“I was surprised when I read it in the script.”

Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon - The Book of Carol

Emmanuel Guimier/AMC

*Warning: This article contains minor spoilers for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol episode 2, which has been released in the US.*

With The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol now having dropped episode 2, fans of the series probably weren’t expecting a little hark back to original series, The Walking Dead.

The spin-off series treated fans to a flashback scene of one of The Walking Dead’s most notable scenes from season 2 when Hershel’s barn doors were opened to reveal Sophia (Madison Lintz) as a zombie.

The original scene saw her mother Carol (Melissa McBride) collapse to the ground in despair, being comforted by Norman Reedus’s Daryl Dixon.

It’s safe to say that The Walking Dead scene has gone down in history within the franchise as one of the most heartbreaking twists and fates for Carol and her daughter, Sophia. But in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol, the scene played out a little differently.

How to watch The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon

Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 2, holding a gun

Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 2. Emmanuel Guimier/AMC

The flashback to the season 2 scene was triggered by Carol watching Ash (Manish Dayal) open up some barn doors, taking her back to that fateful discovery of her daughter. This time round, the version of Sophia was played by a different actress, but the emotions definitely still remained.

Chatting to Entertainment Weekly about getting back into that headspace for her character, McBride said: “What surprised me was how quickly it was right there.

“It was a little confusing going through the night in the present tense into the daytime in the flashback. Having to carry the emotion through each of it was a little challenging. But I loved playing that scene.”

On first learning of the inclusion of the flashback scene, the actress added: “I was surprised when I read it in the script. I was just like, ‘We’re really going to do that. We’re going to have a whole flashback and recreate the whole thing?'”

The new remade scene was also directed by Greg Nicotero, who also actually worked on the original season 2 episode. Speaking about recreating it, he said: “It really was wild to recreate that.

“I had so many memories of like, ‘Oh, we need hay here, and there’s a body there. I remember putting blood over there, and then there was a dead zombie here.’

“And so it was really kind of strange standing there looking at the side of the barn. I took me right back to how I was feeling being there when we shot it. That’s such a powerful moment.”

The series has already been renewed for a third season, so there’s plenty more to look forward to in this spin-off story. As per the synopsis for season 2: “The new season picks up where The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon left off, following fan-favorite characters Daryl Dixon (Reedus) and Carol Peletier (McBride).

“They both confront old demons while she fights to find her friend and he struggles with his decision to stay in France, causing tension at the Nest. Additionally, Genet (Anne Charrier)’s movement builds momentum, setting Pouvoir on a violent collision course with the Union of Hope in the fight for France’s future.”

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 2 will arrive on Sky Max and NOW on 4th October – find out more about how to sign up for Sky TV.