A new story update for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 2 teases Carol’s (Melissa McBride) survivor’s guilt from the original show informing her new storyline. Carol has lost many people throughout her time in the zombie apocalypse, with the first major death in her life being her daughter, Sofia (Madison Lintz) in The Walking Dead season 2. Since then she’s continued to lose people she was close to, like her surrogate son Henry (Matt Lintz) in season 9. Now, Daryl Dixon season 2 will see her searching for Daryl, trying to keep someone else close to her from danger.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, McBride revealed the extent to which survivor’s guilt will inform Carol’s storyline in Daryl Dixon season 2. The actor and executive producer stated she had plenty of input about where to take her story, speaking with showrunner David Zabel about how her loss of people like Sofia motivates her journey to France. Unresolved grief will also play a major role in how her story plays out. Check out what McBride had to say below:

There was always more story to tell for Carol on the original show. And we’re hitting on quite a bit of that in the spinoff. I had a fair amount of input. I was talking to [showrunner] David [Zabel] about getting Carol over there, and what the impetus is for her to go on this journey to find him. There’s more to it other than being concerned about him, or having these gut feelings about him and his well-being.

Carol has had a lot of time to deal with grief, particularly with Sophia. What I was most interested in tackling was the unresolved feelings of survivor’s guilt.

What Carol’s Character Journey Means For Daryl Dixon Season 2

Her Search For Daryl Is Deeper Than Locating A Missing Friend

Carol has been part of the series since The Walking Dead season 1, morphing from a meek, helpless member of the group to a full-fledged survivor, willing to kill people and zombies to save those she cares about. However, her losses have been heavy, from the children in her life who have died to potential relationships with people like Ezekiel (Khary Payton) fizzling out. Daryl Dixon season 1 ended with her more confident than ever to find her friend, the pair being two of the last four survivors introduced when the franchise began.

The survivor’s guilt Carol feels will likely reveal itself on her travels, expressed to new characters like Ash (Manish Dayal) who help her during the journey. Since she’ll be alone when the season begins, she’ll have ample time to process the tragedies she’s gone through before interacting with the rest of Daryl Dixon‘s cast. However, when she finally reunites with her friend, it will likely lead to a more thorough explanation of those feelings, especially when she sees his investment in protecting Isabelle (Clémence Poésy) and Laurent (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi) from the Pouvoir.

Our Take On Carol’s Survivor’s Guilt In Daryl Dixon Season 2

It Could Lead To Her Most Engaging Story Yet

While Carol has dealt with regret toward killing people before in The Walking Dead seasons 6 and 7, the lack of nuance involved made it less engaging for her storyline. However, Daryl Dixon has a chance to offer a more thorough approach to her grief, showcasing it through the lens of both a survivor and a mother. Because of how much potential there is for her to get deeper development going forward, her story in season 2 could be the best she’s ever had in the franchise.