The Walking Dead Season 4 has done quite a bit to expand the role of certain characters on the show, but it seems like Carol is the one that's seen the biggest improvement. We know many of you are divided on a certain event that happened in last night's episode. How does Melissa McBride feel about it and her character in the new season? Here are some comments from her on the past, present, and future of Carol from two recent interviews.
*Spoiler Warning: There are spoilers for those that haven't seen the first four Season 4 episodes.
In the first feature on AMC, Melissa McBride talks about Carol's arc this season:
What did you know about Carol’s arc going into this season?
A: Not a whole lot was given to me except the wardrobe, but looking at that I could tell there was some stuff coming up for her, and that she was going to really be fighting hard to keep herself and everyone else safe. It’s much more utilitarian this year. Also these boots she has: those boots mean business! They did let me know that I would sort of be teaching the children some survival skills and I was really looking forward to that.
Carol is so cutthroat now! Do you agree with her kill-or-be-killed mentality?
A: Yeah, it’s exactly what she says. You can’t live in that world unless you are strong. And she knows that. A lot of changes in Carol this season she’s been forced into in order to survive. For so long, she’s had somebody tell her that she can’t do things. And at some point, she would believe those voices. It does affect your self-esteem. So I think it’s great that these real-world challenges in the show are really pushing her to do what she’s capable of, and forcing her to make choices. To see her so involved and taking this initiative and making choices and accepting consequences for them, I think it’s really great.
What’s been most surprising to you about the Season 4?
A: What’s great about this season is that we get to explore interactions a little bit more deeply with other characters in the show. There are so many interesting pairings and relationships between the characters. And I think that’s great. It’s just like in the real world when you’re hanging out with people and one part of you just feels alive with one person and when you’re with a different person a different part of you feels alive. Who you are is relative to who you’re bouncing off of, and I think it’s so great for these characters to be able to mix with other characters.
In the second interview with THR, Carol talks about Rick's decision from episode 4.04:
Rick has kicked Carol out of the prison! What was your first response when you read the script?
"I didn't see that coming! I was pretty floored and I love it. I liked where it went. I looked at it from the story and thought, "God, how ironic." This choice that Rick has made, there's so much going on and so many parallels. There are so many ways to turn what's going on here to find these parallels between Rick and Carol, between what she's done and what everyone has done in some way. I can't help but really like the way that this went down."
Do you think Carol deserved to be banished from the group?
"No. It's interesting Rick wants to go on this run and bring her along for it. They're testing one another it seems. She knows what happened to Shane (Jon Bernthal) and questions what's going on there. Rick is feeling the same way and wondering what's going on with her. Obviously when she took the risk, Carol knew there would be consequences if she had to confess or if anyone found out. She was prepared to tell Rick, that he would find out. She even suggested in the council meeting that Rick do a timeline to see who was where and when as the slayings happened. That's very interesting to note. Did she want to get caught? When she says to Rick that she did it, she stands there for a second and waits and he doesn't say anything, so she presses on with her task."
How will Daryl respond to Carol's absence? Will he question Rick?
"I hope that he questions Rick's decision, if Rick decides to tell everyone. Rick kept the fact that everyone was already infected to himself, as well as the fact that he killed Shane. It's all up in the air in terms of how he'll handle it."
After spending more than 10 years as a consultant in the tech and entertainment industry, Jonathan James launched Daily Dead in 2010 to share his interest in horror and sci-fi. Since then, it has grown into an online magazine with a staff of writers that provide daily news, reviews, interviews, and special features.
As the Editor-in-Chief of Daily Dead, Jonathan is responsible for bringing the latest horror news to millions of readers from around the world. He is also consulted with as an expert on zombies in entertainment and pop culture, providing analyses of the zombie sub-genre to newspapers, radio stations, and convention attendees.
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