tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13727952.post8080296004708287358..comments2024-03-27T23:50:21.307-04:00Comments on Doux Reviews: The Walking Dead: ConsumedBillie Douxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17141769005175631213noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13727952.post-70010829425891274482015-02-15T09:53:15.469-05:002015-02-15T09:53:15.469-05:00Super late to the party, here, but... was I the on...Super late to the party, here, but... was I the only one who got serious Lost season one vibes from the bridge sequence? Between the precariously perched vehicle, the frantic search for evidence within, as well as the Holy Mary statue on the dash, the only thing that was missing was the CB radio to spark up with "...but WE'RE the survivors of Oceanic flight 815..."<br /><br />Maybe it's just me, I dunno.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13727952.post-74470991479578659212014-11-21T12:51:13.984-05:002014-11-21T12:51:13.984-05:00I agree completely on Carol. Her decision to surv...I agree completely on Carol. Her decision to survive just for herself was pretty interesting, in and of itself. I found it remarkably refreshing that she wasn’t entertaining thoughts of suicide, and was just considering other ways to potentially avoid the pain of losing more people she cares about.<br /><br />That’s sort of the point I was trying to make with my different subset of “wrestling questions.” When I read your list in the review, they came across with more of a negative, “suicidal thoughts” tone in my mind, not the “everyday existential” tone I got from them in your follow up comment. And I was feeling like the outlook of the characters this season has generally been in a more positive, hopeful space (which is interesting, given that within the space of mere weeks their comfortable prison existence was destroyed by first a virus, then a mad man, and then they were captured and nearly killed by cannibals). I’m not saying the issue is settled forever and always, but I do feel like most of them started the season out in a frame of mind where they had pushed past that “should I keep going?” question, and were coming to terms with what that takes in this world. They weren’t in that train car waiting around to die, they were gearing up to fight for their lives. Which, overall, feels hopeful to me.<br /><br />Not that I think it will necessarily stay that way. The show did just kill the most optimistic person in the bunch, and then followed that up by stripping away the momentary “we can save the world!” purpose Eugene gave everyone. So we could be just a step away from folks being back to wrestling with thoughts of suicide. I’m particularly concerned about Tyreese and Maggie. Hopefully Carol will get the chance to counsel them, “We can’t save the world, but we <i>can</i> still save each other. Don’t give up.” :)Jess Lyndehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14165015932507376656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13727952.post-24121323457689382132014-11-21T11:47:33.804-05:002014-11-21T11:47:33.804-05:00@anonymous - what a great idea - you could just ge...@anonymous - what a great idea - you could just get them to follow each other off bridges. I wonder if they will use that in future episodes. @ Jess I guess I think that most of us deal with the 'why am I here and why do I bother?' question most of the time and an apocalypse just intensifies that and leads into questions that most of us don't have to deal with such as 'how far am I willing to go?' I don't actually think that they have all decided to survive no matter what and most have an answer to 'why do I bother?' (my children, my partner, my friends, hope for a better world). What is interesting about Carol is that she thinks that she has made the decision to survive just for herself but then she keeps saving the people she loves and obviously cares about.drnanamomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03667806039402426676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13727952.post-8451886461833960962014-11-21T10:50:37.891-05:002014-11-21T10:50:37.891-05:00After that bridge scene, I can't stop thinking...After that bridge scene, I can't stop thinking of the walkers as just a bunch of lemmings.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13727952.post-77139940433986964182014-11-20T15:37:01.902-05:002014-11-20T15:37:01.902-05:00One thing I’ve really appreciated about this first...One thing I’ve really appreciated about this first half of Season 5 is its great thematic consistency. Even though I’ve found some of the hours less engaging to watch than others, I’ve still been impressed with the way each episode functions as a new window on the themes they are exploring now. Last season it was “Can we come back?” and they sort of landed on “No, we can’t.” So now they are examining, “Well, in that case, how do we move forward?” <br /><br />Interestingly, to me it generally feels less like an examination of the big “Why am I here, and why do I bother?” questions you noted, Doc. Everyone seems to accept that it is worth continuing to live --- at least prior to having Eugene’s false hope ripped away --- they are just coming to terms with what that now means for them. The questions I see them wrestling with are things like “How far am I willing to go? How much of myself am I willing to sacrifice? How do I then make peace with what I’ve become?” Plus, “What survival choices am I willing to accept from or forgive others?” It’s been very nice to see these questions explored through our familiar favorites, as well as through new characters and groups. Even some of the characters that have been pushed to the background a bit, like Carl, Michonne, and Maggie, have had several nice moments reflecting on these themes.<br /><br />All of which is my long way of saying that, after pondering a bit more, I did really appreciate the thematic resonance in this episode, even though I didn’t necessarily find it the most compelling hour. (This show "always has my brain working," too.) :)Jess Lyndehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14165015932507376656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13727952.post-89937634060503129852014-11-19T22:09:41.588-05:002014-11-19T22:09:41.588-05:00Hello! Long time fan of these reviews. All of my f...Hello! Long time fan of these reviews. All of my favs are ticked!<br /><br />I've been marathoning (is that a word?) this show on Netlix and I'm finally caught up. I appreciate that no spoilers were revealed in the reviews or the comments - unlike other sites.<br /><br />Anyway, what I find interesting about this show is that it's not about the Zombies (Walkers,Geeks,Lame Brains) rather the human condition. A great example of this is in this episode is when Daryl and Carol are sitting in the car staking out the hospital and are startled by a walker. Daryl and Carol determine that the the threat is just a walker and go about their business. The living are much more of a danger in this apocalyptic world and now we and the characters are reacting to that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13727952.post-50564888154907190822014-11-18T21:03:12.942-05:002014-11-18T21:03:12.942-05:00Thanks for the comments everyone. How absurd woul...Thanks for the comments everyone. How absurd would it be to be killed by a falling walker?! @Jess, @Billie thanks for picking up on the details - they are often great bits that show the writers are paying attention. @Henrik, I really like it when they find good music but I certainly get your point.drnanamomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03667806039402426676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13727952.post-48337253661414833272014-11-18T10:44:06.241-05:002014-11-18T10:44:06.241-05:00Doc:
Thank you for the review.
