Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol episode 1.

Carol’s return to The Walking Dead involved her telling a huge lie regarding her daughter’s death, and Daryl Dixon season 2 helps explain why she kept Sophia’s fate a secret. During the original show’s second season, Sophia tragically lost her life after trying to hide from walkers, which ended up with her turning into a zombie herself. The heartbreaking scene is easily one of the franchise’s most emotional moments and has left a lasting impact on Carol. Despite having one of The Walking Dead‘s highest kill counts, Carol wasn’t experienced enough to save her daughter, which likely still haunts her.

She may have grown into a ruthless and capable survivor, but Carol was still timid when the outbreak first started, which ultimately played a role in Sophia’s death. Although around a decade has passed since the incident, Carol chose not to share the truth about Sophia with her new ally Ash, raising questions about why she decided to lie. Given Ash is one of the few characters in the franchise who can relate to how she’s feeling, her deception seems strange, but it’s part of a larger plan, proving why Carol is one of The Walking Dead‘s best characters.

Carol Doesn’t Think Ash Would Help Her Fly To France Just To Find A Friend

Carol Thinks Lying About Sophia Is Her Only Shot Of Getting To France

The reasoning behind Carol’s lie comes from her doubting that Ash would take her to France just to find a friend. Ash already had a hostile reaction to Carol snooping around his greenhouse, and she likely thought that asking him to fly to France would sound completely unreasonable. As a result, lying about Sophia being alive was a desperate attempt to guilt-trip the show’s newest addition into making the trip across the ocean, as Carol had no other way of finding Daryl, and hearing Ash lost his son made it obvious he had a soft spot that could be exploited.

Although it would have hurt her to lie about her own daughter’s fate, Carol was desperate to get to Europe and was willing to go to extremes. Her lie has already started to backfire, as Ash asked her questions about what Sophia might be interested in and if she thinks her daughter will recognize her, but this was a gamble she was willing to take. Given Ash eventually agrees to help her and is the sole reason Carol is able to get to France in Daryl Dixon, her manipulation clearly worked, but it will come at a cost.

Carol Exploiting Ash’s Grief Makes Her Spinoff Story Very Dark

Lying About Her Daughter Being Alive Depsite Knowing What Ash Is Going Through Proves How Cold Carol Can Be

While lying about Sophia will help Carol get to France, it sets up a dark spinoff story that could take a toll on her. Ash will likely find out the truth eventually, which will shatter all trust between the characters and could result in her being stranded in France all alone. Daryl Dixon season 2 teased Carol and Daryl meeting, and while the trailer only provides a few brief shots, Ash is nowhere to be seen. Therefore, he may have traveled back to America without Carol, or even more tragically, died during a journey that was based on a lie.

Even if Ash survives, episode 1 suggests that Carol is willing to exploit people for her own gain, and she has done even worse in the past. Given Ash is willing to drop everything to take Carol abroad, the fact that she is taking advantage of his grief is extremely cruel and sets the tone for what kind of story she may have going forward. Although the show may not present her as a villain, her selfishness and cold nature could make her one of the most heartless characters in season 2, creating a dark road ahead.

Carol Clearly Hasn’t Come To Terms With Sophia’s Death

Sophia’s Death Has Rarely Been Mentioned Since The Walking Dead Season 2

Despite how much time has passed since Sophia’s death, Carol clearly isn’t over it and Daryl Dixon season 2 proves this. Although keeping her daughter’s fate a secret was part of her plan, opening up to Ash and spending more time getting to know him still could have resulted in the same outcome. It’s possible that given Ash spent so long alone, he would be willing to help Carol if she was upfront and honest from the beginning. However, choosing to go down the more deceitful route indicates that Carol still isn’t ready to admit Sophia is gone.

Carol may be choosing to believe Sophia is still alive despite knowing the truth, meaning this lie could reflect her unwillingness to move on.

Therefore, Carol’s reasoning for claiming Sophia is still alive may be because part of her still believes it deep down. Coping with her daughter’s death and moving on wouldn’t have been easy, but she managed to overcome this quickly in the main show, suggesting she might not have grieved properly. Carol may be choosing to believe Sophia is still alive despite knowing the truth, meaning this lie could reflect her unwillingness to move on. As a result, the Sophia storyline will likely be a huge part of Daryl Dixon season 2, adding tragedy to Carol’s Walking Dead return.