TV Series - Top 5 Worst Characters

So last week, I told you my top five favorite characters from the television series.  Today, I'm going to be mean and do the top five worst characters.  I'm probably going to do my favorite characters from the comic book series in the near future.  Without further ado, let's get started!

5. Otis

Otis is another character (the other being Ed Peletier) that Shane beat the snot out of or basically put down.  In a zombie apocalypse, people that are really overweight like Otis have a hard time or surviving, being able to run around and evade groups of zombies.  He did serve a purpose in dying and showed us some character development with Shane.  But he was a terrible character by himself.

4. Randall

"I went to school with Maggie!"

That's basically his only memorable moment.  I think you have to feel bad for him, but at the same time, jumping off that roof was by far the dumbest thing I've ever seen in The Walking Dead television series.  As a character, he sucks. Plain and simple.

3. Jacqui

A character from season one, Jacqui is on my list primarily because of committing suicide.  Although it does add to the realism of the show to have a character commit suicide, at the same time, I have no respect for a character who just gave up and wasn't willing to fight.  I can understand if a character wanted to commit suicide after a year of surviving, but she just wanted out right away.

2. Allen

Every time I saw him on screen, I just instantly became angry.  I hated that Allen always wanted to question Tyreese and always thought he was better then him.  I'm glad that the Governor killed a guy that wanted to take over the prison when he was being fed and cared for.  He was just a terrible character.

1. Lori

There are many reasons why Lori is the worst character in The Walking Dead overall, television and comic books.  She screwed over Shane, she had baby mama drama and she argued with Rick all the time.  Even after Rick killed Shane, Lori still pushed him away and gave him the cold shoulder.  She is just such a bad character, to the point where she even haunts Rick and makes his life miserable after she's dead.

Comic Book Series - Issues 111 + 112 Cover Preview

The Walking Dead comic book series has some really interesting covers coming up.  So I decided to preview them and make some predictions on what is going to happen.  Here is the cover for Issue 111, which comes out on June 12th:

"Lucille is going to be so jealous"

 

I think this is one of best covers we've seen in a while.  Obviously, this is Negan, and the big question here is who has he killed this time?  The plot for this issue is in the caption, which makes me think that at least one character is going to die.  You would have to think that the character will be part of Rick's "Alliance" you can say with the Hilltop and the Kingdom.  Based on the cover it could be anyone.

 

It could be Dwight from Negan's group because he wants to kill Negan as well as Rick and everyone else.  But out of everyone against Negan, Dwight is probably in the most dangerous position because he is going to have to gain the support of people within Negan's group.  Rick has his group and Ezekiel has his group, so Dwight is going to have recuit some people and get them on his side.  That is probably going to lead to someone ratting out Dwight, so I could definitely see Negan killing Dwight in the next issue.   

 

So it could either be Dwight or dare I say it, Rick Grimes.  Now based on this cover, I would say, "No way!  It can't be Rick!"  But if you take a look at the cover for Issue 112, which comes out on July 10th, it could happen.

"Carl and Andrea are faced with the unthinkable"

 

So just based on the caption/plot teaser, I think we could actually see the death of Rick.  We knew he was going to die sooner or later, so is this the time that the unthinkable will happen?  Even though it logically makes sense, I tend to think that Robert Kirkman wouldn't want to kill Rick at this time.  Maybe the group was split up or something, but what I can say is that things are not looking good for Rick's group.

I'm still going to go with Dwight and I think the cover for Issue 112 is just a way to build suspense.  I don't think they would kill Rick at this time, but either way, those are some great covers and I'm excited to see what happens with the whole Negan situation and the upcoming war.   

Season 4 - Carl's Evolution

Out of every character in The Walking Dead television and comic book series, it's safe to say that Carl Grimes has been the character that has evolved the most since the beginning.  He went from a defenseless little boy that couldn't shoot or protect himself to a cold-blooded killer. 

