As Melissa McBride coolly rides back into The Walking Dead universe atop her best friend's motorcycle as Carol Peletier, she also hits us with an unanticipated emotional sucker-punch that brings back painful memories for both herself and us. The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon is back for Season 2, (this time subtitled The Book of Carol), and its premiere has already set us up for guaranteed devastation and delicious deception. If Norman Reedus' titular character thrives on impeccable skill and brute force to survive, then his platonic counterpart's strong suit is pure manipulation, and Season 2's first episode has already got us hungry for more.
Carol's storyline is already filled with subtle lies and clever maneuvering, as she is able to take down three armed men and convince another to grant her shelter. But it isn't just her character that is effortlessly shifting around pawns; her narrative is already emotionally toying with us, as it calls back to the most gut-wrenching scene from the flagship show. If devastating us wasn't enough, we are also reminded of a more hopeful scene from early in the franchise, wringing out our emotions as the badass character stays where she belongs: the morally gray area.
'Daryl Dixon' Season 2 Brought Us Back to 'The Walking Dead's First Major Death
On her quest to find Daryl and bring him home safely, Carol seeks shelter and aid from a stranger, Ash (Manish Dayal). With darkness encroaching, he agrees to let her stay in the barn, but just as he unlocks his doors, her mind is abruptly captured by a traumatic memory from years ago. When we were first introduced to Carol in Season 1 of The Walking Dead, she was with her abusive husband, Ed (Adam Minarovich), and her innocent daughter, Sophia (Madison Lintz). Soon after her husband died, the original group found themselves stuck on a highway with a hoard approaching. While they were hiding, Sophia went off and disappeared into the forest.
One of Season 2's prolonged storylines was the search for the missing 12-year-old girl, as they made Hershel's (Scott Wilson) farm their home-base and spread out from there. With no leads, the group's perseverance and hope steadily declined (except for Daryl's, as he practically spearheaded the search). Then the group opens Herschel's barn and eliminate all the walkers inside, until the reanimated corpse of Sophia staggers out.In Daryl Dixon, Carol now relives this moment, as the past and present intertwine with each other in confusing hues, inducing a strange vertigo and out-of-body experience. After all these years, it is clear that the trauma is now an indelible part of her character, and still instructs a lot of her decisions.
Carol Uses Her Grief Over Sophia To Get What She Wants in 'Daryl Dixon'
On one hand, the inclusion of this flashback certainly foreshadows how Carol lies about her daughter's death to manipulate Ash into going to France with her. When she finds out about Ash's late son, who is buried under a tree in the greenhouse (which explains why he refuses to leave the place), she lies about Sophia possibly being alive and in France to tug at his heart strings. But like every true manipulator, she blends in elements of the truth, like Ed's nastiness and her love for Sophia.
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On the other hand, there is also tonal significance of calling back to this particular flashback that's not strictly tied to Carol's character. Sophia was the first major death in The Walking Dead, was the second child walker we saw, and was the first child walker that we personally knew. Her death was a decisive milestone for The Walking Dead that proved it was brutal and cutthroat, and showed how any character could die at any time. Reminding us of such a provocative and shocking moment from the franchise almost seems like a promise that they will be honoring the merciless tone of The Walking Dead we adore so much.
It also laces in undercurrents of devastation and truly abhorrent deception, as Ash's story almost acts as a mirror pointed to Carol. His action of opening the barn door instigated the flashback of watching Sophia stumble out as a rotten corpse. Even his story of how he lost his son — who wandered off and got killed — is reminiscent of Sophia's, who ran off in fear. As such, it makes her lie and manipulation all the more sickening in that moment — she knows exactly how he feels and uses his emotional vulnerability against him. But Daryl Dixon doesn't let us sit in this feeling for too long, as another call back acts as a balance to shift Carol back into the gray.
'The Walking Dead's Cherokee Rose Pays Homage to Daryl and Carol's Friendship
Later in the episode, Ash invites Carol into the house for dinner, and on his dining table is a stunning, white Cherokee rose. She smiles fondly while looking at it, and Ash's words about how it symbolizes hope dislodge another memory. Carol is once again taken back to Season 2, before the awful truth of Sophia's fate tormented her, and instead, she was only tortured by how her little girl was missing. While many of the group members had slowed down in their efforts, Daryl had simply doubled down. In an almost surreal moment, the gruff, unkempt, lone wolf gives the grievous mother a Cherokee rose, ensuring that he still holds onto hope.
As horrific as Sophia's death was, Daryl and Carol ended up growing closer, especially when she fell into his arms and he emotionally shielded her when Sophia walked out of the barn. By reminding us of the first act of true kindness that would become the foundation of their inseparable friendship, Daryl Dixon immediately absolves Carol of her sins. Taking advantage of the loss of a child, especially when you know how that feels, is definitely atrocious on paper. But her actions are partially justified in our eyes as we remember who all of this is for, and more specifically, the loyalty she is upholding by taking any means necessary.
It is also right after this flashback that Carol lies to Ash, essentially tapping into that all-too-important resource of hope to drive him into action as well. Carol plays with the most emotionally dangerous and potent combination: grief, loss and hope, setting up a deceptive dynamic for her relationship with Ash. As the two fly into the sky with two different goals in mind, we already anticipate the palpable one-sided tension that awaits us in future episodes, as Carol continues to spin her web of manipulation for her loved one.
