TV Review: The Walking Dead (Season 5, Episode 6, November 16, 2014)

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

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EPISODE 6: Consumed

THE HOOK: Rick’s Terminus reunion didn’t go as planned. Now, prisoners of this malicious new group of survivors, Rick and crew must plot their next move carefully if they hope to survive.

The following contains MAJOR SPOILERS, so I don’t recommend reading this if you haven’t watched this episode

THE LOWDOWN: Aside from Daryl and Carol’s current plight, we also get an individual Carol journey to help fill in the gaps between when Rick kicked her out and now. As I’ve mentioned before, Carol—who was originally a complete throwaway character—has become a vital ingredient in the glue holding this group together. She’s every bit as good a leader as Rick, and just as vicious a fighter as Daryl. She’s the real deal and I’m totally loving her rise to fame. The greatest thing about her journey is that she hasn’t lost her humanity or let herself become completely numb, which is saying something, because after all she’s lost and been through I wouldn’t fault her for it. Her stepping up to save Noah, despite telling Daryl they can’t save anyone anymore (and, after arguably trying to kill him earlier) is a true testament to her ability to not only survive, but adapt. A lot of characters are coming into their own, don’t get me wrong, but Carol’s journey stands out.

Before I dig deep into the story, I have to address the impressive amount of visuals they served up. First, I love seeing them back in the city, ducking and dodging, car chases, stakeouts, it felt pretty damn cool to see that sort of thing come back. I loved the tribute to Rick’s leaving of the city on horseback—both cars speeding up what looked to be the same stretch of road, felt like a throwback to me anyway. And with these intense visuals came a hauntingly perfect score that didn’t let up for a second. All in all, the fine-tuned details didn’t go unnoticed.

This episode comes off a little on the “filler” side in the way that we know nothing happens to Daryl or Carol, rather it’s a connect the dots run to see how she ended up in the Hospital and he ended up back at camp (with Noah). That said, there were things that needed to be said (and unsaid), and that’s where they made up for it. Daryl and Carol talk about change, but they don’t just talk, we see it. The way Daryl gets rid of the walkers in the Law Office—one of which was a kid—and burn their bodies was yet another demonstration of just how far he’s come and how big a heart he has (also, when he says, “I know what happened, they ain’t here” in regards to the missing girls, we see that even though these characters aren’t asking about those they lost, they’re still thinking about them). He’s lost just as much as everyone else, but like they both said, he’s trying. Of course, had it been me, I wouldn’t have burned the bodies. Being on a stealth mission and all, smoke tends to alert the enemy of your presence. Also, as much as I love Daryl, not sure how I feel about the van plan either. Is it me, or does it seem rather unlikely that the van would land in an upright position?

THE WALKING DEAD SEASON 5’s sixth episode sets the stage for all-out war in the operating room. Things didn’t play out exactly as I thought, Carol actually is hurt, pretty bad at that. Daryl and Noah are in Avengers assemble mode (which should be awesome), and those fools at the Hospital have no idea what’s coming. I’d like to think maybe Rick can reason with Dawn and save this from becoming a bloodbath, but Rick seems a little low on reason, patience and mercy at this stage of the game. If there are words, it’ll no doubt go down like, “hey, we want our people, Beth and Carol. Hand them over and I won’t paint this room with your face.” And well, let’s be honest here, Dawn’s a power hungry bitch, and I doubt she’s fond of people barking orders, or threats for that matter. Suffice to say, it should be fun to watch.

ZOMBIE KILL OF THE WEEK: Daryl puts an arrow in the eye of the walker about to bite into Noah like a Twinkie.

BLOOD AND GORE: Arrows to the head, knives to the face, heads getting run over, guns, vans, machetes and one dude’s even cut in half.

COOLEST SCENE: Yes, it came out of nowhere, but I love when Daryl and Carol weigh in on the painting. It was one of those “real” moments that made me smile. And I’m totally in agreement with Daryl’s point of view. I love art, but it does look like a dog dragged it’s ass across the canvas.

FINAL VERDICT:

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