Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol Episode 1.
Carol’s return to The Walking Dead involving her telling a huge lie about her daughter’s death, and Daryl Dixon Season 2 helps explain why she kept Sofia’s fate a secret. During the second season of the original show, Sophia tragically lost her life after trying to hide from walkers, which ended with her turning into a zombie. The heartbreaking scene is easily one of the franchise’s most emotional moments and has left a lasting impact on Carol. Despite being one of The Walking DeadThe highest kill counts, Carol is not experienced enough to save her daughter, who probably still haunts her.
She may have grown into a ruthless and capable survivor, but Carol was still fearful when the outbreak first started, which ultimately played a role in Sophia’s death. Although about a decade has passed since the incident, Carol chose not to share the truth about Sofia with her new ally AshRaising questions about why she decided to lie. Given Ash is one of the few characters in the franchise who can relate to how she’s feeling, her deception seems strange, but it’s part of a larger plan, proving why Carol is one of The Walking Deads best letters.
Carol doesn’t think Ash would help her fly to France just to find a friend
Carol thinks that lying about Sofia is her only shot at getting to France
The reasoning behind Carol’s lie comes from her doubting that Ash would take her to France just to find a friend. Ash already had a hostile reaction to Carol hanging around his greenhouse, and she probably thought that asking him to fly to France would sound completely unbelievable. As a result, Lying about Sophia being alive was a desperate attempt to guilt-trip the show’s newest addition to making the trip across the ocean, As Carol had no other way to meet Daryl, and hearing that Ash had lost his son, it was obvious that he had a soft spot that could be exploited.
Although it would have hurt her to lie about her own daughter’s fate, Carol was desperate to get to Europe and was willing to go to extremes. Her lie was already starting to backfire as Ash asked her questions about what Sofia might be interested in and if she thought her daughter would recognize her, but it was a bet she was willing to take. Given Ash eventually agrees to help her and is the only reason why Carol was able to get to France Daryl DixonHer manipulation clearly worked, but it will come at a price.
Carol using Ash’s grief makes her spinoff story very dark
Lying about her daughter being alive even though she knows what Ash is going through proves how cold Carol can be
While lying about Sofia will help Carol get to France, it sets up a dark spinoff story that could take a toll on her. Ash will probably eventually find out the truth, which will shatter all trust between the characters and could lead to him being stranded in France all by himself. Daryl Dixon Season 2 teased Carol and Daryl meeting, and while the trailer only gives a few brief shots, Ash is nowhere to be seen. Therefore, he may have gone back to America without Carol, or even more tragically, he died in a trip that was based on a lie.
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Even if Ash survives, episode 1 suggests that Carol is willing to exploit people for her own gain, and she has done even worse in the past. As Ash is willing to drop everything to take Carol abroad, the fact that she uses his grief is extremely cruel And sets the tone for what kind of story she might have ahead. Although the show may not portray her as a villain, her selfishness and cold nature could make her one of the most heartless characters in season 2, creating a dark path forward.
Carol clearly hasn’t come to terms with Sophia’s death
Sofia’s death has rarely been mentioned since The Walking Dead season 2
Despite how much time has passed since Sophia’s death, Carol is clearly not over it and Daryl Dixon Season 2 proves this. Although keeping her daughter’s fate a secret was part of her plan, opening up to Ash and spending more time getting to know him still could have resulted in the same outcome. It’s possible that if Ash spent so long alone, he’d be willing to help Carol if she’d been upfront and honest from the start. However, choosing to go down the more deceptive route indicates that Carol is still not ready to admit that Sophia is gone.
Carol may be choosing to believe that Sophia is still alive despite knowing the truth, meaning that the lie may reflect her unwillingness to move on.
Therefore, Carol’s reasoning for claiming that Sophia is still alive may be because part of her still believes it deep down. Coping with her daughter’s death and moving on would not have been easy, but she managed to overcome this quickly in the main show, suggesting that she could not have grief properly. Carol may be choosing to believe that Sophia is still alive despite knowing the truth, meaning that the lie may reflect her unwillingness to move on. As a result, the Sophia storyline will likely be a huge part of Daryl Dixon Season 2, adding tragedy to Carol’s walking dead Return.