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Posted by Reece
(Post 248377)
If you havent seen the mid season finale dont click.
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Robert Kirkman has said multiple times that he isn't afraid to kill off fan favorite characters, although he most likely wont.
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Posted by Froggy Krueger
(Post 248856)
I hope they kill off the skinhead lady, the old dude, and andrea soon.
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Actually, I have to disagree. Each character in Ricks group each bring either a skill-set, or have a personality trait so that the group balances each other out. For example, Hershel could be considered the 'morale' of the group. Before it was Dale, but he died.
Andrea acts the way she does because she was simply alone in the wilderness living in a meat-locker for 8 months after being deserted by Rick's group at the farm, she was incredibly lonely and is turning to the Governor as a sense of comfort.
And lastly, Carol. Carol is probably the most transformed character in all of Rick's group and here is why (response taken from redditor named: caroline_reynolds)
For Carol, as far as character development goes, she's had one of the most fascinating transformations of anybody in the group. I know a lot people think of Carol as somewhat useless and mopey, but I think it's very important to remember the timeline of this show. Seasons one and two combined were a total of what, maybe two months? So when we first met when she was shouldering two decades of physical and emotional abuse, then had to deal with the complexity of losing someone she both loved and hated, her husband, and just when she was learning to cope with that, she had to deal with the painful, drawn-out absence and horrific death of her daughter. Considering the short time span, it's completely understandable that we never really saw her doing much besides mourn. Then eight whole months passed between seasons 2 and 3. She's gone from wearing shapeless, drab clothing to sexy tight-fitting tops in vibrant colors. She even says that Ed never let her wear such things, so she's embracing the opportunity to do so now. And since Sophia's death, her cross necklace has also disappeared. She's a transformed woman.
She said at the end of season 2 that she was sick of being a burden. So when we see her again months later, she's learning to wield weapons and really contribute to the group. She's taken the initiative to gain medical training from Hershel. She even takes it upon herself to learn how to perform a C-section as soon as Hershel is too unwell to do so. This is a woman who spent decades being told she was worthless and useless, and she's finally overcoming that and accepting that she can contribute. And really, this woman is strong. Think about Jacqui, Andrea, and Beth. They all contemplated or followed through in committing suicide. I'm not calling them weak, but Carol suffered as much or perhaps more than any of them, but never once contemplated giving up. She has an emotional strength that's easily overlooked in a show full of weapons, combat, and violence.
Carol has really become self-determined over the course of the series. In season 2 when the group was discussing how to deal with Randall, Carol's only input was that she wanted to stay out of it. She had no opinion one way or the other, she just wanted to be kept out of it. She had become conditioned to parroting her husband's opinions, and still didn't know how to even sort out her own emotions, much less voice them with conviction. Months later, the group encounters a very similar problem with Axel and Oscar. Carol is adamant this time: she doesn't want to risk the safety they have worked so hard for. Whether you agree with her opinion or not isn't the point; she has become autonomous and sure enough of herself to assert her opinions and stand as an independent individual.
Now that Carol is learning how to be her own person, she's the only one in the group that really seems happy. She smiles and laughs all the time. Who would have thought that in this dire existence, Carol Peletier would be thriving? But she is! And she really brings the group's spirits up with her enthusiasm. She even makes a dirty sex joke. It reminded me of back in season 1, where she looked carefully to make sure Ed wasn't listening before admitting that she missed her vibrator. That was just so sweet and so sad, like she really knows herself but has been repressed for so long. And seeing the person she has become makes me mourn for all those lost years that she wasn't allowed to be the bubbly and talented person she had the potential to become.
And then there's her relationship with Daryl, which is just about the sweetest dynamic of any relationship I can think of in any show. I really don't think he would have stayed with the group if not for her, and where would they be if he'd left? The whole group has always valued Daryl, but she was the only one that recognized that he couldn't tell they valued him. Even when he lashed out at her, she would go to him and stand her ground, because she knew how important it was that he understand that he was appreciated by the group. They have an inherent understanding of each other as past victims of abuse, so they're able to connect with each other on a level that the rest of the group just can't reach with them.
Carol is a character that I'm inspired to think about days after I've watched an episode. Her character is so complex, it's easy to imagine things about her that aren't mentioned in the show. Like, I think she went by Caroline before marrying Ed, and he thought it was too fancy and made her start going by Carol. I think she cut her hair as an act of defiance against Ed, so he wouldn't be able to grab it when he beat her anymore. I bet he came home from work one day and gave her an awful beating when he found it all sheared off. And I think she probably had a handful of miscarriages from stress, and every time she would get pregnant Ed would become attentive and sweet, so she was convinced if she could just carry to term that it would fix everything. But then she had Sophia and he eventually became just as awful as ever and she realized what a mistake it was to ever give him a child at all. I know some viewers blame her for not leaving Ed sooner, but Melissa McBride says she imagines Carol had been saving up for some time and was planning to leave right when the infection began to spread. Such a sad thought. There was only one time we ever saw her stand up to Ed, and that was when he was trying to get Sophia to stay with him in the tent, for reasons we can only assume. She outright told him no, something she didn't dare to do regarding any other topic. We saw that mama bear come out again in her in the past episode with Beth and Axel, too. She had no hesitation in calling Axel out and putting herself in a potentially dangerous situation to ensure Beth's safety (and she was super sassy about it too!).
The TV version of Carol is one of my favorite fictional female characters ever. Every episode she does something that makes me love her more. Most recently, she fought her way through numerous Walkers and managed to shut herself into a cell, never mind that she has said she's claustrophobic. Once again, she survives. Like she said, she has nine lives. She's the mother and the soul of the group in many ways, and I just think she is so under-appreciated.
