- For the comic book character, see Carol (Comic Series).
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Carol Peletier is one of the Atlanta camp survivors. She is the last surviving member of her family after her husband, Ed Peletier, was devoured, and her daughter, Sophia Peletier was bitten, and put down by Rick Grimes.
Overview
Carol is a kind-hearted and soft-spoken woman, though often meek and defenseless (especially when it comes to facing her husband Ed Peletier). She has always remained extremely protective over her daughter Sophia, attempting to shield her from the various dangers of their surroundings. After Ed is beaten half to death, and becoming even stronger following his actual death, she begins to develop thicker skin and draws a new found boldness inside of her. Carol continues this development throughout the second season, standing up for herself much more and deepening her connections within the group.
She is shown to be a devout Christian, having constantly prayed for the well-being of herself and Sophia. She fervently holds onto her beliefs even after Sophia's death, insisting that her daughter is in heaven.
As opposed to her comic counter-part, Carol in the TV series is stronger and more independent as the first season moves along. The inclusion of Ed as her husband, according to Robert Kirkman in The Walking Dead Chronicles, was to give her a solid foil to produce the strength needed to survive that the comic counter-part didn't have.
Pre-Apocalypse
Southern United States
Carol lived in the South where she eventually met a man named Ed. He was initially charming enough for her to date and eventually marry. However, his true nature would be revealed the longer they stayed together. She was a housewife, and fiercely looked after their daughter Sophia, nurturing and providing her with comfort while Ed greatly neglected her (much to Carol's disgust).
Throughout their marriage, she was a victim of verbal and physical domestic abuse. Because of her shattered independence, she remained hesitant to inform any outsiders of the situation.
During the outbreak, she, Sophia, and Ed traveled toward Atlanta which was supposedly a safe-zone. While on the road, they meet Shane, Lori, and Carl . With the city being destroyed by the military, all of them meet up with other survivors and form a campsite on the outskirts of Atlanta.
Post-Apocalypse
Season 1
"Tell It to the Frogs"
One night, when the survivors are resting around dimly-lit campfires, Ed attempts to make his fire bigger, stating that it's cold. Shane asks him to put it out, stating that the light and smoke may attract any walkers 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, and Rick thanks her. 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 roughly, starting up an argument. Ed demands for Carol to come with him. Jacqui then makes a remark to Ed, proving that she and everyone else know Ed is abusive in private. Carol is then submissive to Ed, but Andrea tells Carol she doesn't have to go. Carol then begins to resist, to which Ed responds with a slap to her face, drawing blood from her lip. Andrea and Jacqui, both upset, push Ed away, as Amy holds Carol in her arms. Shane, who was observing the situation from a distance, is enraged with what he has just witnessed. He approaches Ed and beats him senseless, threatening him to not ever lay a violent hand on his wife or daughter or he'll beat him to death. Carol is upset from the beating and tends to her husband, weeping and apologizing.
"Vatos"
Carol is seen sewing some clothes while Andrea and Amy return with the fish. She is then present for the 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 invitation and tries to force his daughter to stay and keep him company. Carol, visibly concerned about Sophia and managing to finally stand her ground, says "Ed, she wants to join in." 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.
"Wildfire"
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 survivors. 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 goodbye hug 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 approach their location, but the doors suddenly open, drowning all of them in light.
"TS-19"
The group is admitted into the CDC by Dr. Edwin 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 for 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 is for him to be keeping them locked inside there and that Sophia deserves 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, successfully escaping the CDC. She reaches the RV just in time and she drives off with the group away from the complex as the ruins burn in flames.
Season 2
"What Lies Ahead"
Dale's RV breaks down on the way to Fort Benning, forcing the survivors to stop in the middle of the road. While searching other cars on the roadside, a hoard of Walkers catches the group by surprise. Sophia is chased into the woods, and Rick and the others head out to look for her. They find an abandoned church, where Carol stops to pray for her daughter's safety.
"Bloodletting"
As they continue to look for Sophia, the group is found by Maggie Greene, who has come to retrieve Lori. Maggie takes Lori away on horseback, and gives the others the location of the Greene Family Farm, telling them to find their way there. They make it back to the highway, but Carol doesn't want to go to the farm without Sophia. Dale, Andrea, and Daryl decide to stay with Carol and see if Sophia comes back, while Glenn and T-Dog head to the farm to seek aide for T-Dog's infection.
