The highly anticipated season five of The Walking Dead is less than 24 hours away. Zombie season is approaching! We hope you enjoy our crew as we present our favorite characters, the ones we would bring back from the dead, our favorite seasons, and future predictions.
1. Who Is Your Favorite Character? Why?
Oliver Lines: Glenn, all day every day. Daryl is up there, obviously, but for me it has to be Glenn. His character development has been through the roof, mostly thanks to Maggie, but his confidence been rising so much in the last four seasons, and he’s just so lovable. From being, the timid bait of the group early on, he’s now an integral character who’s done just about everything possible in a zombie apocalypse.
Stavenly Spielbrick: The best and most enigmatic character of The Walking Dead is Shane (Jon Bernthal) from seasons 1 and 2. Shane created the most drama and controversy within the group of survivors. Jon Bernthal gives his most powerful performance as an actor during his stint on the show. Never before have I seen someone make holding a shotgun look so cool. His character portrayal as good/bad guy has launched a promising career in showbiz.
Yanick Mathieu: Even though the key word is ‘favorite,’ I will use it loosely. The character I most admire, analyze, and find myself thinking about his next move more often than not is Carl. Carl Grimes. I will be the first to admit that before Carl started to evolve it was Rick or Shane that would have taken my most favorite character spot. In a few words, I like when people evolve, and Carl has diffidently evolved. He was just a kid when the zombies waltz in and began menacing the world. So at times we get the pouty, crybaby, whiny attitude. But hey! It’s a zombie apocalypse. Last season, for example, without Carl evolving into a valuable asset, Rick would have not made it. Let us not also forget in season two he was shot, survived, and also killed zombie Shane to save his father. He took on the heavy responsibility to kill his mother after she died during childbirth. He helped hunt and clear out houses with the rest of the adults.
Every child since Carl has died. They just didn't have "it". And by it, I mean the killer instinct to know how to survive. They didn't know how to adapt and become cold. He understood the zombie apocalypse and He is a loving son to Rick and a kick butt big brother to Judith. He is still considered a kid because he is in his mid-teens. But, he has great leadership potential. He has had to grow up in the apocalyptic world. Now, he is coming into his own and to imagine him as a full grown adult. He will be a major force to be reckoned with.
Vahan Shakhpazyan: My favorite character would have to be Michonne. When we were first introduced to her, we knew very little about her because she was dark and mysterious. However, over the course of season 4, we finally figured out her past, and she started to open up to the group. Aside from that, she has become an enormous asset to the group. With the ability to easily slice zombie heads with her katana, she has become nearly impossible to kill. She is an amazing warrior, and I love the fact that she has posed as a mother figure to Carl.
2. If You Were To Bring One Character Back From The Dead, Who Would It Be And Why?
Lines: Merle. Mainly because Michael Rooker is brilliant, but also because there are a lot of places they could’ve taken his character that they didn’t. Not to say that killing him off wasn’t a bad choice, especially in the way they did it, but if he and his foul mouth came back then there’d certainly be no objections here.
Spielbrick: If The Walking Dead brought back one deceased character it would have to be Shane. I think Shane could have replaced The Governor as the show’s antagonist. The show would have been more interesting if Shane was in charge of Woodbury and used its resources to kidnap Rick and Lori’s daughter, which quite possible could be his own offspring.
Mathieu: If I were to bring back one person back from the dead, it would be Shane. I would love to see the power struggle between him and Rick. I often wonder if he didn't die off would he have even stayed with the group. He was strong, he was a leader so people followed and listened to him. He was definitely sinister which made for good TV, like when he shot Otis in the leg to avoid getting eaten by zombies. With that being said, I don't think Rick and Shane could have co-existed very long, but it would have been interesting to look.
Shakhpazyan: If there is one character I would bring back from the dead, it would be Shane. Shane’s character was unique. He was portrayed as a protagonist and an antagonist over the course of the first two seasons. Shane was extremely dramatic and wild. He was a loose cannon, but that’s what made him so great. As Dale said in season 2, he was meant for this world (the apocalyptic world). Jon Bernthal certainly did a phenomenal job of acting as Shane. I’ve always came to the conclusion that if Shane was alive in season 3, he would have killed The Governor on site, no questions asked. Shane was the reason why season 2 was so enjoyable.
