The Walking Dead S05 E06: Consumed

 

“Don’t place all your eggs in one basket!” Good advice especially during the apocalypse. In last week’s episode of “The Walking Dead,” Sgt. Abraham had a Holy Grail; deliver Eugene to Washington DC Eugene had a Holy Grail too; staying alive even if it meant telling a big fat lie. While Team Abe tries to deal with their disappointment, let’s check in on our apocalyptic Wonder Woman and see what she thinks of the nursing care at Grady Hospital.

Carol

In an interesting flashback, we get to see how Carol survived after being banished by Rick. I don’t care how independent you claim to be, it’s hard being alone and when you’re a woman who loves deeply; isolation will tear at your very soul.

It’s hard being a superhero. No one understands you or the things you have to do to survive. Carol and Daryl are both superheroes in my book, but they have a flaw. They are both afraid to open up their hearts; Carol more so than Daryl.

After running out of fuel while following the car that took Beth, Carol and Daryl make their way to a place that served as temporary housing for many women and children. Carol doesn’t say much, but you get the idea that maybe she and Sophia spent some time there. Maybe it’s the bunk beds or that mother and child walker trying to get in, but Carol seems to know a lot about the place.

Noah

Carol and Daryl get to meet Noah (Tyler James Williams), but not in a nice way. This poor kid has just escaped and is running scared. Failing to save Beth, Noah robs Carol and Daryl of their weapons and takes off with them close behind. I don’t know about you, but I loved the sleeping bag walkers and tent walkers. Without weapons, Daryl and Carol find themselves trapped in a van that is teetering on the edge of a bridge with no way to escape but down. Viva la Thelma and Louise!

Conclusion

Everything about tonight’s show was woven together with a thread of revelation. We learn more about Carol and Daryl in this episode and some of it is hard to watch. We watch Carol recall her and Tyreese burying Lizzie and her sister when she sees Daryl burning the bodies of the mother and child walker at the temporary housing. The death of Lizzie by Carol’s hand was necessary, but that doesn’t mean Carol won’t be haunted by this act for the rest of her life, but… this time, it wasn’t Carol who had to take care of business. Daryl knows Carol better than she knows herself.

Carol and Daryl love each other and the truth of this is seen in the way they have each other’s back and in the way they argue over modern art. They have both evolved to survive, but are they happy with the changes. Carol tells Daryl that before she thought of him as a boy, and now, he is a man. Hell yes, Daryl is the man and that is why so many of my friends would storm the Bastille if Daryl was ever killed on the show.

Carol and Daryl don’t need to have deep conversations. They can sense what the other feels or needs and they move as one. I did expect them to have a sexual encounter while at the women’s center, but we were denied this treat and maybe that’s okay. They are in a dangerous territory, both physically and emotionally and don’t need to be distracted or consumed by their passion, not yet.

I think that Carol was always a strong woman, but she had allowed her husband Ed to abuse her and would go back and forth to the women’s center whenever she felt that Sophia was in danger. It’s a vicious cycle that many women find themselves in because they don’t believe in their own power, but Carol has burned away her old self along with the bodies at that prison.

Daryl carries clues to his inner self in his backpack. He’s fighting his own demons and has Lizzie’s book, “Surviving Childhood Abuse” on him. I think this is why Daryl truly gets Carol. They are sidekicks through a life of pain and hurt. Carol doesn’t believe in miracles anymore, but Daryl does and this is why Noah’s life is spared. It’s a good thing, too because they learn that Beth is at the hospital.

Some rules have to be adhered to even in the midst of the apocalypse, like looking both ways before you cross the street. Carol is hit by a car and taken to Grady’s, but Daryl has plans to return with the cavalry. I’m looking forward to Officer Dawn meeting Team Rick… karma is best served on the edge of a katana.