Hershel Greene : #15

Hershel Greene

Quote

Hershel Greene: "I can't profess to understand God's plan, Christ promised the resurrection of the dead. I just thought he had something a little different in mind."

About the Actor

Herschel Greene is portrayed by a man named Scott Wilson.Wilson's acting career began way back in 1967, when he accidentally signed up for an acting class while drunk. It was the best drunk decision he ever made. Since then, he has acted in many films, including In the Heat of the Night (1967), In Cold Blood (1967), and The Great Gatsby (1974).

Who was he before the Apocalypse?

Hershel had lived on a farm for his entire life, living with his wife, step-son and two daughters, Maggie and Beth. The farm had been a part of the Greene family for over 160 years. In his later years, he became a veterinarian because of his love for animals. When the Apocalypse first began, Hershel's wife and step-son were both bitten and turned. Since then, Hershel and his two daughters continued to live on the farm. In the second season on the show, we were introduced to Hershel when Carl got shot and was rushed to the farm for medical help.

Personality and Progression 

Hershel is a man of God, and believed that the undead could be cured. At the start of the outbreak, he took all of his former friends and family that had died and turned and locked them up in his barn, in hopes that a cure would be found for them.

By living in isolation on the farm for the entire Apocalypse, Hershel did not have to witness the true horrors of the Walkers. He never had to undergo the struggle of living on the road, in constant fear of them.

 

Hershel defending his farm from Walkers.

He was shown their true nature when hundreds of zombies came stumbling out of the woods towards the farm and the group is forced to evacuate. Hershel told the group that the farm had been with his family for generations and that he would die defending it. He made a valiant attempt to defend the farm, shooting many of the approaching walkers with a shotgun, but there were too many. Rick managed to pull Herschel away in time and the group escaped the farm.

After escaping the farm, the group was on the road looking for a new home. On their travels, they were lucky enough to find a prison that Rick believed could be their new home. It had large fences to keep zombies out and there was more than enough space for the group to live inside.

The only problem was that all the inmates and guards that previously occupied the prison had turned into Walkers. Hershel and the group set about clearing the prison to make it safe for living.

While they were moving through the prison, Hershel stepped over what looked like a dead inmate. Unfortunately the inmate was not completely "dead".

Rick prepares to amputate Hershel's bitten leg.

The walker grabbed Hershel by the leg and bit into his calf. Rick appeared and shot the walker in the head. At that time it seemed like Hershel's time on the show was coming to an abrupt end, but it was not to be. Rick quickly removed his own belt and tied it around Hershel's leg, just above the bite. He then grabbed a hatchet and without further ado, bloodily hacked at Hershel's leg, amputating the lower part of the leg to get rid of the bite. This quickly thought out and brutal act saved Hershel's life. It kept the infection of the bite from spreading to the rest of his body. For the next few days the group took care of Hershel and kept him from bleeding out and getting an infection.

I laughed too hard at this, so I had to add it.

Hershel survived and has walked around on crutches since. He has continued to act as the moral compass of the group, giving advice to those who need it and supporting them. I guess you could say that

Hershel has thankfully survived all of season three and is coming back in the fourth season. I look forward to seeing him hobble his way through the next season of the show.

- Ben Ferguson

Carol Peletier : #14

Carol Peletier

Quote

"I'm hardly the woman I was a year ago, but if Ed walked through that door right now breathing and told me to go with him, I'd like to think I'd tell him to go to hell."

- Carol Peletier

About the Actress

Melissa Suzanne McBride was born May 23, 1965 in Lexington, Kentucky. Not much is known about her other than she had a minor role in Stephen King's movie, The Mist as well as a number of television shows.

Who was she before the Apocalypse?

Carol lived somewhere in the Southern part of the United States. At some point in her life, she met a man named Ed. At the start, he seemed nice enough for her to date and eventually marry. However, the longer they stayed together the worse of a man he turned out to be. Carol became a victim of verbal and physical abuse at the hands of Ed.

