Though romance appears to be brewing, Carol continuously shuts down a future with Ezekiel. Does this foreshadow a dark future for her character?
As Carol continues to avoid a romantic reunion with Ezekiel, The Walking Dead signals dark times ahead for the zombie apocalypse's best cookie baker. Coming out of an abusive relationship with her original husband and then a fleeting romance with Tobin in Alexandria, Melissa McBride's Carol Peletier finally found true love with Ezekiel following a long and persistent courtship. Staying together through The Walking Dead's season 9 time skip and adopting Henry as their son, Carol experienced true happiness until the teenager's death at the hands of Alpha brought their marriage to an end. Nonetheless, she and Ezekiel remained close friends.
Now dwelling in the Commonwealth, The Walking Dead season 11 makes no attempt to hide the sparks flying between them once more. Not only was Carol instrumental in securing Ezekiel life-saving surgery, but "Trust" finds them bonding over Ezekiel's secret hospital. The King then describes Carol as a "light" who carries the darkness because she's strong enough to bear it. Though touched by his words, Carol reminds him (semi-jokingly), "You know we're not getting back together, right?" Ezekiel playfully responds with, "Yeah, you keep saying that," as if he's convinced they'll find their way back to each other sooner or later.
And Ezekiel certainly has a point. Emotions plainly remain strong on both sides. There's no ill will from the breakup, and The Walking Dead season 11 proves their magic is very much still alive. Grief - and Carol's subsequent revenge mission against Alpha - were responsible for driving her and Ezekiel apart, and those days have long passed... so why does Carol continue to distance herself from Ezekiel's royal embrace? Looking back at her history in The Walking Dead, Carol habitually pushes people away to avoid them getting hurt by her knack for violence. So, could rejecting Ezekiel prove Carol is planning something diabolical against the Commonwealth?
When the Savior situation began heating up in The Walking Dead season 7, Carol isolated herself, fearing the one-woman death machine she knew she'd transform into. When Henry's death sparked the Whisperer War, Carol once again closed off emotionally, this time to avoid dragging the people she loved into her quest for revenge. It's surely no coincidence that just as a Commonwealth conflict is beginning to look unavoidable, Carol is once again pushing away those dearest to her. Maintaining emotional distance from Ezekiel not only suggests Carol knows conflict is coming, but foreshadows how she might already be embarking upon a deadly solo mission.
As soon as she arrived in the Commonwealth, Carol did her best 007 impression, digging around hospital filing cabinets where she discovered the community's not-exactly-equal approach to rebuilding society. In that moment, did Carol realize a fight between her own people and the Commonwealth was inevitable? Perhaps that would explain why Melissa McBride's character has embedded herself so deeply within the society's hierarchy. Lance Hornsby seems to trust her above anyone else, and The Walking Dead season 11's "Trust" proves Carol holds sway among the Commonwealth's guards too, since she commands them to let Ezekiel and Tomi go free. When the battle finally does begin, Carol occupies the perfect position to betray Lance by doing what she does best - let people underestimate her, then go for the kill.
If Carol's movements throughout The Walking Dead season 11, part 2 have all been a prelude to murdering Lance, it makes sense to avoid rekindling any romantic feelings with Ezekiel. It's the pattern we've seen Carol adopt ahead of big showdowns in past seasons - now the Commonwealth appears to be gunning for the same outcome.
The Walking Dead continues Sundays on AMC.
