Warning: SPOILERS ahead for The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2, episode 2!The Walking Dead just repeated season 5's iconic "tainted meat" moment, this time with Negan on a larger scale in Dead City season 2 offered a story that paralleled the memorable moment from the original series. "Tainted meat" is one of the most iconic scenes of the show, happening in season 5, episode 3 after Bob Stookey is kidnapped by the cannibalistic survivors of Terminus. They cut off his leg, cook it, and start eating it, trying to intimidate him by feasting in front of him.

As they're eating his leg in front of him, he reveals he's been bit, causing them to panic as he hysterically screams, "Tainted meat!" over and over. While something similar hasn't happened directly with the the New Babylon Federation as they come ashore, he begins telling a story similar to Bob and Terminus' interaction, but conducted by Negan instead.

Over 10 Years Later, The Walking Dead's Negan Copies Bob's "Tainted Meat" Moment

Negan's Story Is A More Extreme Version Of What Happened To Bob

Bob's "tainted meat" moment showcased the paranoia of eating meat that's potentially been infected due to the zombie virus. While the episode didn't clarify if eating the meat would turn Gareth and the other Terminus survivors into Walkers, it did signify just how paranoia-inducing the revelation was. This is reflected in the Croat's Dead City season 2, episode 2 story about the Saviors inviting an antagonistic group they defeated to a feast. After setting up the story, he hands it over to Negan, who reveals the feast was actually a trick to get rid of their enemies for good.

Negan explains how they originally presented the group with venison, but quickly switched it out for Walker meat instead. He details what happened next, with all the Saviors' enemies at the feast getting sick from the zombie flesh. It's also implied the rotten meat wound up killing them, with the end result being bigger zombie trenches around the Sanctuary. It's a brutal parallel to Bob's scene from The Walking Dead season 5, episode 3, showcasing Negan's brutality toward those who proved threatening to the Saviors. As their leader, he was willing to do horrible things for their protection.

Being Compared To Bob Means The Croat's Story Isn't As Evil As He Thinks

The Croat Liked What Negan Did For The Wrong Reasons

After Negan finishes explaining what he did to the group threatening the Saviors, the Croat reacts by saying they got what they deserved. However, his reaction is reflective of the glee he feels for tormenting others, something the show previously established was the reason he was exiled from the Sanctuary. At the same time, Dead City season 1 ended by revealing much of his iration for Negan also stems from these drastic measures he took to protect his people, believing them to be overtly malicious for the thrill of it.

[T]he Croat misunderstands his motivation, iring his former leader's actions without thought to what he was actually trying to do.

In reality, Negan's decision to feed zombie meat to his enemies and make them part of the Sanctuary's Walker moat was a brutal show of force for what the Saviors were capable of. While on a wider scale, it's not much different from Bob omitting the fact he was bit until the Terminus survivors had already eaten his leg. Both actions were done for the sake of survival, even if Negan's decisions was clearly more brutal. However, the Croat misunderstands his motivation, iring his former leader's actions without thought to what he was actually trying to do.

This makes Negan feeding zombie meat to the Saviors' enemies a clear parallel to Bob's "tainted meat" moment in The Walking Dead season 5, episode 3. It also emphasizes the gap that exists between him and the Croat, who doesn't fully comprehend the reasoning behind what he did. Gloating about it only emphasizes how much Negan has changed in Dead City, while also hinting at the potential for an even larger rift between him and his fellow survivor as the season continues.

New episodes of The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2 air Sundays on AMC and AMC+.