should have been by Bruegel. That would have been interesting. Yeah, but that's, see, now, okay, so all right, but that's the whole point. Brugel had no, knew that they were out there protecting and looking over the park. So he was not afraid of them. He was not afraid of the Bush people. He knew they were there and he let him be. And they let him be.

So everyone was, everyone was happy. you know, happy-ish. And it was good. That was at this point. Now I'm mad. I know what? That takes a nick out of the episode of how happy I was, how good I thought. I do wonder what Bruegel's plan is.

I really, him getting like Maggie and all them. Like, I wonder what Brugel's plan is because he is, he's the most interesting villain at the moment, in my opinion. Well, and now that the, now that Dama is dead. And, you know, Negan, Ned, will be able to sit down with Brugel and they can just have a heart-to-heart. No, they won't. They tried that. That didn't work. Talk about how everything's okay.

Again, that didn't work. He tried that. I do. I know I like, you know, movie art and movie posters, but I really do appreciate the art that you had. I was sorry that Washington burned. Let's talk some more. I was pissed that I was pissed that what's his name died

What was the name? Cornelius or whatever the heck his name was The guy with the kids Oh yeah, Christos Yeah, Christos He's the guy that Nigh got originally shocked, yeah He went from douche to dude Like really quick

Right Like I hated him at first And now I was like, oh, this guy is actually Just kind of cool Actually, yeah And then Croat just kills them all I know See that would have been a more interesting team up

Ned and Cornelius versus Bruegel and whatever the hell is about to happen. I don't know. Yeah, and I think that's where Nagan was headed, right, before Croak came in because he was pissed about the sabotage

that happened. And so, that's a tough call. Croix is just annoying. He's annoying. I mean, yeah, but he's smart. That's why. They need him.

Once they get the, once they get the mixture of what, you know, making the methane, then he could go. I mean, the mixture's easy. It's the, it's the building of everything. Not everyone has engineering, as an engineering mind. Yeah. He's just annoying because we've all had a ton of those girlfriends where they're the drama queen and they've got to make drama out of everything and screw everything up. Why did you wear that to the party? You know what I mean?

Like everything's going great and then all of a sudden make it about them and blow the whole thing up. In fact, I remember one that I familiarized myself with. Often we were called, she was called a Joni Tony. The good days were Joni. The bad days were Tony. You knew what day they were. You knew what day you were living.

I just called back. that particular relationship lasted way longer than it should have. But just as a, you know, I just, I want to say to the audience, look, I know every female isn't Joni Tony. That would be just terrible to think that. Uh-huh. Okay. Anyway, so, you know, I did enjoy this episode, although now I'm pissed. After that, wait, wait, wait, after that comment, can I,

I give your email address out? Sure, chewing the fat of this place. Let's put the comments. Don't worry about it. Don't worry about it. I get them. It's fine. Get ready, then.

So, I mean, I am looking forward to the next few episodes, though. No question. You know, we have next week's episode, which I think is directed by Lauren again, Lauren Cohen. Bridge partners are harder to come by these days. So. How many episodes? so we got left?

Well, this next week is episode six, right? So we have eight episodes. Holy cow, there's only eight episodes. We only have three episodes left, right? Is that right? That can't be right. Now, yeah, yes it is. Yes, it is.

Yeah, there's only eight episodes. So we're six, seven, and eight. We're three away. What? Yeah, there's only eight episodes of this season. So we're three away. Maybe we've got to do some. Remember when seasons were up?

Remember the seasons were 16 episodes long? More than that. I just walked by, well, my wife, who is definitely not a Joni-Toney. She was watching Lost. And she'd never watched it. And I kind of watched it off and on when it was such a big hit. But it's on one of the platforms now, so she's been binging it. But that season one was like 24 or 25 episodes.

And I was like, holy, you do not get those days. back. Those days are long gone, man. Yeah. It's all about, you know, setting it up so you can binge it, you know, as fast as possible. Yeah. And then you have other shows that are just going on forever fully,

like Gray's Anatomy, who was on season 21. Yeah, no, I know. But, I mean, you have the newer shows, you know, Bob Ladd for your friends and neighbors. Both those shows were awesome. The boys, Invincible. They all have, like, 8. episode. Yeah, eight or nine, maybe 10. I think Mobland had 10. Friends and neighbors had nine.

I mean, that's, that's what you're getting. That's what you're getting. So even at that pace, Dead City cuts us short with eight. I don't even reach nine or ten. A little disappointing. But maybe it's because I was reminded that Negan, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, has a new show that he's hosting on the network, Destination X, which I caught the first episode of, by the way, just to say that I watched it. It's kind of a game show thing where he, I mean, they spent a lot of money on it because he's traveling Europe and he's got, he's got contestants and it's, you know, it's a really a lot of money spent on this show.

But I'm sure that he was busy with that and has been busy with that. So, you know, DeWild Dead City is, you know, a lock for him to do timewise. Look, you're getting eight episodes out of me and I got to go. I mean, season one had eight episodes too. two years ago. That was way before this show. Right. Somebody tweeted,

I think it was like in the response to last week's podcast of ours on this where they said that they had watched that and they saw more of Negan in this new show than actually. And I was like, damn, like I totally, I haven't watched it, but I totally get it because if you watch, like, I've seen, I've seen Jeffrey and Morgan and Norman Redis's ride. And more of the old Negan personality is just in Jeffrey D. Morgan than what they're allowing him, I think, to portray now.

Right. It's like so weird. Like he's a lot more sarcastic. He's a lot more. And that person is right. Because you do get a little bit more of that now that I think. That is true. With the Negan attitude with the show.

