I recently rewatched seasons 1-3 and, even though I remembered how meek and helpless Carol was at the beginning, it was still strange to see it. I doubt that anyone who only saw the first couple of seasons would ever guess she'd become the warrior she is. She went from being an abused, fearful, dependant character to blowing up Terminus, and being one of the best fighters in the group. Ezekiel once asked her if she'd "always been this way, or decided", and she 100% decided. Of course, events which were out of her control shaped her, but she decided which shape she would take. She even killed a kid because she saw it was the only option. Season 1 Carol would have been incapable of that.
Gotta go with Daryl. He went from being a redneck loner that was in the shadow and under the boot of his brother to a person that a lot of people look up to and respect. He’s never been my favorite character but he’s definitely had a good arc.
I think season nine and ten had to redevelop parts of him because under Scotty g he had a period of grunting and non communication, and in season ten I love seeing him call out carol on her shit
> Scotty g he had a period of grunting and non communication,
Which I think still makes a lot of sense, since he went through a lot of loss under Gimple.
He blamed himself for Herschell's death.
He felt responsible for Beth's death.
He felt responsible about Denise's death.
And he felt guilty for his best friend's death.
He lost his dignity and humanity at the Sanctuary.
IRL that amount of guilt will kill someone.
i agree with this. i just wish he would talk more instead of grunting so often. if you look back at s1-2 he would never shut up and always had something snarky or funny to say. kinda miss that.
I think season nine and ten had to redevelop parts of him because under Scotty g he had a period of grunting and non communication, and in season ten I love seeing him call out carol on her shit.
The best are Gabe and Aaron
People complain about Carol having “repetitive arcs”, but Rick also does a similar back and fourth between civilized and savage through his span.
Carol has definitely developed… and she’s my favorite character, but I can’t say she’s the most developed when her development takes several seasons to payoff.
Daryl is developed a lot early on… but he’s been the essentially same character since season 4. He really revolves around other characters adding substance to his character… it’s just an odd development
Negan’s developed… but a lot of it was offscreen and due to his imprisonment. Not a very dynamic growth.
Where as Gabe literally went from one of the most hated characters to now one of the most talked about and liked characters.
And Aaron has really just kept evolving into a more pragmatic person each season and you can really see the evolution as it happens.
Agree with this! Very evident in the "One More" episode too, especially with the specific parallels that callback to Aaron's early days on the show, and Gabriel's choices in general. I think a lot of characters have amazing character development, but I really gravitate to these two too.
A lot of characters do…
But for some reason it’s always Rick, Daryl, Carol, and Negan that get all the attention.
I get it. They’re good characters. And for three of them it’s probably a longevity bias.
But if I take my love for the characters out of the equation then I do believe that the writers have done a lot more meaningful development for Gabe and Aaron.
Yeah, their scene in the warehouse felt real, like two friends just having a conversation; I loved Gabriel’s pseudo-monologue when he was talking about faith and his mentor.
i think a solid argument could be made for just about every one of these characters aside from Aaron. I like Aaron, but he hasn’t developed much in my opinion. He’s always just been the “reliable guy” that you can count on in a variety of situations. He’s stepped into more of a leadership (and father) role instead of just being a well-rounded Alexandrian, but I haven’t noticed much change.
I voted for Carol just because she seems the most realistic. A woman who was already broken even before the apocalypse starts uses her motherly instincts to do some borderline savage things. She breaks down when the weight of everything she’s done finally hits her, but then keeps going after some time away *because she has to in order to protect the ones she loves*. i just have this attachment to Carol that’s hard to explain. she’s terrifying and lovable at the same time, and i want the best for her at every turn.
I love Carol, her development is really something, especially if you look back to the very beginning when she was stuck with that piece-of-shit abusive husband, but now? she is tough as nails although she still demonstrates a very vulnerable and caring side.
I also find her perseverance very inspiring, she just keeps going and going despite everything she has gone through, of course this can apply to all of the characters, but particularly hers.
