PDI

Note: This article includes spoilers for The Walking Dead: Dead City season 2, episode 1 titled “Power Equals Power”. After a two-year absence, The Walking Dead: Dead City is back, and the premiere offers a significant clue about how much time has elapsed since the apocalypse’s start. Keeping track of The Walking Dead timeline has always been challenging due to the numerous spinoffs, but it has become even more complex over time. Although seasons 1-8 spanned eight real years, they only covered a few years within the show. Season 9 marked a six-year time jump.

After the ending of season 11, about 13 years have elapsed since the initial outbreak. It appears that Daryl Dixon and The Ones Who Live occur close to the end of the main show, but the timeline for Dead City is more intricate. At first glance, it seemed as though Dead City would run concurrently with other ongoing projects from The Walking Dead universe. However, Hershel’s age and certain hints suggest that Dead City unfolds further into the future. Additionally, a subtle detail from season 2’s finale offers an innovative method for determining time in the zombie apocalypse world.

“PDI” Seems To Be The Walking Dead’s New System For Measuring Years After “AD”

The Bricks Had A Sign That Mentioned The Community Was “Founded 17 P.D.I.”

In front of The Bricks’ entrance stands a sign stating “Founded 17 P.D.I,” suggesting this could be a new method for calculating years since the outbreak. Although Hilltop appeared prosperous in Season 11, it moved locations following the end of The Walking Dead due to extensive damage from the Whisperer War. We only caught brief glimpses of Hilltop becoming the Bricks in Dead City Season 1, but we didn’t see much more until the premiere of Season 2.

In addition to describing that Bricks belonged to the New Babylon Federation, we also learned about its characteristics, including its layout, population, and establishment date. The specific meaning of P.D.I. remains unknown, but it appears to denote the number of years that have passed since the outbreak began, much like AD and BC. Unlike other communities such as Alexandria and the Commonwealth, which did not develop a system for measuring time, New Babylon devised its own method for marking when this new world began, and it is evident that they have a way to monitor each year.

Benjamin Pierce’s succinct introduction demonstrated his profound interest in history and chronicling advancements, an aspect that appeared to captivate Governor Charlie Byrd. Consequently, meticulously documenting significant aspects of life post-apocalypse holds importance for New Babylon, which makes sense given their diligence in keeping up with time, as evidenced by the sign at the Bricks’ entrance.

What “PDI” Could Actually Stand For In The Walking Dead’s World

It Is Likely An Abbreviation For The Period After The Outbreak Started

It appears that P.D.I. is an abbreviation for some kind of time measurement system used by New Babylon, but its exact meaning isn’t confirmed yet. I speculate it might be related to “Post Dead Insurrection” or “Post Dead Insurgence”. However, it could also mean something else entirely. Since AD and BC are Latin, PD could theoretically refer to “per diem”, which means “daily”, but the meaning of the ‘I’ remains unclear if that theory is accurate.

It appears that the system could be linked to life resurfacing, given that the dead have begun to rise. However, without a comprehensive understanding of New Babylon, it’s challenging to speculate how they might describe the world following these events. Since Dead City season 1 hinted at a significant part for New Babylon and season 2 focuses on their quest to Manhattan, we can expect to learn more about them. Fingers crossed, the spinoff series will clarify what this cryptic term signifies.

What The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2’s Premiere Reveals About The Spinoff’s Timeline

Dead City Season 2 Takes Place Several Months After Season 1 & Presumably 4 Years After The Walking Dead Season 11

The initial episode of Dead City‘s second season might have left some mystery surrounding P.D.I, but it certainly filled us in on the show’s chronology. One key moment is Negan’s dialogue with the Dama in “Power Equals Power”, which implies that a significant amount of time has elapsed since the end of season 1 and the start of season 2. As they discussed their strategies, Negan mentioned “I feel like we had this conversation a couple of months ago“, hinting at least two months having passed since their first encounter.

Furthermore, the sign on The Bricks provides a clue that 17 years have elapsed since the apocalypse began in The Walking Dead, giving us a clearer understanding of when the series unfolds. Earlier, it was only assumed where Dead City was set, but we knew it was later in the timeline than the other spinoffs. Now, we can assertively state that it occurs four years after season 11, which is an important disclosure.

The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 Episodes Release Date
Episode 1: “Power Equals Power” May 4, 2025
Episode 2: “Another Shitty Lesson” May 11, 2025
Episode 3: “Why Did the Mainlanders Cross the River?” May 18, 2025
Episode 4: “Feisty Friendly” May 25, 2025
Episode 5: “The Bird Always Knows” June 1, 2025
Episode 6: “Bridge Partners are Hard to Come by These Days” June 8, 2025
Episode 7: “Novi Dan, Novi Početak” June 15, 2025
Episode 8: “If History Were a Conflagration” June 22, 2025

Because the story takes place at a later point compared to other projects, it’s clear that Maggie, Negan, Hershel, and even Daryl Dixon lived beyond where the current narrative of The Walking Dead franchise stands. This implies that Daryl will need to reach “Dead City” before any potential crossover project can take place. Consequently, the season 2 premiere becomes significant in setting a clear timeline for the zombie universe, as it helps fans keep track of where things stand, otherwise, they might find it challenging to follow the progression of events.

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2025-05-05 06:00