UNCUT Reaction | *THE WALKING DEAD* | 11x1 | Acheron: Part I
Added 2025-07-11 13:00:03 +0000 UTCHere's our UNCUT reaction to THE WALKING DEAD s11e01!
Comments
Definitely one of my favorite opening scenes on the show. Our ladies are badass! And it makes sense to send the lightest weight people you have down there so you can pull them up easier
eswebster44
2025-07-14 23:31:02 +0000 UTCChris, your breakdown is awesome—love how you connect Maggie’s growth all the way back to her season 2 roots and Hershel’s influence. You’re right, she’s always fighting to hold onto some part of that old innocence, even after everything she’s lost. I hadn’t really thought about how Maggie’s approach to the Saviors shows she’s still trying to balance justice with mercy. And Negan’s survival mode vs. actual change is such a huge question this season. Their dynamic is honestly what makes these episodes so intense—neither of them can fully move on, but they’re both adapting in their own way. Also, great catch on the Commonwealth’s visuals and the real-world parallels. The show’s not subtle, but it’s effective! And Princess’s hyper-focus is such a fun strength—her scenes always stand out. No worries on the long comments, by the way! We love the detail.
Philip Manzano
2025-07-11 16:02:51 +0000 UTCCorrect , S10 finale leads directly to this S11 premiere. Those 6 bonus COVID episodes were a little extra backstory + context to help set the stage for S11. We probably wouldn’t have gotten all of it w/o those episodes, but only bits & pieces weaved throughout the early part of the season.
Michael Hoskins
2025-07-11 15:27:09 +0000 UTCI did say and I think I'm right that the season 10 finale leads perfectly into this episode! And yeah, if Negan is dying he's going down swinging! He definitely mentioned Glenn to get Maggie to fight him, which Negan is very good at getting into people's heads, so very good at poking at them until they do something. And I love that Maggie still has that optimistic Maggie from season 2 in her. Most people don't remember but Maggie was super open and free, even before meeting Rick's group. She was younger and because of them living in the middle of nowhere, she didn't really have to deal with all the stuff Rick and crew do in season 1 and part of 2. She was as close to innocent as could be, so you could make a compelling argument that Rick's gang ruined her life and families farm (which, canonically, they did). Also with a father like Hershel it's no surprise to me that Maggie is able to stop herself from pulling the trigger. Something to add, Maggie was very gung ho about Rick's plan to genocide the Saviors that she went into several dangerous situations while pregnant, including wanting to participate in killing Saviors in their sleep. Which was directly after Glenn's death so I understand! And she does take in Savior prisoners, showing there's still that bit of innocence and Hershel Senior in her. To Maggie, she sees Negan is helping and starting to be accepted by the people in Alexandria, he's also an asset because of his intelligence and fighting ability. If Negan dies along the way, cool! But she's not going to go out of her way to kill him. Which is why Negan's decision here makes a lot of sense, especially for his character. I feel like at his core Negan is a coward, despite his fierce protection of kids and people he cares about, he's a coward. He can't face what might happen if Maggie survives. I like that the show didn't make it that he deliberately pushed her down because he's come too far now and that'd be like 10 steps back. This does seem like a bump in the road but he is focusing on his survival now. Love that Maggie actually calls out to Negan for help which, despite the situation, must have been hard. The push and pull these two have has always been magnetic to me! Also the mission they are going on this episode was mentioned during the end of the last one! Carol mentioned Daryl taking a group to a military base for supplies and here we are! It's a small thing but I appreciate the little things! Love Daryl going after Dog, couldn't say I wouldn't do the same if it was my cat in there. I enjoy season 11 a lot! Especially the themes explored. Like gaining citizenship in the US is so hard, especially for people from South America, which I think this episode shows in it's visuals for the Commonwealth. People in America also keep people from South America in similar cages for years, separated from their children. I think the guards, the questioning, and the fenced area they keep them in is all a reference to that. Which adds onto the 'America Doesn't tolerate racism' poster we see in the subway tunnel briefly. Which is obviously extremely ironic. Love Ezekiel's moment with the pumpkin space suit guy, he is super observant! Just like Princess! I think her knowing all that about the guards is part of her ADHD and how we can often fixate on things to the point where we might learn everything about it, which we see here with her fixating on those guards. Princess is also super social so her noticing that makes a lot of sense to me. Excited to get into more Commonwealth stuff because it might be my favorite part of the show as a bit of a socialist. Sorry, I keep typing paragraphs here though it might be due to my aforementioned ADHD fixations xD
Chris Moffit
2025-07-11 14:16:35 +0000 UTC
