The Walking Dead: New photos from the episode Diverged

As the time runs down towards the airing of the final installment of The Walking Dead’s extended season 10, AMC is dropping new promo items left, right, and center, with the latest being a whole album full of photos from the episodes.

These photos, along with the synopsis’ and table reads, give us a real insight into each episode’s focus, and it seems 10×21 – the 5th episode of 6 – focuses largely on Carol (Melissa McBride). Or rather, Carol and a couple of her hirsute friends.

Titled “Diverged,” the description told us that this episode was about the rising tension between best friends Daryl and Carol, with a reckoning on the state of their relationship seeming to occur, one way or the other.

"“Daryl and Carol come to a fork in the road and head their separate ways. Each going into their own type of survival mode, the easiest of challenges become much harder. Will their individual journeys be the tipping point needed to mend their friendship, or is the distance between them permanent?”"

The Walking Dead’s new episode Diverged photos focus on Carol at work.

Despite this description, the photos seem to suggest that the focus on this hour is squarely on Carol, as we see her doing various domestic chores in Alexandria. In one photo, we see her going about her day-to-day business of killing a walker in her path, whilst in another, we see her looking behind her worriedly as she appears to be fixing one of the community’s solar panels.

In another photo, Carol is perhaps in her most comfortable place – cooking in a kitchen or pantry. She is working at a crockpot full of greens with a table full of ingredients.  We know Carol can slay in the streets and the kitchen with equal aplomb but are these activities her attempts to make up for the pain she feels that she’s caused everyone by releasing Negan?

As much as some fans may enjoy seeing Carol back at home in Alexandria, perhaps the most loved photo will be Carol sitting on a sofa – with one of Daryl’s blankets draped over the back, so likely in the house they share  – with a mournful looking Dog resting his head on her lap. Dog also features in his own handsome portrait looking on from a porch, where he’s no doubt taking a break from his own important duties.

The photo of Carol and Dog together suggests we may see Carol mulling over her and Daryl’s issues, perhaps waiting to talk to the man himself whilst pouring her heart out to Daryl’s other BFF Dog. We all know four-legged friends are the best listeners, but barring that, there’s a man not too far behind.

The final photo for “Diverged” features everyone’s best friend Jerry (Cooper Andrews), as he appears to be taking a break from farming to talk to his former queen, Carol. An earlier teaser clip for this run of episodes showed a brief clip of Carol crying in Jerry’s arms, so perhaps Dog isn’t the only one she turns to for solace and comfort.

It certainly looks like this episode will give us insight into Carol’s current state of mind and hopefully show her working through some of the trauma and difficulties she’s had integrating with her family since her son Henry’s death.