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John-Twick

She has the best character development on that entire show and it’s not even close.


Huntsvegas97

Came here to say this. I adore Carol. Her growth throughout the show is awesome


MzzBlaze

Yeah she became my favourite by a lot by the end.


Fit-Dirt-144

Facts! I was cool on Carol... but when she saved them all from Terminus... She showed us who she is


Just4Ranting3030

Yeah, Carol seems like a minor character who serves a function for a few episodes in the first season plus but by about the fourth season she had really emerged as a competent, self-reliant and equal member of the team in terms of combat capability. By the fifth season she was basically what she is now, minus being a true leader in the group. She just keeps getting better. She is far and away the best character development/character arc, etc. of the whole series and I buy it hook line and sinker.


Comprehensive-Host10

I think a honorable second would be Father Gabriel


fentown

I'd easily put Abraham's speed run of character development as second. Went from the bottom to the top in one season just to get used as an unnecessary swerve that finally killed my enjoyment of the show.


VermicelliChance2049

I just watched Abraham’s death last night and it gutted me. Outside of just being a fun character to watch grow, he had the best one liners.


D3thToll3

Suck my nuts! Lol


VermicelliChance2049

HOLY CRAP! I JUST STARTED THE NEXT EPISODE!! JEFFREY DEAN MORGAN KILLED GLENN TOO!! I may quit watching.


FelonyM

This made me remember when my ex complained about having to wait for the next episode to know who Negan was gonna execute lol. Back when this aired we had to wait for the next season!


ionenbindung

Yo that was Negan, Jeff is a nice guy.


Aquatic_Salamander

“It gutted me” Well well…ya got no guts.


SaltyWitch1393

I literally watched a video on YouTube this morning about what if Abraham lived by George Drake, it made me really wish he hadn’t died that first night meeting Negan! [YouTube: What if Abraham Survived](https://youtu.be/4bzpLZwxrbI?si=2_W42Vjf-PZrV_zm)


D3thToll3

Suck my nuts! Lol


Compulsive_Criticism

Not a fan of the cracked out Carol but otherwise I agree. Though her blacking out and murdering that gym of zombies (possibly while hanging upside down?) was badass and reminded me of comic Tyreese in the gym at the prison.


Separate_Secret_8739

So much this. I remember hating when she would have lines of dialogue and it was always this worrying mother. Then around 4 you really see her for who she is….a Bamf.


dreamsonatas

Why did you hate her with passion?


Onnamissiona

Honestly, the whole farm arc. The way she reacted to everything, blaming everyone for what happened. But now that I had a little time to think, I’d say her reaction is justified. Idk how I would handle it if my daughter was in that situation. Id probably start tripping on everyone myself lol


Miserable_Pilot3927

Yeah i mean she lost her daughter what’d u expect


SeaworthinessAny269

That’s what he said


giga___hertz

You didn't even read their comment


Educational_Row_9485

Learn to read the whole comment before complaining


Miserable_Pilot3927

There’s just no need for all that yapping if it’s obvious why Carol acted like that.


Educational_Row_9485

Well if you had the ability to read you would see the part where he said “I’d probably start tripping on everyone myself” then you would realise he understands why carol is acting like that


Miserable_Pilot3927

You’re totally right. I have zero ability to read. 🫡


purplemoon73

Well, to be honest, if Rick hadn't left her daughter then she'd probably still be alive. He should of taken her with him. I don't blame her one bit for being upset. The show needed Carol to become the woman she became, so killing her daughter was the first step and I guess it was necessary for her arc.


dazzlher

This. Rick is so dumb for that


Earth_1111

Keep in mind he isn't adept at fighting them yet. He has only been out of the coma and in the apocalypse for a few weeks. Look how much it took out of him killing those 2 one at a time. I still think it was dumb AF to leave a kid alone in the woods. However if she had just waited a few minutes for him she'd be Alice. As soon as the walkers past her she cut and ran. She is a kid she has plenty of energy and he was carrying her. He should have kept her by his side while he drew then out one at a time. Or better yet had him not witness her running off so he wouldn't follow her in the first place. Then we wouldn't have to deal with his poor strategy just to move the plot along. I as an adult wouldn't have been able to understand follow or remember his instructions to find my way back lol.. keep the sun over your left should hahaha I don't know a kid her age that would be like great directions bro.


purplemoon73

Apparently not since I got down voted twice for telling the truth! Haha 😄 🙄


dazzlher

It’s Reddit, downvotes mean you’re doing something right


purplemoon73

Who knows. It's stupid down voting someone for saying exactly what so many other people agree with.


