Episode 6: "Consumed"
Everyone was excited to see the return of Daryl and Carol to our story line with the internet abuzz before, during, and after the airing. If it weren't obvious before, we're inclined to say it is now officially official: Daryl is the hands-down favorite character, rounding the stadium in his chariot with his banner flying high.
We start off catching back up with the pair in chase of the white-crossed car in the dark, with flashbacks of Carol's experiences between being booted from the prison group and the showdown at the O.K. Terminus Corral. There's not much new information here as the sequences are meant to show us Carol's emotional journey more than her physical one.
The episode is heavy on emotion in general, and we get to see more emotional range from both Carol and Daryl. Their relationship is evolving as are they as people in a post-prison camp life, and their 24 hour journey to find Beth gives ample opportunities to review that change. The trauma of losing the security of the prison is far reaching and continues to make itself apparent throughout this first half. Although it is important to explore those effects, we do hope the group is able to rebound in the back half and begin to move forward.
The "Walker Burritos" on the footbridge provided a certain comic relief especially combined with those fumbling around in the tents, bringing back memories of what camping is like after having one-too-many by the campfire. The van-off-the-overpass scene provided adequate tension and a feeling of certain doom though with Daryl in tow you can hardly expect total devastation. One simply does not kill a ZA Chuck Norris by merely dropping him 50 feet. Such a spectacle was impossible to hide from passersby during filming and was thus spoiled quite a bit, but those who do not follow filming as closely were likely on the edge of their seats for the duration of that scene.
The only criticism continues to be one of pacing with a lack of quick progress toward an end goal, though we do get our answer as to who is with Daryl when he returns to the church. We guessed it was Noah, and that the mid-season finale would be the group returning to rescue Carol and/or Beth, so that does seem to be panning out (though predictability does not bode well in this show in general). Eugene's confession not withstanding due to it being a direct comic reference, our last big "surprise" moment came early in the season with the Bob-B-Q so we're reminded of Season 4's pacing with several episodes dedicated to The Governor's back story leading to the best mid-season finale there's been to date.
Next week's sneak peeks show us more build up toward a hospital rescue operation and it seems we'll be touching base with the DC trip crew, too. As mentioned previously, a lot of fans grow weary of single-focus episodes so it will be nice to see more of the group in one. With only two episodes left for 2014 and a Season 4 mid-season finale to top, we're going to need some fireworks soon, but as always with our beloved show, we will always find a reason to love each episode even if we nitpick them.
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