Carol Peletier (TV Series)

 

Carol Peletier is Sophia's mother and formely a victim of domestic abuse by her husband Ed.

Personality
Carol is a sweet, doting, and soft-spoken woman, though often meek and defenseless when it comes to facing her husband Ed. Throughout her stay at the survivors campsite, she remained extremely protective over her daughter, shielding her from the dangers of the outside world and remaining a much better parent than the girl's father. She gradually begins to develop thicker skin after Ed is beaten half to death, and draws a newfound boldness inside of her.

'''As opposed to her comic book counter-part, Carol in the TV series is stronger and more independant as the first season moves along. The inclusion of Ed as her husband was to give her a solid foil to produce the strength needed to survive where the comic book version wouldn't have. '''

This Carol also plays backwards from the comics in terms of emotional progress;(i.e,) in the comics where Carol started off seemingly OK with just Sophie at her side, eventually deteriorating into a wreck after a breakup with seemingly the only man who she felt would love her. Thinking she would never truly be with anyone who could support her emotions in the new world, her weakness regressed into deeper psychological trauma. 'In the series, Carol starts off emotionally wrecked with the abusive Ed until his death where her strength would begin to grow. This cycle begins full-swing when she herself volunteers to ensure her husband would not return from the grave and began a vicious assault on his dead body with a pick-ax. '''

Season 1
One night, when the survivors are resting around dimmly-lit campfires, Ed attempts to make his fire bigger, stating that its cold. Shane asks him to put it out, stating that the light and smoke may attract any zombies lurking around. Ed finally gives in and orders Carol to dim the fire to embers. The next morning, Carol is cleaning Rick Grimes' clothes for him, stating that it's the best she can do, especially without a real washing machine.

Later, Carol is doing laundry at the quarry with Andrea, Amy and Jacqui, joking around about what they miss. When Andrea says she misses her vibrator, Carol looks at her husband then back at the women and whispers "me too", prompting laughter to explode from the women. The laughter draws Ed over, who orders them to stop and do the laundry. Andrea, fed up by Ed, says that if Ed doesn't like the way laundry's done, he can do it, tossing his clothes at him. Ed throws it back at Andrea, starting up a quarrel in which Carol attempts to break up, only to receive a slap across the face that draws blood. An enraged Shane beats Ed senseless, threatening him. Carol is upset from the fight and beating and tends to her husband, apologizing.

Carol is seen sewing some clothes, while Andrea and Amy return with the fish. She is then present for confrontation with Jim, standing with Sophia and Carl, with her arms around them. She remains shy and hesitant to speak when Jim resorts to openly expressing how Shane shouldn't have interfered with her and Ed's personal issues, stating that it was their marriage and thus their own business to sort out with each other.

Carol and Sophia later give Ed some water in the family tent, and Carol invites Ed to come outside with everyone. He rejects her invite however and trys to force his daughter to stay and keep him company. Carol, visibly concerned about Sophia and managing to finally stand her ground, says no and brings the girl outside. Carol eats fish at night with the rest of the survivors and is intrigued by the conversation about Dale's watch. Moments later, when zombies descend upon their camp, she grabs Sophia, shields her, and flees to the RV with some of the other survivors as the zombies invade the camp, killing Ed, Amy, and others.

The next morning, Carol takes care of Sophia while the men dispose of the zombie corpses and tries her best to reassure her about their current situation they were in. As Daryl goes through each zombie with a pickaxe, she stops him when he gets to her dead husband. She proceeds to stab her husband multiple times, initially in a hesitant but then furious manner (venting out the anger that she had kept inside of her for many years). She later attends the funeral for her husband, Amy, and the other fallen campers. While the others figure out what to do next, she takes care of a bitten Jim in the RV and is able to notice his deteriorating physical health. Before departing the base camp, Morales and Miranda break the news that they are not going with them, but instead to Birmingham to find their extended family. She shares a hug goodbye with Miranda and Morales before they leave. Carol, Sophia, and the remaining survivors reach the Center for Disease Control and are about to flee as zombies begin to rise, but the doors suddenly open, drowning all of them in light.

The group is admitted into the CDC by Dr. Jenner after going through a blood test to ensure none of them are infected. She is introduced to the luxuries the facility has to offer, including hot water and real beds. She is able to live in a comfortable room with Sophia and notes the wonderful feeling of sleeping in a real bed after the first time in months. She enjoys dinner and wine with everyone and learns about TS-19 and Dr. Jenner's work, and the fall of the CDC's infrastructure. After Dr. Jenner reveals the purpose of the countdown timer and shuts the control room's door, she is hysterical and pleads with Edwin to let them go, explaining how inhumane it was for him to be keeping them locked inside there and that Sophia deserved a better death than this.

As the survivors finally get Edwin to open the door for their escape, they all reach the lobby to find the doors permanently locked and the windows bulletproof. Just as all hope diminishes, she approaches Rick and takes a grenade out of her purse, telling him that she found it in his uniform the day he arrived at camp and she washed the clothes. Rick uses the grenade to break the glass, creating escape. She reaches the caravan just in time and she drives off with the group away from the complex as the ruins burn in flames.

Season 2
While the survivors attempt to make it to Fort Bening Dale's RV breaks down, forced to stop the survivors along with Carol search for supplies however Walkers appear and Carol and the others hide under cars. Sophia (Carol's Daughter) is attached by Walkers and runs into the woods and gets lost the Survivors then look for Sophia by walking in the woods they come across a Church were Carol prays for Sophia to be alive and safe.

As they continue to look for Sophia they come across Maggie who takes Lori and tells Carol and the others to head to their farm they make it back to they highway but Carol doesn't want to go to the farm and wants to continue to look for Sophia. Dale, Andrea, and Daryl decide to stay and wait and see if Sophia comes back, Carol,Glenn and T-Dog head to the Farm while Carol thanks them.