11 - 01x04 - Origins: Carol's Story

[bunniefuu]

You hurt my son.

I swear you'll never see us again.

I know.

MCBRIDE: To understand Carol Peletier, you have to see every side of her, and there are many.

So much of Carol's journey centers on her attempt to heal her pain... pain from loss, pain from abuse, pain from this new world.

[g*nsh*t]

And that pain lights a fire in her that takes her from a caring, meek people-pleaser...

Washed my clothes.

Well, best I could.

... to a warrior.

♪♪

How does that happen?

♪♪

You're about to find out.

♪♪

This is Carol's story.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

Come on, get 'em!

At the beginning of the apocalypse, Carol is at a camp for survivors with her daughter, Sophia... and her abusive husband, Ed.

Now, I am done talking. Come on.

- No, no. Carol, you don't have...
- [CAROL MUTTERS]

You don't tell me what! I tell you what!

[INDISTINCT SHOUTING]

- You think you can...
- Get off her!

She's learned all about emotional survival from her marriage with Ed, and this new world forces her to adapt even more quickly to protect Sophia.

Hey!

Why don't you stay here?

Keep your daddy company.

♪♪

Come on.

Hey!

♪♪

What'd I say?

- [GROWLING]
- Oh!

After Ed's been bitten, Carol takes a crucial final step in that part of her life...

♪♪

... for making sure that Ed will never hurt her or Sophia again.

♪♪

[SOBBING]

The good news is Ed is gone.

The bad news is that our group needs to find a place to call home.

♪♪

But while on the road, they encounter something they've never seen before...

♪♪

Christ.

... a massive walker herd.

♪♪

Shh, shh.

[SCREAMING]

Shh, shh.

♪♪

There's two Walkers after my baby.

Rick goes to find her...

♪♪

... but he returns empty-handed.

She's . She can't be out there on her own.

- You didn't find anything?
- I know this is hard.

But I'm asking you not to panic.

We know she was out there.

And we tracked her for a while.

♪♪

Daryl, the group's best hunter and tracker, continues to search.

Sophia!

But when he returns with only Sophia's doll...

♪♪

... Carol can't contain her grief.

♪♪

I believe this one... it bloomed for your little girl.

And when they do eventually find out the horrifying truth of what happened to Sophia...

♪♪

[GROWLING]

CAROL: [SOBBING] Sophia?

Sophia!

Sophia.

Sophia.

[GROWLING]

♪♪

[g*nsh*t]

... Daryl is there to hold her up.

Sophia's death is devastating for Carol, but it also forces her to change.

After leaving Hershel's farm and finding an abandoned prison, the next version of Carol begins to emerge.

[g*nshots]

Sorry.

As she hones her fighting skills, her old meek self burns away.

You ain't like you was back in the camp.

I'm not.

As Carol's confidence grows, she takes more initiative within the group.

Carol becomes determined to teach the children in the group whatever skills she can to help them survive.

Today, we're talking about knives... how to use them, how to be safe with them.

And when two young girls lose their father, she takes them under her wing.

CAROL: Your daddy asked me to protect you like you're my own, and I will.

It's time someone told you the truth.

♪♪

Honey, you're weak.

[SNIFFLES]

I know. I'm sorry.

[CRYING]

If you want to live, you have to become strong.

But the apocalypse is relentless in its cruelty, and a flu ravages the prison community, forcing Carol to make a life-and-death decision that she sees as the greater good.

Is there anything you wouldn't do for the people here?

♪♪

No.

♪♪

Carol...

♪♪

... did you k*ll Karen and David?

♪♪

Yes.

♪♪

She stands by her decision.

They would have drowned in their own blood.

They were suffering. I made it quick.

CAROL: We needed the bodies gone.

We needed to stop it from spreading.

They were the only ones who were sick.

They were a thr*at.

I was trying to save lives.
I had to try.

Somebody had to.

But Rick feels he can't trust her, and so he casts her out.

