*Episode 3: 8.5/10*
Overall, episode 3 is very good. The story and character/relationship development are moving along at a good pace. Questions are asked and answered, and mysteries are made deeper. This episode feels very different from the first two, likely thanks to a different director but also due to the ensemble splitting up. The interactions between characters feel more meaningful and real, especially compared to episode 1. While episode 2 felt like a step up in quality from the pilot, this one feels like a different flavour with the same level of quality, if not still better.
The third episode follows the seven current main characters, split into three groups, through three very different landscapes and settings as they try to head in a similar direction to (hopefully) regroup in a later episode. A new group of people is introduced after a confusing sequence which takes up a little too much time. Fortunately, the confusion is cleared up by the end of it, but not entirely resolved in this episode. Tensions of two different flavours are brought up between some of the main characters, and both interactions are effective. Two new characters treat the viewer with fantastic performances and offer some wonderful world-building and lore details.
Highlights include the two excellent new characters (both found in the same location), good chemistry developing between characters, and the final scene which promises big things to come in the near future. Negatives in this episode are few; however, the one stand-out is the aforementioned confusing and 'just-a-bit-too-long' scene, which had the effect of feeling silly and unrealistic until the "aha" moment is delivered at the end.