The Walking Dead Season 5: First 8 Episodes Ranked Worst To Best

5. Consumed

Who would've thought way back in season one that Carol would become one of the series' most compelling characters? Considering her arc in the comics and her early days on the series as seemingly anything but fit for this post-apocalyptic world, it's been a pleasant surprise watching Melissa McBride turn the character into who she is now over the course of the series, with McBride herself earning MVP status. After finally being reunited in the season premiere after being separated almost the entirety of season four, Consumed sends Daryl and Carol out on a journey of their own to Atlanta, hot on the heels of one of the familiar cars with a cross on it. Though the overall narrative moves towards answering the question of how Carol ended up in the gurney we see her on in Slabtown and solving the mystery behind who Daryl returns to the church with in Four Walls and a Roof, with some fun walker action along the way, the episode is primarily a showcase for Carol to deal with who she thinks she's become in the wake of having to kill Lizzie and how Daryl works -- in his own special way -- to remind Carol that she's still human and that, for all the negativity they have to deal with, it's still worth fighting to live for themselves and for others. Though Consumed doesn't put the pedal to the metal and have Carol and Daryl storming the hospital alone, guns blazing and rescuing Beth, it's the type of episode that reminds us why we love many of these characters by taking the time to let them breathe. Daryl and Carol have grown so much as characters over the years and, in letting the two finally have an episode together through which to demonstrate how far they've come, the show further manages to underscore why these two damaged souls are so fascinating to watch.