The Walking Dead; Carol and Daryl (Season 5, Episode 6) CONSUMED.

Episodes: season 5

"No Sanctuary"

"Strangers"

"Four Walls and a Roof"

"Slabtown"

"Self-Help"

"Consumed"

"Crossed" 

"Coda"

This is proving to be one of the greatest seasons on The Walking Dead. The inclusion of the 'leg eating' scene in 'Strangers' is one of the most disturbing scenes in the series and has been the subject of much black humour and Bob jokes bouncing round the social networking sites. However, probably the most genuinely moving episode is 'Consumed' the episode focusing upon Carol And Daryl.

The last two episodes, 'Slabtown' and 'Self-Help' have been decent enough episodes, but most viewers have been waiting for a return to the storyline about core characters, namely an explanation of what happened to Carol after she was taken in the white van at the end of Slabtown. There were some complaints about the lack of action and 'gore' in 'Consume' but to my mind, it was good to learn a bit more about two of the most popular characters in TWD. Neither Carol or Daryl are the most garrulous of people, but somehow their silences are companionable rather than uncomfortable.

The development of a deep friendship between Carol and Daryl is somehow more moving than had these two characters embarked on a romantic liaison. There is without a doubt a connection between these two, and perhaps a sort of love, but it does not seem to be a passionate love. It leaves the unanswered question of Daryl's sexuality; although perhaps the most overtly masculine of all the characters, is Daryl gay, straight or asexual? 

Whatever Daryl's sexual orientation, he is without doubt my favourite TWD character, followed closely by Carol; the two of them together are the perfect combination, two damaged characters who are strong together. 

Some of the poignant moments of the episode, include Carol noticing Daryl picking up the book about surviving abuse; she takes it in silently and without comment. He knows she has seen but it isn't an issue for either of them. It was also good to learn a little more about Carol after she split from the group over the body burning incident in the prison; it was sad, yet  somehow comforting to learn that Carol sobbed and struggled with loneliness after her expulsion from the group. I always felt that Rick was too hard in his decision to expel her.

The issue of the zombies wriggling and struggling to get out of their sleeping bags was puzzling to say the least; It appears they had all been shot whilst sleeping. But why? Was it looters, a government plot? It was a pathetic sight to see those frantic corpses, slain and robbed of their humanity while they slept, a micro story within the greater plot. The pair's encounter with Noah highlighted the fact that in spite of their toughness, they have not lost feelings of compassion. First Daryl prevents Carol from shooting Noah; later when they encounter Noah again, it is Carol who entreats Daryl not to kill the hapless Boy as he is trapped beneath the wooden bookcase. Just as he is about to be savaged by a hungry walker, Daryl's crossbow shoots out to piece the skull of the zombie, saving Noah by the skin of is teeth.

It did however, seem quite implausible that the street smart Daryl and Carol, would get into the van that was toppling precariously over a bridge. And that the van would land on the relative safety of it's four wheels. But the last and perhaps greatest quandary of the episode, is the nature of the strange hospital. In the last scenes, Carol is smashed into by the white van. As Daryl goes to try to help her, Noah indicates that the hospital would be the best place to help save Carol and that later on, they can rescue both her and Beth. Daryl's face is a mask of pain and chagrin as he returns to the church without either Beth or Carol. So, the question is, does the hospital deliberately hurt people so they can save and then enslave the unlucky victims? They seek to only save people who are not too strong and are unlikely to fight back. It seems they have made a mistake with Carol.

All in all, this has to be one of my favourite episodes in what is probably the best series, after the initial one. Sad to think there is only two episodes to go before the long wait until the next season.

My first commissioned painting framed and hung

Framed and hung, my first commissioned painting hung on a wall, designed to accompany the uplifting quotation.

"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass

Its about learning to dance in the 

Rain"

Some of my recent paintings

Remembrance day

Remembrance Sunday is always a poignant day in our family, as in many others around the globe. Having lost my own father through a tragic incident in the Armed Forces, we chose to think about him and the man he would have become, on this day. Although I can't actually remember him, being only 9 months of age when he was killed at the age of 23, my family like to attend the Remembrance service at our local church and lay a small cross along side the numerous wreaths outside of the church. I would like to think that everyone will spare at least a few minutes to think about those poor souls who lost their lives in the service of our country.

                We will remember them.

Mr Turner

As a big fan of the work of JMW Turner, I had awaited the release of Mike Leigh's latest  film, Mr. Turner, with great anticipation. It wasn't a disappointment; Timothy Spall's portrayal of Turner was inspired, but somehow I left the cinema feeling a little deflated. If this film was true to life, Turner seemed to be an unusual and uncompromising character, but also, sadly, a rather unpleasant one. The frequent growling, bear -like sounds that Spall produced were strangely endearing; What was not so endearing was Turner's apparent cavalier treatment of women. It left me wondering why his house-keeper Hannah, although in all probability in love with Mr. Billy, allowed him to abuse her in a fashion that was tantamount to rape. And why did Turner compassionately write off the dept to his fellow artist, but did nothing to help Hannah with her increasingly disfiguring skin condition. He did thankfully seem to truly love his Margate landlady, Mrs Booth and we see a more sensitive side of Turner. Yet in spite of Turner's terse and insular manner which was occasionally sprinkled with flashes of his extrovert and gregarious side, we get glimpses of the intelligent and single minded attitude that contributed to his developing into one of Britain's greatest artists. 

I  had to wonder however, why the film, which was set around 1928 onwards, was began in Turner's middle age, leaving much of his earlier life unexplained. It has to be wondered why he deserted his two daughters and their mother? What had happened with his own mother to make him and his father turn against her? Perhaps this could have gone some way to explain his frequent misogynistic behaviour towards woman. 

On a more positive note, the film itself is a work of art; beautifully filmed, it is a pleasure to see some of Turner's greatest works viewed by the artist as he formulates the idea of a potential painting in his mind. The greatest scene though, has to be the Varnishing Scene at the Royal Academy. The paintings packed tight from walls  to ceiling, we see the artists add their finishing touches to paintings as Turner strides cheerfully through the gallery loudly greeting each artist. We see a Turner's frenzied spitting on his work as he paints at a rapid pace; His mocking treatment of fellow artist John Constable marks the known rivalry between the two artists. His more vulnerable side is shown by the devastation upon the death of his much loved father and at a later point when the disparaging remarks from Queen Victoria cause his work to fall from public favour. 

The incredible performance by Timothy Spall, who spent two years learning to paint in preparation for this role, imbibes the character of Turner with the air of a classic Dickensian character. His performance was admirably matched by Dorothy Atkinson as his housekeeper, Marion Bailey as Mrs Booth and Paul Jesson as the elder Mr Turner.