In no order:
I l...Doc:<br />Thank you for the review. <br /><br />In no order: <br />I liked the ep for what Melissa McBride and Norman Reedus bring to these two characters. They're both just great, consistently who they are and engaging to watch -- among the best on the show, imo.<br /><br />I love your characterization, Doc, of Carol being forged into iron. Wow. Well-said. Her monologue was stunning. Just how she sees herself getting burned away again and again. So provocative.<br /><br />The walkers falling on top of the van was a nice touch. Perfectly absurd.<br />Heatherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13953652907115935895noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13727952.post-8525344022860202132014-11-18T07:21:51.647-05:002014-11-18T07:21:51.647-05:00I've started laughing at a lot of the walker s...I've started laughing at a lot of the walker stuff, too. They are always reaching for some new walker thing they haven't shown us before, and while I appreciate the effort, it makes me laugh (or roll my eyes) more than cringe these days. Those sleeping bag walkers were hilarious, and I think I even laughed at the walkers Eugene took out with the fire hose last week.<br /><br />But they still manage to scare me with the people pretty regularly. The scene where Daryl and Carol watched the cop on the street in the dark was tense. When he turned towards their car, my heart was in my throat.Jess Lyndehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14165015932507376656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13727952.post-81694395674842677962014-11-18T03:47:50.516-05:002014-11-18T03:47:50.516-05:00I really enjoyed the narrative in this episode, be...I really enjoyed the narrative in this episode, being tossed backwards and forwards between short bursts of events and emotion.<br /><br />I didn't like the music. At all. Well, I liked the song - but I don't like it when we get a song to set the mood of a character. <br />I think the scenes with Carol going about her gloomy everyday business of staying alive would have been even more powerful without a soundtrack.<br />Music in TWD takes me out of the show. No music would immerse me even more - seeing as there is no way for the survivors to hear music (Slabtown being the exception). Henrik Bennetterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18446577900313568158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13727952.post-52760990132350872052014-11-17T22:57:17.562-05:002014-11-17T22:57:17.562-05:00I especially like the pairing of Daryl and Carol, ...I especially like the pairing of Daryl and Carol, so even though there was probably a bit too much with the flashbacks, I enjoyed this one. I liked that Daryl and Carol were talking about how they couldn't save anyone any more, and then they did.<br /><br />The Morley cigarettes were a fun touch (thanks, Jess -- I hadn't completely registered that one). And did you all notice the brief scene where they showed the tank from the second episode, where Rick met Glenn for the first time?<br /><br />This show doesn't usually make me laugh, but I laughed three times: the sleeping bag walkers, followed by the tent walkers. And then the walkers plummeting down and landing on the van after it hit. Maybe the gore has stopped bothering me, too.Billie Douxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17141769005175631213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13727952.post-61637618242319682642014-11-17T18:27:12.958-05:002014-11-17T18:27:12.958-05:00I wanted to like this one more than I did. Carol’...I wanted to like this one more than I did. Carol’s material felt repetitive to me, as I already understood her arc and the frame of mind she was in. So, retracing her “descent” on the path back to the end points of 'Four Walls and a Roof' and 'Slabtown' ending up feeling like a bit of a slog to me (even if I did somewhat enjoy the repeated fire motif). I enjoy Daryl and Carol’s partnership and the way they support each other --- it was certainly nice that the “save Noah” moment felt like Daryl and Carol both trying to save each other, too --- but it wasn’t quite enough for me this hour. As a result, I ended up being more bugged than usual by assorted “suspension of disbelief” issues (e.g., the van landing on its tires, and Carol not hearing a car gunning for her in a desolate, quiet city).<br /><br />But, I did like that Daryl got to smoke some Morley’s --- the Smoking Man’s preferred brand of cigs. If “evil-smoking,” non-caring Daryl couldn’t wake Carol out of her nihilistic stupor, nothing could. :)Jess Lyndehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14165015932507376656noreply@blogger.com