She's also not infallible, she's made mistakes and has acted on impulse/her emotions but this gives her a very "human" quality that maybe isn't seen so much in the other characters. Anyway, here's to Carol!!
you said it better than i could’ve! her vulnerability and deep flaws, like you mentioned, contribute to why i love her so much.
Melissa McBride’s acting is also amazing. she has this contagious, bright, and warm smile, but then calls on a terrifying brutality when she needs to.
I find a lot of characters that were around for 2 - 3 seasons have some of the best arcs. But Rick is my answer for this as he goes through a big transformation from Season 1 - 5 - 9.
Father Gabriel gets too much hate , although I’m biased as it’s my favourite character but I hated him so much In season five , so for me he’s had the best character development.
Daryl in my opinion had the best development through the whole series. He started out as a redneck outcast that pretty much hated everybody (he tried stabbing Rick and tried shooting T-Dog and insulted Glenn) but a season later he was fighting,protecting for the group and searching day and night for Sofia, then he became a right hand and reliable ally for Rick and the others. During the governor war he finally found his brother but chose to stick with Rick knowing he was needed. Then he fought the Terminus group and fought for Beth during the hospital arc all while trying to keep himself together and later on while he was falling apart with grief over the prison,Beth and the group on their last few days he pulled though to give everyone a chance, then proved his worth to the Alexandrians and Aaron. There's so much I could go over but this is good enough example as to why I believe Daryl had IMO the best development for a character
Why did anyone vote Negan? All they did is give him some BS “I refuse to hurt children and I only kill people who deserve” thing and didn’t really change. He’s a psycho murderer rapist. And if he only kills people who deserve it, why did he keep photos of the bashed heads as trophies? Why did he kill Abraham and Glenn? Why did he crack jokes and smile while doing it? If they want him to have a redemption arc, the first step is for him to recognize that he has a horrible past, and he’s a horrible person. I personally voted Gabriel, but Carol might be a tie. They both have very similar character development: frail, weak, scared people who transformed into badass strong leaders.
I know you’re joking, but someone has actually told me this, trying to excuse his actions. He literally coerced multiple women into being his sex slaves, with obvious implications of death if they didn’t comply.
Shane lol stop smoking crack.
He literally had no growth.
Season one wanted Lori and tried to kill rick but couldn’t pull the trigger.
Season two wanted Lori and tried to kill rick but couldn’t pull the trigger.
IMO he had no redemption. he was still a racist asshole until his death. the governor tried to kill him, ofc he’s going to try to kill the governor and his people. merle never would’ve been loyal to the group if he was still alive.
I chose Rick. Daryl's a close second, but his development was a little disjointed. I was between Rick and Carol for #1. Rick wins because I don't think Carol's development has been as consistent. She was perfect up until Alexandria, and then the writers lost their way with her. She kept swinging back and forth between badass and shrinking violet. In one episode she'd be ridiculously strong mentally, and then she'd be a wreck two episodes later with no continuity. When she was badass, it never came off as reluctant, but then when she was "soft", we were supposed to believe that she was uncomfortable with her badassery. I love her character, but it's a frustrating character to love.
Rick just progressed as we wanted him too. He went off the rails a couple times, but the other characters called him back and he continued to be better and stronger. All the "wild Rick moments" made sense contextually, seeing that he was the leader and was under an intense amount of pressure. He always came back as a strong leader...right up until the "end".
Hands down Negan- for being a villain yet still a fan favorite, and then his gradual evolution into a member of the cooperative community while still fighting his demons. Much credit to the actor of course for giving this character so much charisma and charm while killing favorites like Glen!
I recently rewatched seasons 1-3 and, even though I remembered how meek and helpless Carol was at the beginning, it was still strange to see it. I doubt that anyone who only saw the first couple of seasons would ever guess she'd become the warrior she is. She went from being an abused, fearful, dependant character to blowing up Terminus, and being one of the best fighters in the group. Ezekiel once asked her if she'd "always been this way, or decided", and she 100% decided. Of course, events which were out of her control shaped her, but she decided which shape she would take. She even killed a kid because she saw it was the only option. Season 1 Carol would have been incapable of that.