"Save The Last One"
Carol stayed behind at Dale's RV, hoping to find Sophia. Upon hearing her crying in the middle of the night, Daryl and Andrea go back out into the forest to search for Sophia, but return without her. The next day, they leave a sign and food for Sophia at the highway, and Carol goes with the remainder of the group to look for Hershel's farm.
"Cherokee Rose"
After leaving some food on the highway for Sophia, Carol and the others head to Hershel's Farm. She is then seen setting up tents with the other survivors and cleaning the RV, in the hopes that it will look good when Sophia returns. Daryl then gives her a Cherokee rose, said to hold good luck, to help them find Sophia.
"Chupacabra"
In The start of the episode it flashes back and shows them on the highway when Carl asks for food Carol goes to get some but Ed pushes the door shut and says he only has enough for them he yells at Carol. She takes some food and hides it in her purse then she gives it to Carl. Carol is seen doing laundry with Lori and suggests that it would be nice to cook in a real kitchen again and offers the idea to cook for Hershel and his family that night, in the meantime Lori and Carol are welcome in to Hershel's house and cook dinner with the help of Patricia and Beth. Towards the end of the episode Carol brings dinner to an injured Daryl and gives him a kiss on the head, stating that he has done more for Sophia than her own father did in his whole life.
"Secrets"
Carol heads to the shooting range for the first time, she struggles a little while shooting but eventually pulls it off. Later, when Shane and Andrea come back from their search for Sophia, Carol helps Andrea clean off.
"Pretty Much Dead Already"
Carol is first seen cooking a meal for the rest of the group, when Glenn tells them the barn is full of walkers, she joins the group when they check it. After that, she tries to stop Daryl to go out looking for her daughter, Sophia, because he was still healing. He throws the saddle to the floor and walks away. Some time after that, they both are seen walking along a river, where he finds another Cherokee Rose. He says they will find Sophia, and Carol answers that it is right and she can feel it. Later, Shane breaks open Hershel's barns doors and a swarm of zombies pour out. After the group kills them all in self defense, a labored breathing can be heard and one last walker comes out of the clearing cloud of dust, Sophia. Carol is beyond devastated and runs toward her, but Daryl stops her. Rick walks up from the back of the group and shoots Sophia in the head.
"Nebraska"
Carol refuses to attend Sophia's funeral, which angers Daryl. Back at the barn Shane is washing up at a water pump when Carol emerges from the forest, muddy and scratched. Shane cleans her cuts and apologizes for what happened to Sophia and that if he knew she was in the barn he wouldn't have opened it, but he was only trying to ensure the safety of his fellow survivors.
"Triggerfinger"
Back at Hershel's farm Daryl tells Carol that Lori had ask him to find Hershel, but he had refused. He speculates that Lori went on her own to town. Carol starts to leave, but turns around and asks Daryl not to pull away like this. He doesn't respond. Later that night, Carol goes back to check on Daryl, finding many dead squirrels and severed walker ears hanging on a clothes line. Daryl catches her and confronts her about coming to look for him again. This explodes into a full-on rant on Daryl's side when Carol quietly tells him to "Go ahead." Carol lets Daryl vent his frustration on her, while still not backing down herself by holding her ground. Daryl reaches his boiling point and screams that Sophia wasn't his daughter and blames Carol for not keeping an eye on her. He moves forward in an aggressive way, and Carol instinctively flinches away. Daryl pulls away, realizing what he had done, and stares at Carol without saying a word. The next day, Daryl finally returns to the folds of the group by entering the house during a group discussion and gives Carol a smile, which she returns.
"18 Miles Out"
Carol is not seen in this episode, however, she is mentioned by Lori as well as Andrea while they are talking inside the Greene home.
"Judge, Jury, Executioner"
Carl is kneeling by Sophia's grave when Carol approaches. She reassures him that they'll see Sophia in heaven, one day. Carl snaps back that heaven is just a lie, "and if you believe it, you're an idiot". Carol approaches Lori and Rick saying that they need to control Carl for being disrespectful towards her. Lori unknowingly tells Carol to calm down and Carol takes it personally, telling Lori that she just lost her daughter days ago and that she hadn't lost her mind. During the group meeting, Carol says she wants the fighting to stop and for them to just make a decision about Randall. Dale retorts back saying "Not saying anything or killing him yourself... there's no difference." Carol is seen with the other survivors gathering around Dale as he is about to be shot by Daryl to prevent reanimation.
"Better Angels"
Carol is seen with the group when they are preparing to move into Hershel's home and is also seen when Rick and the group investigate the barn after Randall is missing. Rick states that the handcuffs are still locked and that he could have slipped the handcuffs, then Carol asks if it was possible and Rick answers with a yes.