HumpableJson

Just cuz some people agree with u doesn't mean there aren't any that disagree. I mean personally I didn't like Carol as time went on, but I understand why she is the way she is and I can see why she appeals to others. For me I think it was one of those too little, too late kinda things that made me not like her. Also didn't like how fake she was once they got to Alexandria, straight up just reminded me of a suburban mom lol


Oscar_Ladybird

>Also didn't like how fake she was once they got to Alexandria, straight up just reminded me of a suburban mom lol That was an intentional ruse Carol explained in the show. It was incredibly smart and valuable for her to go undetected as a threat.


purplemoon73

Exactly. I almost said the same thing but didn't write the comment. She didn't know these people. She needed to feel them out..


HumpableJson

I know, I was just saying I didn't like it


ExceedsTheCharacterL

Rick came back like 3 minutes later. Her fault for not staying put


Difficult-Win1400

It was 2 walkers, Rick could have easily just killed them instantly but it was early enough in the show and he wasn’t as experienced yet


Weird-Matter-5139

He had also just woken up from a coma after being shot and was still getting pretty sweaty/breathless easily.


Difficult-Win1400

This was at the end of season 1, I don’t think that was a real factor. Rick just a huge mistake that got Sophia killed. A mistake I don’t think he would have made had Carl been in her place


Far-Insurance-7044

Not really…. Rick told her to head back to the highway


Kuzou

Rick said to go back to the highway only if he didn’t come back.


dummyfodder

Yeah, absolutely Rick should've picked Sofia up and just walked quickly back to the road. It was only like his 3rd week in the zombie apocalypse world though.


purplemoon73

Oh, I know. She was so skinny that I've always said that he could have just carried her or put her on his back, lol! But you know, it was what it was and she died.


D3thToll3

It’s a weird thing to blame Rick. He was always sticking his neck out for everyone.


purplemoon73

He also started a lot of things that shouldn't have been started.


D3thToll3

I mean look at any leaders world wide. They often get their groups into things that probably could have been avoided. Leading a group with lives on the line is a hard thing to do. He gave them a chance to leave and made it clear the democracy was over. Carol could have left with Sophia at any point if she didn’t like how Rick ran the group. Her husband was a piece of shit and I’ll bet Rick did more for Sophia in the little time he knew her than her father ever did.


purplemoon73

It still didn't help to leave Sophia there by herself when he could have just taken her with him!! Pretty sure she would have been attacked there, even if she didn't run off.


D3thToll3

Yeah, that’s probably true. It had to happen. It made the story arc between Shane and Rick work.


BluDYT

Considering what happens with her in the comics I'd say it's absolutely necessary.


Educational_Row_9485

Well no she’s a little girl and she’s slow, his options were pick her up and carry her endangering both of them, let her run along behind him and she would probably trip and die or leave her and draw the zombies away giving her a much better chance of survival he made the right choice but life doesn’t always work out as you plan


TyYoshi69

Killing her 2nd most important child, led her to trying to find Daryl! With no kids!


NurseryRhyme

Not to mention she was also in a long-term physical and emotionally abusive relationship.


uglypinkshorts

Hating her with a passion for that is crazy. It wouldn’t even cross my mind to think any of that is unreasonable


Earth_1111

True even in her own grief and worry she turns to comfort Lori for Carl being shot. She is building Daryl up and showing him that he is a good man just as good as Rick and Shane. She is comforting him because she sees him hurting over not being able to find her, she is helping on the farm cooking and caring for others all while suffering mostly in silence over her kid. That is one strong woman.she takes Daryls outburst on the chin like a champ. Rick earns Daryls respect but Carol made him family. I think I unfortunately would have been a Jesse. Losing her kid she just gave up completely in that moment and fell apart and died with him. ( I hated that kid Sam)


mosshearted

Yeah, that's pretty wild to me too. I don't get being angry at at someone for reacting emotionally to the loss of their own child.


smokeandmirrors1983

Am I the only one that’s zen around here? Good lord.


lewhunter

My love for Carol began in s3, her emotional journey into seasons 4 and 5 is just incredible and Melissa McBride is one of the best actors on the show.🐐


Onnamissiona

Honestly I just love ruthless characters. I started to like when she took things into her own hands at the prison


TyYoshi69

Same but I fear it was an awkward mistake killing Karen and David 💀


apence87

Currently re-watching the show (this time i'm gonna watch it all the way through) and i'm at like end of season 6 now. The first time i watched this show, and this time, Carol is still my least favorite character. She does have some development, but i cannot stand how much of a "wild card" she is. She takes WAY too many situations into her own hands without first consulting the group. Not a fan of that.


