Top 10 Carol and Daryl moments on The Walking Dead
By Sonya Iryna
10. Daryl Gives Carol A Cherokee Rose
From season 2 episode 4:“Cherokee Rose”
Season 2 kicked off with Sophia getting lost as she ran from the herd of walkers on the highway. As the group looked for her Carl got shot and the group found Hershel’s farm. When the entire group had gathered at the farm there was a lot going on, and Carol and her agonizing wait to find Sophia were kind of lost in the shuffle.
Daryl was the only one who was consistently searching for Sophia and in “Cherokee Rose” he gave her the only bit of comfort she received from the group. Aside from the ubiquitous “thoughts and prayers” offered by the others no one was really concerned about what Carol was going through. But Daryl was.
After he had been out searching for Sophia and found the old farmhouse he brings back a Cherokee Rose. When he comes back he puts it in an old bottle and shyly presents it to Carol. She had been trying to keep herself busy and distracted by straightening up inside the RV. When she asks him about the flower he tells her that it’s a Cherokee Rose, and tells her the story of the rose:
"“It’s a Cherokee rose. The story is that when American soldiers were moving Indians off their land on the trail of tears the Cherokee mothers were grieving and crying so much ’cause they were losing their little ones along the way from exposure and disease and starvation. A lot of them just disappeared. So the elders, they, uh, said a prayer. Asked for a sign to uplift the mothers’ spirits, give them strength and hope. The next day, this rose started to grow right where the mothers’ tears fell. I’m not fool enough to think there’s any flowers blooming for my brother. But I believe this one bloomed for your little girl. “"
Then he tells her that the RV looks really nice and that Sophia is really going to like it there when she gets back.
This moment is special because Daryl, who probably never heard a word of comfort his entire life, went out of his way to comfort Carol. It was probably really uncomfortable for him but he didn’t feel like searching for Sophia was enough. He wanted to comfort Carol and help her. He is the only one in the group who treats her like a person and not like an outcast at that moment.