What started last week as a funny yet terrifying joke about cookies became a very poignant moment for Carol. Will Rick Grimes kill Pete on The Walking Dead now that he knows Pete is abusing Jessie? This just became much more serious than a love triangle. On Sunday's episode of The Walking Dead, Sam, baked goods enthusiast and son of Jessie and Pete, asked Carol if he could have a gun, but not for himself. Carol then paid a visit to Pete and figured out that he was abusive. Of all people, Carol knows the signs. She is a survivor of domestic abuse herself. I really liked this storyline. It is an interesting way to integrate Carol's past and present lives. She needs to shake that child-murdering reputation somehow. I don't personally think Carol needs redemption at this point, but coming to the aid of little Sam and his mom would certainly do the trick.
At the end of the episode, Carol revealed her findings to Rick and told him that the only way it was going to end was if Rick killed Pete himself. I can't act like I didn't notice Rick's excitement about that prospect. You know he has been dying for an excuse to hate that guy for days now. Earlier in the episode, a day drunk Pete showed up at Rick's "house" to mark his territory. It was rude, but not rude enough to merit any kind of retaliation. Carol's discovery just fuels his heart fire.
Why doesn't Carol want to do the deed herself? We know she's more than capable of it, and coming to the rescue of a woman who is going through something she went through herself would be inspiring to watch. My guess is that this has something to do with Carol's endgame at Alexandria. She is choosing her actions very carefully and may not want to reveal her potential just yet.
Rick trusts Carol, but Rick also knows what Carol is capable of and how dangerous she is. How spooky was the end of the episode, with Father Gabriel giving his warning and all of our survivors making their moves to ultimately take over the Alexandria Safe-Zone? It does get deadly in the comic books. In a rage, Peter kills a character we may have met, and then Rick takes him out in retaliation. We may be seeing the beginning of that storyline.
Image: Gene Page/AMC