3. Which Season Was The Best? Why?
Lines: This is a tough one, because every season (except the first) has followed a similar story arc of ‘new location, group adapts to location, group expands, characters die, big midseason cliffhanger, characters prepare to face big enemy but have moral issues, more characters die, next season is teased.’ That being said, season three was probably the best: the slow reveal of the psychopathic tendencies of The Governor was incredibly well done, the fact both Lori and Andrea died, and the rise of the Ricktatorship. Take out the woefully anticlimactic finale, and it was television at its finest.
Spielbrick: Season 1 is by far the best so far. I feel the story doesn’t have enough valuable content for more than 6 episodes a season. Seasons 2 through 4 seem to stretch out the already, hole, riddled plot. The back-story of Shane and Lori made the time in-between walkers more interesting. Season one was vague in a good way and also had cinematic style that seems to get lost as the seasons progress. Frank Darabont is the most accomplished of all the writers and directors attached to the show and had a lot to do with the direction and writing of the first 7 episodes.
Mathieu: Best season so far of The Walking Dead for has to be season 3. Lori is pregnant with Judith, and they finally find a stable home. They find the prison and literally fight their way through it, ridding it of the walkers and some crazy ex-cons to make it a home. They also get their hands on really cool riot gear. We find out that Merle isn’t dead. Hershel loses his leg. T-Dog dies a valiant death. Carl has to kill his mother. Rick has a psychotic break. Daryl has to kill Merle. Who is the Governor? What is Woodbury all about? I can go on and on. One thing that was not lacking in season 3 was a story line. It never seemed to be filling in time with nonsense. Every episode meant something, which led to something better.
Shakhpazyan: Season 2 was definitely the best season. As mentioned above, Shane made the season terrific with his insaneness. He opposed Rick’s decision-making, killed Otis to save himself, unleashed the barn walkers without Hershel’s permission, tried to kill Rick several times, and excessively begged Lori to be with him. Season 2 also had plenty of character development. We learned a lot about Hershel, Maggie, and Beth. It was also the season where Daryl changed into a supportive, caring, and loving character. Lastly, Hershel’s farm was my favorite setting because the group was exceptionally safe and away from humanity. They also had about everything they needed – a house, horses, chickens, a river, and wells. I definitely miss the craziness that took place on that farm, and the season 2 finale was extremely intense as hordes of walkers took over the farm.
4. Which Character(s) Will Die In Season 5? Why?
Lines: It could be time for a major character death or two again, after no ‘major’ characters dying in season four except Hershel. Maybe Rick will go, which would be okay as it would give Carl a chance to stand up as the leader and be less reckless than he has been in the past. However it seems more likely that he will die in season six. Do the writers have the guts to kill off a fan favorite? Probably. Do they have the guts to kill off Daryl? No. That leads me to the conclusion that it will likely be Glenn, sadly. Carol could also perish, which would be a shame considering her recent storylines involving Lizzie, as could Tyreese. But things like this are often too hard to predict, so we’ll just have to see what the season holds!
Spielbrick: The death of one of the original survivors has way more impact on the show than the death of more recently acquired characters. Rick, Carl, Daryl, Glenn and Carol are all that remain from season 1. Rick and Carl are the main protagonists and can’t die or the producers run the risk of ruining the show. If Daryl gets killed then everyone riots, as the T-shirt says at Hot Topix. That leaves Carol and Glen on the chopping block. Glen will be the one to go in season 5. He is the most expendable at this point. Carol will remain and possibly became Daryl’s love interest at some point.
Mathieu: I believe Beth will die this season because she is already separated from the group. Wherever she is, I do not think she will have a friend. So she is vulnerable to being killed off. I also think that Carol will die this season as she had a limited role last season and only a few episodes so, even though she is a somewhat relatable and a long standing character, I do think she can be killed off.
Shakhpazyan: In season 5, I believe Beth and Eugene will be the two characters who will die. I choose Beth because she is alone, away from family and friends. It seems like she is with dangerous people and just like Andrea, she could find herself in trouble, eventually leading to her death. Eugene is another that may not make it to the end. First of all, he does not know how to protect himself. Secondly, the two trailers released by AMC show Abraham Ford kneel to ground while he is sobbing, which leads me to believe that he has lost either Eugene or Rosita. But, in this case, Eugene would be more reasonable since Rosita has the ability to fight walkers. It will surely be interesting to see if the writers have the guts to kill any of the major characters, but I doubt it happens this season.