The Walking Dead: Consumed (5x06)

I am super annoyed right now because I actually wrote out most of this review, and then I lost the whole thing. So. I apologize for my brevity, but I don't feel like putting the time in to redo this. Grrrrr.

This was a great episode. It focused on Daryl and Carol, connecting back to the time we saw them drive off in pursuit of the car with white crosses. They follow the car to Atlanta. They decide to lay low and try to watch, to see what's going on and what has happened to Beth. After staying in a building that used to be a temporary shelter (Carol and Sophia had once stayed there to get away from Carol's husband), Carol and Daryl decide to find a high vantage point to look over the city. They come across Noah (Beth's friend from the hospital) who takes their weapons. Daryl stops Carol from shooting Noah, saying that he is just a kid.

Daryl and Carol find a van with the white crosses on it, and upon investigation they find stuff from a hospital, which gives them further clues about Beth. However, this van is hanging precariously off a bridge, and when a hoard of Walkers show up, they are forced to get inside the van and hope for the best when it falls to the lower level. They do alright, although Carol does injure her shoulder. Back at the shelter, they find Noah. Daryl wants to leave him trapped under a bookcase and let the Walkers get him, but Carol says no. Eventually, Daryl concedes rescues Noah. At this point they realize that Noah is on the run from the people in the hospital, and Noah tells them that he knows Beth.

As Carol, Daryl and Noah go outside, Carol is hit by a police car. The people load her up onto a stretcher. Noah stops Daryl from going after her, saying that those people are the only ones who can help her. Noah and Daryl find a car and head back towards Rick and the rest of the group, determined to find people and guns to storm the hospital and get Beth and Carol back.

There was only one real flaw in this episode, and it's not really the episode's fault, if that makes sense. It's just that we already knew where Daryl and Carol were going to end up by the end of things. We've already seen that Carol ends up injured in the hospital, and that Daryl makes it back to Rick and the others with someone (we now know it's Noah) in tow. Because of this, some of the suspense was sucked out of the episode. The middle is never as exciting when you already know the end.

But enough of that. There's much more to praise than there is to critique.

First of all, Daryl and Carol's relationship is just so amazing to me. They were so adorable in this episode. Some favorite moments include when they were both looking at the painting, and when they were talking about how much they've each changed. Of course then there's Daryl's righteous fury as he contemplates letting Noah die because he endangered Carol's life. And Daryl's panic when he sees Carol hit by the car. So. Adorable. I can't even tell you.

One of the strongest moments in the whole episode was when Daryl took care of the two Walkers inside the shelter. Daryl told Carol that she didn't have to be the one to kill this mother and her child (clearly reminiscent of Carol and Sophia). Daryl did it himself, and then gave the bodies a cremation of sorts, which is about as much respect as anyone has shown a Walker for quite some time. It was a poignant reminder that these creatures were once human beings. This was a very subtle moment that showcased Daryl's compassion and reminded us of Carol's hardships.

I liked the moment in the van, when it tipped over the edge of the bridge. That whole scene had great pacing, with the tension mounting and mounting until the moment when it all went to hell. Nicely executed. And also of course it was nice and disgusting when the Walkers fell, splat! on the top of the van. Yuck.

This episode also had some brief flashbacks to what Carol has been up to ever since Rick sent her away, and before she met up with Tyreese and the girls. At first I wasn't really sure why any of this was necessary, but actually it did add something. Carol is probably the most well-developed character on this entire show. She has changed so much since we first knew her, and to see these moments of her on her own... well, it was actually pretty important. When Carol drove up to the prison to see the whole thing in flames, she must have felt such a sense of desolation. Since we know how things turn out, we can look at Carol's reaction with sympathy rather than our own sense of horror, but we are also reminded of the horror we did feel when these beloved characters lost the sanctuary of the prison, and when some of them lost their lives.

I think I'll stop there. Ugh I had written so much more, but then it got lost. Very annoying. Can't wait for next week, when we finally see Rick and the others again! It's been three weeks!

9/10