Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon - The Book of Carol episode 1.
The Walking Dead suffered plenty of character departures during its 11-season run, but one major death from season 2 is finally being remembered over a decade later in Daryl Dixon. With the spinoff's second season officially underway, Daryl Dixon continued the protagonist's journey in France, with Melissa McBride's Carol permanently joining the show. After featuring briefly in episode 5 during a radio call, Carol also appeared in Daryl Dixon season 1's finale, setting up her involvement in the next installment. Now, she looks like she will have a pivotal role in the overall plot, as she heads to France.
With Carol and Daryl's reunion looking inevitable in season 2, the story seems like it will center around their eventual meeting alongside their journey back to the US. This gives the show plenty of time to reflect on its protagonists' backstories, as shown in "La gentillesse des étrangers". The episode focused predominantly on Carol and her new ally Ash, and while the audience already knows about her history in The Walking Dead, season 2's premiere offered the perfect opportunity to explore one major death from the main show that Carol has failed to address for years.
Daryl Dixon Season 2 Is Properly Dealing With Sophia's Death From The Walking Dead Season 2
The Walking Dead Is Finally Forcing Carol To Confront Her Daughter's Death
Although it has been nearly 13 years since The Walking Dead revealed Sophia's shocking death, the franchise finally appears to be exploring her demise properly in Daryl Dixon. After Sophia ran off at the beginning of the main show's second season, it seemed like she'd show up safe and sound eventually. However, the midseason finale surprised everyone as Sophia emerged from the barn as a zombie, which proved to be one of The Walking Dead's most haunting deaths. While Carol was naturally devastated about losing her daughter, it looks like she will properly mourn this loss in Daryl Dixon.
The original series did give Carol moments to reflect on losing her daughter shortly after it happened, but given she was mostly a supporting character in the early seasons, it was brushed over relatively quickly. Thankfully, her major role in Daryl's spinoff looks to be giving her time to remember her daughter and grieve properly. Daryl Dixon season 2's premiere referenced Sophia on several occasions, and with Ash losing his son in a similar way to how Carol lost Sophia, it looks like the forgotten character may be a big part of the overall story.
Sophia's death was not only a huge shock, but it helped define Carol and Daryl's Walking Dead friendship as it brought the two closer together, making this spinoff the perfect place for Carol to open up about the incident. Considering Sophia exiting the barn is one of the franchise's most iconic scenes, I'm glad to see it acknowledged once again, and Carol finally reflecting on this moment years later seems fitting, since she's clearly been repressing this memory for a while.
Carol Has Been Avoiding Sophia's Death For A Long Time
Carol Rarely Mentions Sophia After The Walking Dead Season 2
Carol addressing Sophia's death is long overdue, as she's been avoiding it for a long time. Naturally, it's the sort of incident that is incredibly difficult to talk about, especially given how much Carol has changed. She has become a lot stronger and is a much better survivor, but this may only add to her guilt about letting Sophia wander off. Therefore, trying to avoid discussions about her daughter and keeping the memory buried probably felt like the easiest way forward, but Ash makes this unavoidable. Given how similar his son's death sounds to Sophia's, Carol is forced to remember.
Assuming Ash eventually finds out the truth, it may lead to a heartbreaking scene where Carol lets all her emotions finally spill out.
Although she is lying to Ash about what really happened by claiming Sophia is still alive, this only confirms that it's a topic that won't go away. Assuming Ash eventually finds out the truth, it may lead to a heartbreaking scene where Carol lets all her emotions finally spill out, giving her the chance to overcome her trauma all these years later. She may have done a great job of moving on from the incident since season 2, but Daryl Dixon is proving Carol can't avoid this conversation forever, making her involvement in the spinoff even more interesting.
