In the prison, Rick is wrapping a bandage around his hand. Carol is standing outside the quarantine area when Lizzie appears. Carol tells Lizzie that she is going on a run with Rick because they lost all of the food in cellblock D. Lizzie reports that no one is dead yet and suggests that they get to come back. Carol reminds her that the zombies are not who they were. Lizzie assures Carol that she is not weak. While Carol is talking, Rick is picturing Carol killing Karen and David. Carol reminds Lizzie that if it is her life, or her sister's life, that she shouldn't be afraid to kill. Outside, Rick looks over the knives. When Lizzie calls Carol mom, Carol tells her not to. Lizzie says that she is not afraid to kill, just scared and Carol encourages her not to give up and to fight it. Rick waits outside by the fence for Carol.
Tyreese is washing the blood out of his shirt when Darryl tells him that it is time to go. Tyreese still doesn't move and Bill calls to him to say that there should a town a few miles down. Tyreese is concerned by how long they have gone and adds that he believes Sasha might be dead.
In the car, Carol tells Rick that Maggie wanted to come but he says someone had to watch over things. Carol asks if he means someone he trusts and adds that Karen and David were a threat and she was trying to save lives. Rick replies, "maybe" and keeps driving.
Darryl and Michonne are in he lead and Darryl stops and picks jasper. He quips to Michonne that if you stay in a place for awhile that it is surprising what you can pick up. Well, now Darryl is showing his snark.
Carol and Rick are out of the car looking for anything which can help Hershel. Rick says that they get in and then they get out.
Bob, Tyreese, Michonne and Darryl stop when Darryl sees a car covered by bushes. Darryl tries to hotwire the car but cannot get it to start. They start to hack away at bushes and Darryl advises Tyreese to go easy because they don't know what they are dealing with. Tryeese accidentally cuts the lock to a door, which is holding back zombies and ends up being saved by Darryl and Bob.
Carol starts to clean the wounds on the couple. Sam has a dislocated shoulder and Carol pops it back into place as Rick watches. Apparently, they were hiding in the bathroom for a few days and Carol and Rick are shocked that they were not able to defend themselves because they had guns and knives. Sam says that they just keep moving, not waiting for a place get bad. Rick asks the couple how many walkers they have killed.
Now inside the gas station, Darryl finds the battery that he needs to start the car. Outside, Michonne and Tyreese continue to hack away at the bush. Michonne asks Tyreese if he is trying to die and adds that he has every reason to be angry. Michonne argues that anger makes you stupid and stupid gets you killed. Tyreese brings up the governor and Michonne says that she is not angry but she was. Tyreeses does not buy that and questions why Michonne is still looking for Philip. Michonne has no answer for this. Clearly despite all of the smiles we have seen Michonne from the start of the season, are to cover the anger she still feels.
Inside, Bob says that everybody makes it until they don't, when Darryl points out that the walkers they just fought, committed suicide as a group. Darryl looks at pictures on the wall and recognize one as a zombie caught under a desk. Bob makes quick work of the zombie.
Carol and Rick say it's time to move on. Rick tells Ana and Sam that they are from a prison and are dealing with a flu that's bad. Rick suggests Ana and Sam sit tight and promises to circle back before dark but Carol tells them to help search the houses. The couple argues that they can help, when Rick says no. Carol suggests that they will cover more ground with help and Rick agrees. Rick hands the couple a gun and says that if they fire a shot, he will come running. He also gives Sam a watch and adds that they are to meet up in two hours.
Darryl is working on the car and he asks Bob about the group they were with before. Bob reveals that when he was found on the road, he almost kept walking because he was the last one left standing of two different groups. Bob admits that he drank a bottle of something just to shut his eyes at night. Bob reveals that he went on the last run to get a bottle and put the bottle down so hard it took down the shelf. Bob blames himself for Zack's death and Darryl tells him that it is bullshit, before sending Bob to start the car. Bob gets the car started and Darryl whistles for Rick and Michonne.
Carol and Rick find more medication but it is all expired. Rick questions whether he made the right decision to allow the kids to come back and Carol says that if they are strong enough to help them survive this then he made the right call. Carol tells Rick that she killed two people and points out that he hasn't said a word about it. Carol suggests that Rick is not facing reality and adds that he can be a farmer but not just a farmer. Carol tells Rick that he was a good leader and Rick argues that he never murdered two of our own, which causes Carol to bring up Shane. Rick argues that it is not the same situation and that Shane was trying to kill him. Carol counters suggesting that Karen and David would have done the same thing and says that Rick he has to accept what she did not like it.
