The Walking Dead: Hunted (11x03)

This episode was so much time with characters I don't care about, doing stuff that bores me because we've seen it a thousand times.

Cons:

You mean to tell me that Maggie and her gang are in danger from a group of dangerous and insane humans who want to hurt them in creative ways for some unknown reason? Wow, what a novelty! There was a death scene in this episode where I literally didn't know who the person was or what his relationship to Maggie had been. Maggie shows up and has this off-screen closeness with all these people, but we the audience don't know them, so it doesn't work to elicit any sort of emotional response!

Same with when Maggie is watching a girl get torn apart in front of her. Who was that? I don't know and I don't care. Even when she's chatting with a dude from Alexandria who used to be with Negan, I don't remember this guy or if he has a preexisting relationship with Maggie or why I should care. They leave him behind and it's supposed to be this poignant moment, but I don't give a shit! I should say that this is in large part my fault, because I could pay better attention or look this stuff up, but honestly the show hasn't made me care enough for that to seem compelling. So who are you really going to blame?

I also don't like the whole Negan and Maggie drama, which is a bummer since it seems like such a big part of these first few episodes. It's all "you'll never change, Negan," and "I've changed, Maggie" and I just... don't care. I'm sorry.

The Alexandria plot involves Carol going to find some horses that were lost/ran off at some point. Can you tell I'm not really playing close attention anymore? Sigh. I like Carol despite everything, and I liked spending time with her and Rosita... this plot felt a little more whimsical in spots, which is an okay reprieve, but it still ultimately feels like such a slough.

Ultimately this episode had an A and a B plot that both involved lots of quiet stretches, lost of hunting and being hunted, with a few jump scares thrown in for good measure. It could not hold my attention in the slightest, for the most part.

Pros:

I do still have some lingering affection for several of these characters, which helps. When Carol, Kelly, etcetera made it back to Alexandria, things started to pick up. Seeing that community, the way the kids don't have enough food to eat, it really gives the stakes for what Maggie and Carol and everyone else is up to. I think it's honestly what Maggie's plot threads have been missing the past couple of weeks. I loved little Hershel giving advice to the other children about what it's like to eat gross stuff on the road. It's fascinating to think of the kids who grew up entirely in this world, and what that really means.

I also liked checking in with Kelly, knowing that she's still looking for Connie, still hoping somehow she survived. It seems unlikely, but when this show doesn't actually show someone's demise, I always want to believe that somehow they made it through. Carol isn't what I would call a hopeful person, but she is an incredibly determined person who never gives in when she still has more fight in her. So it makes sense that Kelly is grabbing onto that hope despite the fact that the odds aren't so good.

The dichotomy between that determination and the grim pragmatism for Carol comes when, after they get the horses back, Carol kills one of them in order to feed Alexandria. This practical obstacle, the fact that they're running out of food, is a thousand times more compelling to me than the threat of another group of baddies.

So that's where I'm at. I missed checking in with Eugene and that whole crowd, and hope we get back to them soon!

6.5/10