Carlton had the first three inside 50's of the term, but it was Essendon that kicked the first goal of the term through Joe Daniher - his fourth of the match.
Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti then kicked two in a minute to stretch the lead to 36 points.
Nick Kommer, playing his first game since round three, set up Essendon's next goal. His chase and tackle led to Daniher's fifth major.
Carlton's Sam Kerridge is now tagging Brendon Goddard with the Bombers skipper up to 19 possessions midway through the third term.
McDonald-Tipungwuti's third of the quarter came via a tackle and free kick.
From Essendon's first seven forward 50 entries of the term the side registered five scores.
The Bombers had seven straight scoring shots, including four goals, after Carlton registered the first two scoring shots.
Zach Merrett (26), Matt Dea (22) and Brendon Goddard (20) are the leading ball winners with the Bombers up by 48 points.