At the end of Comic-Con we are always left with the same thing. Amazing, thrilling and annoyingly teasing trailers for shows coming within the year. Despite there being many, many teasers that grabbed my interest, the one that I seriously am invested in is The Season 3 trailer for The Walking Dead which will air in Mid-October.
I have to admit, the show has me hooked, not only as a Zombie loving fan, but because it is a show that is not afraid to deviate from it's source material. Game of Thrones, whilst admittedly constrained by the books and does deviate slightly in its approach to certain aspects on screen, TWD has proven repeatedly that the show runners are not unwilling to change or outright ignore what happens in the comics.
So my question is, what are your thoughts on what could happen in Season 3 and more importantly who do you think will live to see the end of it?
My Thoughts:
Definite Survivors
Rick - Will definitely survive this season. Although Kirkman has revealed that he has thought about killing Rick off, I think it's highly unlikely to happen in this series, if at all. If Game of Thrones has show us anything, it's that a strong, large and contrasting additional cast is required to support the death of a protagonist, which at this stage I don't think TWD can manage. The changes he has supposedly attempted to his role as leader in the last episode of Season 2 will make him to interesting to take out.
Lori - I debated with myself and friends for a long time about this one, but i'm going to suggest that Lori will survive although I think this is the Season in which the character is in desperate need to win some fans. She will play an important role in shaping the dynamic of Ricks characterization, especially with how things were left of after his revelation to the group and with what happened with Shane. There are many avenues that this character can interact with but I do question how long she can last.
Daryl - Will undoubtedly survive without question. Not only is Daryl the most loved fan favorite character, but with the revelation that Merle will be returning (either alone, with a separate group or as a goon for the governor) There is an excellent excuse to learn more about the elusive hunter. We have only yet seen Daryl's impression of Merle (through the hallucination we saw in S02E05) so again I think in terms of Character worth, story prospects and fan pressure, Daryl will see the end of the season, possibly the show itself.
Andrea - Andrea has developed in to a worthwhile character in terms of capability and with the introduction of Michonne, they have a badass roadtrip escaping Woodbury and getting back to the group. definite survival
Michonne - Obviously as a new and deeply loved fan favorite Michonne will see the end of the season.
Carl - Much the same with Lori - Unless this kids seriously learns to listen I don't see him surviving long, to the end of season 3 yes, beyond that i'm not so certain.
Glenn and Maggie - The dynamic between the two is still to engaging and fresh, Glenn as the lovable and scavenge savvy guy that he is and the Southern farm reared but world wise Maggie are ripe for narrative and character development. Maggie will hopefully fill out the role of badass girl member of the group that is vacant until the return of Andrea and Michonne.
Unknown/ Uncertain:
Hershel - Kirkman also revealed that originally, Hershel was suppose to die in Season 2. After Frank Darabont left the project Jeffrey DeMunn (Dale Horvath), a long time friend and colleague of the Director opted to leave the show. Therefore Hershel death was swapped out in favor of Dale, a departure from the chronological events of the comic book. I wouldn't completely rule out Hershel as a possible character to die on this basis.
Carol - I have found that many other fans are either apathetic about Carol or completely sure that she will die, viewing her as the token character who is unable to protect herself or adapt to the world they find themselves in and is seen as less developed. She herself has acknowledged that she is a 'burden' but To me Kirkman is going against the grain of character expectations.
Many of us want to believe that, in the event of a zombie apocalypse we will all become badass, uncompromising zombie killing machines. But what we want to be and what we are in the event of such happenings is completely different. With Andrea, Michonne and Maggie falling in to the role of such characters and Lori just pissing everyone off, we have to accept that not every character can be strong in the same way.
Carol is the perfect example of a character who struggles with the world she finds herself in. Already damaged by her abusive husband and the devastating loss of her daughter, Carol has undoubtedly suffered the most and I really want to see her develop more because of this, I want there to be a driving force for her to survive.
The teaser also has her in many of the same frames as Daryl, whether it be romantic or as just two damaged people attempting to help each other who knows. The fact that she is firing an automatic rifle (and with surprising accuracy for a person reluctant to pick up a gun in season 2)makes me hopeful.
T-Dog: As with Carol, I believe that at least one of the original Atlanta characters will die, but again I think T-Dog has been relegated to the token 'expected to die' category that Carol has fallen in to. We haven't seen much development past the first episode with his scene with Dale. Bu again I think the writers play on our assumptions that the less developed characters are the most likely to be killed off. Real unsure with this one.
Beth - To be honest out of all the characters in the main group, I think Beth is the most likely to be killed off. Although her life or death conflict in Season 2 established that she did want to live, Hershel's admitted sheltering of the young girl makes her ripe for the picking. Unless she provides some decent story structure I don't hold much hope for this character.
