Carol Peletier : #14

Carol Peletier

Quote

"I'm hardly the woman I was a year ago, but if Ed walked through that door right now breathing and told me to go with him, I'd like to think I'd tell him to go to hell."

- Carol Peletier

About the Actress

Melissa Suzanne McBride was born May 23, 1965 in Lexington, Kentucky. Not much is known about her other than she had a minor role in Stephen King's movie, The Mist as well as a number of television shows.

Who was she before the Apocalypse?

Carol lived somewhere in the Southern part of the United States. At some point in her life, she met a man named Ed. At the start, he seemed nice enough for her to date and eventually marry. However, the longer they stayed together the worse of a man he turned out to be. Carol became a victim of verbal and physical abuse at the hands of Ed.

During their marriage, Carol and Ed had a little girl named Sophia. Carol became a stay-at-home mom and fiercely looked after Sophia, taking care of her and providing her with the love and comfort that Ed would not give (much to Carol's disgust). 

During the outbreak, she, Sophia, and Ed traveled toward Atlanta which was supposedly a safe-zone. On the way, they met Shane, Lori, and Carl.

Personality and Progression

In the first season of the show,  Carol spent much of her time under the watchful gaze of Ed, who was extremely controlling of her.  He would force her to do what he wanted, such as when he told her to pull a log out of a fire with her hands, ordered her to go in the tent, slapped her when she didn't do what he wanted... The list goes on.

We began to see a change in Carol after Shane beat Ed's face into a bloody pulp for hitting Carol. That scene, by the way, was the most satisfying thing you could ever watch. You can't escape karma!

Shane beat the crap out of Ed for hitting Carol.

Soon after Ed got beat up, Walkers attacked the camp and killed several people, one of them being Ed. Now free of his controlling grip, Carol started to develop a backbone and became braver. The longer she spent making her own choices, the more she would stand up for herself.

Carol continued to develop throughout the second season, standing up for herself much more and making stronger friendships with members of the group.

Carol went through some terrible times during the second season when her daughter, Sophia, went missing. Her disappearance was devastating for Carol, as she was extremely protective of her daughter and had rarely let her out of her sight. 

It also became clear that Carol was a religious woman when she was seen praying for Sophia's safety. Carol is one of the last members on the show to believe in God.

Daryl tried to comfort Carol at the sight of her undead daughter

Carol begged the group to continue searching for her even after dark, so search parties went out looking for her, night and day. After weeks of searching, the group found Sophia. Unfortunately, she was not the Sophia they once knew. Sophia had become a Walker. As told in a previous blog, Rick shot the undead Sophia, putting her down.

When the group held a funeral for Sophia, Carol refused to attend. She was adamant in her belief that what Rick shot was not her daughter and that the real Sophia had died a long time ago. Over time, Carol recovered from her grief. She was comforted by her belief that Sophia was now in a better place, Heaven.

Carol, like most of the group, has learned how to use a gun.

Carol became stronger and more independent as the show continued.

Thus far, she has managed to stay alive and I am excited to see what challenges she can overcome in the upcoming fourth season.





- Ben Ferguson