During their marriage, Carol and Ed had a little girl named Sophia. Carol became a stay-at-home mom and fiercely looked after Sophia, taking care of her and providing her with the love and comfort that Ed would not give (much to Carol's disgust). 

During the outbreak, she, Sophia, and Ed traveled toward Atlanta which was supposedly a safe-zone. On the way, they met Shane, Lori, and Carl.

Personality and Progression

In the first season of the show,  Carol spent much of her time under the watchful gaze of Ed, who was extremely controlling of her.  He would force her to do what he wanted, such as when he told her to pull a log out of a fire with her hands, ordered her to go in the tent, slapped her when she didn't do what he wanted... The list goes on.

We began to see a change in Carol after Shane beat Ed's face into a bloody pulp for hitting Carol. That scene, by the way, was the most satisfying thing you could ever watch. You can't escape karma!

Shane beat the crap out of Ed for hitting Carol.

Soon after Ed got beat up, Walkers attacked the camp and killed several people, one of them being Ed. Now free of his controlling grip, Carol started to develop a backbone and became braver. The longer she spent making her own choices, the more she would stand up for herself.

Carol continued to develop throughout the second season, standing up for herself much more and making stronger friendships with members of the group.

Carol went through some terrible times during the second season when her daughter, Sophia, went missing. Her disappearance was devastating for Carol, as she was extremely protective of her daughter and had rarely let her out of her sight. 

It also became clear that Carol was a religious woman when she was seen praying for Sophia's safety. Carol is one of the last members on the show to believe in God.

Daryl tried to comfort Carol at the sight of her undead daughter

Carol begged the group to continue searching for her even after dark, so search parties went out looking for her, night and day. After weeks of searching, the group found Sophia. Unfortunately, she was not the Sophia they once knew. Sophia had become a Walker. As told in a previous blog, Rick shot the undead Sophia, putting her down.

When the group held a funeral for Sophia, Carol refused to attend. She was adamant in her belief that what Rick shot was not her daughter and that the real Sophia had died a long time ago. Over time, Carol recovered from her grief. She was comforted by her belief that Sophia was now in a better place, Heaven.

Carol, like most of the group, has learned how to use a gun.

Carol became stronger and more independent as the show continued.

Thus far, she has managed to stay alive and I am excited to see what challenges she can overcome in the upcoming fourth season.





- Ben Ferguson

Merle Dixon : #13

Merle Dixon

 Actor Biography

Merle Dixon is played by an actor named Michael Rooker. Rooker was born in 1955 in Jasper, Alabama. He made his acting debut in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986) and since then has mostly played the roles of brutes, villains, and psychopaths. He occasionally has a role as a "good guy". Regardless of which type of character he plays, Rooker is an amazing actor.

Who was he before the Apocalypse

Much of Merle's upbringing was discussed in my previous blog about his brother, Daryl. Here's a little review just in case you forget.

Merle and Daryl lived somewhere in the mountains of North Georgia with their neglectful parents. Since he lacked love and guidance from his family, Merle chose to act out against society, which led him to frequently be thrown in juvenile institutions. He raised Daryl to share the same beliefs and be tough and unforgiving in the cruel adult world that both of them faced. Despite always talking proudly about taking care of Daryl, Merle was often absent from Daryl's life and didn't give him the emotional support that a big brother should.

At one point in his life, Merle joined the military. As a result, he has increased physical strength, tactical abilities and skill with firearms. His time with the military came to an end when he punched a sergeant, which got him dishonorably discharged. Soon after, he was court-martialed and sent to prison for sixteen months.

When the Apocalypse began, Merle and his brother Daryl traveled to Atlanta in hopes of finding shelter.