"Beside the Dying Fire"
When the herd of walkers advance on the farm, Lori is horrified to discover that Carl is missing. Carol reassured her that they won't leave without him and that she will help look for Carl. When they are unable to find him, Carol assumes that he snuck out and went looking for Rick or Randall . When Lori wants to go looking in the woods for Carl, Carol convinces her that they need to leave the farm, as it has become overrun. Lori reluctantly agrees and tells Carol to get Beth and Patricia. She does so and the four women run from the house. In the confusion, Carol gets separated and is cornered against the shed by a couple of walkers. Andrea then comes to her rescue, but Carol soon loses track of Andrea. As the rest of the survivors flee the farm, Carol gets left behind and is chased by walkers. Daryl Dixon hears Carol's screams and comes to her rescue, picking her up on his motorcycle, narrowly avoiding a group of walkers in the process.
In the morning, Daryl and Carol are riding away from the overrun farm, dodging walkers along the dirt road as they go. They eventually meet up with the rest of the survivors on the highway. Carol is happy to discover that Carl is still alive and is reunited with his mother. Carol shows concern for Andrea when she does not show up with the others.
When the group stops on the side of the road, Carol shows concern for the groups well-being when they decide to stay the night. She becomes angry at Rick when he reveals that everyone is infected, and he never told anybody. Later that night, she expresses her concerns to Daryl, telling him that she feels unsafe with Rick. Carol tells him that he deserves better than to be Rick's henchman. When Daryl asks her what she wants she responds with "a man of honor". When the group hears a noise in the woods, Carol says that they should go and tells Rick to "do something" to which he responds harshly.
Season 3
"Seed"
Six to seven months following the events of the preceding season, Carol has gone through a significant transformation. She is shown to be increasingly proficient with weapons and is taking a more active role within the group, such as when it comes to securing the prison. In addition, her self-confidence has grown and she seems to have moved on from mourning her daughter. The relationship between her and Daryl has also become closer and more personal, with the two of them casually joking around and assisting each other with various things. There is also the hint that she might be harboring romantic feelings for him now. Her trust in Rick has been regained, to the point where she convinces herself within these past few months that Rick has done more to keep the group alive than Shane ever did.
She and Lori have strengthened their bond as well, with Carol helping her through her pregnancy and providing her with reassurance. The two now share a cell together since settling into the prison.
"Sick"
Carol is mostly seen in this episode helping to take care of Hershel as he gave her some medical advice prior to being bitten. Carol asks Glenn for a favor to help her kill a female walker to practice a C-Section on as she may have to be the one to deliver Lori's baby due to Hershel's current condition and because of Carl being born that way. Carol is seen about to cut into the stomach as she is being watched from afar by an unknown person.
"Walk With Me"
Carol does not appear in this episode.
"Killer Within"
Walkers invade the prison, separating the group. Carol and T-Dog were one of the groups that were separated from the others. While locking up one of the gates to ensure no more Walkers got into their safe haven, T-Dog was bitten on the shoulder from behind by a quickly advancing Walker. He insisted on getting Carol somewhere safe inside of the prison and refused to sit down and wait for his time to run out. Once they got to the end of a hall, two Walkers blocked their escape and they had no where else to go. T-Dog heroically charged the two zombies, holding them back and sacrificing his life to allow Carol to escape. Daryl and Rick find her headscarf left behind next to T-Dog's devoured body and assume she was killed, but do not find evidence to confirm this.
"Say the Word"
Carol does not appear in this episode, leaving her status unknown. Though her body has not been found, the group assumes she is dead and erects a grave for her. When considering possible names for the new baby, Carl offers the names of all the female group members who have died, including Carol. Daryl later leaves a Cherokee Rose at her gravesite.
"Hounded"
After finding Carol's knife inside a zombie's neck, Daryl begins to break down. A closet door continues to shutter, causing him to open it in frustration, only to find a starving Carol inside. He picks her up and carries her out.
"When the Dead Come Knocking"
Carol will appear in this episode.
Killed Victims
This list shows the victims Carol has killed:
- Ed Peletier (Before Reanimation)
- Numerous counts of zombies.