Yeah. By and large, that's gone. Now it's like it's Ned, the guy that like tried to adapt and become an expert at chess rather than do what? what made him successful before. Apparently, it's a bridge because next week's episode is you don't find a good bridge partner. It could be checkers. I don't know. The point is like, this is not who we grew to love.

I know. But we will see, when we find out that Croak killed the kids, then he's got to go. Right. Nagan, he can't allow that. We may get him back for that. I hope that's true. I hope that actually is true. and now they're in a little bit of an uproar with the Dama.

Dama's dead. I think she's dead. She might just be, you know. It's the degree birds laying there on the top floor. I'm still the Dama. I'm not dead yet. She becomes the walking dead version of Two-Face. Yeah, that's possible.

No, half of her is completely fine. Half of her is completely fine. The other half third-degree burns. No, she's got to be dead. I mean, obviously she has to be dead. That was the whole point is to kill her off. But I would love it. I would love it if she's not.

If it wasn't believable, then old, frail food critic woman was leader of this violent game. It was not a food critic. She was a theater critic. Then now, what the hell's the difference? Then now it's even more,

like, believable that she's an old, frail, food critic, art critic, whatever, 75% burnt woman that's in charge of this entire.

entire violent game. I'm sorry, Jason, but as a writer, you really should get these points right. You could disagree with the story, but you at least have to get them right. As a writer, I agree that this plot works in cartoons and only in cartoons. A smoldering dama. I love it. I want that to happen. I want that. So what's left? Who's left to die? I mean, well, I'm happy with the deaths. I don't think we get very many other deaths other than Brugel. Really? I mean, Neiman could die. I don't think Negan's going to die. Brugel, probably. I think he might die.

Croat, maybe. With the Dama's death, that threw everything out of the window. So maybe Croat. Maybe the colonel, he might go. Oh, Marshall. Early. It would suck. He's actually one of the better characters in this show. I thought they were setting him up to be the next day.

dad to Herschel. That's what it almost felt like. I don't know. Oh, yeah. So I was thinking that when they were walking through the park and they were having this family moment and I was like, oh, they were talking about the Kit Kabbar? Yeah. Right. Does he have a wife though with, with, he talks

about his daughter? Yeah, he has a wife and kids. Ah, crap. There goes that idea. But they were, I felt like they were setting that up almost. I was like, hmm. So, kind of okay with it. Yeah, I mean, does does Maggie die? And, He takes to Herschel?

She has way too much plot armor. She's got like a death star of plot armor around her. So there's the thermal exhaust port. We need Luke Skywalker. Okay. I'm looking forward to, you know, these next, well, three episodes left in this season. How long do we have to wait for Daryl? Because it's after this, it's Daryl again.

Yeah. Yeah, that's coming out. I mean, they're already giving us promos for that. So that won't be. That's not that long, right? That's at the end of the summer. Pretty sure. goodness we need that badly yeah i think that's at the end of the summer so that's good anyway anyway

so we'll see back here next week i'm very happy with this episode except for the few things that we mentioned now that we worked it out fall it says fall yeah it's after the summer so i mean it'll do that so we have like what october november yeah yeah and who knows how many episodes that will bring so we still have that to look forward to at least anyway so with three more episodes i can't be bombed. We still have three episodes left. It's okay. And this episode was definitely worthy. So the next three have got to be out of the park as well. And let's, now let's hope that that actually happens. Final thoughts, Mr. Butchell?

I think that they've certainly tried so far up until this point this season has not been what I expected it to be at all not from you know Ned or or anyone so it it worries me for like the future even still like this this is set up to be like come on with with with Negan and Maggie this is set up to be a show that they could really milk and be enjoyable for a long time but the way that they're doing it just kind of pisses me off to be continued

like I actually enjoyed this episode I think I this episode I actually enjoyed as well yeah it's on an upward trajectory for sure yeah yeah so and we'll see yeah I actually agree with everything you said

the last two episodes have been really good with this show they're probably gonna take it's like every year or two we're probably getting a new season of Dead City I wonder where this is going to go in general. Like, okay, after season two, how is that going to end? Where is that going to lead into season three if we get one? And one thing that caught my eye, this is now, I'm going into expanded universe.

Anytime that recently they've been showing promos of all the different dead shows that have gone on. They keep, whenever they show the ones who live, the Rick and Michone show, it always says season one. It just doesn't say the ones who live. So in my brain, I'm like, are we going to get another season of Rick? Because I want that. Yeah. Maybe. Do we need another episode of the love story between Rick and Michone?

God. My vote to that is no. Yeah, but I want more Rick. I would love to see the entire gang back together in Alexandria. I think that would be just badass. Like almost like to tie a bow around it. I would love to see that. So I don't know if they'll ever, when they finally,

decide to put everything to bed, that would be amazing. That would be right on that would be. That could happen. That could happen if they end Dead City with Negan dying and Maggie and Herschel going back. Then you could end up seeing the reunion. And narratively speaking, if you're titling it the ones who live, it's all the ones who have the entire saga that live till the end. Yeah. And coming back home would be amazing. You know, it would be a fun. They go home and you

actually see, you see Laurent, too. Just like he's there, he got to Alexandria. Walking Dead, the final season. The final season of the Walking Dead. That would be like, so, like, yeah, no more Dead City, no more Dare. All of it. We're wrapping it up. And Dinklebury, Pinkle or Henkel or whatever his name is.

I know, it's Scott Dipple. He could wrap it up and make his millions on T-shirts. Okay, we've dissolved it for you. That's what they did. It's happened. All right, thank you for listening. We'll see you next week right here on. walking and walking dead