REVIEW: The Walking Dead “Consumed”

The following review contains spoilers for the Walking Dead season 5 Episode “Consumed”

The Walking Dead On Cruise Control

Noah stops Daryl from rushing to Carol's rescue — It was a little odd that a hobbled Noah was able to hold Daryl back from rushing in to save Carol from the Grady Cops. On the other hand, the more level headed Daryl might have known the right course of action despite his demeanor.

“Consumed” would be right at home with the episodes from the second half of season 4 and is the first true filler episode this season. Even Slabtown brought some new characters to the table and advanced the plot. Sunday’s episode was very safe, they knew where they wanted the show to go and they didn’t throw any punches or surprises at us along the way. Director Seith Mann put two popular characters behind the wheel as we were driven to a known destination.

Sure, there were bumps along the way but they never veered off road. Carol was devastated after being exiled from the group? I’d be surprised if she wasn’t. Daryl and Carol run into Noah? We knew Daryl was with someone in the quick cliffhanger at the end of “Four Walls and a Roof” and saw Noah escape Grady Memorial Hospital at the end of “Slabtown”. I’m sure most of us were able to put two and two together. Carol gets taken to Grady Memorial Hospital but how? In a pretty silly and rushed scene that made it feel like they almost forgot how they had to end the episode and tacked it on last minute. Despite the flaws, “Consumed” did have some nice highlights however.

Noah Joins The Chaos

Daryl starts to face his past in the Walking Dead episode "Consumed" — Subtle hints of character development like this really leave a lasting impression. The toughest part of healing is facing the source of the problem and we find out that Daryl is taking that all important first step.

Tyler James Williams put in another solid effort as Noah and his scenes were the highlights of the night. He kind of creeped around Daryl and Carol early on and these bits were well done and created a sense of uneasiness. I couldn’t tell who it was stalking the star duo but it helped add a much needed edge to the episode. I really enjoyed his stick up of Daryl and Carol. He picked the perfect moment to make his move and showed some creativity in using the tent walkers to help him escape. Despite that, Carol still had a weapon on her and could have taken him out if she wasn’t stopped. This sequence shows that Noah is doing what he feels he needs to do to survive, gather supplies, and keep moving but, as Daryl said, he’s just a kid. He didn’t do enough to survive that plan but lady luck (really Daryl) was on his side and it made him a likable character to me.

The scene near the end where he’s left trapped after a Daryl charge as a walker enters the room was the best moment of the night for the fan favorite red neck. Throughout the hour we see that Daryl has become a pretty level headed person, someone who could start to survive on their wits and not just their physical abilities. He could have left Noah to die and it seemed that was his plan but he had a sudden change of heart which shows he wasn’t as sure of himself as he made it seem. They could have killed off Noah here and I was worried because I was starting to like him, it wouldn’t have been the first time a recently introduced character was killed off after a bit of development (it happened multiple times already this season). I look forward to seeing how Noah reacts when his world changes from a dystopian hospital to an on-the-road Ricktatorship (that’s really more of a democracy, even if Rick wouldn’t agree).

Consumed Final Takeaways

Carol’s flashbacks brought her back to Earth and reminded us she is only human despite her Rambo rampage in the premiere “No Sanctuary”.
The bridge scene was something I thought would be very predictable but it turned out to be the opposite as I wouldn’t have ever guessed Daryl and Carol would be inside when it eventually went over the edge, let alone them being the reason why. I couldn’t bring myself to buy into the result, however, as the van did a full flip and landed perfectly on all fours. I know it’s not a realistic show but this was a bit too much.
This season has made a gimmick of sorts out of brief flashbacks scattered throughout various episodes and they’ve done it very well. Until “Consumed”. Carol’s flashbacks didn’t bring anything new to the character or plot, they didn’t reveal anything we couldn’t have already assumed was the case. They did, however, serve as a nice summary of what Carol has gone through over the last couple of seasons.
Yet again, the sights and sounds of the episode contributed just as much to the experience as anything else. There were a couple of nice throwbacks to season one and more great images of Atlanta in ruins. The opening flashback was saved by maybe the best song choice since using The Mountain Goats in a season 4 episode that shall not be named.

Conclusion

While it had its highs and lows, “Consumed” was as safe as you could get. Nothing great but nothing terrible either. The worst moments were just “meh” and the good moments were just, well, good. Director Seith Mann gave us an episode that wound up in the middle of the road with little swerving. The actors went along for the ride but they are likable characters so it wasn’t that bad for the viewers at home. The biggest downside that hurts the episode was the lack of any real or surprising plot developments. Whether you enjoyed it or not, or don’t really care either way, it took us to a point we can all be excited for. That point? Rick coming back and attempting to save Carol and Beth from the hospital. We can always use more Rick.

What did you think of the latest Walking Dead episode? Be sure to let us know in the comments below and give us your rating of “Consumed”!