‘The Walking Dead’ Recap: ‘Hunted’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers Episode 1103 of ‘The Walking Dead’.
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Over the course of the past eleven seasons, we’ve seen the good people that populate the world of The Walking Dead, face some extreme challenges. For there have been moments where they’ve been low on hope and food and anything resembling comfort. Plus, they’ve also dealt with dangers untold, the kind that made it appear that more than a couple of them would lose their lives in dealing with the living dead or the human monsters that populate the world following the end of civilization. But through it all, they found something positive to hold onto, something to drive them forward to win the battle that lie ahead or to forge through the nightmare of living death surrounding them. Which in turn gives the audience hope that this group of intrepid survivors will hang on and find a better tomorrow, which is all the viewers have ever wanted for them. 

But the times, they are a changing. Because following the end of the brutal and devastating Whisperer War, something fundamentally horrifying is happening on this series. In that, the hope that once permeated the core of this group is beginning to fade, as is the resolve and moxie they’ve always found buried deep within. Because more and more, we are seeing them reside within some dark places mentally, and we are seeing them struggle mightily with losses that they were once quick to resolve when the going got tough. If anything, it is outright safe to say that we are seeing this group at their absolute lowest and perhaps for the first time ever, their breaking point and it just so happens that last night’s episode of the show only pushed them further to the brink. 

For ‘Hunted’ saw the people of Alexandria and Maggie’s retrieval group deal with new emotional challenges, the kind that put them in a supremely dark place and in Maggie’s case, that was accomplished through fear and hopelessness. For in the opening moments of this particular tale, the all-out assault from the Reapers immediately scattered the group to the wind, leaving everyone to their own devices and attempts at safety and that ended in mixed results. Since Maggie didn’t see another soul for a little while and when she did finally reunite with people of note, it was with a badly wounded Alden and Negan himself and that put Maggie in quite the sour place, since she was stuck with someone she could not stand and didn’t know what to do help Alden. 

Plus, to complicate matters further, every encounter with more of her old friends from Meridian ended in sorrow. For they were wounded or devoured by the living dead, and her struggles only got worse from there. Since Alden was beginning to slow the group down, leaving her with a tough and heartbreaking decision to make. In that, she could either continue to drag Alden along with her and Negan… or leave him somewhere safe to heal and that really didn’t sit well with her at all. Because it risked leaving him to die and she was no longer comfortable with the numbers game. But deep down she knew what she needed to do in order to complete the mission and left Alden behind to forge ahead with Negan and well, this, and Father Gabriel’s brief and harrowing appearance genuinely hammered home how close the folks on this mission are to their breaking point. 

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However, while that brought about some powerful and bleak moments, the kind that genuinely left us worried about the fate of everyone on this mission, there was more suffering and hopelessness to be found in this tale, as evidenced by what went down in Alexandria. For while Maggie played God and Gabriel renounced the Lord… Carol appeared to be working toward something positive. Because it dawned upon her that part of the reason food stores was in such a bad place was because everyone was working too hard and needed animal related assistance for some of the tasks around town, in order to conserve energy and food. Which motivated her to venture out with a small group to find the horses that ran off when Beta attacked, in the hopes of giving everyone a touch of hope and positivity and despite running into some challenges along the way, she was mostly successful in her endeavors.
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Because they did indeed find some of their horses and they did manage to bring them home safely and get them ready for a little hard labor. Which made it appear as though there was going to be a bright spot after all and hints of what once was on this series. But alas, even a bright moment such of this, was sullied by the desperate situation surrounding these good people. Because Carol was still aware of the fact that everyone behind the walls of Alexandria was damn near starvation and needed something to eat and quick. Which is why she slaughtered one of those good and decent animals, just so that everyone had the opportunity to go to bed with a full belly for a change and well, that really was heartbreaking to watch. Since it spoke volumes to how little hope they have right now, and how they have no choice but to go to extremes in order to survive.

If anything, this was simply a devastating episode to watch through and through, largely because we really haven’t ever seen these good people suffer and struggle in this manner. But this is where we are right now, and this really is a bold decision storytelling wise. For it truly is horrific to watch and makes this world dangerous and terrifying on a whole new level, since we’ve learned time and time again that people that are out of sorts or desperate in this world tend to make bad decisions or mistakes. The kind that could cost them their lives, leaving all of us to wonder if real heartbreak is waiting around the corner. But while we wait to see if that is the case, we can definitely revel in the majesty of one intense and incredible tale, one filled to the brim with stunning performances to sell the darkness because everyone was on their acting game here.

Plus, this episode also deserves a round of applause, for taking the time to offer up a grand homage to a true zombie classic. For a great deal of this tale was a tribute to George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead, courtesy of the stop at the mall that Maggie made and by way of the overall aesthetic of this particular tale. Since this writer couldn’t help but notice that this episode was filmed in a 1970s style, one that resembled Dawn through and through and kudos to director Frederick E.O. Toye for taking the time to sneak that 70s zombie vibe into this particular story and for assembling a story that leaves us eager for more. For we still don’t have a clue if the rest of the retrieval group is okay and whether or not Maggie or Negan can work together with their history and that likely means we will be counting down the minutes until next Sunday’s tale… to see if the group can finally put an end to their losing streak and enjoy a shred of happiness and hope. Until next time.

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