Only A True 'The Walking Dead' Fan Remembers These Scenes!
- by Breanna Burford
- – on
- in Movies and TV
Since its premiere on AMC in 2010, The Walking Dead has taken the world by storm. In the beginning, the show focused almost entirely on Rick Grimes and his plight, but as Rick’s world expanded, so did ours, flourishing slowly as it grew to encompass more and more characters. The story has fleshed out beautifully over time, with most plots tying back into each other, and few loose ends left open.
Every viewer has a few moments they will never forget, whether it’s a funny one or a traumatic one, or maybe even a gross one. However, some of the more important scenes throughout the series have been subtle ones, ones so simple that maybe you didn’t realize were important until they’d already passed you by – those are the ones that I feel like only the truest of fans can recognize.
So how about you? Are you the kind of fan who remembers the little things, like Yvette Nicole Brown, and picks up on subtle symbolism and foreshadowing? Or do you only remember huge, generic turns of events that anyone who’s seen the episode would recall, whether they knew the show or not? Take this quiz and find out!
What's happening here?
Strawberry blonde Sophia Peletier is the 12 year old daughter of Carol Peletier. She is shy and quiet, but smart and kind, described by her mother as not having a mean bone in her body. Here, we see her tearful and terrified, suddenly reminding us of just how young and fragile 12 year olds are. She's gazing at something almost longingly, with a clear expression of panic etched across her face. What do you think is happening in this scene?
What's happening here?
Lizzie Samuels is another 12 year old girl unfortunate enough to be faced with the apocalypse. To put it simply, all of the death and gore around her has made her one messed up little cookie. She's obsessed with the walkers, and insists that they're no threat to humans. Here, we see her holds a rat by its tail, dangling it in the air in front of her. The poor creature is obviously terrified, but Lizzie has never looked happier, with a bright grin on her face. What do you think she is up to?
What's happening here?
Lizzie has already been shown to be kinda messed up, and Carol is a woman who's lost her daughter, and in her absence, she's bonded with Lizzie and her sister, Mika. Unfortunately, Lizzie wants to prove that walkers aren't dangerous to humans, and the only way she could think of was to kill Mika, so that her reanimated sister could serve as proof that walkers are friendly. Here, we see Carol looking tortured as Lizzie pleads with her, panicked. What are the two of them doing?
What's happening here?
Beth Greene's character development is a thing of beauty. When we first meet her, she's ready to give up and die, but within a few months, she's a tough, resilient girl who steps up to take care of others and slowly begins to stand up for herself. She serves as a beacon of hope for many of the survivors. The other woman in the photo, Dawn, is a strict, commanding woman who has control of a hospital. What is Dawn doing in this scene?
What's happening here?
Negan is basically the worst. he's manipulative and brutal, with no regard for his own people or anyone else. He has a weird obsession with his weapon of choice, a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire, which he has named Lucille after his dead wife. Here, we see him with a cocky facial expression, looking like he's about to ruin someone's life for no reason and then write a book about how much he loved doing it. What do you think he's up to?
What's happening here?
The Greene sisters' lives have literally been rife with suffering and tragedy since the apocalypse started. Their family suffered from a great amount of pain even before Rick and his group of survivors found them, and it's only continued to get worse since then. The two of them were close before the apocalypse, and their misery during it has only brought them closer. Here, we see them both looking grief stricken and horrified, clinging to one another. What are they looking at?
What's happening here?
The Grimes family has a complicated relationship, although none of them have realized it just yet, in this scene. Here we see Rick, a former cop who's actually kind of still a cop even after the apocalypse, desperately embracing his wife, Lori, and his young and only son, Carl. All three of them are overcome with emotion and look like they can't believe what's happening to them. What do you think the Grimes family is getting so worked up about?
What's happening here?
Rick Grimes is a police officer who manages to still kind of be a police officer even when most of the people he's sworn to serve and protect have turned into flesh-eating walkers. Here, we see him pale, sickly, and gaunt. He has a breathing tube strapped to his face. He wears a dazed expression, as if he's confused about what's going on around him, and his facial hair is long and unkempt. What in the world is going on with him?
What's happening here?
The only son in a once idyllic but now seriously messed up family that has only progressively worse over time, Carl Grimes rarely gets to actually have any fun. But here, we see him chillin' with a spoon dug into an absolutely gigantic can of pudding that he has all to himself, rocking his dad's hat, looking like he's actually at peace, for once. What is going on that's allowed young Carl to actually enjoy his life for a little bit?
What's happening here?