Darryl, Bob, Michonne and Tyreese have made it to the vet clinic. Bob stops to pick up bottle as everyone else grabs all the medicine they can find.
Rick and Carol are outside picking fresh tomatoes. Carol explains that she knew how to set Sam's shoulder because she used to set her own to hide the beatings she used to get. Carol didn't think that she could be strong. Rick asks why she doesn't say Sophia's name and Carol replies that Sophia is a slideshow from another life. Rick admits that some mornings he still expects to see Lori and he reminisces about Lori's bad cooking. Rick and Carol find peaches on the ground and follow a trail to discover that Ana didn't make it. Carol very calmly says that they should get back because Sam is probably waiting for them.
They have gathered all they can from the vet clinic and are making their way out. To avoid the zombies they head into a dark area. Tyreees says that they can take the zombies but Bob points out that they are infected. He is worried about getting sick from the blood.
Rick and Carol are waiting for Sam to show up and Carol points out that it has been too long. Rick argues to give Sam more time and Carl says that Sam might be fine but they have to go.
Michone et al continue to fight their way out of the clinic. Tyreese is forced to break a window with a fire extinguisher. When Bob jumps outside, he falls and the bag flys into a group of zombies. Tyrsese tells him to let go of the pack but he refuses. Bob manages to get the bag up and they discover he only had booze and no medicine. Darryl grabs Bob's gun and tells him that he should have kept walking that day. Tyreese tells Darryl to let it go and Bob says that he didn't mean to hurt anybody. Darryl tells Bob that if he takes one sip before the people get the drugs, he will beat his ass into the ground.
Rick and Carol have packed up the trunk of the car and Rick says that Karen and David might have lived and now they are dead. Rick adds that it wasn't Carol's decision to make. Rick says that the others won't want her back and if it's just the them - Judith, Carl and Rick, then he won't have her there either. Carol says that no one else has to know and questions Rick making decisions for the whole group. Rick replies that he is making this decision for him. Carol adds that she stepped up and had to do something. Rick tells her that she didn't. Carol is adamant that she is not going anywhere without Lizza and Micah. Rick tells Carol that she is going to start over and find others and promises to take care of the kids. Rick puts a backpack on the ground.
Tyreese and Michonne are making a plan to get back to he prison. Michonne gets in the car and tells Darryl that he was right about the trail going cold and adds that she doen't need to go out anymore.
Carol has a car packed to go and she hands Rick the watch that Ed gave her on their first anniversary, saying that she doesn't need it anymore. Carol hops into the car and leaves.
Michonne is behind the wheel as they make their way back to the prison. Rick is driving by himself back to the prison.
Wow what an episode! I didn't see Rick getting rid of Carol whatsoever. I think at the end of the day, Rick didn't get rid of her because he was worried about Tyreese's reaction but because he had become afraid of her. If Carol could coldly kill and burn Karen and David, then he could easily turn on him, or his kids if she deemed it necessary for survival.
Of all of the characters from the first season, Carol absolutely evolved the most. She went from a passive battered wife to a woman willing to anything to make sure the people around her survived. After Sophia died, Carol became a leader. It's telling that Carol told Rick that he doesn't just get to be farmer. Carol refuses to pretend for one moment that they are not under a constant threat and even when people were living in Shangra-la in the pre-infection time, Carol was busy teaching the children how to defend themselves from walkers despite the fact that parents wanted to keep them innocent (read:ignorant) to real threat they lived with daily. Other than Merle, Carol is the only person to be actively kicked out. It saddens me greatly to see such a strong female character summarily leave the show. I can only hope that Carol finds her way back to the group, or joins the spin off said to be in creation.
Bob and Tyreese are the only two Black men on the show, which is telling considering where The Walking Dead is filmed. Tyreese thus far is the rage filled Black man. This is quite the opposite of his character in the comics. Granted, he has been through a lot, but none of the other characters have reacted the way he has. Then we have Bob the alcoholic. I actually sympathize a lot with Bob. Who wouldn't want to anesthetize themselves living in a zombi apocalypse. Bob story tells us that all these people have to look forward to is being alone. It's clear that Darryl now sees Bob as a threat to the group but unlike Darryl, Bob's life most certainly didn't improve because of the apocalypse. Darryl went from being an outsider to a leader.
Many people in fandom were pushing for a relationship between Carol and Darryl. It's clear that there was chemistry between them. In this season the push changed and many want a relationship between Darryl and Michonne. It's clear in the last couple of episodes that writers seem to be leaning this way and let me say right fucking now -- if they put Michonne in a relationship with that redneck racist -- instead of Tyreese, I will spit my God damned dummy out.