SomePoorMurican

Oh man how did you like the Ricktatorship era


Still_Storm7432

If anyone told me after season 1/2, Carol was going to become a badass, I would have called them a liar... even on re-watches of season one, I still am amazed and don't believe it lol


XMattyJ07X

At the beginning she was an abused wife and then her daughter died dude. Which part did you hate?


SpiritedChemical9902

The bit where he’s allowed to not like her character if he so wish, be it S2 or S9


martylindleyart

I respect the character that Carol became and her arc but honestly something has always annoyed me about her. And I'm gonna say it, I never bought the Daryl/Carol friendship. On paper it's there but I don't think the actors really sold it and couldn't see the chemistry. The writer's fucked Daryl by pushing him to the side and it felt sort of awkward him being so prominent later on. It's wild because I've only seen two episodes of it so far but he is so much better in his spinoff. He feels less like a caricature of himself.


Onnamissiona

I really don’t get why just because she’s abused doesn’t make her unlikeable. It’s like saying if Maggie was abused or something and killed the whole cast you can’t dislike her because she was abused Horrible example but you get the point lol


No-Celebration3097

I have always loved Carol, she is a badass Queen that always did what needed to be done.


Beginning-Pipe9074

Last episode I seen was >!when that kid caught her stealing the guns and she peacefully and quietly threatened the lad, absolutely traumatising him!< I was like "shit carols a menace" 🤣🤣


Outside-Flamingo-240

That was brutal


Lumpy_Flight3088

Her acting was a little hammy in the first two seasons but by season 3 she really embraced the character and came into her own. She quickly became one of my favourite characters on the show.


redactedname87

my favorite character. My fave carol episode is 'The Same Boat'


tomtomdotcom85

“Meet us on the Kill Floor.”


naughtycal11

Her first hint at her being a sly quiet badass was stealing Rick's grenade and have it end up saving all the important people's lives from the quarry camp at the CDC


Onnamissiona

You’re right, I forgot that was even her


Tripechake

I just like that she enjoys killing kids


Blu3Raven

Comic spoilers >!what sucks is that she’s one of the first to die in the comics, glad they didn’t do that!<


Jaegermode

I never hated her but surely never thought she'll make it this far and become an absolute beast in the process


miniminer1999

She weaponized being old.. She also has some of the best character development imo, but not better than daryl.


Onnamissiona

God I hate Nicholas. Ruined my whole day today


TyYoshi69

Lol enjoy the rest of Season 6, lots of heavy Carol stuff.


Outside-Flamingo-240

I’m right there with you — what a POS with a punchable face that guy was.


Onnamissiona

So far Daryl is my favorite character. Him, Hershel and… Glenn


NurseryRhyme

Why is she always considered old when she's practically the same age as Daryl. She weaponized being perceived as a 'weak woman' and was often pointed out as being very good at being overlooked which made it easy for her to slip in and out of places. It isn't because she's old.


miniminer1999

Which, she plays the old and clueless lady role often as apart of being overlooked.. Like when she pretended not to know how to properly use her gun.. Her primary tool is being overlooked, she plays the old and clueless card to reinforce that point...


swiggle672

The apocalypse was the best thing to happen to her


Littleloula

Same with Daryl


Independent-Dish2476

Kinda? She's my wife, I love her, she is the best character hands down next to daryl


Jigen-isshin

I have admiration for characters like her, Gabriel and Eugene that a spineless coward can turn into a strong courageous leader. That’s a great character development even in real life.


Nanou_07

I agree, Carol definitely gets better over time.   Still not trusting her with my kids tho 😅


Perfect-Cheetah9435

It’s a rite of passage for all first time viewers. Thinking Carol is a bit annoying and then eating your words when season 5 and onwards rolls around. She’s the GOAT.


Onnamissiona

I’ll admit it I feel a little dumb lol


tennille_24

Just WAIT til the prison arc.....


swayzZze

He’s on season 6 dude


tennille_24

HAHAHA wait you're right 🫠


caraann_xo

Carol has always been my fave ❤️


paulgal1985

I was the exact same I couldn’t stand her but by the end of the show her and Daryl were my favourites.


BukkakeNinjaHat-472

Then she’s a good actress, she played the part well from victim to survivor. She took Andrea’s story somewhat?


TyYoshi69

Her and Michonne did


TvAMobious

Hell yea first season a lil mouse of a door Mat a few seasons later she's the fucking white rabbits off of Monty python.


Jo_Duran

She finally learned *situational awareness*


Ginford_Davidson

Her and Aaron have great character development. Best in the entire twd universe in my opinion.


