‘The Walking Dead’ Retro Recap: ‘Consumed’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

One particular act that each and every one of us will commit in our lifetimes… is a grave mistake. One grounded in a decision that seemed logical and sensical at the time, and of course… it isn’t until others point out how we did great wrong that we face the reality that we chose poorly and caused all kinds of devastating trouble accordingly. The kind that could cost us a great deal from a career or personal standpoint and of course… that motivates us to in turn, pick up the pieces and move on and do our best to move forward to try and fix what we’ve done. But perhaps the only good thing about the mistake… is that our goofs rarely cost people their lives. Ours are grounded in the kind of damage that we can heal from and that does beg an important question.
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In that, how does one come back from a mistake that involves the death of others? Because that’s the kind of misstep that costs so much more than a paycheck or a relationship. Lives are gone, a void is created, and that person will never be seen or heard from again. Well, it just so happens that the next episode of The Walking Dead takes the time to answer that question and that made ‘Consumed’ quite the fascinating tale. Simply because this Daryl and Carol centric tale used a return to everyone’s old stomping ground to have Carol address the question at hand. For the mystery car brought them back to Atlanta, and eventually the very woman’s shelter that Carol once stayed in during her darker days and well… exploring the city and its trappings, and Carol’s past, allowed for reflection to come into play.

The kind that definitely forced Carol to face the fact that she acted out of fear back at the prison and her choice made her pay dearly in ways we already know. But what was fascinating about this search for forgiveness, is that Carol had in fact… found it externally. Since Rick welcomed her back, thanked her constantly and she of course, even made peace with Tyreese over what she’d done. Which means that, our first step in coming back from something this ugly, is to do just that, make reparations with those we hurt and find that peace whether we like it or not. But the most important step, is to forgive ourselves. Because we are nothing without that and we will make more mistakes when we don’t find that. Which is of course, easier said than done since taking a life is indeed the worst, but in a world where the dead walk and eat the living, and survival is key, perhaps there is license to have that kind of forgiveness.

But while that made for some fascinating and powerful moments for certain. The kind that also spoke to how much healing Carol still has to do because of the life she’s lived, there was more to celebrate in this tale. For this is a story that was a zombie story lover’s dream come true. Since it finally gave us a grand exploration of what a major metropolitan city would look like after being infested by living death and how difficult and dangerous that kind of location would be to navigate. Plus, it also brought back Noah and helped us to understand the kind of healing he needs as well since he wants revenge against Dawn for her actions, and of course… it also filled in the blanks as to how Carol ended up at Grady Memorial. Which as it turned out, involved a collision with a GMH car because of a good old case of right place, wrong time.

But what matters more, is that this was an intimate story through and through. One that really did a fine job of exploring a supremely dark concept and one that gave us something we always love. Daryl and Carol adventures. The kind where they learn from each other because they’re so good for one another. Which is perhaps the final lesson in this story as well, in that, we also need to keep great company to help us heal and find our way back and now that we’ve reached the end of this dark and dreary tale… the time has come to turn attention to far darker matters. Because the next couple of episodes plunge our heroes into some supremely tough times, the kind that will put them in a pained place emotionally and force them to make some important and life-changing decisions. Until next time.

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