Personality and Progression

When we met Merle in the first season, he was a stereotypical Southern redneck. He was extremely ill-tempered, racist, violent, and quick to express his beliefs. Much like his younger brother, Merle is an expert tracker and hunter.
 In the first season, after sending a stream of racist insults at T-dog and brutally beating him up, Rick handcuffed him to a pipe and left him there. Since they didn't have a key, he promised to come back

Merle reaching for the hack saw.

and the next day he returned. Unfortunately, A day was too long for Merle. Rick and the group returned to find that Merle had grabbed a hack saw from the ground and cut off his own hand to escape. This was the last we saw of Merle for over a full season.

The next we saw of Merle was during the third season, when he was the right-hand man of The Governor. Hah, that's ironic because Merle no longer has a right hand for himself. Instead, he has a badass looking hand-blade attachment.

Dat badass hand

While working with The Governor, Merle did many terrible deeds. However, after Rick's group attacked the town, Merle was considered a traitor and fled Woodbury with Daryl.

After re-joining Rick's group at the prison they were living at, his personality began to change. He appeared to somewhat lose his violent and racist side. He was even shown asking for forgiveness from those of the group who he had once wronged. Merle was doing all of this because he wanted to fit in at the prison so he could be with his brother.

He later makes the ultimate sacrifice to protect his brother and fights a group of Woodbury soldiers who had been planning an ambush, all on his own. This was his biggest and final act of redemption, as after taking down eight Woodbury soldiers, he is killed by The Governor. After his initial death, his reanimated body was found by his brother, Daryl who through tearful eyes, killed him again.

Undead Merle :(

Videos

The Walking Dead - Merle Dixon

Daryl and Merle - Brother

Merle Dixon - What I've become







- Ben Ferguson

Daryl Dixon : #12

Daryl Dixon

Actor Biography

Daryl Dixon is a character played by a man named Norman Reedus. Reedus was born January 6th 1969, in Florida, USA. His first role was in a film called Mimic, in 1997. Since then, Reedus has been in notable films such as Blade II, American Gangster and The Boondock Saints, among others.

He has also done a fair bit of modelling. These include Prada, Durban, Levi's, Lexus and most recently Morgenthal Fredrics.

When The Walking Dead started in 2010, Reedus starred as Daryl Dixon. What's interesting to note, is that Daryl's character was not in the original comic books series, but was created specifically for Reedus after he auditioned for the role of Merle Dixon, but didn't get the part. He was liked so much that they created a new character just for him.

Who was he before the Apocalypse?

Daryl had a terrible upbringing.

His father was an abusive alcoholic and his mother was both an alcoholic and a chain-smoker. When Daryl was still a boy, his mother died in a house fire that had been caused by her cigarette when she was either sleeping or too drunk to notice.
Daryl looked up to his older brother, Merle. Merle raised Daryl to share his beliefs and to be tough. Merle was also absent from Daryl's life, since he spent a lot of time in Juvenile institutions.

This led to Daryl having to frequently fend for himself. Once, before Daryl was 12, he got lost in the woods for nine full days and lived off of wild berries. At this time, Merle was again in juvenile detention. When Daryl managed to find his way home, his father had not even noticed that he was gone. He walked in through the back door and made himself a sandwich.

Daryl the badass

When the Apocalypse began, Daryl and Merle traveled to Atlanta, looking for shelter.

Personality and Progression

In the first season, Daryl is not a very likable character on the show. He was your ordinary 'redneck', accent and all. He was also quick to resort to violence when he felt the least bit threatened in a situation. Regardless, Daryl is significantly more level-headed and rational than his older brother. Daryl didn't have an important role in this season, as he was just a minor character.

Carol and Daryl

However, due to how popular his character seemed to be with the fans, Daryl was given more screen time in season two. While on the outside Daryl seem to be distant and not care about anything, we were proven wrong in season two. After Sophia went missing in the first episode of season two, Daryl spent more than half of the season looking for her. He put his tracking skills to good use and went out
looking for her, night and day. He explained to Carol, Sophia's mother, that as long as there was a sliver of hope to find her, he would look for her. Daryl was also the first one to go back to the farm after it was overrun by Walkers, to look for Andrea who had gone missing.