So there are my opinions out of the main group of characters who might survive and who might not. The death of 3 of the original characters in Season 2 in such a pastoral and hopeful safety of the farm was quite a shock, and with the assumed safety of the prison I'm excited to see who lives and who could die.
I have to admit, the show has me hooked, not only as a Zombie loving fan, but because it is a show that is not afraid to deviate from it's source material. Game of Thrones, whilst admittedly constrained by the books and does deviate slightly in its approach to certain aspects on screen, TWD has proven repeatedly that the show runners are not unwilling to change or outright ignore what happens in the comics.
So my question is, what are your thoughts on what could happen in Season 3 and more importantly who do you think will live to see the end of it?
My Thoughts:
Definite Survivors
Rick - Will definitely survive this season. Although Kirkman has revealed that he has thought about killing Rick off, I think it's highly unlikely to happen in this series, if at all. If Game of Thrones has show us anything, it's that a strong, large and contrasting additional cast is required to support the death of a protagonist, which at this stage I don't think TWD can manage. The changes he has supposedly attempted to his role as leader in the last episode of Season 2 will make him to interesting to take out.
Lori - I debated with myself and friends for a long time about this one, but i'm going to suggest that Lori will survive although I think this is the Season in which the character is in desperate need to win some fans. She will play an important role in shaping the dynamic of Ricks characterization, especially with how things were left of after his revelation to the group and with what happened with Shane. There are many avenues that this character can interact with but I do question how long she can last.
Daryl - Will undoubtedly survive without question. Not only is Daryl the most loved fan favorite character, but with the revelation that Merle will be returning (either alone, with a separate group or as a goon for the governor) There is an excellent excuse to learn more about the elusive hunter. We have only yet seen Daryl's impression of Merle (through the hallucination we saw in S02E05) so again I think in terms of Character worth, story prospects and fan pressure, Daryl will see the end of the season, possibly the show itself.
Andrea - Andrea has developed in to a worthwhile character in terms of capability and with the introduction of Michonne, they have a badass roadtrip escaping Woodbury and getting back to the group. definite survival
Michonne - Obviously as a new and deeply loved fan favorite Michonne will see the end of the season.
Carl - Much the same with Lori - Unless this kids seriously learns to listen I don't see him surviving long, to the end of season 3 yes, beyond that i'm not so certain.
Glenn and Maggie - The dynamic between the two is still to engaging and fresh, Glenn as the lovable and scavenge savvy guy that he is and the Southern farm reared but world wise Maggie are ripe for narrative and character development. Maggie will hopefully fill out the role of badass girl member of the group that is vacant until the return of Andrea and Michonne.
Unknown/ Uncertain:
Hershel - Kirkman also revealed that originally, Hershel was suppose to die in Season 2. After Frank Darabont left the project Jeffrey DeMunn (Dale Horvath), a long time friend and colleague of the Director opted to leave the show. Therefore Hershel death was swapped out in favor of Dale, a departure from the chronological events of the comic book. I wouldn't completely rule out Hershel as a possible character to die on this basis.
Carol - I have found that many other fans are either apathetic about Carol or completely sure that she will die, viewing her as the token character who is unable to protect herself or adapt to the world they find themselves in and is seen as less developed. She herself has acknowledged that she is a 'burden' but To me Kirkman is going against the grain of character expectations.
Many of us want to believe that, in the event of a zombie apocalypse we will all become badass, uncompromising zombie killing machines. But what we want to be and what we are in the event of such happenings is completely different. With Andrea, Michonne and Maggie falling in to the role of such characters and Lori just pissing everyone off, we have to accept that not every character can be strong in the same way.
Carol is the perfect example of a character who struggles with the world she finds herself in. Already damaged by her abusive husband and the devastating loss of her daughter, Carol has undoubtedly suffered the most and I really want to see her develop more because of this, I want there to be a driving force for her to survive.
The teaser also has her in many of the same frames as Daryl, whether it be romantic or as just two damaged people attempting to help each other who knows. The fact that she is firing an automatic rifle (and with surprising accuracy for a person reluctant to pick up a gun in season 2)makes me hopeful.
T-Dog: As with Carol, I believe that at least one of the original Atlanta characters will die, but again I think T-Dog has been relegated to the token 'expected to die' category that Carol has fallen in to. We haven't seen much development past the first episode with his scene with Dale. Bu again I think the writers play on our assumptions that the less developed characters are the most likely to be killed off. Real unsure with this one.
Beth - To be honest out of all the characters in the main group, I think Beth is the most likely to be killed off. Although her life or death conflict in Season 2 established that she did want to live, Hershel's admitted sheltering of the young girl makes her ripe for the picking. Unless she provides some decent story structure I don't hold much hope for this character.
So there are my opinions out of the main group of characters who might survive and who might not. The death of 3 of the original characters in Season 2 in such a pastoral and hopeful safety of the farm was quite a shock, and with the assumed safety of the prison I'm excited to see who lives and who could die.