‘The Walking Dead’: Melissa McBride Talks ‘The Same Boat’

After being captured and having
their lives threatened, Carol and Maggie managed to turn the tables on their
captors in Sunday night’s “The Walking Dead.”

The episode, titled “The Same
Boat,” pitted Melissa McBride’s Carol against a hardened former secretary
named Paula, played by guest star Alicia Witt, and Lauren Cohan’s Maggie
against Jeananne Goossen’s Chelle.

Before the show ended, Carol, who
clearly was dealing with emotional turmoil related to killing others (even
if its been out of necessity in the walker apocalypse), was pushed into a position where
she was forced to take lethal action again. In order to save Maggie and herself, she
had to stop holding back and fight Paula, ultimately killing her.

Alicia Witt as Paula, Lauren Cohan as Maggie and Melissa McBride as Carol in ‘The Walking Dead’ Episode 613
(AMC)

Paula definitely got under Carol’s skin, but did the interaction change Carol?

“First of all, working with
Alicia Witt was so fun. She’s hilarious,” Melissa told Access Hollywood. “But what I found in this episode was how — it was called ‘The Same
Boat,’ we’re in the same boat, but these women… were all so similar to one another,”
Melissa said. 

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“Chelle and Maggie are very
similar — [in a] similar situation. Carol and Paula [are] so very
similar and I don’t know that either one of them changed the other. I think
that they certainly understood how similar they were,” she added.

The episode focused on female characters and the
different directions they’ve gone in in the zombie apocalypse – two from Rick’s
group, and three from the Saviors. It was an episode Melissa enjoyed working
on.

“That was so much fun to do
and I love it for television,” she said.

“Because you get to see the
strength of these women and just the focus on these women is just wonderful to
see,” Melissa said of what she appreciated about the episode.

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After reuniting with the group at
the end of the episode, Carol was left with blood dripping down her hand after
she gripped the rosary too tightly while Rick took care of the last Savior
member, shooting him point blank.

Access asked Melissa if what
happened with the rosary was a sign indicating where Carol is from a mental
standpoint, at this moment in the show.

“I don’t think she
intentionally drew it into her hand. I think she’s so stunned — just where her
state of mind is, and… she’s behind Rick, away from it and just standing there
after all that she’s been through and all of these experiences with these
women, and she’s come from this burning tomb, where she lit these guys on
fire,” Melissa said. “There’s so much awesome symbolism in this
episode. But anyway, she’s at a distance from this and just sees Rick just point
blank [do what he did]. It’s a reflection, you know? It’s a shocking reflection on herself and she’s got
the rosary in her hand and is just gripping it so hard that she punctures the
palm of her hand. But the symbolism, the blood, the palm, the crucifix — there’s
so much going on. This is episode is so loaded and wonderful.”

“The Walking Dead” continues Sundays at 9 PM ET/PT
on AMC.

Jolie Lash

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