Although he was shown to be the "lone wolf" of the group early on in the series, he has developed into a leader and has close friendships with everyone. In the third season, He grows close with both Rick and Carol.
At the end of the second season, Rick trusted Daryl completely and by the start of the third season he had replaced Shane (who had died) as Rick's right-hand man.

Despite usually acting distant, Daryl has shown on numerous occasions to be caring, and selfless. He went alone and risked his life in an attempt to find Sophia, and immediately took the initiative to go back and find Andrea, when she got separated from the group.

Out of all the characters on the show, Daryl is one of my favorites (top 3 at least).

Strengths and Faults

 

Strengths
- An experienced tracker and hunter
- Uses a crossbow instead of a gun, makes him stealthy and increases his badassery level to infinity.
- 28 reasons why Daryl Dixon is the sexiest man on The Walking Dead
- Leads by example
- Caring and Selfless

Faults
- Quick to resort to violence
- Tried to be too much like his brother

Videos

- Daryl Dixon - 99 problems

- Daryl Dixon - Seven Nations Army

- Why we love Daryl Dixon

- Ben Ferguson

Andrea : #11

Andrea

Favourite Quote

"The pain doesn't go away. You just make room for it." - Andrea

Actress biography

 Laurie Holden, was born December 17, 1969 in Los Angeles, California. She has had many acting jobs, but is best known for her roles as Marita Covarrubias in The X-Files, Adele Stanton on The Majestic, Cybil Bennett in Silent Hill, Amanda Dumfries in The Mist, and (as you can tell from this blog) Andrea in The Walking Dead.

Who was she before the Apocalypse?

Andrea (right) and her sister, Amy (left)

Before the Apocalypse, Andrea had been attending college to study law. During this time, she became distant from her family. After getting her degree, she became a successful civil rights attorney. Years later, in an attempt to reconnect with her family, Andrea went on a road trip with her sister, Amy.

As the sisters' trip came to a close and they were heading back to Amy's college, the Apocalypse was beginning. They were stuck in Atlanta when they met Dale Horvath and soon after, found a group of other survivors.

Personality and Progression

In the first season, Andrea was stubborn, opinionated and mainly interested in keeping herself and her sister, Amy, safe.When the camp got attacked by zombies and killed Amy, Andrea was devastated. She entered a state of depression and felt that she had nothing left to live for. The season ended with Andrea in a fragile state, still distraught over the death of her sister.

In the second season, Andrea began to become more independent, even considering leaving the group and surviving on her own. As this season progressed, Andrea made the transition from a depressed and emotionally unstable woman into a strong, independent survivor. At the start, she had no training with weapons and had no way to defend herself, forcing her to rely on others for safety. However, after she convinced Shane to teach her how to use a gun, she became quite efficient with firearms.
 Due to her desire to make an impact, Andrea began taking on a leadership role within the group. This is shown when she lead one of the search parties when they were looking for Sophia, who had gone missing.

By the end of season two, Andrea had become one of the best shooters in the group and was also taking on leadership role within the group.
We were left wondering what was going to happen to Andrea at the start of the next season, when the farm was attacked by zombies and Andrea became separated from the rest of the group.

In season three, after being separated from the group after the farm was overrun, Andrea was saved by a woman named Michonne. They two woman stick together, surviving the entire winter with each others' help. They formed a close bond with one another.
After surviving alone in the wild together, Michonne and Andrea are taken in by a man who goes by the name of the Governor, into a town called Woodbury.

Most people in Woodbury are content to act as if there isn't an Apocalypse.

Woodbury is a town of about 70 people. The town had been fortified by survivors to keep walkers out. Their leader is The Governor.

After being brought to Woodbury, Andrea was content, believing she had found a permanent and safe home. She and The Governor began a romantic relationship together, which eventually ends after Andrea began to realize that The Governor had a dark and sadistic nature.

Death

After learning about The Governors evil side, Andrea decided that he must be stopped. Before she was able to do anything, however, The Governor captured her and chained her to a chair in his torture room.