Despite her initial coldness and perceived brutality, Michonne is ultimately a very kindhearted woman. She has a soft spot for children, but especially for the son of her group's leader, Carl Grimes. Young Carl is one of the first people that Michonne connects with after the apocalypse, and becomes something of a beacon of hope for her. The two of them are pretty good friends, always playing around together. However, here, we see Michonne looking somber, and the general mood between them just feels off. What are they up to?
What's happening here?
Sasha and Maggie have both gone through a lot throughout their lives, especially since the walker outbreak started. Both of them lost a sibling, Maggie's sister, Beth, to a gunshot, and Sasha's brother, Tyreese, to a walker. And yet, in spite of all of that, here, we see the two sitting together with expressions of serenity and a general air of comfort around them, gazing thoughtfully off into the distance. What are these two ladies up to in this scene?
What's happening here?
The hits just keep coming for Maggie Greene. Here, we see her having just stumbled, with an expression of utter devastation painted across her face. Fellow survivor and a close friend of Maggie, Tara Chambler follows closely behind with a shocked and crestfallen expression; her arms hang limply at her sides, her gun forgotten. They're both staring at something off screen, heartbroken, and it's almost like the world has stopped around the two of them. What are they looking at?
What's happening here?
Love her or hate her, Lori Grimes is always thinking more about her son, Carl, than herself. It's become a joke among fans to mimic how often she calls out for him, or asks others if they've seen him. Here, we see her gazing urgently up at him while holding his hand, as a beam of sunlight spills over her face. Carl is stiff and shocked, but he's squeezing her hand right back. What are the two of them talking about?
What's happening here?
Shane was one of the most controversial characters introduced in the early seasons, and still remains very high up on the list to this day. While they believed Rick to be dead, he and Lori began an affair together, and Shane was eaten up by conflicting emotions upon seeing his best friend and "the man he loved" again, because he lost his newfound family to him. Here, we see him looking tense as he glares at another survivor, Dale. Dale appears to be shrinking back from him, as Shane moves forward, somewhat threatening in his body language. What are the two of them talking about?
What's happening here?
Andrea and Amy are two sisters in the group of survivors that Rick Grimes and Glenn Rhee find in season one. They are close to one another, so much so that Andrea steals a mermaid necklace from a jewelry store for Amy during one of their trips into town. Here, we see Andrea with smears of blood on her hands, caressing her sister's face. Amy's eyes are bloodshot and glazed over, gazing past Andrea, up into the sky. What's happening here?
What's happening here?
Daryl Dixon is one of the most iconic characters from the series, known for being incredibly tough, quick-witted, and loyal. Daryl usually keeps a stiff upper lip and pretends that he doesn't have any feelings at all, but here, we see him crying. Tears are as rare as safety in the post-apocalyptic world, especially on someone like Daryl. His face is crumpled up in despair, his shoulders slumped, everything about his body language is broken and desperate. He's looking at something off-screen, like he doesn't want to believe what he's seeing. What is he looking at?
What's happening here?
Hershel Greene, father of Maggie and Beth Greene, was a loving and protective father. He had a pocket watch that was sacred to him, a family heirloom that his grandfather brought over from the old country, that he kept through thick and thin, even when the literal zombie apocalypse happened. This scene generated one of my personal favorite quotes from the series: "No man is good enough for your little girl... Until one is." In it, we see Hershel holding his beloved keepsake watch out to someone off-screen. What's going on?
What's happening here?
When Carol's young daughter, Sophia, went missing, it was devastating for not only her, but for everyone in Rick's group. She and fellow survivor Daryl Dixon put their all into trying to find her. Daryl kept looking well past the point where the others had given up, making it almost a personal mission to bring the little girl home. Here, we see him holding Carol tight against his chest, while she stares mournfully into the distance, on the brink of panic. What is happening here?
What's happening here?
In this scene, Beth Greene, who blossomed from shy and naive girl to a strong woman with the heart of a warrior lays on the ground, gazing happily off into the distance. In spite of the peace in her facial expression and body language, there's a large cut on her cheek, and she's being held down and handcuffed. The fallen body of a walker is a few feet behind her and whoever is cuffing her, but Beth doesn't seem to care about any of that. What's happening here?
What's happening here?
As the apocalypse toiled on, food started to become increasingly scarce for the survivors. The harder it gets to come by food, the more defensive survivors start to become of their own rations, and worse yet, the more people start to nick things from their friends. Here, see survivors Michonne and Morgan having a conversation. Michonne has her head tilted to the side as if she can't believe what he's saying, and Morgan looks amused, sort of, but also a little bit annoyed. What are the two of them talking about?
