Rewind: Carol Peletier tells Lizzie to ‘Look at the Flowers’

Naive, youthful indiscretion turned to final judgment with a revolver favored over the gavel. Sunlight lightly dances over Lizzie Samuels’ blonde locks as eternal night stands behind her.

Carol Peletier desperately wants nothing more than to look the other way again… But all out of places to look. Today will be Lizzie’s last. This teenage scrapbook memory, Carol can’t look past.

This article contains spoilers for The Walking Dead Season 4, Episode 14 (“The Grove”).

An unceremonious blade appeared from her older sister’s hand, as she breathed in Lizzie’s beliefs secondhand. Collapsing to the floor, Lizzie had pushed Mika tumbling down into death’s door. No longer family, no longer sis, one Samuels had called it quits.

Reduced to a makeshift lab experiment in the wild. Dehumanized so walkers could be humanized.

From the break of dawn, Mika had attempted unsuccessfully to rein in her sister’s spiraling views. Like the adults around her, Mika surrendered to the threat of tears. Apologizing to Lizzie for raising her voice, hoping she would come around on her own… But it would be Mika that was made to atone.

The adults tirelessly ignored Lizzie’s devout beliefs. Sequestered them as ‘Just a phase’ to the loneliest warehouse of their mind. Lights out. Until Lizzie’s theory escaped its wooden crate into the real world, feral & motivated.

Taking her hypothesis fantasies from daydream to first test subject. Younger sister Mika did not sign forms or waivers for this experiment, so Lizzie Samuels took guardianship upon herself.

Society’s corrective self preservation

Brighton Sharbino as Lizzie Samuels on The Walking Dead “The Grove” – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

Lizzie’s warning signs dragged on like a prisoner’s ball & chain on Carol Peletier’s ankle. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. As is often in life, planned out decisions never come to fruition, while momentary lapses end in fiery ignition.

This time there would be no second, third, fourth, and fifth chances for Lizzie Samuels. Her walker theory now held a real danger to the rest of the group. Unknowingly to Lizzie, she was now out of the loop.

Innocent, child-like views of the dead no longer tolerated. Mika would never be reanimated. No trust left, Old Yeller gone rabid.

Carol lets sweet words fly, assuring the well meaning but lost teenager she’s not mad at her. Tears flow gently down Carol’s cheeks.

No turning back, a one woman firing squad. Eternal guilt riding heavy on Carol’s shoulders. “Just look at the flowers, Lizzie.”

More articles on The Walking Dead TV Series:

– Talking Carol on a daily basis to your TWD pals? Know every detail of the Lizzie and Mika Samuels tragedy in episode “The Grove” by heart? Time to test your Carol knowledge with the Carol Peletier Trivia Quiz!

– Then follow it up with the ‘How well do you know Melissa McBride? Trivia Quiz‘ and test your real-life knowledge of the actress!

– Read The Walking Dead Season 10B: Examining Carol Peletier’s Claustrophobia to learn about how the script’s source material has basis in real life.

– Be sure to visit The Walking Dead section for more TWD articles, news, reviews, recaps, and interviews on the zombie apocalypse TV series! The final season of The Walking Dead will premiere on August 22, 2021. We’ll soon find out what’s in store for Carol Peletier…