The Walking Dead admits that a 13-year-old second season story has only now been resolved

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol, episode 5.After 13 years, Undead appears to have finally resolved a storyline that began in season 2 thanks to The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. While the franchise’s biggest stories tend to receive detailed conclusions, not all arcs can be tied together definitively, which Daryl Dixon helped prove it. While Daryl’s spinoff focused predominantly on his journey through France and the allies he made along the way, Carol’s introduction gave the show a new dynamic as the veteran survivor entered the country to rescue her longtime ally. .

Fortunately, the long-awaited Undead The reunion with Daryl meant she achieved her main goal, but it came at a price. During her trip to Europe, she had to tell several lies, one of which brought to light some seemingly buried trauma. Having suffered a major defeat in Season 2, Carol managed to move on and become one of the franchise’s most important characters, but she never fully addressed this heartbreaking death.. Thirteen years later, Daryl Dixon forced her to face her past, which finally brought some kind of closure to this decade-old story.

Carol telling Ash why she lied proves The Walking Dead never properly resolved Sophia’s death

The Walking Dead revisiting Sophia’s death is a sign that the storyline needed closure

Sophia’s death is easily one of the Undeadscarier moments as it really set the tone for how brutal the show would be, but Carol never really confronted her feelings about losing her daughter. Watching the young girl emerge from Hershel’s barn as a zombie was devastating for the entire group, but it undoubtedly affected Carol more than anyone else. Losing her son in such brutal circumstances naturally made her cry, but the show didn’t spend much time focusing on how it impacted Carol until 13 years later in the Daryl spin-off.

After meeting a pilot named Ash and learning of her son’s death, Carol lies about Sophia’s destination and claims she is still out there in an attempt to get a ride to France. Although Ash initially rejects Carol’s request, he soon changes his mind, knowing he would do the same as Carol if there was a chance his son was still out there. While her lie achieves its intended purpose, it also functions as a brutal reminder to Carol that she was unable to save her daughter, which continues to weigh on her mind throughout season two.

With the franchise choosing to revisit this story over a decade later, it’s clear that there was still unrealized potential regarding Sophia’s storyline. Season two had a lot of other dramatic narratives going on, which meant the lack of resolution felt unnoticeable, but with the spinoff series finally having Carol admit the truth to Ash, Undead it seems to silently admit that it never fully concluded the story, while also giving Sophia’s death the closure it deserves.

Why Sophia’s Death Is Just Coming Back to Haunt Carol in Daryl Dixon’s Season 2

Carol had a series of distractions that prevented her from properly grieving with her daughter

While it’s understandable that Carol lying about her daughter is a reminder of Sophia’s death, it’s still unclear why it didn’t haunt her sooner. Considering that Henry became Carol and Ezekiel’s adopted son and also died young, it seemed like this would be more than enough to trigger an emotional response that brought back memories of Sophia. However, because Henry’s death happened in the middle of the Whisperer War, Carol didn’t really give herself time to mourn him properly and focused more on fighting her enemies, so those old memories remained buried.

Additionally, the fact that Carol was part of communities like Alexandria, the Kingdom, and the Commonwealth likely helped her feel a sense of stability. Although Carol’s “who came back” line Daryl Dixon was about feeling restless, she only spent short periods alone during the franchise, meaning she often had something to distract her. Having people like Ezekiel, Henry and Daryl to give her a sense of family meant that Carol wasn’t isolated with her past trauma until Daryl Dixon 2nd seasonshowing why Sophia’s death has only now come back to haunt her.

Carol’s regret over Sophia is directly related to Daryl’s relationship with Laurent

Daryl’s desperation to protect Laurent seems like the protagonist’s attempt to avoid repeating history

Daryl and Laurent have developed a father-son relationship over the course of the spinoff, and it appears their dynamic shares a direct bond with Carol and Sophia. Originally, Daryl just wanted to help Laurent get to the Nest in exchange for a way home, but as the story progressed, he developed a more authentic connection with the child. Although he never openly referred to Laurent as his son, Daryl protected the boy with his life and was willing to sacrifice himself on numerous occasions to keep Laurent safe.indicating that the protagonist has essentially developed parental instincts.

One could argue that Daryl would do this for any of his allies, but Laurent feels special and represents a chance to avoid repeating history. With Daryl Dixon revealing that Carol still blames herself for Sophia’s death and still hasn’t gotten over the incident, it can’t be a coincidence that Daryl is simultaneously risking his life to protect a child. The two stories feel connected, and with Daryl being able to protect Laurent against all odds and bring him back to the Commonwealth, it seems like their relationship could be the dynamic that Carol would like her and Sophia to have.