Acheron: Part 2 ended brilliantly, Eugene meeting Stephanie and the group are finally on their way to the Commonwealth. Meanwhile Maggie, Daryl and their group who're in search for supplies. They finally got out of the Metro and the tension between Maggie and Negan is still there but they connected in a way and found some respect for each other. But Maggie's mission team gets separated and hunted by the Reapers who made an appearance at the end of the episode. Episode 11.03 continues were the previous episode left off but the other storyline rests to make sure other cast members get some much needed screen time and it's of course the main character Carol whom along with Rosita, Magna and Kelly attempt to catch horses for Alexandria. The Safe-Zone which is slowly but surely getting rebuilt.
Frederick E. O. Toye is a new director for the show and he have done lots of incredible shows in the past and he did an amazing job at directing this episode which is titled "Hunted", great direction but I have to say that he knows how to make some truly visually stunning scenes, there are so many shots that are just breathtaking. The cinematography is perfect, the production design is brilliant. I think the writing was great, but you can't compare this episode to Acheron: Part 2 as they're so different. Whilst the tension, suspension and overall pacing was perfect in every way. This episode has one suspenseful arc that are engaging from start to finish, but Carol's arc is far from bad but the pacing hurts a bit. You can also say it was needed, because of how light hearted and hopeful it was instead of Maggie and company getting hunted by The Reapers whom I'm really liking and finding interesting.
Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan continue to amaze me with their performances, clearly showing that they are some of the best actors the show has to offer, the reason is of course that the episode revolves mostly around them in this episode. I love the road Gabriel is heading down and Seth Gilliam is portraying him perfectly as this darker and more ruthless priest who have lost his faith, it's something the show have building towards for many seasons now and Seth is killing it. After thinking on Melissa McBride's performance, it was actually great, her facial expressions said more than words ever could. Her character, Carol, had a really good scene that I don't want to spoil. I also want to praise Callan McAuliffe, not for doing the best performance, but for doing the character of Alden justice. He have been with the show since 2017 and the character haven't really changed that much but thanks to his acting you are able to see the mental health of him and you see how much he's hurting. Underrated performance and an underrated actor.
Hunted is a great episode but should have been solely focused on Maggie and Daryl, instead Daryl is only in the opening sequence. It was nice to see other characters get screen time and character development but in terms of episode and storytelling, it was a step backwards from the previous two superb episodes. It was unpredictable and suspenseful from start to finish, Maggie and Negan's storyline. Their dynamic and the tension between them are exactly how I wanted it to be and the quality drama it gives us is seriously incredible and entertaining. It's also very nice to see some call backs and Easter eggs in the dialogue from past events. The locations and how the characters are on the road gave me some S4 and 5 vibes.
