To all those who want to get involved in this series but think it's too late, do not fear, here is a detailed beginners guide to overviews, episodes and characters.
This post will contain HUGE spoilers so please do not read if you don't want it to be ruined.
Season 1
Season 1 Episode 1 was, admittedly one that I missed. I was not interested in the show at all and didn't tune in until the third episode.
It begins with the main protagonist Sheriff Rick Grimes who awakes in hospital after being in a coma to a world overrun by zombies - or 'walkers' for colloquial TV talk - he quickly taps into his survival instincts and encounters a father and son. He continues communication to them via a walkie talkie to which he always gets no reply and yet he continues to direct them to safe havens. He is reunited with his own wife and child along with his best friend and some other survivors that have created a camp. As a group, they come across hardships and must work together. It ends with a CDC incident where Rick is told the virus is airborne.
Season 2
Rick is once again thrown into the deep end when he is met with more survivors, a vet and his farmer family who remain optimistic and hopeful. They harbour 'walkers' in their barn as they consider them 'sick people.' A woman within the original group loses her daughter and Rick's son has been shot so they take up camp on the farmers land. More lives are lost, relationships and friendships wither and build and soon enough, at the finale ends with the farm being overrun and the group once again on the road - with a pregnant Lori Grimes included.
Season 3
This present season has been action packed with more people dying and more survivors being encountered. Rick is hesitant about every stranger and is right when a new foe is introduced, The Governor, who leads a small town called Woodbury. Rick becomes insane due to the death of his wife and begins neglecting his newborn daughter. The mid-season finale ended with a torturous cliffhanger included a showdown between fan favourite Daryl Dixon and his long lost brother, Merle.
Rick Grimes
Ever since Season 1 he's been the official leader. Having killed his best friend for the sake of the group, he's ended up taking on everyones responsibilities and leading them to potential safe havens. Since Season 2, he's hesitant and almost indefinitely reluctant to accept strangers into his group considering everyone a threat. Rick is probably the best bet for a leader. I know for a fact, I'd feel safe around him. He's kept everyone safe, feels bad when somebody dies and tries to keep personal ties on the downlow. However, I think of him as almost selfish too. Almost every decision must benefit him in some way, whether it's protection for his son, acceptance from his wife or just pure self gratification, Rick leads to the group into some dangerous situations sometimes to prosper and protect his own family. Season 3 sees him at his most vulnerable. He's grieving over the loss of his wife, neglecting both his son and newborn daughter and is most definitely unfit to lead the group. Considering the Governor is also vulnerable but able to keep his priorities intact, it's an internal battle between the two.
The leader of small town Woodbury. He depicts a caring, responsible and charming man who seems sensible, lovely and stable but it's been evident through Season 3 he has his own intentions. Using gladiator like matches against walkers, he sees the zombies as entertainment trying to teach the citizens of Woodbury that they're harmless. They feel safe around him. I see this man as one clever little individual. He's declared war against Rick and his group, I presume because they're not willing to bow down and accept him or that he isn't willing to bow down accept there are people alive that are not in Woodbury. He takes unkindly to those who aren't eager to trust and be loyal to him. His zombie-fied daughter was killed by Michonne, he uses that anger to drive him forward.
The previous owner of the farm that was overrun, he's the father of two girls who he devotes all his love and care toward. He has overcome his naive ways and now finally, sees the danger in the walkers. He stands beside Rick in all decisions and proves useful with his medical expertise. In the first episode of Season 3 he was bitten by a walker and evoked Rick to cut off his leg, he is still able to fight and work as normal if not with the help of his daughters or the crutches he now carries.
Maggie Greene
My favourite female character and my second all time favourite character in this series. She's the eldest daughter of Hershel and from the beginning, it's obvious she's the toughest out of all the females and her whole family put together.
She knew all along about the dangers of walkers but loved her father too much to say anything. She begins a relationship with former pizza boy, Korean kid Glenn. She is the only female to assist in 'runs' for supplies and one of the few to scout and secure areas. In Season 3, she's taken by the Governor and sexually harassed to which she wants to keep secret from the others, not including boyfriend Glenn who was present at the time.
A former pizza boy and first survivor Rick encounters. He is excellent at runs to gather supplies due to his knowledge of the city in Season 1 and fast and agile physique.
He begins a serious relationship with Maggie Greene and it forces him to grow up a little bit. After he's captured and held hostage in Woodbury, Merle Dixon pounds on his face and sets a walker on him to which is fights and gets dangerous close to being bitten. After seeing his girlfriend topless and sexually harassed, he grows angry at everything and Season 3 sees him try and take on a leadership role to which he attempts to force the group into rash decisions like sneaking into Woodbury and killing the Governor not thinking about the consequences.
Beth Greene
17 year old daughter and sister of Hershel and Maggie, she began Season 2 as a minor character only really coming into play when her boyfriend and stepmother die and she attempts to kill herself. Season 3 sees her taking on the role of a mother as she nurtures and looks after the baby 'Judith' a lot. There's a budding relationship in the works for her and young Carl Grimes but specifics about it hasn't been clear nor confirmed.
A promo released saw the teenager getting increasingly close with Rick which I think will be an interesting storyline if it plays off which is doubtful but not impossible.
Carl Grimes
Starting out a complaining and unhelpful member of the group, after losing his best friend Sophia and getting shot, he followed his fathers footsteps into leadership. At only 14 years old, he's suffered the loss of two of his best friends and his mother. He's able to handle himself in any situation and member of the group treat him like a twenty year old rather than the young youth that he is. He shot his own mother before she became a walker and took on the responsibility of looking after his baby sister 'Judith' because his father is unfit to do so. He's witnessed and caused a lot of death but this boy has so much depth, it's hard to comprehend.
