Carol and Morgan smile again in The Kingdom, and I can’t wait

The community of The Kingdom on The Walking Dead may just be the best place for Carol and Morgan since this whole zombie thing started.

While everyone is waiting to find out the victim of Lucille, I’m waiting to find out how Carol and Morgan are doing at The Kingdom. I’ve loved what they’ve done with these 2 characters. Contrary to the popular opinion, I believe they’ve become stronger by facing their losses and their emotions, not weaker.

Strength isn’t defined in one way. Strength has different definitions and different stages. Strength sometimes masquerades as weakness and weakness often masquerades as strength.

Morgan and Carol have persevered through quite a bit these last 2 years. They each lost a child and a spouse. Both have done quite a bit of killing and it has taken an emotional toll on them. Both have felt alone in the world without much support. Both have been under the leadership of Rick at some point, Carol for longer than Morgan, and neither has agreed with Rick on things at all times.

Related Story: Carol's emotional journey

I’ve written quite a few times about how much more alike than different Carol and Morgan are and how I wondered if Morgan would help Carol face her losses the way Eastman made Morgan face his, as well as how it’s not Morgan who made Carol turn soft, Carol was well on her way to dealing with the weight of the killing ever since LIzzie, and all the way back at Father Gabriel’s church when she planned to leave.

Every time I think of Morgan and Carol at the Kingdom, I smile. I smile the way I see Carol smile in that clip from the trailer. I smile remembering that Lennie James said (in a behind the scenes lip on Talking Dead) that Morgan smiles there.

I wonder if Carol will confide in Morgan eventually. If not Morgan, I wonder if she’ll tell her story to someone at The Kingdom. I believe she needs to name her losses the way Eastman made Morgan do. Maybe she can confess to Shiva. I joke, but I’m serious. Maybe if she says the names out loud, it will help her heal.

Maybe she doesn’t even need to say all the names on her kill list. Maybe she just needs to say Sophia’s name out loud again. Perhaps, even the smallest reference to Sophia could do it. Maybe she could tell, Morgan that Sophia loved the zoo when they meet Shiva.

Maybe Carol and Morgan can both be themselves again in this new place for the first time since this whole thing started. Not just themselves, but newer, better, apocalypse selves. Part of a new community that they joined as their new apocalypse selves.

Next: Carol, Morgan and the list

The people there don’t know abused wife Carol or Clear Morgan. They don’t know floral sweater Carol or All-LIfe-is-Precious Morgan. They will have to get to know The-wrong-that-doesn’t-pull-you-down Morgan and I-don’t-want-to-have-to-kill-for-those-I-love-but-I will Carol.

They will love these two people the way we do. And they will make them smile again!