Surprisingly, Carl actually has a nice list of kills.  He indirectly killed Dale because he didn't tell anybody about the walker that he saw in the woods and he basically got the zombie free of the mud.  He put down the zombified Shane in one of the best scenes in all of season two when Rick thought Carl was pointing the gun at him, but he was actually saving his father.  The he had to kill his own mother, Lori, before reanimation.  Any character that has to put down their own mother can go through anything, whereas most people would struggle with that. 

Lastly, he killed Jody, that kid from Woodbury at the end of season three.  Even Hershel wasn't that cold enough to be able to put that kid down.  But I think that kid did have busy eyes, meaning that he was putting his gun down but he was looking around to maybe get a shot off or something of that nature.  Afterwards, I think Hershel makes it sound like to Rick that Carl did the wrong thing.  But I think Carl did the right thing in that situation and he did what he had to do, as he would say.

I think Carl has figured out the rules of the zombie apocalypse where other characters like Hershel have not quite figured it out yet.  There is a line between being kind to others and having no choice but to kill. 

The question that I've heard the most about Carl is who does he resemble more: Rick or Shane?  I would have to say that he behaves more like Shane, although Rick can definitely put characters down if they need to be put down like Dave and Tony at the bar in season two.  However, Carl seems to have less trouble pulling the trigger, which may be a conflict between him and Rick because Rick can be too kind at times. 

In terms of what I expect to see in season four, I would tend to think that Carl will be just like his comic book counterpart and become even more ruthless, start arguing with Rick a lot and start speaking his mind on important manners.  I think he will be one of the most interesting characters to watch in the future. 

In addition, Carl will be growing up a lot faster in the television series then in the comic books because in every season of The Walking Dead, Chandler Riggs grows another year older.  He's 13 right now, so if The Walking Dead goes to a season seven or eight, Chandler Riggs would 17 or 18 years old.  That would be pretty weird to see, but I think he would make for a really good main protagonist at that point if the show does reach that many seasons. 

Carl is finally starting to come into his own and not be that annoying, bratty kid from the first two season that made a bunch of stupid mistakes.  I can't wait to see the arguments he has with Rick next season and how they don't see eye to eye on anything anymore.   

TV Series - Top 5 Favorite Characters

With season four slowly approaching (which feels like an eternity), I've decided to count down my top five favorite/greatest characters from The Walking Dead television series.  I'll probably do my top five characters from the comic book series later.  For those of you that do read the comics, there are a lot of characters in the comics, so I'll have an even tougher time picking my favorites from the comic book series.  Without further ado,  here are my top five favorite characters from the television series:

Honorable Mention: Morgan Jones

I know he's only been in two episodes, but I think his performance in "Clear" is the only reason I have him as an honorable mention.  I think that was one of the best episodes of season three mainly because we get to see what has happened with him since the first episode of The Walking Dead.  A lot of fans were hoping that he would return in the season three finale, but that didn't happen unfortunately.  He may not be on that much, but when he is, the episode is always fantastic.

#5 - Glenn Rhee

The last remaining survivor from the Atlanta camp, Glenn has been one of my favorite characters over the past three seasons.  He saved Rick from Atlanta and was the group's main supply runner.  He began a relationship with Maggie in season two and I guess you can say they are married since Glenn gave her that ring in "This Sorrowful Life."  Not only does Glenn show compassion and humanity, but he is one tough guy.  When he and Maggie were captured and interrogated by the Governor, he survived a beating from Merle and a walker attack while tied to a chair.  That brought out his resourcefulness and quick-thinking, which is why Glenn is one of my favorite characters.

#4 - Philip Blake a.k.a. "The Governor"

As much as I absolutely hate the Governor, you have to admit that he is a great villain.  If you don't have the Joker, you don't really have Batman.  What I mean by that is that you can have Batman, but you don't really have Batman unless you have someone like the Joker.  If you're watching a Batman movie without the Joker, something is definitely missing.  The Governor is that "Joker" and main villain.  Sure, you have all the zombies, but again, you're missing that main villain that always stirs up trouble.  I think the Governor has been handled really well and he definitely has to be on my list.

