Carol Peletier is one of the most popular characters in The Walking Dead Universe.
Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride) has been nothing short of a spectacular badass in every one of her The Walking Dead appearances. Carol has captivated fans across the globe with her remarkable reactions to danger and her warming approach to those nearest except for maybe Sam, alas! As one of the longest-serving characters on the show, we have all seen a true evolution of her character and have been beside her every step of the way.
Throughout the past 10 seasons of the show, we have seen pretty much every emotion from Carol. Her heart-breaking relationship with Ed, her mourning of Sophia (and Mika, Lizzie and Henry), numerous killings of some of the evilest characters on the show, and her loving relationship with Ezekiel. Seriously, the list goes on and on for this long-serving powerhouse. But as her story is still being written, I feel it is inevitable that we will continue to have shocks and surprises unlocked.
However, one thing that cannot be ignored is her relationship with Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus). What history this duo has! Currently, these two fan favorites aren’t in each other’s best books; that doesn’t take away everything they have had and will continue to have during season 11 that will carry on into their new spin-off series. As loved as Carol is, she has had some questionable actions in some of her past scenes, but in all fairness, living in a broken and apocalyptic World would make you act different to survive.
Let’s take a look at some of Carol’s best and worst scenes so far!
The Walking Dead’s Carol weapons training with the kids
This scene from The Walking Dead 401, “30 Days Without An Accident,” holds many questions regarding Carol’s actions. We see Carol calmly reading the kids of the prison community a book – looked on by Lizzie and Mika’s dad – Ryan. What a nice calm change to the world behind the gates. Except not all was as it seemed. When Ryan took his leave, Carol wasn’t in the presence of another adult, so she put the book down and got to the real reason why she was there – to teach them to hold and use weapons.
The fact she had their safety in her mind could be argued as a right or wrong reason for holding her secret lessons in weapons and self-defense. But, this could have been a contributing factor to why Lizzie took a sinister turn in the later episode, “The Grove,” when she killed her sister Mika hoping she would come back as a walker and be the same person she was before.
After being caught at the start of her lesson by Carl, Carol’s quick plea to him not to go and tell his dad, Rick, shows Carol’s guilty conscience. She knew this wasn’t something anyone else would have approved of. This is one of Carol’s worst scenes, as sometimes influencing in the apocalypse only leads to things getting worse or going wrong.
Carol killing Karen and David in the prison
During this quick flashback from The Walking Dead 506, “Consumed,” we get to see what happened to Karen and David in the prison after they fell ill to a mysterious illness. This illness was enough to alert Carol and worry her about its effects on her and others in the same block. It was questioned by many as to who would have done such a thing. Until Carol’s almost blasé confession of yes, she did kill them. It was one of the most shocking scenes yet and led to her banishment.
This has made the list of Carol’s worst scenes because of her lack of emotion towards the matter and its unnecessary nature. They could have very well recovered, as we saw with Glenn and other members of the community. The nature of which they were also left outside was also very chilling.
Carol took matters into her own hands with this situation which ultimately wasn’t the right call. It gave Tyreese heartbreak and shock upon finding the bodies after he followed the bloody trail from Karen’s cell. This whole scene was a bad call for Carol, and the effects of which played on her a while after the event when she realized what she had done.
Carol Leaving Alexandria
One of the times Carol decided to step back and be alone for a while was during The Walking Dead 615 “East.” We see her write a letter to her then-partner, Tobin before she decides to leave. She doesn’t want to see any more bloodshed or feel under constant control. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; however, it was a world away from the Carol we had seen for the past few seasons. It was pointing more toward her more anxious and quiet approach in Season 1.
As she decided to leave by herself and not tell anyone of her departure, this didn’t end with a great result. Carol’s car was fired at by a group of saviors, who definitely didn’t want a cup of tea and a chat – they put her at huge risk. Lucky, the Carol we know and love, was still within her, and she managed to defend herself against them with a hidden gun that allowed her to escape.
In true Walking Dead fashion, the threat wasn’t over, and when one of them made it out and chased her, she ended up getting shot before then being saved by Morgan. This episode definitely brought a lot of action and tension. It was one of Carol’s worst scenes because it could have gone an unfortunate and different way due to her choice to leave the protection of the community and her family. But, at least the positive from this is that it brought us to The Kingdom… and a very happy Jerry!
Carol’s heartbreak over Sophia
A different take on ‘worst’ brings us to a whole new meaning, instead of worst in terms of her actions, this scene is the worst she had to experience. This happened in a very iconic scene. The Walking Dead 207 “Pretty Much Dead Already” was one of the largest and most upsetting moments of the entire series. A truly devastating find to a shattered Carol. This has to be one of the worst moments because it was just so heartbreaking.
Seeing Sophia emerge from the barn and stumble across the pile of dead walkers toward the people she knew and loved really brought home the terrifying realities that our favorite characters are living in. Knowing that she was so close, yet so far from them, the whole time was just a truly awful realization.
This was a pivotal moment for Carol and the rest of the group as it really brought home the harsh realities of what the world was becoming. It was a resolution to an arc that fans across the globe followed with a close eye, and we all hoped it wasn’t going to be what it then sadly was—one of the worst scenes for Carol on a personal level.
Carol and the cave in
The Walking Dead 109 “Squeeze” has topped the 5 of Carol’s worst moment’s list because it was so frustrating! This was continued from the episode prior when Carol chased after Alpha, leading the group (consisting of Jerry, Magna, Kelly, Connie, Aaron and Daryl) to chase after her. Following Alpha had a disastrous result as it leads into the cave, which was also a trap.
