We get a few through a window of what looks to be a kid taunting a zombie, while inside a the kettle whistle blows. It's an interesting comparison to the normalcy we know and the dystopian world that is The Walking Dead.
Carol and Lizzie together keeping watch and Lizzie offers to help, if trouble arises by taking Judith. Lord, please do not hand that innocent baby to the little scary rabbit killer. Lizzie asks if there will be kids at Terminus and Carol says if they kept their kids safe. Lizzie then recounts how she saved Tyreese by killing two people. Carol assures Lizzie that it is fine that she shot a woman in the head. Sure, just assure this future sociopath that it's fine to kill. What could go wrong with that? Lizzie asks if Carol had children and Carol talks about how sweet her daughter Sophia was. Lizzie asks if her sweetness is why Carol's daughter is dead and if Carol would miss her. Carol says that she won't have to miss Lizzie and sends her to bed. Lizzie hugs Carol and heads off to bed. Tyreese is sleeping and is having a nightmare and when he wakes, he makes eye contact with Carol.
The next day, Carol and Lizzie find something to help fight the infection on Tyreese's arm. Tyreese and Carol talk about how far away they are from Terminus. Carol says that Lizzie is confused about the walkers and thinks that they are just different. Carol adds that Mica is worse because she doesn't have a mean bone in her body. The group starts walking again and Carol tells them the story of Huck Finn. Mica comments that Lizzie is like Huck because she is not grossed out by rabbits. Carol and Tyreese smell a fire and agree to stop to look for water.
Tyreese holds Judith, while Lizzie initiates a game of I Spy. When Tyreese sees something walking on the road, he hands over the baby to Lizzie and takes out his ax. Tyreese moves towards the figure which drops to the ground. When he catches up to it, it's a walker. Lizzie stops him from killing the walker saying that sometimes they have to kill them and sometimes they don't. In the woods, Carol informs Mica that she needs to toughen up but Mica argues that she can run. Carol points out that her daughter ran but it wasn't enough. Mica asserts that she can kill walkers and is not messed up like Lizzie because she knows what they are. Mica says that she cannot kill people because killing people is wrong. Carol asks about people who try to kill her and Mica says that she doesn't wish she could. Mica says that people who kill weren't like that before. Carol tells her that she has to change or else she will die. They see a house and walk towards it.
Lizzie, and Tyreese join them and Carol suggests staying there for awhile because there is plenty of obviously available food.. They see the smoke of a fire at a distance and Carol suggests that they play it safe. The girls wait outside, while Tyreese and Carol prepare to go in. Carol instructs Mica to pull out her gun because Lizzie has Judith. Why oh why do they keep letting Lizzie hold the baby? Lizzie is worried that Carol and Tyreesee will find a walker in the house and kill it. Mica tells Lizzie that the walkers aren't people, just as one stumbles out of the house. Mica shoots the walker in the head and Carol and Tyrese come rushing outside. Lizzie cries and Mica apologises for yelling and tells Lizzie to look at the flowers and count one two three.
Later, in the house, Carol cracks nuts and asks Lizzie if she is still upset. Lizzie says that she is trying to understand. Tyreese says that they have plenty of water and now all they to do is bag a deer. Tyreese is content to be in a living room in a house. Mica suggests that they stay in the house.
The next day, Carol puts the kettle on the stove while outside, Lizzie plays with a walker. Carol rushes outside screaming at Lizzie that she needs to get away. Lizzie stands in front of the walker trying to protect it and Carol pushes it out of the way and kills walker. Lizzie loses her ever loving mind and says that the walker wanted a friend and that Carol didn't have to kill it. Lizzie screams repeatedly that Carol killed her friend and collapses on the ground.
Later, Mica and Carol are waking through the woods together and Carol again tries to school Mica how to survive in the apocalypse. Carol encourages Mica to look out for her sister. They come across a deer and Carol encourages Mica to kill it but Mica lowers her weapon saying that she cannot and that they have peaches. The women walk away.
Carol and Tyreese gather water from the well and he says that Mica is right and that they can stay there. Tyreese tells Carol that he trusts her and the girls and that he may not find that anywhere else. After not finding Lizzie in the house, Mica heads outside. Lizzie is back at the railroad tracks and she feeds the walker a mouse. I guess we now know who was feeding the walkers at the prison. Mica finds her and says that they cannot pretend anymore because the walkers are bad. Lizzie says that she is not pretending and that she can hear them. Mica points out that the walkers want to kill her and Lizzie offers her hand to a walker saying that maybe she should change. Smoking walkers make their way out of the woods and Mica has to drag Lizzie away. When Carol and Tyreese hear the girls screaming, they come running. Lizzie trips and falls and Mica has to pull her away from a walker. The group then kills the walkers and Lizzie cries again. Can we just have Lizzie take to her bed? It would less painful than her fits.
Later that night, Lizzie confesses that she had to help stop the walkers and that she knows what she has to do now. Why should anyone believe the little rabbit killer? Carol assures Lizzie that this is the cost of living. Mica pipes up that she doesn't want to hurt anyone and that she doesn't want to be mean. There is an interesting contrast between Mica and her rabbit killing sister. They start opening up the pecans and then head to the oven to toast them.