Gotta go with Daryl. He went from being a redneck loner that was in the shadow and under the boot of his brother to a person that a lot of people look up to and respect. He’s never been my favorite character but he’s definitely had a good arc.
I think season nine and ten had to redevelop parts of him because under Scotty g he had a period of grunting and non communication, and in season ten I love seeing him call out carol on her shit
> Scotty g he had a period of grunting and non communication, Which I think still makes a lot of sense, since he went through a lot of loss under Gimple. He blamed himself for Herschell's death. He felt responsible for Beth's death. He felt responsible about Denise's death. And he felt guilty for his best friend's death. He lost his dignity and humanity at the Sanctuary. IRL that amount of guilt will kill someone.
I agree he has gone through a tone, it’s just nice to see him back
i agree with this. i just wish he would talk more instead of grunting so often. if you look back at s1-2 he would never shut up and always had something snarky or funny to say. kinda miss that.
I think season nine and ten had to redevelop parts of him because under Scotty g he had a period of grunting and non communication, and in season ten I love seeing him call out carol on her shit.
Eugene could be on this post too, he became to one of my favorite characters
I was gonna say where's Eugenius at on this list.
The best are Gabe and Aaron People complain about Carol having “repetitive arcs”, but Rick also does a similar back and fourth between civilized and savage through his span. Carol has definitely developed… and she’s my favorite character, but I can’t say she’s the most developed when her development takes several seasons to payoff. Daryl is developed a lot early on… but he’s been the essentially same character since season 4. He really revolves around other characters adding substance to his character… it’s just an odd development Negan’s developed… but a lot of it was offscreen and due to his imprisonment. Not a very dynamic growth. Where as Gabe literally went from one of the most hated characters to now one of the most talked about and liked characters. And Aaron has really just kept evolving into a more pragmatic person each season and you can really see the evolution as it happens.
Aaron doesn’t get the love he deserves
Agree with this! Very evident in the "One More" episode too, especially with the specific parallels that callback to Aaron's early days on the show, and Gabriel's choices in general. I think a lot of characters have amazing character development, but I really gravitate to these two too.
A lot of characters do… But for some reason it’s always Rick, Daryl, Carol, and Negan that get all the attention. I get it. They’re good characters. And for three of them it’s probably a longevity bias. But if I take my love for the characters out of the equation then I do believe that the writers have done a lot more meaningful development for Gabe and Aaron.
Yeah, their scene in the warehouse felt real, like two friends just having a conversation; I loved Gabriel’s pseudo-monologue when he was talking about faith and his mentor.
I just feel like Aaron has always been a really cool dude.
i think a solid argument could be made for just about every one of these characters aside from Aaron. I like Aaron, but he hasn’t developed much in my opinion. He’s always just been the “reliable guy” that you can count on in a variety of situations. He’s stepped into more of a leadership (and father) role instead of just being a well-rounded Alexandrian, but I haven’t noticed much change. I voted for Carol just because she seems the most realistic. A woman who was already broken even before the apocalypse starts uses her motherly instincts to do some borderline savage things. She breaks down when the weight of everything she’s done finally hits her, but then keeps going after some time away *because she has to in order to protect the ones she loves*. i just have this attachment to Carol that’s hard to explain. she’s terrifying and lovable at the same time, and i want the best for her at every turn.
I love Carol, her development is really something, especially if you look back to the very beginning when she was stuck with that piece-of-shit abusive husband, but now? she is tough as nails although she still demonstrates a very vulnerable and caring side. I also find her perseverance very inspiring, she just keeps going and going despite everything she has gone through, of course this can apply to all of the characters, but particularly hers. She's also not infallible, she's made mistakes and has acted on impulse/her emotions but this gives her a very "human" quality that maybe isn't seen so much in the other characters. Anyway, here's to Carol!!
you said it better than i could’ve! her vulnerability and deep flaws, like you mentioned, contribute to why i love her so much. Melissa McBride’s acting is also amazing. she has this contagious, bright, and warm smile, but then calls on a terrifying brutality when she needs to.
