Carol Peletier is a character from The Walking Dead who began as a timid and abused housewife. She grew into a fierce survivor with each heartbreak she endured. Throughout the 11 seasons of the AMC series, Carol made many difficult choices, some good and some bad, but more often than not, these moments showcased the pure badassery for which she is known.
Played by Melissa McBride, Carol has always been able to read people and situations to discover the best possible outcome. While others continue to discuss what the best course of action would be, Carol has already set her plan in motion.
Terminus
Most viewers can agree that Carol's best moment was her heroic feat in saving Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and the crew from the cannibals at Terminus. This moment, featured in the season 5 premiere, "No Sanctuary," was a selfless act of bravery, one that Carol did after Rick kicked her out of the prison. She could have held a grudge and let them all die, but that would go against her character.
The episode takes place when the group is scattered after the Governor's (David Morrisey) attack. Carol, traveling with Tyreese (Chad L. Coleman) and baby Judith, discovers their family and friends had been captured by the members of Terminus. Without a second thought, Carol springs into action. Just as Rick and the others are lined up to be blooded and readied for eating, she fires at a propane tank near the fence that explodes, causing a distraction that allows them to escape.
The Wolves
During season 6 episode 2, "JSS," the Wolves, hostile survivors introduced in season 5, infiltrate Alexandria. While Morgan (Lennie James) continues on his path of not killing, Carol disguises herself to look like a Wolf and begins killing any of the group's members she sees, including the one Morgan wants to save.
Carol witnessed the brutal deaths of two Alexandrians before formulating her plan to disguise herself. She threw off her mild-mannered housewife act and prepared to defend herself and others. The entire community was in chaos, as they had no idea how to protect themselves. Carol gathered the weapons from the armory, armed Olivia (Ann Mahoney), telling her to shoot if anyone entered, and dispersed the other weapons. While others did contribute, defeating the Wolves was mainly due to Carol's swift action.
The Cigarette
In season 6, Rick and the gang head to a Savior outpost to rid themselves of the threat of the yet-to-be-seen Negan and his Saviors. Under the cover of darkness, they enter and kill the inhabitants of the outpost while they are asleep. After killing all of the Saviors they can find, they are notified by Paula (Alicia Witt) that "We have a Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and a Carol. We're thinking that's something you want to chat about."
This leads into season 6 episode 13, "The Same Boat," where Maggie and Carol are captured by a group of Saviors. Rick tries to negotiate a trade, but before an agreement can be made, a fight breaks out, and Maggie and Carol waste no time ridding themselves of their captors. Before the episode ends, Carol, disguising her voice, radios the Saviors who are en route to assist Paula and the others. As the Saviors meet at the designated spot, they quickly realise it is a trap, but before they can act, Carol throws a cigarette into the room that has been doused with gasoline.
Releasing Negan
The Whisperer War was the main event of season 10 of the series. In season 10 episode 4, "Silence the Whisperers," Gabriel (Seth Gilliam) discovers that Negan is missing from his cell. Viewers won't find out that it was Carol who let him out until much later in the season, "Walk With Us."
Carol needed to exact revenge on Alpha (Samantha Morton) for killing her son, Henry (Matt Lintz), and several others. She made a deal with Negan: she would let him out of his cell if he would infiltrate the Whisperers and kill their leader. Most of the action was carried out by Negan, who completed his task and delivered Alpha's reanimated head to Carol; however, this was another example of Carol's strategic thinking.
Pretending to be timid
At the invitation of Aaron (Ross Marquand), Rick's group agreed to check out the community of Alexandria. They arrived at a walled community, located in Virginia, during season 5 episode 12, "Remember," and were established as a quarantine zone during the onset of the outbreak. When they arrived Carol, a seasoned survivor, pretended to be a timid woman whose kitchen skills far outweighed her combat skills, going so far as to fumble turning over her gun.
Part of the intake process for new arrivals was an interview with Deanna Monroe (Tovah Feldshuh), leader of Alexandria. During her interview, Carol portrayed herself as a weak housewife, with few skills fit for an apocalypse. She even went so far as to dress the part in a blouse, khaki pants, and a cardigan. This was a skillful move that allowed her to view others and assess the community without drawing suspicion.
Teaching the kids to defend themselves
After the fall of Woodbury, in the season 3 finale, Rick allows members of that community to join his group at the prison. At the beginning of season 4, "30 Days Without an Accident," life seems to have taken a positive turn. The prison is now overseen by a council, including Carol, Daryl (Norman Reedus), Hershel (Scott Wilson), Glenn (Steven Yeun), and Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green).
One task that Carol took over was story time for the children. When not in the presence of other adults, she would switch to teaching the children how to use knives and other useful survival skills. This is something the council and parents should have done, but since they didn't, Carol took it upon herself to teach them. Again, this shows how intelligent and practical Carol has become, a long way from the timid housewife of season 1.