♪♪

Being banished makes Carol have to dig even deeper.

♪♪

After the fall of the prison, she reunites with Tyreese, Lizzie, Mika, and Judith, and they decide to head to a place called Terminus.

"Sanctuary for all, community for all.

Those who arrive survive".

On the way to Terminus, Carol continues to teach Lizzie and Mika survival skills.

She tries to toughen them up in a way that she never had the chance to do with Sophia.

What was she like?

She was sweet.

She didn't have a mean bone in her body.

Is that why she isn't here now?

Yeah.

♪♪

But she tragically underestimated the psychological damage Lizzie had suffered...

No, no, no!

No, no, no, no, no!

[GRUNTS]

No! No!!

You could have d*ed!

It's the same thing!

You k*lled her! You k*lled her!

It's the same thing!

What if I k*lled you?!

What if I k*lled you?!

... and the thr*at that she posed to her own sister.

♪♪

Don't worry.

She'll come back.

I didn't hurt her brain.

Judith can change, too.

Once again, Carol has to make a devastating decision for the greater good, this time to protect Judith.

Please don't be mad at me. I'm sorry.

[CRYING]

You just... just look at the flowers, Lizzie.

[SOBBING]

♪♪

Just look at the flowers.

♪♪

Just... Just look at the flowers.

[SOBBING]

♪♪

[g*nsh*t]

After laying Lizzie to rest, Carol is determined to get Judith back to Rick safely, so they continue their journey to Terminus.

When they arrive, she senses that the group is in trouble and needs her help.

♪♪

For the first time, Carol's warrior side emerges.

♪♪

This is Carol's moment of redemption.

♪♪

She strikes...

♪♪

... like an avenging angel.

[expl*si*n]

♪♪

[g*nsh*t]

She finds Rick and Daryl and the rest of the people that she's come to consider family.

- [g*nsh*t]
- Where are they?!

And she saves them.

♪♪

It's the ultimate reset for Carol, and while it can't make up for all of the people that she's lost, it is a pretty sweet win.

I sent you away to this, and now we're joining you.

Will you have us?

♪♪

Thank you.

Being back in the family also gives her a chance to reconnect with Daryl, and they open up to each other.

It's like you were a kid.

You're a man.

♪♪

What about you?

Who I was... she got b*rned away.

Hey.

We ain't ashes.

♪♪

The group is anxious to find a safe place to shelter, and they end up at the community of Alexandria.

♪♪

When the leader, Deanna, interviews Carol, like she does with all the newcomers, Carol presents a version of herself she knows Deanna will accept without question.

Always had dinner on the table for Ed when he came home.

Um...

I miss that... stupid, wonderful man every day.

She makes the Alexandrians see her as she wants to be seen, even if it surprises some of her friends.

Take a shower. I'm gonna wash that vest.

We need to keep up appearances, even you.

I ain't starting now.

I'm gonna hose you down in your sleep.

You look ridiculous.

♪♪

But behind Carol's Suzy Homemaker facade, the warrior remains ready to strike at a moment's notice.

Get comfortable here, let our guard down, this place is gonna make us weak.

The group decides to stockpile some g*ns just in case anything goes sideways.

[g*nshots]

They choose the night of a welcome party to make their move.

You know what's great about this place?

Get to be invisible again.

♪♪

And she was invisible to almost everyone.

What are you doing?

You've got to promise me you can keep it secret that I came here.

But I have to tell my mom.

I mean, I tell my mom everything.

Wrong answer, Sam.

You can never tell anyone, especially your mom.

♪♪

Because if you do...

♪♪

... one morning, you'll wake up...

♪♪

... and you won't be in your bed.

You'll be outside the walls.

The monsters will come, the ones out there, and they will tear you apart and eat you up all while you're still alive.

♪♪

Or... you can promise not to ever tell anyone what you saw here.

And you'll get cookies.

Sam keeps Carol's secret and she honors her side of the bargain by inviting

Sam over to make cookies.

