THE WALKING DEAD: DEAD CITY Sets the Stage for a Major Battle, Thanks to Bruegel

“Eli said, “We really wrote this part for you with you in mind,’” Coates affirmed to Nerdist. “And that’s always nice to hear. And it was an easy yes for me because I had never been a part of The Walking Dead family. I’m a Sons of Anarchy guy and when we were so popular from 2007 to 2014, that was when The Walking Dead was taking off as well. And I knew Jeffrey [Dean Morgan] pretty well and  Norman Reedus. So to be invited to come to their family was an easy yes for me, and I’m really glad I said yes.”

Since then, he’s been having a blast on set, and that’s very evident in the show’s latest episode. Episode six allows us to explore more of Bruegel’s homebase and collective, which happens to be the Met art museum. Maggie doesn’t fully trust Bruegel because he has a relationship with the Croat, which is super smart.

Bruegel claims that he will get New Babylon the methane and allow them to colonize his group. He also says that his group will side with them to kill Negan and the crew off. From his perspective it’s the smartest and best move considering they don’t have the people power nor weapons to tussle with New Babylon, who will surely send in more people until they get what they want. And it’s better to align with the big dogs than risk death, right? 

Bruegel is absolutely an old world kinda guy, which Maggie notes to Armstrong. And, when building this character, Kim Coates got to be involved in the development process before getting in the New York groove. In this universe, it’s always a fine line between getting a little too cartoonish with villainy but also having someone who is indeed a personality whom people would want to follow. Bruegel’s humor balanced with his dark side, which we see more of in this episode, make him a believable antagonist. 

“Eli and AMC sent the first episode and the fourth episode, which is a very heavy Bruegel episode,” he affirmed. “Then, we discussed who this guy was, like probably a hedge fund or CEO multimillionaire for sure. He’s someone who lived in Manhattan and is conniving, smart, and cheats people out of money. Once I got that background, then we talked to the wardrobe department about what he looks like. And [Zureta Schulz] was phenomenal. She came up with this incredible idea of his look having the antiquity of almost 17th or 18th century France and Britain with high collars. And it’s like he went through these incredible stores in New York before the apocalypse or even after it, and ripped off all these incredibly stylish clothes. He’s almost like a Lord from England. You know what I mean? And that excited me.” 

He does look good, but all the flyness in the world won’t help him in this brewing battle. Bruegel doesn’t know it but Maggie revealed his plan after coming face to face with Negan while looking for Herschel. That kid is a problem. I’d bet that Negan will take that warning and work on a plan to not die.

Meanwhile, Bruegel has a little chat with Armstrong, revealing that he apprehended Narvaez before she died from her injuries and siphoned information out of her. He uses good old blackmail regarding Armstrong not killing Negan. If New Babylon found out that Armstrong lied, it would be a crime punishable by death. So Armstrong has no choice but to support Bruegel’s plans for now. 

With the Dama and the Croat out of the way, Negan is once again an evil boss. Will he meet his match against Bruegel, who plays people like a game of cards? We shall see as the final episodes of The Walking Dead: Dead City arrive.