#3 - Merle Dixon

I think Merle was absolutely fantastic and one of my favorite characters in season three.  He was responsible for some of the best moments of the entire season like taking out eight of the Governor's men in "This Sorrowful Life."  It's too bad that he died because he really is an interesting character.  He does what needs to be done, has no class whatsoever and teeters on the brink of a hero and a villain.  I think he definitely went out as a hero in "This Sorrowful Life" when he took out all of those men and drew all of those zombies to where the Governor was.

#2 Rick Grimes

Andrew Lincoln is a phenomenal actor and there is no else better suited to playing Rick then him.  I liked all of the struggle in season three over Lori's death and how he got over Lori in the second half of season three.  Personally, I think Rick is more of a badass in the television series then in the comic book series, using grenades very well and being a great shot.  One of the best scenes of season two was when Rick killed Dave and Tony in that bar, and another memorable scene was seeing Rick kill all those zombies in the prison following Lori's death.  He's the main character of the series, and rightfully so because he is absolutely fantastic.

#1 Daryl Dixon

Rick may be the main character, but I think people watch The Walking Dead solely to see Daryl Dixon in action with his signature crossbow.  I never want to see Daryl killed off because he is such a fan favorite, a great survivor and an interesting character in general.  Norman Reedus did an outstanding job in season three, especially when he has to kill Merle after seeing him as a zombie.  I loved when he just took the crossbow from Shumpert after Rick and Maggie came back to save him and Merle.  In addition, Daryl probably had the best zombie kill in the history of the television series.  Remember this?

Probably the best zombie kill I've ever seen in my life.  I also love when Daryl stands up to Merle about Glenn he tells him, "He's Korean."  That was one of my favorite lines of the entire season by far.

So just to recap, my favorite characters from The Walking Dead television series, in order, are Glenn, the Governor, Merle, Rick and Daryl.  Let me know what you guys think and answer the poll above and tell me who your favorite character is.  If you answer "Someone else", let me know who your favorite character is in the comments below.

Season 4 - Lawrence Gilliard Jr. playing Bob Stookey

I do apologize for not posting about this topic earlier.  I did address it very briefly in my post regarding the start of season four production, but that was about it. 

A couple weeks ago, I did a post about a new character named Roy Stark, a former army medic and loner in his early 30s to mid 40s who is charming, self-deprecating and confident around people.  As I predicted in that very same post, it was a fake name.  So Lawrence Gilliard Jr. is actually playing the role of Bob Stookey, a character from the comic books.

Bob Stookey, who debuted in Issue 43 of the comic book series, was the town drunk of Woodbury and a former army medic.  He came in close to the end of the whole Governor storyline on the comic book series.  His age is from late 50s to early 60s and he is Caucasian, whereas Gilliard Jr. is African American.  This isn't the first time where they've had characters in the television series look nothing like their comic book counter parts.  They did it with the Governor, and I think that has worked out great and David Morrissey has done a fantastic job.

This also got me thinking that because this character is being introduced now, we're starting to see the end of the Governor storyline in The Walking Dead.  That wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing because he got a lot of time in season three and season four is going to be sixteen episodes again.  I hope the Governor dies in season four, but if he doesn't, he needs to fall out of the main plot because his storyline would become too long.

I could definitely see him being part of the prison group right away.  He could have been on that bus that was taken to the prison because he is a drunk and he's basically useless, so the Governor probably didn't take him along for the fight.  Another possibility could be that he lives at that Big Spot retail store (if you don't know what I'm talking about, click here) because in the pictures, there are military tents on the outside.  Obviously, with Governor needing more men and with all the military encampment, it would make sense that he and another group of survivors would be living there.

Just as a side note, maybe Bob Stookey could help the Governor cauterize his wound because he    couldn't do it on his own last season.  I don't think the Governor will lose any more limbs or body parts, so if they follow the storyline from the comic books, it would make sense for this new character to patch up the Governor.  Just in case some of you don't read the comic books, in Issue 33, Michonne mutilated the Governor after he tortured her, cutting off his right arm and messing up his eye.  Soon after the attack, Bob Stookey then patches him up.

