The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon star Melissa McBride has unpacked Carol’s role in season 2 of the zombie spinoff show, teasing new elements to her character not seen in the original series. Carol was last seen at the end of Daryl Dixon season 1, where it was revealed she drove up to Maine in search of her missing friend. Season 2 will be subtitled The Book of Carol, following her journey searching for him as he continues to defend his new group in France.

Speaking with TheWrap, McBride revealed how Daryl Dixon season 2 will include a new side to Carol, including some elements she always wanted to include in the original series. The actor explained how her healing from the past would come into focus, including how it makes her a better survivor as she tries to bring her friend back home. Check out what McBride had to say about Carol below:

Without going into too much detail, we’re doing some things that I wanted to do in the original series. Deal with things, deal with the repercussions of loss and things like that. Things that just — unspoken things nobody had conversations about, and how everything that they’ve been through really affects them.

What feels different now is that she’s healed from a lot of that. And she has really harnessed her, I guess warrior self, survivor self, and is now facing a slew of different challenges and coming to terms with things that have happened. It feels like a good progression to me, and I’m really proud of this character. I’m very excited looking forward to what’s coming next.

How Will Carol Evolve In The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 2?

Carol’s Search For Daryl Might Change Her

Carol has been a complicated character since the beginning, going from a meek mother who relied on others for help to a rugged, lone wolf survivor distrusting of any new faces. While later seasons showed her start to feel guilt about the things she’d done in the past, by the time The Walking Dead series finale arrived, she had grown comfortable with accepting her past while learning from it. This trajectory for her character arc will likely continue during Daryl Dixon season 2, especially as she meets new faces on her global travels.

One key component of her journey will likely be her relationship with Daryl, which will no doubt be tested once the pair reunite. The latest Daryl Dixon season 2 trailer hinted they’ll be seeing each other before the episodes are over, resulting in the title character having to make a choice about what he wants to do. Given her decade-long bond with him, she might do whatever it takes to get him to come back home, even if it means saving his new home in France first.

Beyond Daryl, though, Carol may also be forced to wrestle with her past, something that currently defines her as a survivor, but has also resulted in plenty of pain in the process. The people she meets on her journey could reveal more about her mindset, unpacking her character even further in new, interesting ways. While there’s no clear answer about what new sides to her Daryl Dixon will reveal, they will likely offer a deeper meaning behind her need to rescue Daryl and bring him back to America.