The 10 saddest deaths from AMC’s The Walking Dead season 1-7

6. Sophia Peletier

Sophia coming out of the barn as a walker is still one of the most shocking moments that the show had delivered. And one of the saddest. Rick did his best to protect her but in the end, it just wasn’t enough. Sophia’s death was a moment that changed the group forever.

And led to Carol starting the transformative journey that turned her into the chameleon killer and warrior that she is now. But her pain is still devastating to watch even now, all these seasons later. Sophia’s death broke the group and broke fans too.

The tragedy of Sophia’s death wasn’t just the tragedy of an innocent life cut short or the tragedy of a mother’s pain. It was one time, one of the few times when the group wasn’t able to pull off a miracle. It was a reminder that no matter how capable the members of the group are there are things that they will not be able to stop. And things they can’t survive.

For Rick, the death of the Sophia was a reminder of the great burdens of leadership. And for Rick as a parent, it was a reminder that no matter how much parents do to protect their kids sometimes it isn’t enough to save their lives. When Rick put walker Sophia down he changed forever as he accepted his own fallibility.