Camping Review: Carleen?! (Season 1 Episode 6)
On Camping Season 1 Episode 6, “Carlene?!,” Walt, Jandice, Harry, and Kathryn go searching for a missing Carleen. Jandice attempts to bond with Kathyrn, and Walt gets some unsolicited marital advice.
As Camping Season 1 (and likely its only season) enters the home stretch, it’s becoming increasingly challenging to find diverse and creative ways to describe how bad this show is, and “Carleen?!” is no exception.
The only real upsides to this episode are viewers aren’t forced to deal with mopey faced, perpetual doormat Carleen (aren’t we all secretly hoping she doesn’t return?).
Also, Jennifer Garner and Juliette Lewis finally share some very bizarre one-on-one screen time as one of the two least elective search parties to ever comb the woods or a lost soul.
There are a misleading few moments when we think we might finally get some backstory on how this group forged their dysfunctional bond, and what keeps them together despite the act they don’t like each other very much. But it never bears any fruit.
Kathryn does share the details of her first interaction with Walt, and it’s anything but a meet-cute story. Kathryn’s impression of Walt 19 years earlier is the same one viewers get on Camping Season 1 Episode 1: he’s a dorky guy who allows himself to be overpowered physically and emotionally by Kathryn.
The most insightful part of her roller rink tale is that Kathryn truly believes her bullying tactics somehow benefit those on the receiving end. There’s also a rare moment of introspection when Kathryn questions when her life veered off course, “I don’t know when I went from being the life of the party to uninvited.”
It’s worth noting that Kathryn and Jandice’s impromptu sing-a-long to Taylor Dayne’s “Tell It to My Heart” further demonstrates just how awkward Kathryn looks when she attempts to cut loose. It’s far more likely Kathryn was the butt of numerous jokes instead of the life of the party.
Camping is effectively conveying that how we see ourselves often drastically differs from how others see us. Kathryn views herself as benevolent, undervalued, a prisoner in her own body, a victim of circumstance, and someone who has to be strong because those around her are so weak.
Kathryn doesn’t blame her lack of ability to connect with those around her on herself, she chooses to displace it on to her illnesses. Not only has her body failed her, but so have her friends who are unable to cope — much less embrace — this self-imposed sickly version of herself (impossible to grasp when Garner’s incredibly tone physique is on display in yoga clothes).
Walt’s dealings with Kathryn reveal an altogether different woman, and his description of living with her winds up providing more insight into him than her (we know she’s angry and a hypochondriac). There have been brief glimpses of Walt’s well-hidden rage, but it’s bubbling to the surface.
With two episodes left, it’s looking less and less likely that Kathryn and Walt are going to be able to salvage their marriage. Even the major blow-up that is unquestionably coming is unlikely to bring Walt anything other than short-term relief since Kathryn is incapable of real intimacy with anyone, particularly her husband.
It’s exhausting to watch Kathryn constantly chip away at Walt’s waning masculinity, and it’s such a stale marital dynamic that viewers have seen over and over.
Girls (also created by Dunham and Konner) painted an equally abysmal picture of both romantic relationships and friendships.
There’s an unwavering skepticism embedded in both series that people are inherently broken, and the best we can all hope for is to surround ourselves with people who are broken enough themselves to tolerate us.
What did you think of this episode of Camping? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Camping airs Sundays at 10/9c on HBO.
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Jennifer Lind-Westbrook
Jennifer has been working as a freelance writer for six years, contributing to BuddyTV, Screen Rant, TVRage, Hidden Remote, Gossip On This, and PopMatters. She prefers binge-watching old episodes of The Office (British and American versions) to long walks on the beach. She's still holding out hope that Happy Endings will get a revival.