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The Walking Dead: Acheron: Part I – Starvation, Subways, and a Savior Showdown (Season 11, Episode 1)

Originally aired: August 22, 2021. 2.22 million viewers tuned in for this explosive start to the final season. Written by Angela Kang & Jim Barnes, and directed by Kevin Dowling.

Alexandria: Where the Food is Scarce (and the Tension is Thick):

“Acheron: Part I” picks up with the survivors facing a new kind of crisis – starvation. Alexandria is running out of food, and they’re desperate to find new sources of supplies. But the world outside their walls is more dangerous than ever, and their mission to find food is about to lead them into a whole lot of trouble.

Key Plot Points:

• Supply Run: “Shhh… Don’t Wake the Walkers!”: Daryl, Carol, Rosita, and Maggie embark on a stealth mission to a military outpost that’s overrun with walkers. They have to be quiet, they have to be quick, and they have to avoid becoming zombie chow. The tension is palpable as they rappel down into a supply room, only to find themselves trapped when the walkers wake up. The survivors: they’re not just fighting walkers anymore; they’re playing hide-and-seek with them (and the stakes are higher than ever).!
• Maggie’s Risky Plan: “Let’s Go to Meridian (and Maybe Kill Negan Along the Way)”: Maggie, who’s still grieving the loss of her community and her husband, proposes a risky expedition to Meridian, a place that’s overrun by the Reapers, a new and deadly group of enemies. She reluctantly allows Negan to join the mission, recognizing his survival skills and his knowledge of the surrounding area. But the tension between them is thick enough to cut with a knife (or a Whisperer’s fingernail), and it’s clear that Maggie hasn’t forgiven Negan for what he did to Glenn. Maggie and Negan: the frenemies who are about to take a road trip from hell.
• Subway of the Damned: “This is Not the Train to Sesame Street”: The group, hoping to avoid the dangers above ground, decides to travel through a flooded subway tunnel. But the tunnel is not exactly a safe haven. They encounter piles of dead bodies, arranged in strange and disturbing ways, suggesting that something terrible happened there. The atmosphere is creepy and claustrophobic, and it’s clear that they’re heading into the unknown. The subway: where the darkness is deeper than the water (and the walkers are lurking around every corner).!
• Negan’s Power Play: “I Told You So!”: Negan, ever the observant one, calls out Maggie’s leadership, claiming that she’s leading them into a suicide mission. He’s not wrong, as the tunnel starts to flood, and the walkers close in. The group is forced to climb onto an overhead rail to escape, but Maggie, who’s struggling to keep up, slips and falls. She hangs precariously from the rail, calling for help. But Negan, instead of lending a hand, just watches. He doesn’t try to save her, and the episode ends on this chilling cliffhanger. Negan: the villain who’s still playing mind games (and maybe even playing with Maggie’s life).!

Hidden Details and Callbacks:

• The military outpost mission is a callback to the very first episode of “The Walking Dead,” where Rick and Glenn went on a supply run in Atlanta. It’s a reminder of how far the survivors have come and how much the world has changed since those early days of the apocalypse. The Walking Dead: where even the supply runs have gotten more complicated.
• Negan’s paranoia about Maggie’s intentions is justified. She’s clearly not over Glenn’s death, and her silence about her plans for Negan suggests that she might be considering taking matters into her own hands. Maggie Rhee: the woman who’s not afraid to get revenge (even if it means sacrificing her own people).!
• The subway tunnel, with its darkness, its water, and its piles of dead bodies, is a symbolic representation of the survivors’ descent into a more dangerous and uncertain phase of the apocalypse. They’re literally and figuratively going deeper into the darkness, and it’s unclear what they’ll find on the other side. The subway: a metaphor for the journey into the unknown.
• The episode’s title, “Acheron,” is a reference to the River of Pain in Greek mythology. It’s a fitting title for an episode that’s filled with physical and emotional challenges, and it foreshadows the difficult journey that lies ahead for the survivors. Acheron: the river that flows with tears (and walker guts).!

Stats and Stuff:

• First episode of the final season (and it’s a two-parter!).
• Viewership: 2.22 million U.S. viewers (the final season is off to a strong start).
• First appearance of the Commonwealth interrogation scenes (a new threat is on the horizon).
• Walker Kill Count: 20-30 (the survivors are still keeping those walker-slaying skills sharp).
• Negan’s “Betrayal” Counter: This is a major trust-breaking moment for Negan (and Maggie).

My Final Verdict:

“Acheron: Part I” is a tense and suspenseful season premiere that sets the stage for an epic final chapter in “The Walking Dead.” The starvation crisis, the subway tunnel nightmare, and the cliffhanger ending with Maggie’s fate uncertain all contribute to the drama and intrigue of the episode. This is “The Walking Dead” at its most gripping, reminding us that even in the final season, the survivors are still facing new challenges, new enemies, and new moral dilemmas. What did you think of the episode? Were you shocked by Negan’s actions? Let’s discuss in the comments!