It’s pretty unlikely that any show, even one set in a zombie apocalypse, can continue without introducing a few new characters to shake up the drama, and as such, even The Walking Dead will have a few new (non-decaying, non-bloodthirsty) faces next season. Now, we know the names and a few details of three such faces.
When season two gets underway, we’ll find Rick and friends stumbling upon Hershel’s Farm and that’s where some of these new characters come in. First up is, well, Hershel. According to TV Line, Hershel is a veterinarian (a handy skill for someone who also owns a farm) and a “Wilford Brimley type.” I guess he’ll be giving Dale a run for his money as the go-to grandpa figure. Hershel’s got a daughter, Maggie, who “sounds like a younger version of Andrea with better horseback-riding skills” and boom: we spy a bit of a danger of the show repeating itself. (Remember the psuedo-paternal relationship Dale had with Andrea? Here comes the real thing.)
Finally, we have Otis the ranch hand, who’s totally a great person except that he may, possibly, definitely shoot a survivor and face the consequences…whatever those might be.
The Hershel/Maggie dynamic looks like another excuse to continue the constant presence of families torn apart or troubled by the zombie wasteland (see: Andrea, Amy and Dale; Rick, Lori and Carl; Morgan and Duane), however Otis’ storyline presents an enticing tid bit. When survivors are outnumbered by walkers hundreds of thousands to one, having one of the living accidentally kill another survivor and watching the consequences that ensue provides an interesting offshoot from general “fight to survive” storyline. It’s certainly interesting, but hopefully that’s not the only big twist we’re headed for next season (and if the past shows us anything, we’re in for quite a few big surprises).
Source: TV Line