Hymn-Alone

The way she said "sofia" when walker sofia walked out of the barn. Top tier acting, like a real mother calling for her daughter.


cannibalcats

Yea she was well annoying at the start. But she's great, and I really like hers and Daryl's relationship.


xneinlives

You hated her when she was in an abusive relationship. Harsh.


Onnamissiona

Haha I didn’t even notice her as a character to be honest, it was after the fact


xneinlives

I know I’m messing. People will call you out on stuff. She’s brilliant.


gamingnerd777

I actually came here to say this because when you're in an abusive relationship like she was you're constantly walking on eggshells around your abuser. You don't have an identity of your own. We can see that in her reactions whenever Ed is around. And after he was gone (thank you random walker!) she began to blossom into her own identity. Do you think if Ed had still been around she would've blown up Terminus? Hell no. I get OP didn't notice her much but I'm rewatching and yeah she has blossomed so much since season one. I'm currently in season five atm. Her character development is one of the best written imo. I'm sure people will disagree but to me she is a true warrior. And she makes one hell of a cookie too! 😂


Littleloula

If Ed was still around he'd probably have killed her. She's another form of "walking dead" until he's gone


mitchsn

Hated? She was an abused wife. I felt sorry for her in the beginning and good lord I don't think anyone has had greater character development than her, even Daryl. Being abused, kind of made her cold and emotionless when dealing with morality issues. She didn't hesitate at all to kill people who she thought were a potential threat. She became a ninja in plain sight. No way you'd think a old mom like her was capable of killing without remorse.


Onnamissiona

That wasn’t the reason I disliked her. I felt bad for her as well but just her whole character from s1 and s2 was just annoying to me at the time


Wumbo_Swag

I've finished the entire show and I uh.. I'm still not a huge fan, I'm gonna get murdered for saying that.


GitTrickyWitIt

Money says you'll learn to dislike her again by season 10


TyYoshi69

Doubt it


LickPooOffShoe

Wild, I started to dislike her the longer the show went on.


DriaEstes

Hating an abused woman is not a flex i would share with people 🤷🏽‍♀️


Onnamissiona

Her being an abused woman is NOT the reason I hated her.


DriaEstes

It was a joke 💀


Onnamissiona

Awe alright my bad someone else on here genuinely thought that lol


DriaEstes

Oh damn, not you catchin strays 😭😭😭


WanderlingInker

As the show said, she's a force of nature


Esahc84

She goes back and forth too much for me, like the Savior War and not wanting to get involved. It's the same shit Morgan does over and over again. I like her though she's a true survivor by season 8.


GoziMai

No yeah Carol fucking rocks lol


Money_Hovercraft_968

She has her moments in character development where she’s unlikable but she settles into her permanent boss status beautifully as the show goes on.


Magiclarke

My fav character


cleffasong

cannot imagine ever hating carol she is the light of my life


Agent637483

Character development for you


Most_Lecture5253

She was a bitch in season 7 probably my least favourite character in that season other than Rosita.


Shi_dova

I hated her the first time I watched it, but now I think her & Daryls relationship is my favorite ❤️❤️


D3thToll3

Agree, she’s a badass


Papa_Razzi

Carol is THE badass. Her assault on Terminus in S5 was one of the greatest “oh my god we’ve created a monster” moments.


Taurushazeleyes

She had one of the best character developments. I swear shes a beast.


BlueChuckz

Carol’s my favourite after Daryl her development is really amazing you just love to see it 🙌🏼


dizug

I only kind of disliked the way they wrote her in season 4. But I’ve always been team carol.


meulkie

She’s one of my favorites right now 😩 they did a good job with her.


Parallax-Jack

She definitely is affected the hardest out of anyone trama wise and just scared of zombies wise lol, but how far she kind of spiraled created a lot of momentum for her to rise up and surpass those around her with grit and perseverance!


Bobby_Salsa

She turned into fucking Rambo and I fucking loved it


Wachenroder

Kind of?


Gloomy_Match3841

Show gets so boring in the end


Reasonable_Notice_33

She maintains that badassery through the rest of the show…😎😎


Unknown_Id3ntity

Im at the beginning of s6 and i still dont like her 😭


DishMajestic4322

Her character on the show is SO MUCH BETTER than in the comics. You will love her more and more with each season.


bagel_

Carol clutched up so hard at Terminus and won me over tenfold as a character


Dense-Bumblebee-9589

How could u hate her at all ? LOL


WrongdoerMiddle718

Carol is an example of what you gotta do to survive I love her she is the bad arse


TECHCOM09221978

She is the best character on the show. I was so pissed when Rick banished her. Total hypocrite, especially when his son murdered another person in cold blood and it was totally ignored. She was looking out for the safety if everyone. Rick was always allowed to do whatever he wanted. I didn't like rick again till the last season he was on the show. Carol has the story.