But she quickly realizes that Sam's living in an abusive household and her protective instincts kick in.

CAROL: Said he can hear his dad yelling.

Things breaking, his mom crying.

Last month, it got quiet right in the middle of it when he went out and found her on the floor.

Why do you care what happens to Jessie?

You know why.

This is a scenario Carol knows all too well, and she's not going to let another kid suffer.

I could k*ll you right now.

I could.

I will.

And then... who would believe I did it because I didn't like you?

- No one.
- [SHUDDERS]

You're a small, weak nothing.

With the world how it is, you're even weaker.

Play your cards right, maybe you don't have to die.

And I want my dish back clean when you're done.

But there's an even bigger thr*at to the Alexandria community... a feral group who call themselves the Wolves.

Carol is the first to spot the att*ck.

[GRUNTS]

And she leaps into action.

♪♪

Carol's fears about the Alexandrians being weak are well-founded.

And there's several losses.

We see the toll all these deaths are taking on Carol.

She's literally keeping a list of how many people she's k*lled.

Not long after the att*ck, the community is threatened by another group...

... called the Saviors.

WOMAN: Stop!

Or she's dead.

Carol and Maggie are taken hostage.

Even after Carol overpowers their captors and helps Maggie escape...

... she's reluctant to take another life.

Until her friend Maggie is directly threatened.

Lying bitch!

[GASPING]

[WALKERS GROWLING]

And she feels the weight of all the deaths she's caused.

I think I might have k*lled people.

.

♪♪

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATION]

♪♪

What the hell?! [SCREAMS]

♪♪

In that moment, Carol realizes that all this k*lling is just too much to bear.

If you care about people, there are people to protect, there are people that you will k*ll for.

If you don't want to k*ll...

... or if you can't, then you have to get away from them.

On the road to who knows where, she encounters another group of saviors.

[RAPID g*nf*re]

And she's forced to defend herself.

It doesn't have to be this way.

You can turn back and you can go home.

Nobody has to get hurt.

It's looking like someone's got to get hurt.

Please.

Don't! Please!

[RAPID g*nf*re]

[g*n CLICKING]

MCBRIDE: After being seriously wounded,

Carol is rescued by Morgan and taken to a strange new community.

What is this place?

Welcome to the Kingdom.

[ROARS]

I forgot to say that Ezekiel has a tiger.

Her first impression with Ezekiel and the tiger... ridiculous.

So, tell me.

What do you think of the Kingdom, Carol?

What do you think of the king?

It's all ridiculous.

I don't know what the hell's going on in the most wonderful way. [LAUGHS]

It's... It's a lot. He is, um...

- I don't know, it...
- Stop.

This place is a damn circus.

She's in no mood for any of this.

By all means, fair maiden, have one.

The sweet and innocent act you've been doing, it's quite clever.

Worked on me.

Blend in, led people to trust you, acquire what you need from them, and then you're gone, as if you were never there.

It's the first time in a long time that somebody's seen Carol for who she is, and it feels good.

And she decides to make her home not too far from the Kingdom.

She spends her days alone, satisfied in her solitude, despite occasional visits from Ezekiel.

Until one day she gets a visit from a very familiar face.

The Saviors, did they come?

Yeah.

Is everybody back home okay?

Okay.

We got 'em all.

Made a deal with the rest of 'em, like Ezekiel.

Everyone's alright.

But what Daryl told her wasn't true.

Do you want to know what happened in Alexandria?

♪♪

Yeah.

Negan k*lled Glenn and Abraham.

What?

b*at 'em to death with a baseball bat.

♪♪

Now the Saviors have Alexandria, and Rick and everybody else.

Everything they do is for the Saviors now.

Jesus want Rick and the rest here because

Rick wants to fight them.

♪♪

Faced with the horror of the truth,

Carol realizes she can't stay in retreat any longer.

I'm gonna be here now.

We have to get ready.

We have to fight.