Andrea tied up by The Governor

The Governor brought in a man named Milton and told him to kill Andrea. Milton refused, so The Governor stabbed him in the stomach, with the intention of having Milton die come back as a zombie and eat the tied Andrea alive.

Before The Governor left the room he said, "In this life now, you kill or you die...Or you die and you kill".

As Andrea was trying to break free of her bindings, Milton died and began turning. Just as she got loose, Milton fully turned and attacked her, biting her on the neck before she was able to kill him.

Before dying, Andrea was found by Rick, Daryl, and Michonne, who had snuck into Woodbury to look for her. Andrea asked the group to allow her to kill herself so as not to turn after death, and Rick handed her his gun as a tearful Michonne stayed behind with Andrea one last time. 

Andrea died in the arms of her best friend surrounded by the people she loved. She wasn’t cannibalized. She didn’t turn. She was able to go out on her own terms, with a certain amount of dignity. Her last dying wish was to end it herself and she was granted that.

Morals

All Andrea ever wanted was peace. She was a woman who fought for the good of humanity and was willing to do anything and everything possible even if it meant sacrificing herself to preserve that humanity and keep the people alive. 

Before the Apocalypse ever began, Andrea was a human rights lawyer. She has never been a killer. She’s never killed a human being in her life. She has killed a lot of zombies, but no humans. When everyone around her was losing their humanity and killing each other, Andrea retained hers.

 There were some fans of the show who were unhappy with the fact that Andrea was unable to follow through on killing The Governor when she was standing over his bed with a knife. I, however, can understand why she didn't and am happy about it. She didn't kill him because of the raging moral dilemma within her. She believed in humanity. She believed that there is always a better solution than killing. Her goal was to make sure no one else died and she succeeded. By the end, she was the only casualty of war. She made the ultimate sacrifice.



- Ben Ferguson

Jim : #10

 

Jim

Favourite Quote

Shane Walsh: Jim, nobody is gonna hurt you, okay?
 

Jim: "That's a lie. That's the biggest lie there is. I told that to my wife and my two boys. I said it 100 times. It didn't matter. They came out of nowhere. There were dozens of them. Just pulled 'em out of my hands. You know, the only reason I got away was 'cause the dead were too busy eating my family."

Who was he before the Apocalypse?

Before the apocalypse began, Jim was an ordinary man who was an auto mechanic and specialized in car and vehicle repair. He lived in Atlanta with his wife and two sons. When it began, Jim tried to escape Atlanta with his family, but his family was attacked and eaten right in front of him. He was able to escape the city and eventually found his way to a camp.

Personality and Progression

Since Jim was a minor character in the show, we did not have much time to witness his progression. He was only a main focus in a couple episodes in the first season of the show.

When the group is still living in the camp on the outskirts of Atlanta, Jim is spotted digging holes in the ground on a hillside. When asked why, he stated that he could not remember or understand why he was digging the holes, just that it was something he needed to do.

Daryl examines the bite mark on Jim's stomach

Later that night when the group is gathered around the fire for dinner, walkers attack the camp. Jim helps fight them off, but some of the group are killed. After the attack, Jim says that he remembers why he dug the holes. The holes he dug were a part of his dream from the night before. Jim had dug the same amount of graves as there were people killed during the attack.

Jim enjoying his final hours of humanity as the RV pulls away

Jim was also bitten during the attack, but keeps it a secret for a time before revealing it to the group. The group decides to keep him with them as they travel, and he rests in the back of the RV. His symptoms get worse with time and his fever gets worse. After this continues for a time, Jim begs that the group just leave him behind for their own safety.

The group agrees and they set him down by a tree on the side of the road. Everyone says their final goodbyes then pile back into the RV and drive away, leaving Jim behind. As the RV fades into the distance, Jim closes his eyes and breaths deeply, content. This is what he wanted.

In his eyes, this was a way for him to be happy again. To be reunited with his family in the undead world.