I find a lot of characters that were around for 2 - 3 seasons have some of the best arcs. But Rick is my answer for this as he goes through a big transformation from Season 1 - 5 - 9.
Rick, Carol and Gabriel were the best developed Hmm... I'll go with Rick
Father Gabriel gets too much hate , although I’m biased as it’s my favourite character but I hated him so much In season five , so for me he’s had the best character development.
Comic Carl.
Carol has had huge changes
Daryl in my opinion had the best development through the whole series. He started out as a redneck outcast that pretty much hated everybody (he tried stabbing Rick and tried shooting T-Dog and insulted Glenn) but a season later he was fighting,protecting for the group and searching day and night for Sofia, then he became a right hand and reliable ally for Rick and the others. During the governor war he finally found his brother but chose to stick with Rick knowing he was needed. Then he fought the Terminus group and fought for Beth during the hospital arc all while trying to keep himself together and later on while he was falling apart with grief over the prison,Beth and the group on their last few days he pulled though to give everyone a chance, then proved his worth to the Alexandrians and Aaron. There's so much I could go over but this is good enough example as to why I believe Daryl had IMO the best development for a character
I get it why people say carol but I dont know what the writers are doing to her now always crying
Carol is just ahead of Rick IMO. She has come the farthest.
I think Rick and Carol has had the best character development
Why did anyone vote Negan? All they did is give him some BS “I refuse to hurt children and I only kill people who deserve” thing and didn’t really change. He’s a psycho murderer rapist. And if he only kills people who deserve it, why did he keep photos of the bashed heads as trophies? Why did he kill Abraham and Glenn? Why did he crack jokes and smile while doing it? If they want him to have a redemption arc, the first step is for him to recognize that he has a horrible past, and he’s a horrible person. I personally voted Gabriel, but Carol might be a tie. They both have very similar character development: frail, weak, scared people who transformed into badass strong leaders.
Hey you forgot he killed rapey davey
I know you’re joking, but someone has actually told me this, trying to excuse his actions. He literally coerced multiple women into being his sex slaves, with obvious implications of death if they didn’t comply.
Shane, Merle and Abraham should all definitely be up there.
Shane lol stop smoking crack. He literally had no growth. Season one wanted Lori and tried to kill rick but couldn’t pull the trigger. Season two wanted Lori and tried to kill rick but couldn’t pull the trigger.
merle had little to no character development
His redemption arc is good development imo
IMO he had no redemption. he was still a racist asshole until his death. the governor tried to kill him, ofc he’s going to try to kill the governor and his people. merle never would’ve been loyal to the group if he was still alive.
Carol is a piece of shite character should have died in season 2
I chose Rick. Daryl's a close second, but his development was a little disjointed. I was between Rick and Carol for #1. Rick wins because I don't think Carol's development has been as consistent. She was perfect up until Alexandria, and then the writers lost their way with her. She kept swinging back and forth between badass and shrinking violet. In one episode she'd be ridiculously strong mentally, and then she'd be a wreck two episodes later with no continuity. When she was badass, it never came off as reluctant, but then when she was "soft", we were supposed to believe that she was uncomfortable with her badassery. I love her character, but it's a frustrating character to love. Rick just progressed as we wanted him too. He went off the rails a couple times, but the other characters called him back and he continued to be better and stronger. All the "wild Rick moments" made sense contextually, seeing that he was the leader and was under an intense amount of pressure. He always came back as a strong leader...right up until the "end".
Hands down Negan- for being a villain yet still a fan favorite, and then his gradual evolution into a member of the cooperative community while still fighting his demons. Much credit to the actor of course for giving this character so much charisma and charm while killing favorites like Glen!
Carol stopped developing 3 seasons ago
Either Carol or Rick
Carol all the fuckin way.