Carol becoming more human again I think is a way for them to make her death more excruciating. It's weird seeing where they go with the characters and their development. Just as someone seems to be so far gone, something happens where it changes their perspective. I personally don't like this new Carol. Having a conscience gets you killed.

Rick is far gone and many of his choices have certainly been borderline, but I think it's ironic how probably the most PTSD person in the group, Michonne, is now one of the most humane and is his voice of reason. I felt like her character arc to get to this point was a lot more organic than Carol's though. For her, her strong relationship with Carl definitely helped her regain some peace of mind, but Carol had zero affinity with Morgan so that just seems strange.