We do.

As Carol becomes closer to the Kingdom community, she opens up to an orphaned boy named Henry and begins to teach him survival skills.

[WALKERS GROWLING]

I told you not to follow me!

I'm not scared.

Then you're stupid.

You need fighters, so I'm fighting.

[SCOFFS]

Can't just walk around with that stick.

You know how to use it?

I watched you train people.

[SIGHS]

Stay close.

Henry is persistent in wanting to join the fight against the Saviors.

You know I can help.

So Carol gently reminds him that the b*ttlefield is no place for a child.

Henry, if you go out there during the att*ck, you'll die.

Carol's version of gentle.

She feels torn about letting another child into her heart.

So when Henry goes missing after a battle, Carol can't help but put a wall up.

Just go.

In spite of herself, Carol goes to search for Henry.

♪♪

[WALKERS GROWLING]

HENRY: Help me!

♪♪

♪♪

It's a real turning point for Carol.

She's risked caring about Henry, risked opening her heart to another child.

You were right.

I was afraid.

Yeah, you were.

I saw it.

But you are no coward.

With Ezekiel by her side and the w*r with the Saviors won,

Carol allows herself to find hope again, and love.

You're still carrying that old ring around?

Oh, y-yeah.

I-I'm not saying yes.

I just thought I'd try it on for a while,

- you know.
- Whatever you say.

No, d-d-don't, don't.

I wrote a speech.

I'm sure you did.

And you can read it to me later.

And with that, Carol becomes the queen of the Kingdom.

She and Ezekiel adopt Henry and ruler over the Kingdom as he grows up to be a young man.

And like any good mother, she wants what's best for her child.

So she and Henry travel to the Hilltop community so that he could become an apprentice blacksmith.

On their way, Carol asks an old friend to watch out for Henry while he studies at Hilltop.

DARYL: Want to tell me why you're really here?

I want you to come with us.

I can't stay at Hilltop.

We've got problems of our own at the Kingdom.

I'd just feel really a lot better if you were there with him.

You want me to babysit your boy?

If she has to leave Henry behind, there's no one better to protect him than Daryl.

I'm gonna make you proud.

You already have.

♪♪

But instead of staying out of trouble, Henry becomes entangled with a terrifying new group who live amongst the walkers.

The communities realize that they must come together to face this thr*at, and an agreement is made at the Kingdom.

John Hancock... eat your heart out.

Carol is finally reunited with her son, her dear friend, and even...

Judith?

[CHUCKLES]

Do you remember us?

I've been drawing pictures of you since I was little.

You're Carol and you're the king.

For a beautiful moment, she's surrounded by everyone she loves the most.

But little does she know that Henry is at the center of the conflict, having fallen in love with Lydia, the daughter of the Whisperers' leader, Alpha.

♪♪

Concerned that Hilltop will be att*cked by the Whisperers, Carol volunteers to go help defend the community.

[GATES CLOSE]

But despite everything she's done to protect the children in her life, she's about to experience another devastating loss.

♪♪

No!

Just look at me.

Just look at me.

♪♪

[WALKERS GROWLING]

♪♪

♪♪

After losing her son, Carol leaves everything else behind.

I'm going to Alexandria tomorrow with the others.

I know you have to do this.

But I will never stop loving you.

♪♪

Yeah.

And I'll never regret the fairy tale.

♪♪

On their way to Alexandria,

Lydia expresses her guilt over Henry's death.

Henry said I was a good person.

He was wrong.

As long as I'm one of you, it's never gonna stop.

You know I'm right.

♪♪

This is how you keep from losing anyone else.

♪♪

[VOICE BREAKING] Please, Carol.

Please, just do it.

Do it for Henry.

♪♪

[WALKER GROWLS]

Come on, we have to go.

Come on.

She doesn't blame Lydia, but she can't stay.

[BELLS TOLLING]

She moves to the Oceanside community to escape it all...

