In season 2 of The Walking Dead, Rick's (Andrew Lincoln) group finds themselves without a home wandering around after the CDC, where they hoped to find answers, was blown up. During the season 2 opener, Sophia (Madison Lintz), the daughter of Carol (Melissa McBride), would come up missing, devastating the entire group.
The opening episode of season 2, "What Lies Ahead," written by Ardeth Bey & Robert Kirkman and directed by Gwyneth Horder-Payton & Ernest Dickerson, premiered on AMC on Oct. 16, 2011. The episode begins with Rick and crew making their way away from Atlanta.
Rick is seen trying to reach Morgan (Lennie James) as he promised he would but has had no success. He tells him of the CDC and almost reveals what Jenner told him. He lets him know that they are headed to Ft. Benning, a move he feels is the best to keep his family safe.
Before they get very far, they are stopped by a tangle of abandoned vehicles on the highway. Rick spots a herd of walkers headed their way and everyone takes cover. After it appears the walkers are clear, Sophia moves from under the car she took shelter, only to see two walkers headed her way. She immediately runs towards the cover of the woods, followed by Rick and the walkers.
Rick leaves Sophia along the creek while he draws the walkers away, eventually killing them with a rock. When he returns, the little girl is nowhere to be found. This is where the fandom turned on Rick, blaming him for Sophia's inevitable fate.
The group searched for the girl; even Daryl (Norman Reedus), an excellent tracker, couldn't find her. The search continued as they moved onto Hershel's (Scott Wilson) farm. It was a difficult time as most believed she died, but her mother never gave up hope.
When did they find Sophia in The Walking Dead?
During ep. 207, "Pretty Much Dead Already," Glenn (Steven Yeun) announced that Hershel was keeping walkers in the barn; some viewers, not me, thought that is where Sophia would be found. As the situation escalated, Shane lost it and threw open the barn doors, from which a mass of walkers emerged. Shane and the other began killing them, and as the dust settled, out walked Sophia.
It was a devastating blow to the group, even though most of them knew the child couldn't have possibly survived on her own. Not even Shane had the stomach to put the poor girl out of her misery, the job was left to Rick.
This was a point in the series when viewers realized The Walking Dead was unlike any other series they'd seen before. It was a gutsy move to have the first on-screen kill of the series be a child, the Teddy Bear walker, but to kill off a child from the main group was even more so.
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