Good episode to me, 8.5/10

Maggie blamed Negan for not saving her. But the next scene showed her not saving the guy on the other side of the subway train door. A moment of oxymoron for her character.
And then, I was surprised by her telling of the story. Not sure what her intention was. I mean, after at least a decade into the walker apocalypse, Maggie (and basically every one else on the planet) should be hardened enough and not moved much by what she saw in that house.

Yumiko observed that the Commonwealth is still using US paper money. And so, the corpse with a suitcase of money whom Daryl saw could be a runaway of the Commonwealth?

Finally, do you guys think the Reapers and the Commonwealth are connected in some ways? I would think so. The Reapers could be dissidents of the Commonwealth or rejected by the Commonwealth after the interview process?

BTW, what does the episode title 'Acheron' has to do with these 2 episodes?

 

I thought the subway scenes were good, although I would've liked them to give us a bit more lighting (again). This was particularly the case for the area that Daryl was exploring. All of that was interesting but the darkness took a bit away from that. If you have a post apocalyptic story and you take the time to create the set, like the camp Daryl was looking at, it would be great if we could all clearly see it too.

I liked how they had Maggie pull a Negan there by letting that guy die. In this case it was even worse because Negan at least had the excuse of her wanting to kill him.

Negan is the most compelling character on the show now, and they seem to recognize this because they have him front and center.

The Commonwealth continues to be a problem for me though. The worst part of this episode was Eugene. It's ridiculous that a grown man this far into the apocalypse is whimpering like a 5-year-old. Sure, you can still have him weak, but this is just foolish. They're not going to do it, but at this stage I'd just like them to kill the character off. None of it feels real and it's a waste of screen time.

 

I think Eugene was just playing along. He was fooling the 2 interviewers and the pumpkin colour looking security guy.

I noted that he has sharpened a wooden knife thing and hid it in his sleeve. When he was being interviewed again, he was holding that under the table, not something a whimp would do. But the best part is, he did not tell the truth to the 2 interviewers, regarding the location of his settlement. He did not reveal not just the location of Alexandria but also denied the existence of such a settlement as well! So, his weakness is just coverup. Personally, I think the pressure he faced while being held in custody there is much much less than when he was captured by Negan and taken to the Sanctuary. If he could handle that back then, he can handle it now.

BTW, I bet the 2 interviewers are not as 'battle-hardened' as Eugene.

And yeah, the subway scenes were too dark. But, I think, that is what the Pause button is for. I had to use that to freeze some frames to read what was written or drawn on the walls.

 

I liked the Eugene scene. He came across as a bit scared of what happened to his friends, but his weak, whiny bit was definitely a put on.
And as said, he lied about his past whereabouts.

The tunnel scenes were a bit dark, but my tv adjusts its settings for such dark settings.


The truth is out there

 

I think this season has started very strong, with this excellent two-parter. I can’t say I’m “enjoying” it because it’s still hellishly disturbing and horrific and the Reapers are terrifying - but I actually really enjoyed certain parts: Eugene did brilliantly, and the reunion of the four was actually very heartwarming. Also enjoyed Daryl’s scenes. I loved the visuals of him getting through the train cart with a torch, killing walkers in his path, filmed from the outside. Fun stuff with the grenade too, reminding us when he popped one in the Governor’s tank back at the prison.

Maggie’s story was dreadfully chilling. The dynamics between her and Negan continues to be engaging and I agree with Stealth, Negan is the most compelling character on the show now.

 

Yeah, I liked the entire dynamic with the group and Negan more this episode. It was a annoying for me in the premiere the way they were acting toward him. This sort of grudging mutual dependence is a better fit.

 

“grudging mutual dependence” - best definition ever for what this is!

I’m really interested in Negan’s part in this, how he just couldn’t bear the thought of starting out again on his own. He sticks with these people despite everything, no matter how hard it is. He needs to belong somewhere.

 

I think that’s a very good question.
I was thinking that as Acheron is the river of woe and pain in Hell, also the river you need to get across to reach the “afterlife” - to use Acheron as a title they might have meant to refer to both groups being tested and tormented in some ways, to reach a new destination in a shitty world. Maybe?

 

Sorry to go OT in your post, but I'm a new member (just registered) and created a thread but can't find out how to post it. Unless it's in TWD cyberspace somewhere.

 

Hi ChrisAnn and welcome. Why don’t you just post what you wanted to say here?

 

I think Negan wants to lead again. I'm not sure whether he will or not though.

 

Thanks BlackBird. It was a question about how to post messages. I thought it didn't belong in this thread. Also, the message I was trying to post was that I came here because I need a life line to TWD TV series as my cable service has decided to drop AMC because they claimed it was too expensive. So I will miss out on the final season of TWD. I mainly will read to keep up on what's happening. Thanks again.

 

I hope you’ll find a way to watch the show!

 

Do you think? I think he kind of does but he also doesn’t. I don’t think he wants all the responsibility again to lead, plus it’s never fun to lead when you’re in such a dire situation as they are. But also he finds it incredibly difficult to be subordinate, especially when he fundamentally disagrees with the current leadership! It’s just so fascinating to watch.

 

I did! Thanks to you, my friend. I hope I can continue to watch at that site. Thanks again somuch.

 

It's more your latter point, he doesn't like being a subordinate when things are going off the rails. About the only one I could see him being okay with is Rick. He always had respect for him. But here he's in a situation where he feels people are doing stupid things. I can see Alden gravitating more toward Negan now after what Maggie did in the last episode.

 

Just saw this episode as we were out of town and no access to cable. I thought it was pretty good. First off, I have to agree with everyone about how brilliant Eugene’s confession was. Besides having his hidden weapon, his tearful “I just wanted to get laid” revelation hit the target with the West Point guy who probably thought, yeah, I get that. Lol. You know it was calculated and well executed (being cringy enough to make his listeners uncomfortable) because he never revealed the existence of Alexandria. Just enough truth to give the impression of being genuine.

Each of our characters used their strengths to get themselves processed and the reunion was a breath of fresh air. Loved how they even let Stephanie come to meet Eugene. Guy might get lucky yet!

As for our other group in the subway, I thought those scenes were intense. Maggie had her dumpster moment, emerging from the hoard unharmed, and then did the very thing to one of their own that Negan did to her. I think that whole experience has led to an epiphany of sorts for these characters. Even Maggie seemed a bit more conciliatory to Negan at the end. At least they seemed a bit more cohesive as they approached their intended target area to get resupplied. Daryl was terrific as usual…and so was Dog. I love that whole, arf arf, Timmy’s in the well? Vibe. Works for me.

As for this next group, the reapers, they seem to be the most dangerous and deadly yet. While I know our group had to come into contact with them sooner or later, how was it they showed up up at the exact place and time our group was heading? How did they know where Maggie & co. would emerge from the subway system?

 

stream amc+ for like 8 bucks. just get it for the last month and binge the missed eps and then cancel and do that for the last 3 blocks of episodes. that way you only have to pay for a month for each block

 

Negan was just like "she admitted that she was going to kill me like 10 minutes ago. why would I save her?" and everyone was just like...yeah. good point lol