Carol's Most Heartbreaking Moment In The Walking Dead

In postapocalyptic times, zombies have overrun everything that civilization once was, and it's difficult to tell whether the living or the dead are more terrifying in this new age. "The Walking Dead" nails the fear-inducing dynamic of humans trying to survive with zombies — or worse, other humans — around every corner.

The main characters on the show have lost everything from their livelihoods to their loved ones and still persevere. "The Walking Dead" is full of brutal zombie slayings, decaying and oozing corpses walking around in the Southern heat, tragedy, and unbreakable bonds between the most unlikely characters. Just when you think there can't be any more heartbreak for someone, there's a surprise just waiting to get a gut-wrenching reaction out of viewers.

One character in particular, Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride), seems to have some of the worst tragedies happen to her on the show. After losing her abusive husband to zombies, or "walkers," as they're called in the show, Carol comes into her own as an independent force to be reckoned with. She still has her share of unfortunate events in subsequent seasons, and though it might be hard to narrow down which one is the most tragic, there may be one that takes the cake as the most heartbreaking moment for Carol in "The Walking Dead."

In Season 2, Episode 7, "Pretty Much Dead Already," the crew of survivors locates Carol's young daughter, Sophia (Madison Lintz), who went missing in the first episode of the season. Unfortunately, when they find Sophia, it doesn't look good.

After the group releases the walkers that Hershel (Scott Wilson) keeps in his barn with hopes there will be a cure for the undead, a slow and not-so-lively Sophia makes her way out of the barn doors. It's revealed that she has a bite mark on her shoulder and is now a walker. After looking long and hard for Sophia, everyone is stunned at this tragic discovery, but none more so than Carol. She tries to run to Sophia but is held back by an emotional Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus). In her distress and shock at what has become of her daughter, Carol breaks down.

Amid the chaos, Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) comes to realize that Sophia is now a walker and a threat and must be taken down. Without saying a word, Rick holds out his gun and fires one shot into the now undead Sophia. After losing everything she knew in her life, her daughter was all that she had left, making the loss of Sophia Carol's most heartbreaking moment on "The Walking Dead."