The premise of episode 11.20 titled "What's Been Lost": Daryl and Carol search for their disappeared friends. Erik Mountain penned the script for 11.20 and I think it wasn't the same quality as the previous episodes but still good, better than the previous episode I have to say. The dialogue was great though. Overseen by Angela Kang, the writing for this episode is mostly consistent of the previous episodes in Part 1 and 2 if not better. The episode uses the big budget wisely, making it brilliant both technically and the acting and so on, the camera work are brilliant and visually a great episode, an overall impressive production. There's so many shots in this episode that are brilliantly shot, such a sunning looking episode. That moon shot alone, wow.
Aisha Tyler directed "What's Been Lost" and she actually did a terrific job, it's her first episode for this show but she directed an episode of Fear TWD and two episodes of TWD: World Beyond, she also guest starred in Fear's seventh season and was nominated for her guest performance as Mickey for the Saturn Awards. Tyler's vision and direction were truly one of the episode's highlights, she's also a big fan of the show which helps. The episode contains yet again superb drama with plenty of suspension and tension to keep you entertained and on the edge of your seat. There are plenty of great scenes in this episode and there's not one single bad performance throughout the entire episode. Scenes that are beautifully shot, scenes that are acted with such brilliance, and every other department and people working on the episode, terrific work. The attention to detail and all the shots in the nature, they nailed it on the camera side of things. The cinematography is once again breathtaking and incredible, just right for the show, the way it was shot and so on, simply brilliant. The sets were detailed and perfect, and so are the art and production design. I also found the effects to be fantastic in this episode, practical effects always makes it so more real, and The Walking Dead is known for their practical effects and they didn't let us down for this episode. Superb sound design and a musical score both gripping and dramatic. It's one of many things on the technical side of things that the show succeeds perfectly with.
The Commonwealth arc is a big part of this episode so if you're not a fan of that, there might not be a lot to your liking, but it's a great The Walking Dead episode. The plot moves forward with action and drama, and with the episode focusing on less characters we get a narrative focused more on what is important to the Commonwealth arc which is appreciated. It means more screen time for the actors to show their acting skills, my favorite performances being: Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier, Laila Robins as Pamela Milton and Josh Hamilton as Lance Hornsby. Josh Hamilton is truly the MVP in this episode, the range on his acting is impressive. I also want to say it's nice to see that Eleanor Matsuura gets more screen time as Yumiko, she's great in the role.
This episode kept the story going much more than the previous episode, but it's just not the direction I want the show to go but there's nothing we can do about it except for enjoying what we're getting. I think Angela Kang will tie things up nicely, but the already announced sequel spin-offs removes the unpredictability that the show is known for. I never find myself on the edge of my seat anymore, there's tension and suspension sure but no real risk. That goes hand in hand with my previous review for "Variant" how there are also too many characters in the main cast, most don't have anything interesting to do and they then fail the characters, most of them. But honestly the build up we have gotten is leading to something memorable, you see that with this episode, TWD have always been a slow burn and this time Angela Kang have succeeded with it, which I didn't think would happen with this story arc. I love how they have made Commonwealth to a police state, going all in into fascism. Another criticism similar to Fear's seventh season, they skip important events, like the events happening between the end of the previous and this episode could easily been done with an amazing montage for an example. But let's tie up this review, episode 11.20 is actually quite great and has much needed zombie action and suspension. I also think the next episode will be back to normal, as we'll be back with Aaron and his group in Alexandria but also see what happened with all the characters who Pamela "disappeared". Whilst action packed, this was truly an episode that is building up to something memorable.
Aisha Tyler directed "What's Been Lost" and she actually did a terrific job, it's her first episode for this show but she directed an episode of Fear TWD and two episodes of TWD: World Beyond, she also guest starred in Fear's seventh season and was nominated for her guest performance as Mickey for the Saturn Awards. Tyler's vision and direction were truly one of the episode's highlights, she's also a big fan of the show which helps. The episode contains yet again superb drama with plenty of suspension and tension to keep you entertained and on the edge of your seat. There are plenty of great scenes in this episode and there's not one single bad performance throughout the entire episode. Scenes that are beautifully shot, scenes that are acted with such brilliance, and every other department and people working on the episode, terrific work. The attention to detail and all the shots in the nature, they nailed it on the camera side of things. The cinematography is once again breathtaking and incredible, just right for the show, the way it was shot and so on, simply brilliant. The sets were detailed and perfect, and so are the art and production design. I also found the effects to be fantastic in this episode, practical effects always makes it so more real, and The Walking Dead is known for their practical effects and they didn't let us down for this episode. Superb sound design and a musical score both gripping and dramatic. It's one of many things on the technical side of things that the show succeeds perfectly with.
The Commonwealth arc is a big part of this episode so if you're not a fan of that, there might not be a lot to your liking, but it's a great The Walking Dead episode. The plot moves forward with action and drama, and with the episode focusing on less characters we get a narrative focused more on what is important to the Commonwealth arc which is appreciated. It means more screen time for the actors to show their acting skills, my favorite performances being: Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier, Laila Robins as Pamela Milton and Josh Hamilton as Lance Hornsby. Josh Hamilton is truly the MVP in this episode, the range on his acting is impressive. I also want to say it's nice to see that Eleanor Matsuura gets more screen time as Yumiko, she's great in the role.
This episode kept the story going much more than the previous episode, but it's just not the direction I want the show to go but there's nothing we can do about it except for enjoying what we're getting. I think Angela Kang will tie things up nicely, but the already announced sequel spin-offs removes the unpredictability that the show is known for. I never find myself on the edge of my seat anymore, there's tension and suspension sure but no real risk. That goes hand in hand with my previous review for "Variant" how there are also too many characters in the main cast, most don't have anything interesting to do and they then fail the characters, most of them. But honestly the build up we have gotten is leading to something memorable, you see that with this episode, TWD have always been a slow burn and this time Angela Kang have succeeded with it, which I didn't think would happen with this story arc. I love how they have made Commonwealth to a police state, going all in into fascism. Another criticism similar to Fear's seventh season, they skip important events, like the events happening between the end of the previous and this episode could easily been done with an amazing montage for an example. But let's tie up this review, episode 11.20 is actually quite great and has much needed zombie action and suspension. I also think the next episode will be back to normal, as we'll be back with Aaron and his group in Alexandria but also see what happened with all the characters who Pamela "disappeared". Whilst action packed, this was truly an episode that is building up to something memorable.