The comic books are like a road map, executive producer David Alpert shared when he, Sonequa Martin-Green and Michael Cudlitz discussed The Walking Dead at San Diego Comic-Con.
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Sasha and Abraham’s Mindsets
“In that moment, as Sasha, I didn’t feel that I deserved to live,” Martin-Green said when discussing the scene with Sasha lying with the walkers, “the meeting with death.” “I was carrying a lot of guilt, a burden too heavy for me to carry. I was in the company of these noble, wonderful men, who all hoped for a better life and I never did, and yet here I am.” The only peace Sasha got was by killing. (And interesting fact: she was eight months pregnant while shooting that scene.) “That’s what happens, right?” the actress said of Sasha pushing people away. “A lot of times, depression and those traumatic times in people’s live are also times of isolation.”
As for how Abraham was handling things as season 5 ended, he took over as leader of the construction crew in Alexandria, but not because he wanted to or he really had a choice. “Not being the leader was going to get him killed,” Cudlitz explained. “It had nothing to do with anything more than self-preservation.”
While Abraham may enjoy the safety, he doesn’t like the quiet. He’s all about “what’s next?” but right now, they’re sort of “mission-less.” “That’s how he lives his life. It’s mission to mission. Whatever the mission is, whatever the project is, full focus, onto the next thing,” he shared. “There’s no desire to take over, there’s no desire to lead in a big scale unless it’s needed.” He’ll do what’s needed for him to do.
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The Comic Book as a Road Map and the Weight of Deaths
According to Alpert, they’re “roughly following weaving in and out of the road maps set up from the comic book.” They’ve been on the road and in the woods and in places that seemed safe but weren’t, so “to be in a place where there’s a semblance of actual civilization is an entirely different thing.” Who these characters are influences how they react to the new environment. “Seeing how this introduction of bubble safety, how that affects everybody and their dynamics” is what they’re going to be playing with in season 6.
“Some of the best moments of the show that gave me exactly what I want are the deaths,” Alpert admitted, specifically naming Hershel’s death and the subsequent reactions. “It’s the actors that pull us in and give us emotional access to feel that journey.”
The Walking Dead season 6 premieres Sunday, October 11 at 9pm on AMC.
(Image courtesy of AMC)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
If it’s on TV — especially if it’s a procedural or superhero show — chances are Meredith watches it. She has a love for all things fiction, starting from a young age with ER and The X-Files on the small screen and the Nancy Drew books. Arrow kicked off the Arrowverse and her true passion for all things heroes. She’s enjoyed getting into the minds of serial killers since Criminal Minds, so it should be no surprise that her latest obsession is Prodigal Son.
