In season four of AMC’s popular TV show, “The Walking Dead,” the directors and writers of killed off three main characters — Lizzie, Mika and Hershel. In season three, Andrea, Lori and Merle departed. It seems every season of this zombie show, some main or secondary character gets the ax.
And Jeffrey Carrion, DePaul College of Computing and Digital Media Center lecturer, said season five won’t be any different. Carrion said another major character will definitely bite the zombie bullet.
“You hear a lot of talk about Daryl not making it out,” Carrion said.
Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) has been a fan favorite, including Carrion’s, in the series, and he said many people won’t respond well if he dies.
“People say, ‘If Daryl doesn’t make it out (of Terminus, a safe zone the characters have recently found), I won’t watch the show any more,’” Carrion said.
According to Carrion, Dixon is fan favorite because he is the perfect guy to have around in an apocalypse. Dixon knows how to kill zombies with a crossbow, catch wild animals for food, and track missing people.
A meme has been circulating around Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr stating, “If Daryl dies, we riot” in response to the possibility of the character exiting the show this season. Although Carrion said it’s a possibility that Dixon might die this season, he wouldn’t be mad if the directors and writers killed him off.
“I would be all right with that because I respect the writers with what they would want to do,” Carrion said. “I’m sure they have a plan, and if he goes, someone else will come in and fill that void.”
Sergeant Abraham Ford (Michael Cudlitz) was introduced in season four and resembles Dixon. He has military survival skills, and can kill a herd of zombies by himself. According to Carrion, Dixon is one of his favorite characters, but he is also drawn to Ford.
“I like Sgt. Abraham, too, because he seems very practical. I feel like I would be a lot like that in an apocalypse,” Carrion said.
Carrion said he appreciates that Ford will do anything to survive, and has a plan. He understands another character in the main survivor group, Dr. Eugene Porter (Josh McDermitt), may know about a cure for the zombie disease, and that is Ford’s main mission. He has to protect Porter at all costs and get him to Washington, D.C., so they can cure the epidemic.
Although there have been rumors about Dixon dying this season, it is very likely that a secondary character might die instead of the fan favorite.
According to Carrion, a lot of auxiliary characters have died, such as sisters Mika (Kyla Kenedy) and Lizzie (Brighton Sharbino) in season four. If a main character doesn’t die, one of Ford’s crew members is likely next on the chopping block.
“I don’t think Dr. Porter will die because he is too important and (supposedly) has the cure,” Carrion said.
This leaves Rosita Espinosa (Christian Serratos), Ford’s female muscle.
Another possible secondary character who might buy the farm is Bob Stookey (Lawrence Gilliard Jr.), a former army medic who struggles with alcoholism. Stookey has had few highlights since he was introduced in season four, and seems to cause more harm than good.
Early on in season four, he put the group in serious danger. He grabbed alcohol on a supply run instead of medical supplies for a flu virus that spread in their prison camp.
“It’s getting to be slim pickings,” Carrion said about who’s going to die next.
“It’s getting slim pickings,” Carrion said.