This scene was incredibly frustrating as it is perfectly understandable that Carol was seeking revenge on Alpha after everything evil she had done. Still, at the same time, this was the wrong time and way to go about it. The overall result of this meant that within the space of one episode: Kelly and Aaron (along with the others) had to jump over masses of walkers to find the way out. Jerry was stuck in a super small tunnel and then nearly got crushed trying to save everyone else so they could escape. Magna and Connie were both caught in the collapse and under tons of rock and debris, and Daryl was upset and angry – which is never good!
All in all, this is Carol’s worst scene because simply – it didn’t have one positive thing come out of it. This could have been a disastrous turn of events for the protagonists simply trying to help and survive!
But, let’s not forget the awesome scenes we have had from Carol.
Carol and Alpha Stare Off
Talk about tension! During The Walking Dead 101, “Lines We Cross,” fans got to see a very intense meeting between Alpha and Carol. It was the first time Carol had seen Alpha since she and her Whisperers brutally killed Henry and displayed his head on a pike along with 9 others members of the community. So much meaning lies within this scene and exchange of looks if Alpha only knew!
This gave Carol the start of what she needed, to show she was ‘Alpha’ over Alpha herself. She was in no way going to back down or be fearful. Although this was a short scene with no dialog, the looks between these two dynamic women spoke volumes. This was definitely a treat to all of the Carol fans out there and a brilliant way to show that in this war, Carol would come out the winner!
This scene is one of Carol’s best because it set up the captivating story to follow. It definitely deserves a place at number 5. Though no words were spoken, it didn’t make it less eerie or less impactful, if anything. It really added to the drama and atmosphere. Awkward!
Carol’s last moments with Ed
Carol’s husband, Ed, was not an appealing character in the series at all and had no redeeming features. During The Walking Dead 105 “Wildfire,” we got to see the first time Carol really had the chance to give back to domestic abuser Ed, what he gave to her and Sophia in life. Carol really needed this time to release some of her pent-up anger and the weight of overwhelming sadness she had carried with her throughout the years.
Though not much was seen of Ed during his time on the show, we know that he put his wife and his daughter through a lot of pain. And this pain is written all over Carol and her expressions during this scene. We see Daryl going to all of the bodies of those who had been bitten or scratched from the influx of walkers in their camp the night before. As he gets to Ed, Carol asks to do it. And she gets one of her last moments with Ed to be something she never thought she would have to do. She violently beats the body of devoured Ed until she is satisfied that he won’t be back to cause anyone else any more harm or pain.
This scene makes one of Carol’s best because this was the start of her becoming an even stronger fighter and survivor that would no longer be under the shackle of evil. She had her freedom back, at long last.
Carol Becomes part of the ‘Wolves’
How cool was it to see a new side of Carol’s fighting skills during The Walking Dead 602 “JSS?” The episode had a lot of twists and turns when a group of brutal killers raided Alexandria. Her quick thinking really pays off and is a big help as to why Alexandria didn’t fall on this occasion, and her baking ingredients were all safe and sound – until Negan and the Saviors arrived, of course!
As Carol fought her way around Alexandria, she had a positive domino effect; saving Morgan meant that Morgan could save Father Gabriel, and they were unharmed. Though there were disagreements between Morgan and Carol about who should live, it didn’t stop Carol from losing sight of her wanting to fend off as many of the villains as possible, and thankfully she did.
By covering her face and drawing the sinister ‘branding’ of the evil group the Wolves on her head, this gave Carol the power to infiltrate them and take them down one by one to save the residents of Alexandria. What a spectacular scene of pace, bravery, disguise and heroism. It had to be included on this list as not only is it an astounding scene in the whole of TWD; it was Carol being the Carol we all love – a fighter!
Carol’s secret alliance with Negan
There was a truly shocking twist in The Walking Dead 1012, “Walk With Us,” when Carol had managed to keep her cards close to her chest once again. This time, it was with an unlikely ally. Negan.
It was no secret Carol wanted revenge on Alpha and to see her suffer, and what better way for her to get the psychotic leader than through the newly recruited ‘fake Whisperer’ Negan. Although Negan and Alpha had a small ‘relationship,’ he didn’t lose sight of Carol’s task. Despite the fact she didn’t fully keep her end of the deal once Negan presented her with Alphas head and made him wait for her to say she was ready to be allowed back safely into a community – this just shows she is her own boss with her own rules.
This scene left fans on the edge of their seat to know exactly what their plan was and how long it had been going on. Thanks to this decision, so many more lives were saved from the grips of this skin-wearing, creepy group. The grip and draw it had, not to mention these two powerhouses on screen together, means it can’t be left behind and deserves to be one of her best moments.
Carol destroys Terminus
“No Sanctuary” was the premiere episode of Season 5 of TWD. And what a premiere it was! Carol really stepped up and redeemed herself from her bad choices of the past at this moment. As mentioned on her worst scenes list, Carol made a terrible choice to kill Karen and David and had been banished. Her redemption was the very moment she managed to take down the entire cannibal and threatening community ‘Terminus’ after they captured our favorite characters.
Similar to her takedown of the Wolves, Carol disguised herself to appear as a walker. Once she had blown up a highly flammable tank, she could walk her way in and free Rick and the group and bring herself right back. This was something she had to do. I wouldn’t even like to imagine what would have happened should Carol have taken a detour or not gone to Terminus. Daryl, Glenn, Bob and Rick were really too close to death for comfort and the evil workers there.
These effects in this scene were super cool and brought an end to the place that certainly brought “No Sanctuary” to everyone and a lot of stress to viewers. This has topped the list of Carol’s best scenes as it was a great redemption arc, and we are all thankful she was fearless in the face of the adversary. Thank you, Carol!
All in all, Carol has had some questionable actions, but she had many times when she has really helped the group. I am sure she will have some more incredible scenes on the way when The Walking Dead returns for Season 11 on AMC, August 22, and Star on Disney Plus, August 23 for UK Viewers.