10. Lizzie (Brighton Sharbina) and Mika Samuels (Kyla Kennedy )
Season 4, episode 14, “The Grove,” is one of the best episodes of The Walking Dead series, with two tragic deaths. This episode occurs after the prison falls and Carol (Melissa McBride) and Tyreese (Chad L. Coleman) find a house in a pecan grove where they can keep Lizzie, Mika, and Baby Judith safe. Sadly, Lizzie is experiencing significant mental health issues to the point she grieves the deaths of walkers and tries befriending one, believing they are just sick.
Returning from a hunting trip, Carol and Tyreese come upon a sight that shocked them as well as the viewers. Blood up her forearms holding a still bloody knife, Lizzie proudly states not to worry that Mika would return because she didn’t damage her brain. Judith sits on the blanket next to the body as she was set to be Lizzie’s next victim.
After disarming Lizzie, Tyreese takes Lizzie and Judith inside, where later he and Carol talk about the fact that Lizzie can’t be around others. This leads to Carol taking Lizzie away from the house to “look at the flowers,” a coping mechanism the child often used, before shooting her in the back of the head.
It was a gut-wrenching episode to see two children die, but watching Carol deal with yet another child’s death was brutal. Especially with the knowledge that before the series ends, she will suffer even more children’s deaths.