Did you miss me? [LAUGHS]

- Not really.
- I'll take that.

... until she's visited by Daryl, who asks her to come home.

Sorry if I didn't want my best friend to spend her whole life on a boat.

Best friend?

What are you, ?

Whatever.

Should we have matching bracelets now?

Oh, my God, forget it.

No, I could make some with fisherman's twine.

What's your favorite color? Green? Blue?

Black. Definitely black.

I got an idea. Why don't we eat and not talk?

Should we make a matching collar for Dog?

[LAUGHS]

But the moment doesn't last long 'cause Alpha has returned.

Your boy screamed your name just before we took his head.

♪♪

No!

DARYL: Stop.

I apologize for my friend.

We have not slept.

And you know what she lost.

[WALKERS GROWLING]

I forgive you, mother to mother.

MCBRIDE: But Alpha's forgiveness means nothing to her.

And Carol will make a deal with the devil to take her out.

What if you didn't have to die?

Didn't know you had a say on the kangaroo council deciding my fate.

I'm not here for the council.

I'm getting that.

What I don't get is coming down here and dealing with me when it seems to me you ought to be lining up the ol' skin queen in your crosshairs.

What do you think this is?

Damn.

The stones on you...

Are you in or out?

But setting Negan free is only part of Carol's plan.

Carol crosses Alpha's border and manages to take a Whisperer hostage.

When the captured Whisperer reveals that Alpha has told her followers that she k*lled Lydia...

She did.

And I am willing to give my life for her.

... Carol exposes Alpha's lie.

♪♪

No.

No.

♪♪

Your mother told her people that she k*lled you.

♪♪

You said you wanted my help.

I did.

You used me.

Lydia, I'm sorry.

You're just like her.

Lydia...

You said you wanted me to choose a side?

I choose mine.

You can't go out there.
It's too dangerous.

You can't stop me.

♪♪

- Unh!
- Aah.

♪♪

Carol puts herself in increasingly dangerous situations in her pursuit of Alpha.

Wait.

You could have lost a foot.

They laid traps. That means we're getting closer.

Will you stop this sh*t?

You want her dead so bad, you don't even care what happens to you.

But it was true, and Daryl could see it.

Come here.

♪♪

[SIGHING]

She's not worth it.

♪♪

She's not.

Look at me.

She's a dead woman, anyway.

♪♪

We have a future.

Don't let her take that, too.

Yes.

She takes Daryl's comfort to heart and relents, but then...

♪♪

... she sees Alpha.

♪♪

Hey!

♪♪

Carol!

Carol's not gonna miss another opportunity to get her.

♪♪

Even if that means following her inside an abandoned mine shaft.

♪♪

[WHISPERING] Carol!

[RUMBLING]

♪♪

[GROANING]

[HERD GROWLING]

In a rush to get her revenge...

♪♪

... Carol leads herself and her friends right into Alpha's trap.

♪♪

[SCREAMS]

♪♪

While the group searches desperately for a way out,

Daryl tries to reach her again.

You gotta promise.

We fight for our future.

We don't fight for revenge.

I promise.

But when the group makes a startling discovery...

Somebody left this crate of dynamite.

Yeah, okay, that's really cool.

But maybe somebody left it there because it's obviously insanely dangerous.

... Carol gets an idea.

She's not gonna pass up the opportunity to destroy Alpha's horde.

♪♪

[SCREAMS]

[WALKERS GROWLING]

DARYL: Take my hand.

Come on.

♪♪

DARYL: But you gotta come back with me.

Please.

♪♪

Aah!

[GASPS]

♪♪

When the dynamite goes off, it nearly spells doom for Carol and her friends.

But before everyone is able to escape, the rest of the dynamite explodes.

[expl*si*n]

♪♪

She broke her promise to Daryl, and that decision led to someone he cared about being trapped inside the mine.

[VOICE BREAKING] You were right about everything.

Just say it.

No, please.

Say it!

Please say it!