What's happening here?
Survivors Carol Pelletier and Daryl Dixon had been close to one another since the death of Carol's daughter, Sophia. The two of them had a special connection, borne from being broken by abusers even before the outbreak, and from shouldering responsibility for the deaths of their loved ones since it. Here, we see Carol delicately cupping Daryl's head as she presses a kiss to his forehead, with a pensive expression. Daryl leans into the affection but he still seems to be at a loss, with despair all over his face. What are they up to?
What's happening here?
Tyreese, the older brother of Sasha and stand-in father figure for Judith in Rick's absence, was out scavenging with Noah, one of the newer and younger survivors in their group. When Noah realized they were in his neighborhood and recognized his house, he charged into it, in spite of Tyreese warning him not to. Tyreese charged after him. Here, we see him in a well-lit room, staring in disbelief at something off camera. He's covered in sweat and his dark purple shirt is stained with blood. What has happened to him?
What's happening here?
The end goal of two seasons of The Walking Dead was to find a group of survivors that set up signs and maps all around the local area. Not all of the survivors who set out to end up there did; quite a few died, and some just lost their way there and wound up wandering around, unsure if they'd ever see their friends and family again. And yet, here we see our survivors, or what's left of them, approaching a fortified building. What's happening here?
What's happening here?
When we first met Glenn Rhee, he was one of the only survivors who seemed to have a good sense of how to live in a zombie (or walker, whatever you prefer) infested world. He saved the life of Rick Grimes when they first met. Here, we see him crouched on the ground beside something, looking up at someone off-screen. His face is a portrait of determination with hints of coaxing, like he's trying to talk someone into something. What's he doing here?
What's happening here?
Seen in his full sheriff's uniform, fully decorated with his badge, hat, and name tag, Rick cradles his son, Carl, to his chest. His face is a portrait of desperation, panic and anguish, while Carl's is almost eerily blank, the boy's limp form hanging in his father's arms. The front of Rick's uniform is slightly bloodied, as well as his hands, and the front of Carl's shirt. Behind them is a vast, empty field, leading back into the forest, projecting a feeling of serenity that's ruined only by Rick charging through, visibly seeking help. What has happened?
What’s happening here?
After the death of her lover, Bob, Sasha hit a bit of a rough patch. She was depressed, and on top of her depression, she felt a lot of personal responsibility for her actions – when it came time to kill him, she wasn’t able to do it, in spite of his wishes for her to be the one to take his life. Here, we see Sasha in Bob’s coat wearing an expression of fragile determination, while her older brother, Tyreese, pleads with her. What’s going on?
What’s happening here?
In the world of our survivors, moments of genuine happiness and serenity are a rare thing. In fact, they're something that some people don't have the opportunity to experience at all. And yet here we see Maggie Greene, who's been established as having the worst life ever, smiling sweetly as she and Glenn look down at something between them. The world seems to be at peace around the two, with the sun shining and no visibly blood on either of them, for once... and most importantly, they seem happy. What is happening here?
What’s happening here?
At its core, The Walking Dead has always been about and will always be about the Grimes family. After Lori's tragic death, that family includes Rick Grimes, father and former sheriff in the world before the outbreak, Carl Grimes, his young son, and Judith, his newborn daughter that his wife died to bring into the world. In this scene, we see Rick and Carl cradling Judith between them, while Rick kisses her head and Carl smiles brightly at her. The other survivors lag behind them, giving them some time to themselves. What is happening?
What’s happening here?
Poor Noah hasn't had much of a chance since the outbreak first started. He and his father were ambushed by Dawn Lerner and her crew, where they took Noah to heal his wounds, but left his father to die because he would have been more trouble than he was worth. After that, he was imprisoned in Grady Memorial Hospital as Dawn's personal assistant. Eventually, he meets Beth Greene, and with her help, he finds his freedom. Here, we see him clinging to the front of Glenn's shirt with an expression of desperation and fear on his face, while a group of people (walkers?) congregate behind him, held back only by a thin glass door. What is going on here?
What’s happening here?
Eugene Porter was considered to be one of the most important people in Rick's group when he first joined, because he was a scientist who knew what caused the epidemic. He was supposedly on a mission to get to the capital, where he could work on a way to reverse the effects of the plague and restore order to the world. Here, we see him with dirt all over his face, looking apprehensively at Abraham and Rosita, two members of his original group. He looks almost afraid as he glances between them, waiting for a reaction. What is happening here?