The 10 best sci-fi/fantasy TV episodes to watch while sheltered in place

The Walking Dead 414: “The Grove”

In a 10-season show about a zombie apocalypse that nearly wipes out all life on Earth, “The Grove” is probably the most somber, heartbreaking, and memorable episode in the history of AMC’s The Walking Dead. And I make that claim knowing full well that there have been some truly disturbing and memorable moments, but this one tops them all.

What makes “The Grove” so special? It features the shocking deaths of not one, but two children. After the prison where our bang of survivors is taking shelter is overrun by the Governor and his men, Lizzie (Brighton Sharbino) and Mika (Kyla Kenedy) escape with Tyreese (Chad Coleman) and Carol (Melissa McBride). The group finds a secluded house in the middle of the woods protected by a barbed-wire fence, and decide to call it home, at least for the moment.

Lizzie has a weird infatuation with walkers — zombies — thinking that because they walk the Earth even after they’ve died that they must somehow still be alive. In a fit of madness, Lizzie kills her little sister Mika, the most darling and sweet little girl on the show. When Carol finds out, she decides that the girl can never be trusted again, a major problem in a zombie apocalypse.

So Carol makes the decision to take Lizzie away from the house and shoot her in the back of the head, which is every bit as horrifying as it sounds. What makes it even worse is that Carol actually killed Lizzie and Mika’s mother back at the prison when she realized the woman had a super-flu that would eventually turn her into a flesh-eating walker.

Before the final blow, Lizzie realizes Carol is angry that she killed her little sister, and she begs Carol not to be mad. Carol assures the girl that everything will be okay and that she needs to pick some of the pretty flowers to give to Mika once she comes back to life. Crying, Lizzie turns to find some flowers, and Carol utters the words that still resonate six seasons later: “Look at the flowers.”

This episode re-shapes Carol’s entire story. She suffers a ton of guilt because of this, and comes out the other end a much harder person willing to do some truly heinous stuff to ensure her safety and the safety of those she cares about. In fact, one of the latest episode of the show was titled “Look at the Flowers,” and features Carol figuring out how to move past what she had done.