The Walking Dead opened up PaleyFest 2013 on Friday night with a panel moderated by comedian, podcaster and Talking Dead host Chris Hardwick. As was to be expected, there was plenty of Chris Hardwick-style banter, quips and random Harry Potter references in the mix. In the midst of all that, though, there was some discussion about the show itself. In attendance were Andrew Lincoln (Rick), Danai Gurira (Michonne), Laurie Holden (Andrea), Steven Yeun (Glenn), Norman Reedus (Daryl), Scott Wilson (Hershel) and Emily Kinney (Beth), along with executive producers Gale Anne Hurd, Dave Alpert, Greg Nicotero and comic book series creator Robert Kirkman.
We were also able to attend the press line for the event, so look out for those video interviews on Monday.
PaleyFest is really designed as a fan-centric event, so these weren’t hard hitting questions about the recent behind-the-scenes shake-ups, but more of an audience appreciation gathering. The panel opened with a tease of Sunday’s episode and a peek at some DVD extras and quickly moved into the question/answer portion of the event.
Fans will be able to pay to see the panel in theatres next Thursday night, in the interim, here’s a quick overview of what we learned and what was revealed. The cast and creators of The Walking Dead always keep things very close to the vest, but if you aren’t caught up, or are particularly sensitive to anything “spoilery” be warned – some hints about the remainder of the season follow.
1. Rick’s going to get a “wake-up call.” For a moment, it looked as though the show really was moving away from the “Rick the leader” model. But we shouldn't be too prepared for the end of his reign. "To be called out by your son is pretty tough at the best of times (although my son is three and he calls me out many times) but it's a bit of a moment where he realizes he has to step up," Andrew Lincoln said. Adding that, “Something happens this episode this weekend that holds a mirror up to Rick... and starts to realize he has to come back from his wounds." The actor feels that what Rick has been going through is actually a fairly common phenomena for someone experiencing deep grief. “He’s been making some terrible calls,” he said, adding, “well let’s be honest, he’s always made terrible calls.” It looks as though, for now, it will continue to be the era of the Ricktatorship, though his confrontation with the Governor may alter his leadership style somewhat.
2. Daryl’s not interested in being the leader. Norman Reedus, as expected, inspired the most enthusiastic response from the audience, but as much as many fans would like to see Daryl take up the leadership mantel, Reedus does not believe that’s his purpose in the group. “I don’t think he wants to look you in the face and tell you it’s going to be okay and how things are going to be done,” the actor said. Reedus feels that Daryl is more of a man of action, and few words. He feels that Rick is the brother Merle couldn’t be for him, and is as such loyal to him. Though he hasn’t entirely abandoned his blood-brother yet. "He knows there's good in his brother, but then again he's tried to kill half the people up on stage. I think he hopes," Reedus said. Though he does content that this catastrophe has brought out a side to him he never knew existed. A side that threatens Merle. “Daryl's becoming the man he never would have become if this tragedy didn't happen and having people rely on him for the first time is sorta giving him a sense of self-worth and that's something that I think makes his brother a little jealous, something his brother wants that he's never going to get."
3. It looks as though Carl will be coming more and more into the forefront. This Sunday’s episode is a big one for Carl, and as producer Gale Anne Hurd said, it will no longer be “Carl, where’s Carl?” Throughout the panel it began to feel clear that the show, like the comic, may be moving towards Carl as the natural next leader of this group of survivors. “Carl is one of my favorite aspects of the comics and the show,” Kirkman said. "Watching this kid grow and change and evolve the way that he has and go from this kid who's almost a burden to this kid who's now a child soldier is just this really cool exploration of the world of The Walking Dead." Adding, There’s a lot of cool stuff ahead for him.” We shall see what Season 3 brings, though.
4. The comic is the comic, the show is the show, the game is the game. Kirkman said that he enjoyed having some characters that exist only in their particular iteration of the story, Daryl on the show, for example. He feels that the TV audience even partially being able to guess where things are going to go would be a detriment. He didn’t rule out the possibility of some crossover, saying, “you never know,” though. The writer added that the space between writing the comic and working on the show allowed him to say, “Hey, this thing I wrote six years ago sucked, let’s do something better.”
5. Everyone knows that everyone hates Andrea – including Andrea. For a time it felt as though there should be a portion of the panel entitled “in defense of Andrea.” It seems that all of the players are aware of the audiences' response to the character and her choices, perhaps none more so than Laurie Holden herself. As to the complaints, the actress said, "I get it daily. I get it at the gas station. I get it at the Coffee Bean. Walking down the street. I get it at airport security... I get it all day.” Adding "I am protective of Andrea." Holden said that she views Andrea as that very good friend with terrible taste in men. “When she goes back and she sleeps with him (the Governor), it's not because she's having a weak female moment and thinks he's handsome,” she was quick to clarity. “She really thought that she could follow through with Carol's plan... I think that Andrea thought that she could do, tried to do it and I think sleeping with her disgusted him and I think that she woke up and it's one thing to kill someone in self-defense and another to stand over someone as they're sleeping in cold blood. Andrea's never killed a human being before. You can call that weak, or you can call that strong.” We leave that to you, reader.
Bonus - On the dead of The Walking Dead:
Everyone’s up for grabs and zombie bites on The Walking Dead, and the cast celebrates and mourns each death. "When we decide to kill a character in the comic book, it's like 'Eh. Not gonna be writing or drawing that imaginary thing anymore.' It's no big deal though sometimes it's a little upsetting," Kirkman said comparing choice to remove characters in each format. "On the show, there are real people involved and this cast is a close family and taking elements out of that is difficult to do, but that's the story we're telling and we all know that that's what's required of us and we get through it somehow." The cast makes sure to say a proper good-bye to each lost comrade. “We have this ritual where we rent out part of a restaurant and we have a Death Dinner and we honor the beautiful person and character who was part of the show," Holden said. "I think we need to find a new venue, though, because every time we got, we get a fake cake and we're like, 'Yeah, it's so-and-so's birthday' and we all come out sobbing. I don't think that's normal behavior for a birthday party." Emily Kinney, for her part, said that she used the fear that her character could be killed off at any moment in her performance. “It's just like the characters, you never know what's around the corner, so I guess you just use it. So you just really make the most of every moment you do get to have.”
Other fun moments included:
- Andrew Lincoln learning what a meme is.
- Norman Reedus answering an audience question about a possible Daryl/Carol romance "I like these two damaged people graviting towards each other," Reedus said, adding, "If it happens, it might happen... I don't want to make the first move."
- And Steven Yeun explaining that Glenn is a young man learning how to be a partner and a man in this world - and dreaming of steak trees. "In this perfect world what would happen is that the Governor would be dead and he would be happy with Maggie in a field full of food," he said.
If you’re not interested in seeing it in theatres, you can take a look at the stream of the panel on Hulu – it does contain some spoilers, though.
"The Walking Dead" airs Sunday at 9/8c on AMC.
Roth Cornet is an Entertainment Editor for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @RothCornet and IGN at Roth-IGN.
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