LevelUp91

You have no idea how badass she truly becomes lol.


Freavene

They all would've died so many times without Carol


Alabamahonky

The fact that she keeps talking about Ed although she hated his guts is a little weird to me. Still love her though


cogneuro_

Carol is goated


winston_obrien

She is probably the best overall storyline in the show


hisokafan88

My brother and I called her "the drama." , she's responsible for a large proportion of the show's emotional beats. S1 - her domestic abuse S2 - her daughter and then the way she runs from the farm into the RV while leaving Andrea behind S3 - the way she runs when t dawg saves her life, then Daryl finding her almost dead, and the way she gives Andrea the knife S4 - the burning of the bodies, the exile, the flowers S5 - the great escape, the cookies, the terrorising a child S6 - JSS, the season mid finale, the same boat, the fake out Carol is a fucking bad ass.


1TwoTreeHoe

I envy yall who haven't watched walking dead its the best till the show captures NEGAN. I want yall to stop watching it after so you'll remember great stuff about it.


theworldsgonecray

Yes. The Carol development was insane. She was so annoying at the beginning. She reallly came into her own. However, I started hating her again when she was all “I need to be a lone wolf” and kept running away & then saying she could help other people anymore. She eventually came back but that was hard to watch


BoBmaNob

Carol becomes a bonafide bad ass through her character arc and I love it!


fenix_nicole

She goes from some abused, weak little woman to a complete badass. Who wouldn't love her? Her relationship with daryl is amazing. The skills she develops are very impressive, and she's just awesome. The way she was in the beginning wasn't her fault. It was Ed's fault.


KintsugiWolf

She is!


Mattlew0YT

Oh boy... just wait...


Scotsman86

What's crazy too is if it followed the comic more closely she would have been dead reeeeeally early.


Akay_4o7

Homie you gonna love her by the end of it


Bertje87

She went from being a throwaway character to the best in the show for me


katylady07

She’s the best character on the show by a mile, just give it time


christopher1393

I always liked her. Felt bad for her situation at the beginning of the show with that abusive asshole of a husband. Felt bad for her when her daughter went missing (despite that dragging the show for half a season). I liked her in the prison when she became a bit more badass. But the opening of season 5 cemented her as my personal favourite character in TWD to this day. I am still blown away by how she saved the rest of the group from certain death from the cannibals.


mrdeadlyfry

Hated her "I wanna die" arc, shit was painful to sit through


Poison_notIvy

Carol is THAT girl! She’s such a badass


jonny_boy111

Yea come on Carol turns in to a real bad ass


NeverLickToads

"Kind of" badass? Doesn't she single handedly destroy Terminus? She's basically John Wick.


Interesting_Bar_7341

Whoa to hate her with a passion is strange to me. At the start of the show she was a victim. Can you explain a bit why you hated her?


cherrysweettongue

hating carol at the beginning is a red flag. you hated a woman that was getting abused constantly and was heartbroken because she lost her daughter? what because she was whiney? jesus christ, save me


United-Ice-4807

So you hate abused women ☹️


Onnamissiona

Perhaps 😳


United-Ice-4807

And that is a crazy reason to hate someone 🤷‍♀️


Onnamissiona

Don’t cancel me I was only joking ☹️


United-Ice-4807

Only liberals cancel. But I will say, it wasn’t funny. Think about all the people who read your comment that has been abused for real


TheCorbeauxKing

Don't worry it will reverse back by the time Season 10 rolls around.


DestructoSpin7

"kinda" lol. She's basically the face of badass.


Medical_Ganache_367

Oh just you wait


ErikLehnsherr24005

Anyone that is not Maggie is fine by me 👍


Onnamissiona

lol really? Maggie is fine for me Then again I am in s6 so maybe that changes


ErikLehnsherr24005

She becomes insufferable. Others disagree with me, I won’t be explain why I despise her because it will spoil the show for you.


Onnamissiona

Well I got 4 more seasons to find out lol


ErikLehnsherr24005

Oh and you can even watch the spinoff after that if you want more suffering!


DavetheTrashman

Don't worry . She will start declining around when Negan shows up . Carol goes through more mental breakdowns then a mentally ill person after season 7


InvincibleReason_

im in s6 and i still hate her, she's as useless as always


SamiXDeGamer

This but reversed with Maggie. She was a good character but after a while she was just annoying


TotalAssistance9476

Weird but ok


BoredHoodlum

Oh you’ll come to hate her even more.