We don't know too much about the new character past that point in the comic book series.  We know for the most part that he survived at least up until the prison storyline ends in the comic book series, so there's a small possibility that he could still be alive in the comic books.

It should be fun to Lawrence Gilliard Jr.'s take on the character.  Obviously. he has to add a lot of new elements to him because there isn't really much to work with other then he's the town drunk and he's a former army medic.  I think that he is going to be a part of a military group of survivors that the Governor meets up with at that Big Spot retail store, but I could be totally wrong.

Season 4 - The Governor's new secret headquarters?



So we've got another picture concerning season four of the Walking Dead and it looks like the Governor has found a new base of operations: a Big Spot retail store.

I think the name of the store is originally Big Lots, but they obviously can't use the name of a retail store without permission from the actual chain.  The name does the job for me and it also looks like there is a military camp outside of the store from what it looks like, but let's take a look at the pictures:

So the first picture we have is the store Big Spot, based off of Big Lots so they don't get sued.  I'm actually really excited because I said in one of my previous posts (I forget which one) that a great location would be a grocery store or department store of some kind.  It's big, there's tons of supplies and it's pretty secure aside from the glass windows.  You could definitely set that place up to be like paradise in a zombie apocalypse. 

Now, I'm assuming that the Governor is going to find his way here, but there is the chance that it could be a totally different group that is living here.  An idea I had would be for a different group to be staying here, have the Governor, Martinez and Shumpert come to live with them, and have the three of them take it over.  But that's just an idea and we don't know for sure if this is indeed the Governor's new spot.

I'm of the mindset that it is because he has to go somewhere and it would make perfect sense.  Who knows, maybe he knows about it when he set up Woodbury.  Maybe they could meet up with a military-type group because there is military stuff outside like tents and debris.  I think this new set is going to be better then Woodbury because aside from the wall and the torture room, the rest of the community was just bland.  It'll be interesting to see how they film in this department store and what kinds of new things they'll be able to do in terms of the set design.  Plus, you also have all the military tents and equipment outside, which makes the place that much cooler to stay during a zombie apocalypse.

The Walking Dead Issue 110 (Comic Book Series) Review

Sorry this review is late, but I did read the issue right away because I love The Walking Dead comics just like the television series.  I like them equally and for different reasons.  But the comic book series is just great and I can't wait for the next one to come out.  At this point, this probably the most exciting the series has been in a while.

SPOILER ALERT! BUT IF YOU JUST WATCH THE TV SHOW, YOU WON'T REALLY CARE ANYWAY! BESIDES, THERE IS NOT ANY CHARACTER DEATHS AT ALL!

So in this month's issue, which was released on Wednesday, things are starting to come together for the imminent war that is going to occur between Negan and the alliance of Rick's group, a splinter part of the Hilltop colony, and the Kingdom.

This was basically a character-builder issue, as we're getting to know Ezekiel and what he's about.  The cover was really interesting because you have Michonne with her sword and Ezekiel with his, so this finally brings in a match for Michonne in the comic book series, which hasn't happened since Tyreese at the prison. 

This is the first time that Michonne has had somebody that she really seems to click with.  She is one of the most badass chicks you could ever meet in a zombie apocalypse.  She has a sword and has probably killed more zombies then any character in the entire comic book series.  Ezekiel, who has a tiger by the way, basically told Michonne that she's carrying a samurai sword, but she's using it like she's fencing.

It's kind of interesting that he can break down her techniques, which makes me think that he's even better with a sword and we just haven't seen it yet.  So he has a tiger and he assumingly is amazing with a sword, which probably makes him more badass then she is.  We also find out a little more about Ezekiel's story, which is necessary because you need to get to know characters before you can care about them.  Hopefully, we'll get to see Ezekiel in action very soon.

We also got to see how many men/people the Kingdom has and there is so many more people there then in Rick's group and even at Hilltop.  They all looked pretty tough too, so this war is going to be pretty awesome.  But as far as we know, there is no set number of people who will fight against Negan's group, but based on the pictures, the Kingdom has about 20-30 fighters.  You also have the Hilltop group and Rick's splinter group of Andrea, Carl, Michonne, Heath, Aaron and Eugene, who didn't come to the Kingdom however.