Carol Peletier
Season 1 began with Carol as a struggling mother of twelve year old Sophia and sufferer of domestic abuse by the hands of her husband, Ed.
Ed later died in an attack and her daughter shortly afterward went missing and ended up being killed when she was discovered to be a walker. This character has gone a long way from being a depressed, complaining and doubtful follower of Rick to a strong asset, a useful gun handler and a budding relationship partner for Daryl Dixon.
Andrea (surname not specified)
After the loss of her sister Amy in Season 1, she tried to commit suicide in the CDC. Saved by fellow group member, Dale Orvath, she continued her journey with the group becoming more and more disliked by myself and fellow fans. She became eager to try out a gun which she shot Daryl accidentally with, she slept with Shane and now, sleeping with the Governor is a determined and devoted member of Woodbury, holding her friends responsible when she was accidentally left in the farmhouse when it was overrun.
Merle Dixon
Season 1 Episode 1 began with him being in a group with Glenn, T-Dog and Andrea. After proving unfriendly and dangerous, he was handcuffed to the roof of the building and unintentionally left there. Along with Rick, his younger brother who was thought of as the same hostile and dangerous man his brother was, went to look for him only to find his hand had been cut off and he was now missing. Season 3 sees him as the lieutenant of the Governor. He's pleased to discover his brother is indeed alive. He's soon blamed for being a traitor and is forced to face off against his brother in a showdown. Both brothers work together to get out of it alive thanks to the help of Rick and Maggie. After receiving a not so friendly welcome party from Glenn or Michonne, Merle and Daryl seperate from the group only to return later on and save Ricks life.
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Michonne (surname not specified)
Appearing at the beginning of Season 3, she became friends with Andrea after saving her from a walker. The girls came across Woodbury, whilst Andrea was being charmed into bed by Phillip, Michonne went with her gut feeling, attacked the Governor, killed his zombie daughter and escaped. She is now a new member of the group although it's not confirmed by Rick.
She's a huge asset using samurai swords for quick, fleeting and ammo saving attacks. She's not a big fan of Merle Dixon and attempts to kill him several times.
Daryl Dixon
And now finally, on to my all time favourite character just like almost everyone else who watches this programme.
Daryl Dixon started Season 1 being the outsider. He, along with his brother, were rednecks assumed to be just as dangerous, just as volatile, just as angry as eachother. When Merle goes missing, Daryl begins to grow closer to the group becoming the unofficial leader when Rick is absent.
The group are undoubtedly weak without him and his trademark crossbow, he helps gather food, supplies and proves a useful asset when attacking walkers and securing locations. He shortly becomes Rick's right hand man when Shane dies and Season 3 sees him being close with fellow group member Carol. Daryl has an interesting past and it's seen in the recent episode that he has scars on his back and that he was abused by his father. He looks up to Merle as a role model, protector and idol but gradually does the right thing and returns to the prison with the others.
Deceased Characters
After giving birth to her daughter, later named Judith, she dies during the c-section Maggie is forced to give her while being under attack by walkers. Carl later shoots her so she doesn't return and her remains are eaten by a sole walker which Rick brutally kills. Rick handles her death badly and begins to see her as a ghost in his mind making him unstable and unfit to lead or make decisions regarding the groups safety.
Shane Walsh
Best friend of Rick and lover of Lori, he is an idol to Carl. He is seen in Season 1 attempting to get Rick out of the coma he's in to save his life, he fails however he barricades the door so walkers cannot get in.
After telling Lori and Carl that Rick is dead, he begins an affair with Lori. When Rick returns, Lori's anger makes him insane due to him still loving her and keeping them safe all this time. Although his intentions are understandable, he turns violent and kills innocent people to save his own life. Rick and Carl later murder him.
Dale Orvath
Dale owns the popular RV that is everyone's sleeping quarters throughout Season 1 and 2 while on the road. He becomes close with Andrea and comforts her when her sister dies, he saves her from committing suicide to which she reacts angrily at and makes an effort to hold him responsible until he later dies on the farm. Daryl shoots him in the head to ensure he doesn't return as a walker and a bond is seen when he says, 'sorry brother' although the two never really had any communication at all, I believe it was a Daryl personality boost to show the viewers that he's becoming more closer and accustomed to the group.
T-Dog
T-Dog is the character who didn't really hit off well. He wasn't disliked but he didn't have any important roles or plotlines. He began in Season 1 as being the culprit behind Merle being left on the roof after he dropped the key to his handcuffs. He got hurt in Season 2 and was rescued by Daryl, he was eventually bitten saving Carol from walkers and I think that was the hero's end he deserved. If writers kept him in, he'd be such an unhelpful person within the group. There's nothing about him that screams a storyline.
Sophia Peletier
Carol's daughter who goes missing. After running into the woods to stop walkers from attacking her, the group soon loses sight of the young girl. Most of Season 2 is about Daryl Dixon on his unending search to find her, devastation ensues when she's found in Hershel's barn as a walker - Rick shoots her in the head.
There are loads of others that have died -
Jaqui
Dr Jenner
Amy
Jim
Morales and his family
Ed
-Other survivors that are not mentioned but are presumed dead
Beth's boyfriend Thomas
Hershel's wife
Phillip's daughter
Other Woodbury townspeople
Oscar
Axel
Other prison inmaters that died
I hope this encourages you to watch the Walking Dead, it's a great show and not hard to catch up at all.
It ended with a shootout between the Governor and Rick's group and walkers being led into their prison. Check out the next episode online or on TV on AMC or FOX.
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