it’s super important that daryl was a main reason carol decided to live. this episode was pretty carol-centric and it could’ve gone a totally plain route, where carol decides to live simply for herself bc she suddenly sees the “beauty of life”, wants to care for her family bc that’s what she loves doing, blah blah. but that’s not how this went down.
i think carol certainly realized life was worth living for, but not just for those reasons. sidenote that alpha not only listed dead people, she listed those that are no longer an active part of carol’s life- i.e. ezekiel. carol’s subconscious then pointed out that daryl and daryl ONLY was the person she would never let herself lose. it could’ve listed many people- judith, maybe michonne, aaron?(idk sadly carol doesn’t get to talk to many ppl) but BECAUSE she can’t lose him, that’s a huge reason why she won’t let herself just die and be done with all this shit. she can’t NOT have him around in her life, and she needs to be around in case daryl ever needs saved too.
there’s an important distinction to be made here in carol’s mind too- carol realized she needs him in her life. period. “what do you want??” carol doesn’t want to die. she wants life, and she wants that life to have daryl in it. she certainly thinks daryl could live without her, “especially after what she did to connie”, but she’s willing to try and mend their relationship bc SHE still needs him. shes done running away from him bc of this realization i think. even if carol doesn’t believe daryl would ever love/need her the way she does him, she can’t not have him as her friend either.
it makes the ending so much sweeter. daryl has done all he could’ve with carol. he’s let her know he wants to be there, he has begged her to do everything she can to open up, and she still didn’t do it. imagine loving someone so much, desperately wanting them to be okay, gazing longingly at their dumb little acorn gift every night, and them still not wanting to help themselves by opening up to the infinite amount of care you’re offering? god it has to hurt him so bad.
so he gives her a silent ultimatum. you’ve suffered for years over these demons, and i gave you so many chances and so much support- so if you didn’t ever listen to a word i said, after all we’ve been through? you never really cared at all, and you never would’ve done the same for me if i were in your shoes. i’ll wait by these gates for a day, maybe two, and let’s see if you listened to me. i need to know you want to fight for your future, it’s not just me doing the fighting for you. the future needs us both.
and there she was. she listened to him. she fought for her future, and she fought hard, because “it’s never too late”. and she went right back to those gates where he was, just waiting. just hoping the carol he knows deep down would make this choice. he needs to know he was right about her, about their relationship. they’re the last ones left that know each other this deeply, to care so unconditionally- they’ll always be the other’s person, and i feel that monumental weight so hard in this gif. it’s terrifying to need someone in your life, but she’s willing to take the risk bc that’s why life is worth living.
