Carol left Alexandria on The Walking Dead to be on her own, and Rick went right after her — but should he have?
If you’re like me, you were horrified/scared out of your mind that Carol was fleeing Alexandria. She’s definitely a fan favorite and not a character that fans want to see in harm’s way anytime soon. It’s no surprise that the Alexandrians had pretty much the same response and left as soon as they found out she had gone. Even though they knew the threat of Negan and the Saviors was imminent they left without any real plan to try and find Carol. But should they have gone after her at all?
I know that I just said I had the same reaction as Rick and the gang, but once you take a step back from the situation, what they should have done becomes much clearer. Rick and the Alexandrian’s are getting ready for a big battle, they know full well that they’re a target and everyone should be staying close to home. Instead it seems like half of the people left in this episode. With everything going on, Rick should be staying with the place that he so desperately wants to keep safe.
Does Rick need to be going after Carol? It’s pretty clear that Carol has lost herself this season. She’s been torn between being a fighter and acting like the person she was before the walkers. When Carol loves, she loves fiercely and would do anything for those people. That has meant that Carol’s killed a lot of people in order to save her people. It’s beginning to alarm herself just how ruthless she’s becoming. It’s what has made her a survivor, but it’s also made her feel like something of a monster.
If Rick did catch up with her and brought her back to Alexandria, what would that do for her? What Carol needs is time away to figure out who she is and what she wants. Forcing her to stay will just make her more miserable and make her feel obligated to kill for them. It would be better to wait it out and see if she returns on her own, ready to help them once more.
Not only does Carol need the time away, but we know she’s capable of being away from them. She’s done it once before and if anything she’s even stronger now than she was then. When Rick exiled her from the group back in The Walking Dead season 4, she was able to get her own safe place and thrived just fine. Not only did she survive, but when she rejoined them it was to help Tyrese take care of Judith. Then she saved Rick and the group from Terminus by herself.
Even with the threat of the Saviors out looking for them, Carol is still able to take care of herself. Shortly after leaving Alexandra she ran into a group of them who shot down her car and tried to take her hostage, but she tricked them and was able to seriously wound or kill them all. When Rick and Morgan stumble upon the wreckage they’re amazed. “I’m proud of her. She took four of them down. That woman is a force of nature,” Rick explained to Morgan.
Then they keep trying to track her down, worried she might be wounded. However, I’m not convinced that they’re even heading in the right direction. They run into another Savior, run into a group of walkers, and start running out of daylight. At this point they realize that they’re not going to be finding her anytime soon, so Morgan offers to keep on her trail while Rick heads back to basecamp. Worst. Plan. Ever. Morgan seems like the last person Carol would want to see. Despite his refusal to kill, he’d still be useful if Alexandria came under attack because his fighting skills are quite good.
What they should have done was just both head back to Alexandria. If Carol wants to return, I’m sure she will. Instead they’re just making the whole situation worse. As they say, if you love something, let it go.
So Rick: You made a mistake. You should’ve let Carol be free.