How many characters does the series 'The Walking Dead' develop?
In the series 'The Walking Dead' there are a variety of characters introduced in the first episode. However later on in the series there are more characters introduced to the audience during the story.
The reason most series have a multiplicity of unique main characters is so the audience have a connection with a individual from the cast. If the series is a dramatic genre the directors/screenwriters can put each character in danger, which would cause anxiety for the audience because their favourite character could be killed off the show, enticing the audience to watch the rest of the series.
Throughout the first series we are introduced to all of the main characters and we see their personalities change and develop from season one to season eight. I think this is a good series to relate to because the whole universe is changing which meant the characters personality had to change to remain appropriate in this particular environment and so survive throughout the series.
Choose a character in ‘ The Walking Dead’ and analyse the way in which its narrative is developed over time. Analyse how the expansion of time in the story serves the character development.
One specific character I have picked from the series 'The Walking Dead' is Daryl, played by Norman Reedus. The reason I have picked him is because, during the first season in episode three where he first is introduced as very rude and dangerous when he finds out his brother's life is in danger and he blames it on, and gets violent with, Rick Grimes played by Andrew Lincol. However throughout the whole show the audience notice a very different change in his personality. This is because in mid series three we see Merle (Daryls brother) as an evil person and who is trying to hurt the group of survivors for something that he wants. However the audience would imagine Daryl to fall for his brothers mistakes and join him but in fact he decides to stay with his original group. However later on in the episode we see Merle killed off the show. The audience see a change in Daryls personality when he finds his brother as a 'walker'. Before Daryl was a heartless man who didn't really care about anyone but himself, but in this specific episode the audience fall in love with him a little more as he shows true care towards his brother as his facial expression shows he is heartbroken.
Another example is the character Carol (played by Melissa McBride) and Daryls relationship, if you compare how Daryl was like in the early series the audience would not recognise the way he acts. Carol and Daryl become extremely close, for example in season 7 Daryl doesn't tell Carol that him and the rest of Alexandria (his group of survivors) are in real danger, this is because he knew that she would go out and try to save them and put herself in danger.
One last example of change in Daryls personality is in season 7 when he is captured by the Saviors, we see a weakness in him. The 'Saviors' (the bad guys) beat Daryl and treat him like a prisoner, however if this was Daryl in season one he would have fought back, but as his personality has changed and he knows he can't do anything about it he doesnt.