The next day, Carol says that the girls like it there and that they can build it up. Carol tells Tyreese that if he doesn't want to go to Terminus they could stay. Tyreese says that it doesn't mean they can't go someday and that he isn't ready to be around other people yet. Tyreese then admits that he dreams about Karen every night and forgets that she is dead. Tyreee adds that on the bad nights, he sees someone kill Karen and then he feels like he loses her all over again. Tyreese says that the people who are living, are haunted by the dead and that the whole world is haunted now. Carol replies that maybe they're not haunting us and are helping to remind survivors, so people can live with what they have to do. Carol does not make eye contact and Tyreese tells her not to be ashamed of who she is because she did right by everyone. Am I the only one who thought that Carol was going to confess? Talk about a nail biting scene.
Later, they search for a deer and Carol tells a joke that Ed used to tell about hunting. When they return to thehouse, they find Lizzie standing with blood on her hand holding a knife. Mica is lying on the ground dead and Lizzie tells, Tyreese and Carol not to worry because Mica will come back because she didn't hurt her brain. The baby is lying on the ground looking up. Carol reaches for Lizzie and Lizzie pulls a gun saying that they have to wait until Mica comes back. Carol promises that they can wait and asks for the gun. Lizzie says that Judith can change too and that she was about to help her. Didn't I say that they shouldn't leave the baby with Lizzie. Carol tells Lizzie to go with Tyreese and Judith back into the house and that she will tie Mica up, so she won't go anywhere. Carol waits until Tyreese gets Lizzie into the house before breaking out in tears and pulling out a knife.
Later, inside the house, Tyreese reports that he brought Lizzie some food, and cleared out her room to make sure she doesn't have any knives. Ya think. In the Lizzie's room, Tyreese found a shoe box filled with knives and adds that Lizzie pulled apart a rabbit at the tombs. Tyreese adds that he found Lizzie's mouse stash and surmises that Lizzie was feeding walkers at the prison. Tyreese wonders if Lizzie killed Karen and David. Carol says that Lizzie would have let them turn. Tyreese asks what they should do and Carol suggests leaving with Lizzie because she cannot be around other people and adds that Lizzie does not belong in the same house with Judith. Carol adds that she should have seen what Lizzie has become. Tyreese suggests leaving with Judith and Carol argues that he won't make it either. Carol again says that Lizzie cannot be around other people.
Later, Carol and Lizzie are walking and Carol suggests picking some wild flowers for Mica, to give her when she comes back. Lizzie notices that Carol is sad and asks if Carol is mad at her. Lizzie apologizes for pointing her gun at Carol and adds that she just needed her to wait. Carol tells Lizzie that she loves her and that everything works out the way it's meant to. Lizzie starts to cry and apologizes, so Carol tells her to look at the flowers, as she pulls her gun. A crying Carol shoots Lizzie in the back of the head, as Tyreese watches from the window. In the distance, Carol sees a deer but she is done killing for the day.
Later, Carol digs a grave and Tyreese brings the body over. That night, Carol and Tyreese face each other across a table. Carol finally admits to killing Karen and David to stop the illness from spreading and killing other people. Carol tells Tyreese to do what he has to do. Tyreese struggles not to grab a gun and asks if Karen was scared and if she knew what was happening. Carol assures him that it was quick. Tyreese grabs the gun and Carol again tells him to do what he has to do. Tyreese takes his hand off the gun and tells Carol that he forgives her but will never forget that it happened. Tyreese is sure what Carol did is a part of her now, just as it is a part of him. A crying Carol thanks Tyyreese and he says that they cannot stay there now.
We get a shot of the house and then Carol and Tyreese walk away, while in the background, we hear Mica talking about how she is not afraid to die. They return to the railroad and walk away.
Wow what an intense episode. The Walking Dead seems to be answering a lot of questions that they have asked this season. We have known for a long time that something is not right with Lizzie and this week, it all came to a head. In many ways, Carol's relationship with the girls mirrored her relationship with Sophia. She say the children as a second chance and took on the role of mother figure to them. I think this is why we had Carol repeating what Lizzie's mother said about looking at the flowers before she killed her. Mica was too sweet and innocent to live like Sophia and Lizzie was plain not suited for this world. Though it was sad, this death of these girls was the final closure over what happened to Sophia.
There is a question about the fire. I think that this is the fire that Darryl and Beth set last episode after their drinking binge. It means that everyone is really close to each other they just don't know it yet.
Tyreese and Carol have finally made peace with each other. I like that he actively told Carol that he forgives her because the way that Rick framed the incident made it seem like Tyreese was a savage who would flip out and be too difficult for Rick to control. This scene shows Tyreese's strength is about more than his physical size; he has a strength of character that is beyond Carol actually. He can forgive, he can move on, he will survive.
As we get closer to the end of this season, it's clear that the group is going to meet up in Terminus. The only question is what are they going to find when they finally all reunite.