Carol finally begins to realize how reckless and dangerous her desire for revenge has become.

You should hate me.

♪♪

You seem to hate yourself so much.

I'm gonna k*ll her.

Will you hate me then?

I won't be thinking about you.

♪♪

Thanks.

Despite being consumed with anger and grief, she still values her friendship with Daryl.

[VOICE BREAKING]
Now, please don't hate me.

I'm never gonna hate you.

♪♪

They barely have time to mend fences before Alpha att*cks Hilltop alongside Negan.

[EXPLOSIONS]

She can only watch as friends and neighbors suffer the consequences of her actions.

♪♪

Carol is at one of her lowest points yet.

♪♪

[expl*si*n]

But in a flash...

♪♪

... everything changes.

♪♪

Took you long enough.

♪♪

She had her revenge, but the nightmare wasn't over quite yet.

♪♪

ALPHA: Carol.

♪♪

Carol.

♪♪

I'm always watching.

♪♪

All the pain and loss of every death comes back to haunt her.

And it is horrific.

You are lost.

♪♪

So was your boy.

You sent him away.

And he never came back.

He d*ed out here, alone and afraid.

Just like Sophia.

♪♪

You feel guilt.

People were hurt in the name of vengeance.

And now you can't go back.

They won't accept what you've done.

♪♪

Maybe they will if you say you're sorry.

♪♪

"I'm sorry you're mad at me.

P-Please don't be mad at me.

I'm sorry!"

♪♪

[GRUNTS]

Aah!

MCBRIDE: Tormented and distracted by grief, she's trapped under a rotting shed as walkers approach.

[GROWLING]

You always knew how this would end.

No one's coming to save you.

[GROWLING]

[GRUNTING]

♪♪

Alpha couldn't defeat her in life...

[GRUNTING]

[GROWLING]

♪♪

... and she's not about to let her defeat her in death.

♪♪

[PANTING]

♪♪

It's never too late.

Having faced her darkest inner demons, she returns to Hilltop to face the music about putting her friends in danger.

♪♪

If I could go back...

I'm so sorry, Kelly, for everything.

You think that the way you are is... is a weakness?

[SCOFFS]

I heard the stories about you, in the old days.

We all have.

[CHUCKLES]

That you... you'd just go off.

And do the thing that only you can do.

Lone wolf.

That's your superpower.

You can't give up everything about yourself because...

[SIGHS]

... bad things happen.

♪♪

But she's still in pain when she's visited by Lydia.

I don't have you for what you did.

♪♪

I know that sounds awful, but... she was never really my mother.

Not in the way that matters.

♪♪

So thanks.

♪♪

And I-I... I'd like it if we can still talk.

About... whatever.

♪♪

Lydia...

You need to be yourself.

You need to find your own way.

♪♪

I'm not looking for another mom, you know?

That's not what this has to be.

It can be something else.

So can you.

♪♪

♪♪

As the w*r with the Whisperers nears its end,

Carol decides that the only way to defeat

Alpha's remaining horde... is to sacrifice herself.

♪♪

[HERD GROWLING]

♪♪

♪♪

I told you to go.

♪♪

You told me to find my own way.

♪♪

You get what you wanted?

No.

And I won't.

♪♪

Not really.

Well, you still got me.

♪♪

Yeah?

Yeah.

With the Whisperers defeated,

Carol's focus continues to be on surviving while protecting those around her.

♪♪

Carol's evolution has progressed through many phases over the years.

♪♪

And while the apocalypse has taken so much from Carol, it's given her so many opportunities for rebirth.

Drop it.

As every version of herself burns away, each transformation leaves her stronger, clearer, and wiser.

[g*nsh*t, expl*si*n]

Things can change really fast in this world.

It's hard to know what's next for Carol.

[g*nshots]

But her story isn't over yet.

Sure you're okay?

Oh, yeah. Back to it.

♪♪

[WALKERS GROWLING]

[MACHINE-g*n FIRE]

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