The Walking Dead: Melissa McBride Reveals Why Carol Trusts Negan

The Walking Dead introduced an unexpected pairing late in Season 10 when Carol was revealed to [...]

The Walking Dead introduced an unexpected pairing late in Season 10 when Carol was revealed to have freed Negan from his jail cell so he could infiltrate the Whisperers and kill Alpha. After his successful execution of this mission, Carol freed Negan to do as he wishes. This is something other characters from within the Alexandria community likely might have stood against but Carol saw the value Negan offered to the community. and capitalized on it. According to Carol actress Melissa McBride, there may have been a reason why Carol is open to working with Negan when so many others are not.

Going back to The Walking Dead's Season 6 finale and Season 7 premiere episodes, the line-up which resulted in several characters watching as Negan slaughtered Abraham and Glenn as recompense for Rick's attacks on Savior outposts, Carol was not present. At the time, she was on an isolated journey struggling to accept how many people she had killed on the heels of the Wolves and burning Saviors to death. Having not been present for the deaths of Abraham and Glenn, Carol might not have as drastic of an impression of Negan as those who were.

"I think she certainly knows and has heard stories, and he's a legend, but in a way of a bit of a mythical character because she wasn't there," McBride said. "It's the first time we've ever seen them together and the first time they've seen one another, I believe. So there is that separation factor and knowing what he could quite possibly be capable of, and he also has the most to gain if she's looking for a cohort, a cohort to help her catch or kill the Alpha."

Surprisingly, McBride was not privy to the fact that it was her character who had freed Negan from his cell until later in the year. "I found out later that it was Carol and my reaction was, 'What? Really? Wow. Okay. So, I get to work with Jeffrey [Dean Morgan]?'" McBride said. "It was so much fun, and I was so excited. But it was great fun, and we did the scene several times and did it different ways. He's a really fun actor to play with, trying different things, and I was just really happy, just excited, excited for that day."

You can read ComicBook.com's full interview with McBride right here. What do you think of Carol's decision to free Negan and have him kill Alpha? Share your thoughts in the comment section or send them my way on Instagram and Twitter!

The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9pm ET on AMC.

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