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So, I received an answer about the whole Caryl issue on the forum, and while I won’t post the screenshots here (I already ended the discussion and left them my reply), since my post caused a huge level of answers from people and TSDF, I thought I should make clear my position on it.

She has several great moments in the episode, but three scenes stand out on my second viewing of the episode (a feat I swore I’d never do again). First, Tyreese engages her in a conversation about his struggles with losing his girlfriend. McBride lives in the scene on the precipice of twitching with guilt, remaining stoic and reserved but raging inside with the desire to confess. She conveys an inner pain in her resolve to remain the vigilant protector – the woman who, unlike Rick, will make the hard choices. Yet, enough of the old Carol breaks through, allowing McBride to shed a few tears. It’s a quiet moment that foreshadows the tough choice she has to make later in the episode. It is this tough choice that highlights McBride’s most memorable sequence to date. The discovery of Lizzie’s horrible acts and her subsequent death will remain a hallmark of the series, one that people will always mention whenever The Walking Dead is discussed. McBride helped evolve the character of Carol into the woman who makes the tough choices. For the greater good. Yet, she mourns the consequences of those tough choices here. She emotionally collapses after convincing Lizzie not to “change” baby Judith, and, when she asks Lizzie to “look at the flowers” (a phrase I will never hear the same way again), the shock and awe McBride registers after shooting Lizzie in the back of the head sears your brain. As many times as Carol has killed in the series, McBride makes the moment feel like her very first time. Her final great scene is a quick one. Carol reveals to Tyreese that she killed his girlfriend, not Lizzie as he suspected. It would have been easy to continue the lie, but the episode’s story arc lead Carol to confess and prepare for her own punishment. When Tyreese ultimately forgives Carol, McBride quickly emits a near-silent, surprised gasp, unafraid to expose the relief she feels that Tyreese chooses not to kill her after all. Her eyes tell the story: she is grateful to be able to live with the burden. I celebrate McBride’s success here and favorably compare her work to the other great supporting actresses of this television season such as Anna Gunn (Breaking Bad) and Michelle Monaghan (True Detective). I don’t expect the Television Academy to recognize McBride’s brilliant work in such a difficult episode of a challenging, unsparing, and gruesome series. But if there are TV gods, then she will be rewarded with a statue come August. Few actresses in TV or film are granted the opportunity to play such notes, and McBride plays them like a virtuoso.