For 11 memorable seasons on AMC, The Walking Dead did a good job of showcasing the found family referred to as “Rick’s group” on great and gruesome adventures together, while also dispersing them all on their own and centering episodes around specific characters.
TWD often made specific characters the focus while weaving in other pivotal storylines, and for its first eight seasons, it made the young but mighty Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs) the center of attention. From his devastating death to his iconic chocolate pudding moment, several TWD episodes were unforgettable thanks to the boy called Coral.
10. “Welcome To The Tombs”
Season 3, Episode 16
In one of the best TWD season finales “Welcome to the Tombs” wrapped up The Governor (David Morrissey) storyline with a bow – until Season 4 saw the villain’s deadly return. This episode saw everyone on edge as Rick’s (Andrew Lincoln) group put an end to The Governor’s terror, except for one brave youngster.
Carl had been hardening all season leading up to the moment in this episode where he was given a choice to kill a Woodbury teen who crossed his path, or let him live. When Carl seemed to not think twice before shooting the boy, Hershel (Scott Wilson) made it clear to Rick that he needed to reel his son in before he was gone for good
9. “Judge, Jury And Executioner”
Season 2, Episode 11
Season 2’s “Judge, Jury and Executioner” showed Carl the consequences of his actions for the first time when he snuck away from Hershel’s farm and encountered a walker stuck in the mud, one who he unknowingly set free after a struggle.
Later in the episode when a lonely Dale (Jeffrey DeMunn) is attacked by a walker and winds up losing his life, it doesn’t take Carl long to realize the walker that killed Dale was the one he encountered earlier, leaving the boy to believe he was the reason for Dale’s death.
8. “How It’s Gotta Be”
Season 8, Episode 8
Season 8’s “How It’s Gotta Be” centers around the all-out war between Alexandria and The Saviors, but serves as an important episode in Carl’s story as the second to last episode for the original, beloved character.
The episode features Carl confronting Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), telling the murderous The Walking Dead villain that he’s willing to sacrifice himself if it means Negan puts an end to the war. When Negan asks Carl if he wants to die, it’s a chilling moment of foreshadowing when Carl responds with, “No… but I will,” before ending with Carl revealing his walker bite to Rick’s group.
7. “Clear”
Season 3, Episode 12
While Season 3’s “Clear” is considered a Morgan-focused (Lennie James) episode before his jump over to Fear the Walking Dead, it does tell an important story for Carl, who joins his father and newcomer Michonne (Danai Gurira) on a run. When they accidentally infiltrate Rick’s old hometown which has now become a survivor’s home, Rick is shocked to find out it’s his old pal Morgan.
While Rick stays to speak with Morgan, Carl decides he wants to run to the neighborhood baby store to find something for his sister and is reluctantly joined by Michonne. Carl demonstrates his sneaky ways on Michonne, and reveals he’s actually going to a local bar to snag the last, framed Grimes family photo in existence.
6. “What Lies Ahead”
Season 2, Episode 1
While the Season 2 premiere “What Lies Ahead” centers more around a missing Sophia (Madison Lintz) than Carl, the episode’s final moments ultimately change the course of the group’s lives when Carl joins the ill-fated duo Rick and Shane (Jon Bernthal) on a last-minute search in the woods.
It starts out as a beautiful moment when they happened upon a deer, who stands at a close distance, letting Carl marvel at the moment in nature. But it all quickly changes when a gunshot rings out, shooting straight through the deer and at Carl, who falls to the ground, his wound becoming the reason Rick discovers Hershel’s farm.
5. “No Way Out”
Season 6, Episode 9
The Season 6 mid-season premiere “No Way Out” picked up right where everything horribly left off for Rick’s group at Alexandria, with a herd of walkers infiltrating their new home and there being no way out except for slathering themselves in guts and passing through.
The episode held a life-changing moment for Carl when he joined his father, Michonne, Jessie (Alexandra Breckenridge) and her sons as they weaved through walkers, but as soon as things went awry and Jessie and Sam (Major Dodson) were eaten, Carl’s nemesis Ron (Austin Abrams) decided to pull a gun on him. The biggest shocker came when Michonne stabbed her katana through Ron, but the gun went off anyway, shooting Carl’s eye out.
4. “Killer Within”
Season 3, Episode 4
Season 3’s “Killer Within” was another one of those episodes where Rick’s group got separated, and it left Maggie (Lauren Cohan), Carl and a pregnant Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) trapped in the prison’s boiler room where the stress causes Lori to go into labor.
After Lori gives birth and begins to hemorrhage, Carl watches his mother die before deciding he needed to be the one to put her down before she could turn. He shot her and left the prison with his new baby sister, in shock by the events while his father mourned the loss of his wife.
3. “After”
Season 4, Episode 9
While the Season 4 midseason premiere “After” reveals Michonne’s chilling backstory, the episode primarily centers around Carl and his emotional state after being split up from everyone at the prison. Famously remembered as the episode where Carl ate an entire can of chocolate pudding, the episode also explores Carl’s true feelings.
After Rick passes out from his wounds, Carl decides to go scavenging, running into some walkers he struggles to fight off. He later arrives back at the shelter where his father still hasn’t awakened and decides to let out all of his frustration for his father’s failed leadership to a sleeping Rick.
2. “Sing Me A Song”
Season 7, Episode 7
Even after getting his eye shot out and watching Negan brutally murder Glenn (Steven Yeun) and Abraham (Michael Cudlitz), Carl never backed down from the fight against The Saviors. Season 7’s “Sing Me A Song” made for an unexpected twist when Carl sneaked into their camp pointing a gun at Negan.
The episode mainly centers around Carl’s day with the villain, learning of Negan’s wives and the abuse they’ve made on Daryl (Norman Reedus). But the most harrowing moment came when Negan ordered him to remove his bandage and reveal his wound, leaving Carl in tears and Negan finally showing an unexpected ounce of sympathy.
1. “Honor”
Season 8, Episode 9
Possibly one of the saddest episodes in the show’s 11 seasons, Season 8’s “Honor” is all about Carl, the impact he had on the group and the legacy he hopes to have when he finally passes away from the walker bite he received in a previous episode.
Carl has several goodbyes throughout the episode before spending his final moments in the church with his father and Michonne, reminiscing on their past adventures that led them to where they currently were, and the hopes Carl has for the future that unexpectedly involve Negan.
