Since the first season of The Walking Dead, Melissa McBride has portrayed Carol Peletier. She began her journey as the beaten down and abused wife of Ed ( Adam Minarovich) and mother of Sophia (Madison Lintz). She was quiet and kept her head down, never really wanting to be noticed. She has endured much, but the strength she has gained because of all she has experienced is something to take notice of.
Carol is a character who also has a story in the comics that was also filled with pain and heartache and ended in tragedy. She first appeared in Issue 3 as a member of the Atlanta Survivors; her husband committed suicide before she headed to Atlanta. She had a daughter, Sophia, who, unlike her series character, would live on to the comics’ story end. Carol befriended Lori and eventually entered into a relationship with Tyreese.
The comic character never found her strength and did her best to hide her mental instability. When Tyreese was found to be cheating with Michonne, it was Carol’s undoing. She engaged in a one-sided conversation with a walker, opening her heart up to it telling the walker it was her only friend. She then allowed it to bite her neck, saying, “Oh good, you do like me.”
Everyone rushed to help, but she told them to let her die. She died in Tyreese’s arms, and Andrea was the one to put her out of her misery.
The Walking Dead – Carol Peletier
Carol Peletier of the series is alive and well and survived the series conclusion. Not only did she overcome being an abuse victim, but she has also risen above all of the heartaches that have been thrown at her. She has lost several children, and each loss takes a piece of her heart with them.
Carol is the one who makes the tough decisions and follows through. I can’t think of another character who dares to do what she does. While not always the popular choices or the easy ones, she does what needs doing to improve the communities. She has made choices that adversely affect some, but if one looks back, Carol has saved more people than she has hurt.
During the final season, she lived at the Commonwealth and worked alongside Lance Hornsby (Josh Hamilton), but was also working on her agenda. She would be part of the resistance to the Commonwealth, and by the end of the series, she was situated as a leader in the community.
Fans were secure in the knowledge that Carol would survive the end of The Walking Dead because she was initially scheduled to star in a spinoff with Norman Reedus.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol
In the first season of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Carol’s voice was heard during a radio conversation with Daryl (Reedus). The connection breaks up as she tries to tell Daryl that someone or something has returned. During the season finale, Carol would appear in a final scene, which shows her actively searching for Daryl, who never returned in a week as he promised.
This will lead to Carol starring in the second season, The Book of Carol. It is unclear how this series will progress the story, but it does appear more will be revealed about her search. Daryl has decided to remain in France for the time being to help Laurent (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi) fulfill his destiny.
Will Carol and Daryl reunite in this upcoming season? Only time will tell. The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol will premiere on AMC and AMC+ in 2024.
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