Carol Peletier

Lore & Background

In the television series, Carol evacuates her home with her abusive husband Ed and her daughter Sophia in hopes of a safe haven in Atlanta, where they join a camp of survivors. Following the deaths of her husband and daughter, Carol forms a close bond with camp survivor Daryl Dixon. After the prison falls, she becomes the adoptive mother to Lizzie and Mika Samuels. The trio meet up with Tyreese and find safety together, when the mentally unwell child Lizzie murders her sister in a psychotic delusion, forcing Carol to make another challenging decision. Carol saves the rest of Rick's group from the cannibals at Terminus. After arriving at the Alexandria Safe-Zone, Carol becomes one of its key defenders and attempts a relationship with a resident named Tobin, but quickly realizes Tobin is only a bandaid on her pain. She begins to feel the guilt of those she has killed and becomes suicidal, until saved by Morgan and brought to the Kingdom led by King Ezekiel. She eventually marries Ezekiel and adopts a young Kingdom resident named Henry. Carol is one of the last original survivors, along with Rick and Daryl. She is also the series' longest-living female character, and the only female character to have appeared in every season. Carol and Daryl are the only characters that have been in the series since the first season.

In Their Own Story

In the television series, before the apocalypse began, Carol was a meek and abused housewife. She frequently avoided confrontation with her husband Ed in attempt to stifle his anger, though she secretly prayed to God that he be punished for abusing her and for his sexual interest in their young daughter Sophia. The Peletiers first met up with Shane, Lori and her son Carl while traveling toward a supposed 'safe zone' in Atlanta, and they all eventually settled near a quarry on the outskirts of Atlanta with a handful of other survivors. Within her time at the camp, she regularly performed domestic duties such as washing and ironing clothes for her and her fellow survivors. Carol debuts in the episode "Tell It to the Frogs", where she is shown washing clothes in the stream with the other women in the group. When Carol's husband, Ed, hears the women talking and laughing, he tells his wife to focus on her work. When Andrea tells him off, Ed quickly becomes threatening as the women confront him about Carol's bruises. Ed then strikes Carol, causing a feud, which ends when Shane furiously beats him as Carol pleads for him to stop. Ed is killed during a walker attack and Sophia and Carol are left fearing for their lives. In the episode "Wildfire", while the group cleans up the camp in preparation to leave, Carol destroys Ed's corpse with a pickaxe, venting the inner rage she had toward him and his years of violent abuse. In the season finale "TS-19", the group takes shelter at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), but they soon discover the facility is set to explode after the power runs out. Carol hands Rick a grenade to blow out one of the front windows so they can escape, and Carol and Sophia run to the vehicles in the street with the others, while Jacqui and Dr. Jenner choose to remain at the CDC to die. In the season premiere "What Lies Ahead", walkers swarm the highway and Sophia is lost in the woods after being chased by them. Carol casts the blame upon Rick for not staying with her, but ultimately blames herself. In the episode "Cherokee Rose" Daryl Dixon gives Carol a flower, which inspires hope in her to stay strong and believe in Sophia's survival. In the episode "Chupacabra", while staying at the farm owned by Hershel Greene, she decides to cook with Lori for Hershel and the rest of the group as a token of gratitude. During the dinner, she brings a plate to Daryl and kisses him on the cheek, acknowledging how noble and caring he is. In the mid-season finale "Pretty Much Dead Already", Carol and Daryl begin to form a deeper bond.

Reader's Guide

Carol Peletier's journey in the television series is defined by loss and transformation. She begins as a meek housewife and mother, enduring abuse from her husband Ed. After Ed's death, she destroys his corpse with a pickaxe, venting her rage. The loss of her daughter Sophia deepens her resolve, and she forms a close bond with Daryl Dixon. She becomes the adoptive mother to Lizzie and Mika Samuels, but is forced to kill Lizzie after the child murders her sister in a psychotic delusion. Carol saves Rick's group from the cannibals at Terminus. At Alexandria, she becomes a key defender but struggles with guilt over those she has killed, becoming suicidal until saved by Morgan and brought to the Kingdom. She marries King Ezekiel and adopts Henry. Carol is one of the last original survivors, the longest-living female character, and the only female character to appear in every season. In the comic series, Carol is a 25-year-old housewife who exhibits a neurotic, self-centered, and naive demeanor. She grows increasingly unstable, to the extent of self-destruction, and ultimately commits suicide. The abuse she suffered from her husband was hinted at in the comics. Carol and Tyreese have a brief romantic relationship in the comics before they break up and Carol commits suicide. In the comics, Carol is described as a housewife who occasionally helps pay the family's bills by selling Tupperware out of catalogues. Her husband commits suicide after losing his parents to walkers. She and Lori become best friends. She has a romantic relationship with Tyreese, but it ends when she witnesses Michonne performing oral sex on Tyreese. After the breakup, her mental health declines, leading to a suicide attempt. She later allows a zombie to tear at her jugular and is killed by a merciful Andrea during her reanimation process. Her death leaves a significant mark on the group.

Did You Know?

• Carol is introduced in the fourth issue of the comic series, and the third episode of the first season of the television series.
• In the television series, Carol destroys her abusive husband Ed's reanimated corpse with a pickaxe in the episode 'Vatos' (Season 1, Episode 4).
• Carol is the only female character to have appeared in every season since the first season of the television series (Judith Grimes has also appeared in every season from her introduction onward).
• In the comic series, Carol commits suicide by allowing a zombie to bite her, and is found alive by Andrea, who then shoots her to prevent reanimation.
• Melissa McBride was upgraded to a series regular at the onset of the second season, and became second-billed as of the final three episodes of the tenth season.