 - Ben Ferguson

Glenn Rhee : #9

Glenn Rhee

Actor Biography

Glenn is played by an actor named Steven Yeun. Yeun was born in South Korea but immigrated to Canada with his family at a very young age. He studied theater at Kalamazoo College, in Kalamazoo, USA. Some people might recognize him from his one-episode role in The Big Band Theory, when he played the role of Sheldon's former roommate. In addition to that, Steven has appeared in television commercials for Best Buy, Milky Way and Apple.

Who was he before the Apocalypse?

Before the apocalypse, Glenn was just a simple pizza delivery guy. He was single, lived in a one bedroom apartment and struggled to pay his bills on time. Due to his job as a pizza delivery guy, Glenn's had invaluable knowledge of shortcuts in Atlanta. With this knowledge as well as his athleticism and bravery, Glenn became extremely useful when the group went scavenging in the city. As Rick says when introducing him to Hershel’s daughter Maggie, Glenn is “our go-to-town expert.”

Personality and Progresssion

At the start, Glenn was always a willing volunteer to go on a run into a town or city to get supplies for the group. He had no concern for his own life. When he went on a run, he did not consider that he could be killed, only that the group needed supplies and he was there to get them.

Glenn's willingness to put himself in danger for the good of the group was highlighted during the second season, when they first arrived on Hershel's farm. In an effort to make sure Herschel would let them stay there, the group wanted to help out around the farm. One such instance included dealing with a Walker that had fallen down a water well. As long as it stayed down there, the well was useless.

The group came up with a plan to get it out. They would tie a rope around the walker and pull in up, out of the well. The catch was, someone needed to be lowered into the well and attach the rope to the zombie so the rest of the group could pull it out. The job was extremely dangerous and no one in the right mind would do it.

Glenn volunteered.

The group slowly lowered him down, being as careful as possible. The plan nearly failed when the old rusty water pump they’re using as a pulley breaks, sending Glenn within reach of the starving Walker. They managed to save Glenn who, despite his panic, was able to lasso the undead corpse.

All the Walker wanted was a friend. It's a lonely life, living in a well :(

Unfortunately, the risk and painstaking effort to haul out the zombie is all for nothing, as its water-bloated body got snagged on the lip of the well as they pulled it out, causing it to rip in half, dropping its guts and lower torso into the water below.

 Nonetheless, by being the only person willing to jump into a pit with a Walker, Glenn showed us who he really is. He continues to prove he is one of the bravest and smartest characters on the show.

Relationship with Maggie

During the second season of the show, Glenn met a young woman named Maggie. The two began an intimate relationship together and over time,  Glenn fell in love with her. He does whatever is necessary to keep her safe. In the show, Glenn said, "I care more about her than I care about me."
 

At first, these feelings negatively affect Glenn's actions.

When in town, Rick, Hershel and Glenn got pinned down in the saloon by the group of strangers. During the saloon shootout, Glenn froze up out of fear and ended up huddled behind a dumpster.

 Glenn and Maggie show that happiness can still be found in such troubled times.

Later, when Glenn is speaking with Maggie, he explains how he had been so terrified during the firefight that he froze.  
He had froze because she had told him that she loved him, and he was afraid to die because of how it would affect her.
After this realization, Glenn begins to understand that rather than simply fighting to survive, he now has someone to fight for. Maggie has given his life a purpose, a reason to keep on fighting.

This is an extremely different Glenn from the one we saw at the beginning of the show. At the start, Glenn was willing to do anything required of him because he did not care whether he lived or died. Now, he is willing to do anything required of him to ensure the safety of Maggie, along with the rest of the group.

Strengths and Faults

Strengths 
- Smart
- Loyal
- Resourceful and quick-thinking
- Brave
- Youthful enthusiasm

Faults
No faults, Glenn is perfect.

Videos

 

The Walking Dead - 'Who is Glenn?'   

Glenn saves Maggie from a Walker

- Ben Ferguson