Warning: spoilers ahead for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 2’s finale.

Sophia’s poignant cameo in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 2 settles unfinished business from the past, but also perfectly sets up Carol’s future. One of the biggest deaths in The Walking Dead‘s second season, Sophia died after wandering off alone and falling foul of the undead, leading to the harrowing visual of Carol watching on as her zombified daughter staggered out of the Greene family’s barn. Naturally, Sophia’s death impacted Carol across the subsequent nine seasons, but due to the demands of The Walking Dead‘s ensemble cast, the main show never tackled Carol’s grief with any great depth.

With Melissa McBride now co-starring alongside Norman Reedus in their own solo venture, Daryl Dixon season 2 has seized the opportunity to change that. The peaceful resolution of The Walking Dead‘s series finale gave Carol more time to dwell on the past, and her deferred grief has finally caught up. Carol mistakenly sighted Sophia at various points during Daryl Dixon season 2, while also experiencing flashbacks at the mere sight of a barn door. Sophia finally makes an appearance in Daryl Dixon season 2’s ending, and her return allows Carol to lay lingering trauma to rest.

Sophia’s Return In Daryl Dixon Season 2 Explained & What It Means For Carol

Sophia Returns In Carol’s Mind

Sophia’s return to The Walking Dead is made possible by bat droppings. The excrement Daryl and his allies encounter as they move through the Channel Tunnel from France to England has a hallucinogenic effect upon the group, with each character reacting differently to the invisible gas. With Sophia already at the forefront of her mind, Carol predictably has a vision of her daughter, and even if the reunion isn’t real in the technical sense, it’s real enough that it allows the grieving mother some semblance of closure.

Sophia was originally portrayed by Madison Lintz, who is now in her mid-20s.

Carol had previously admitted that, after more than a decade apart, she could no longer remember Sophia’s face as it was – only the decaying, biting version that emerged from the barn. The hallucinogen in the tunnel seemingly unlocks Carol’s memories and allows her to visualize Sophia as she looked during life, which visibly brings Melissa McBride’s character the wave of peace that has been eluding her for most of The Walking Dead‘s timeline. The vision banishes Carol’s mental image of Sophia as a zombie and replaces it with a lighter, happier memory.

The Walking Dead Finally Resolves Sophia’s Story After Her Death In Season 2

Sophia’s Death Always Felt Unfinished After The Walking Dead Season 2

Because The Walking Dead was a large-scale narrative with many moving parts and characters to accommodate, major deaths did not always have the long-lasting impact one would expect. Sophia is a prime example. While her death and memory were still mentioned throughout later seasons, Carol actually came to terms with the loss within a matter of episodes – at least on the outside. The Walking Dead only scratched the surface of Carol’s emotions, and it comes as no great surprise to see those repressed feelings bubbling up in Daryl Dixon season 2.

Carol’s vision of Sophia in Daryl Dixon season 2’s finale essentially does what the main show never had room for. The first five episodes of The Walking Dead‘s “The Book of Carol” arc displayed Carol’s grief in very visceral and raw ways – the flashbacks, the panic, and even the use of Sophia’s memory to deceive Ash. The scene where Sophia returns in episode 6 then affords Carol an emotional outlet, releasing over 10 years of pain and maternal anguish in a single embrace, even if said embrace is only happening in Carol’s mind.

Sophia is still alive when The Walking Dead ‘s comic story ends, settling down with Carl Grimes.

Real or not, the story of Sophia’s death finally feels complete. The fallen youngster will remain a foundational brick in Carol’s character, of course, and will continue to influence her mother’s future in the zombie apocalypse. Nevertheless, the fallout from Sophia’s death in The Walking Dead has now been dug up, examined, and laid to rest.

How Sophia’s Return Sets Up Carol’s Journey In Daryl Dixon Season 3

Closing One Chapter In The Book Of Carol Opens Up Another

Arguably the most important moment in Sophia and Carol’s reunion is when Carol asks, “Can I come with you?” While the imaginary Sophia does not respond with words, she gives her answer by letting go of her mother’s hands. The message here is that Carol – part of her, at least – doesn’t want to carry on after years of struggling with the weight of her daughter’s death. By letting go, “Sophia” is telling her mother that she still has work to do – now is not the time for Carol to join the ranks of The Walking Dead‘s deceased heroes.

She might thrive in the heat of battle, but Carol has typically struggled to adjust during times of peace.

Because this entire reunion is a figment of Carol’s imagination, it could be argued that Carol is actually telling herself to continue living in this scene. The fact that the message is coming through a vision of Sophia, however, might allow Carol to feel like she has permission to move forward. Whatever way it comes about, this realization is vital for Daryl Dixon season 3, as Carol will now have both the motivation to push through future obstacles and a raison d’etre.

Additionally, the “feeling” Carol has carried throughout The Walking Dead might finally be quashed. She might thrive in the heat of battle, but Carol has typically struggled to adjust during times of peace, feeling a sense of unease as the relative quiet of existing within a happy community allows her old “ghosts” to creep back. Following her poo-induced reunion with Sophia, Carol might finally be able to settle down and enjoy life in the Commonwealth after The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon ends – assuming she and Daryl can get back there, of course.