Relationships
Ed Peletier
Carol and Ed were married before the apocalypse. Ed constantly abused Carol and their daughter, Sophia, even after the apocalypse had hit. At the Atlanta camp, Ed acted very controlling of Carol, forcing her to pull a log out of a fire, ordering her to go in the tent, slapping her when she disobeyed him, as well as other acts. While Carol, Andrea, Amy, and Jacqui were washing clothes, Ed shouted at them snapping things like, "This ain't no comedy club" when they were laughing and, "I'll still knock you on you arse" to Andrea. He tried to drag Carol away in anger, but she was pulled away by Andrea, Jacqui and Amy. This caused Ed to become even angrier and caused him to slap Carol across her face. Shane quickly grabbed Ed, threw him to the ground, and started beating his face, telling him that if he ever laid his hands on another women in camp then he would beat Ed to death. Carol started to cry and tried to pull Shane away from Ed.
Sophia Peletier
Carol is the mother of Sophia. Carol is very protective of her daughter and is willing to risk her own life in order to keep her safe. At the Atlanta camp Carol only ever left Sophia alone when she was doing camp tasks or when Sophia went off to play with the other kids, such as Carl or the Morales children, Eliza and Louis. In season two when Sophia goes missing, Carol becomes extremely distraught and prays for Sophia's safety. During this time, she begs the group to go looking for her after dark and constantly cries during the night. When her worst fear of Sophia becoming a walker turns into a reality, she goes into disbelief and says that it was not her daughter that they shot. She then refuses to attend Sophia's funeral, claiming that what Rick shot wasn't her daughter and that Sophia had died a long time ago.
Daryl Dixon
A close bond began to develop between the two during the second season as Daryl risked his life by going out in the woods to search for Sophia Peletier. After Daryl was injured by being accidentally shot by Andrea, Carol brings him food and cares for him, telling Daryl that he did more for Sophia than Ed ever did, and that he was just as good of a person as Rick and Shane. Their relationship becomes strained after the events during the barn massacre and Sophia's revelation as a walker, with Daryl becoming rude towards her but soon apologizes to her, and even saves her during the barn invasion in the Season 2 Finale. In the Season 3 premiere, "Seed", Carol brings Daryl some food and they began talking, she rubs her back and he asks "What's wrong?" she replies with "That rifle, the kickback, just not used to it." Daryl then gently massages her shoulder. After that, Carol starts to jokingly flirt with Daryl but he denies the offer and they both laugh.
Rick Grimes
In Season 1, Carol ends up saving everyone's life when she reveals that she found a grenade in Rick's clothes when she washed them. In "TS-19", with only a minute left on the clock and the CDC about to explode, Carol hands Rick the grenade so they can break the window and escape. During season 2, Carol became one the group's opposers of Rick's leadership, having stated that she doesn't trust Rick to lead them properly. This grudge may have developed when Rick failed to retrieve Sophia from the woods in What Lies Ahead. As season 3 progresses, Carol admitted how Rick has done a good job and has done more things that Shane could never have done.
Lori Grimes
Both original members of the Atlanta survivors, and mothers, Lori and Carol form a friendship. Both women are shown comforting and offering advice to one another, especially regarding their children. It is evident that Carol looks up to Lori as a matriarch, even referring to her as the "first lady" of the group. Throughout the series, Lori and Carol have grown incredibly close, which is clearly evident in the Season 3 premiere, "Seed", when Lori and Carol decide to live in a cell together. In "Killer Within", Carol becomes separated from the group, and is the only member of the group who still does not know of Lori's death.
T-Dog
T-Dog sacrificed himself in order to save Carol because he had already been bitten on his shoulder. His selflessness may weigh heavily on Carol in the future.
Appearances
The Walking Dead TV SeriesSeason 1
Season 2
Season 3
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Trivia
- Andrea says that the item she misses most is her vibrator and then Carol replies "me too." Carol also says she misses her Maytag (washing machine).
- At the beginning of the second season, she told Andrea that her biggest fear is Sophia turning into a walker like Amy. This fear is sadly realized at the mid-season finale of the second season.
- Carol has a mild case of claustrophobia as stated in "TS-19".
- In season 3 premire, Carol wore the same shirt she found in the season 2 premire.
- Carol is one of the few members in her group that still believes in God and an afterlife.
- Carol is seen for the first time firing a weapon and killing walkers in the Season 3 premiere, "Seed".
- Compared to the others in her group, Carol grows the least amount of hair throughout the time skip.
- It is unclear how Carol's headscarf ended up next to T-Dog's body as she is seen running away from T-Dog with the scarf still on her head. This is a possible blooper.
- Carol wore the same jacket in the premire and finale of season 2.
- Carol may actually be the second oldest in her group, the first being Hershel.