So all in all, Negan's group would still outnumber them, unless Dwight is able to get enough people on his side against Negan.  The main player in all of this may be Eugene he may able to produce those bullets.  He seemed kind of hesitant towards Rick, not that he doesn't trust him, but he doesn't want to produce bullets that will be used for killing people.  Eugene is going to have to realize that if he doesn't produce those bullets, everyone is going to be killed or Negan will end up taking all of the ammunition.

As for Jesus and Kal, nothing really happened other the Jesus convincing Kal not to tell Negan of their plans and to come back to Hilltop.  Overall, I thought it was a great issue and I can't wait for the upcoming war, which I would assume would take up an entire volume (six issues).  The next issue comes out on June 12, so we got to wait another month, but it'll be worth the wait.

Season 4 - Production Begins and First Look at Rick

Season four production for The Walking Dead  began on Monday and AMC has already released the first picture of season four.  I really like that as they're filming, they are releasing a bunch of stuff just like last season.  I didn't even expect a picture to be released this early, but nonetheless, here is the picture:

So it's basically a picture of Rick standing in the forest and probably outside of the prison.  You also have a walker in the background and Rick either doesn't care or doesn't see it coming.  Other then that, there's not really much you can speculate.  It's the first picture, it's obviously very cool and it gets me even more excited for season four.

Now that AMC has released one picture, I assume there will be more coming in the near future.  Last year for season three, there was a lot of stuff that came out in that June-July-August range, so I'll be doing more posts once more information is released.

We've also heard about a new character being played by Lawrence Gilliard Jr. playing Bob Stookey, who was the town drunk of Woodbury in the comic book series.  I'm interested in seeing what they'll do with him in the television series because you could have him live with Rick's group and them have him betray Rick and work with the Governor.  What would make the most sense is to have the Governor run into him on the road, but we'll see what happens.

Season 4 - Will they leave the prison?

In season three of The Walking Dead, Rick's group finds the prison in the first episode, stay there for the entire season and are still there going into season four. Will Rick's group leave the prison in season four?

After bringing in a bunch of new people, I think it only makes it harder for Rick's group to leave the prison.  As a viewer and fan, I'm beginning to grow tired of the prison already, but not entirely.  It wasn't like season two where I got tired of the farm really quickly.  The farm was just boring overall, but I loved the last episode with all the zombies overtaking the farm.  I liked the barn being set on fire and Sophia being in the barn, but other then that, there weren't really any nice concepts involving the barn setting.

The camp in the first season was a stupid location, but it was kind of necessary because everyone was new to life during a zombie apocalypse.  Even though they didn't know at that point, being close to Atlanta is bad and they probably should have thought about that a little more thoroughly.  But they were just going day by day and trying to avoid getting ripped apart by zombies.  It had no protection either, so a herd of zombies could walk right in and other groups could rob them and they had no way of stopping them.

I thought the camp was more fun to see then the farm, but the prison was better then both of those locations.  The thing with the prison is that the characters have been there for so long that things are definitely starting to get dry, but it's not a bad thing.  Something that could be done in season four is to establish the prison as the home base and have little groups of people go out and looks for supplies, assuming the group is running low on supplies after the time skip.

So to answer the question, I don't think that Rick's group will leave the prison until possibly the season four finale or at some point in season five.  Hopefully, it won't go longer then that because if they're still at the prison in season six, I'd have to consider not watching the show at all because the prison would have gotten so boring by then. 

I would love to see some new locations in season four like a grocery store or department store and just have the group loot the entire place.  I know they probably don't have a lot of that in the country, but any small town nearby is going to have places like that.  I could definitely see the Governor attack Rick's group while they're out on supply runs. 

I do hope they leave the prison fairly soon, even though it wouldn't really make much sense at this point.  I think by the season finale or early next season would be a good time to leave the prison.