'Walking Dead' Star on Shocking Outcome: 'Nobody Is Promised Tomorrow'

7:00 PM PDT 10/26/2014 by Lesley Goldberg

Sonequa Martin-Green talks with THR about Sunday's bloody episode

Gene Page/AMC​

"Walking Dead's" Lawrence Gilliard, left, Andrew Lincoln and Sonequa Martin-Green

[Warning: This story contains spoilers from episode 503, "Four Walls and aRoof," of AMC's The Walking Dead and the comics series it is based on.]
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AMC's The Walking Dead may have just driven a wedge between Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) and her brother, Tyreese (Chad L. Coleman).
During Sunday's hour, Sasha learns that her boyfriend, Bob (Lawrence Gilliard) was kidnapped by Gareth's group of Hunters and not only had his leg amputated but was served up as dinner. However, the shock doesn't end there as she learns that Bob was first bitten by a walker at the food bank and is a dead man walking.
Furious, Sasha sides with Rick (Andrew Lincoln) in hunting down and killing the Termites, putting her in direct conflict with her peaceful brother, who could not kill one of Gareth's goons who may have helped kidnap Bob.
While Rick and Sasha lead the brutal bloodbath that ultimately ends with Gareth's (Andrew J. West) death, Tyreese struggles to watch humanity slip a bit further away from him before stepping in for Sasha to prevent Bob from reanimating after his death.
The Hollywood Reporter caught up with Martin-Green to discuss the brutal episode and what's next for Sasha and Tyreese.
Read more 'Walking Dead' EP on the Show's Dual Blow: This Victim 'Put Himself in the Line of Fire'
Did you see writing on wall for Bob considering how happy they were?
No, I don't think I did! (Laughs.)
What was your response to learning of Bob's death?
I was devastated. I really liked what they built with the two of them, and I love Lawrence. We worked well together and it was very sad to get the news. I found out before the script, which gave me time to prepare and mourn. The fact that we all have an expiration date is part of the story; it's the nature of the beast and I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we've gotten to a place where we just accept that this is the story we're telling and this is the nature of it. Nobody is promised tomorrow. Rather than let it make us paranoid, we all use it not just for our characters but to live more in the moment.
Lawrence isn't doing press. What can you tell us about how he responded to being killed off? Was he surprised?
Lawrence is a seasoned actor who has been doing this for a long time. He knows his stuff. He took it like a professional. All of us were happy with the environment on set because he has such a good energy. The last few days we were shooting with Lawrence on set, he brought that energy to set for the last few days we were working with him. It was a good experience, albeit a sad one, and that's because of him.
What was filming Bob's death scene like? This is your first time losing a loved one on screen.
Everyone was bummed to see him go. We're always so bummed to see people go. It was extremely sad and it always is. We're a family and it's hard to say goodbye. We were still able to have a good time with each other, especially sine it was the last time. Speaking from Sasha's perspective, it was gut wrenching and misery for her. That day was really emotionally taxing and by the end, we both were a little numb from the rollercoaster of it.
Read more 'Walking Dead's' Andrew J. West Wanted Gareth to 'Ride Off Into the Sunset'
To use one of Bob and Sasha's inside jokes, what is the good that will come out of his death for her?
I don't think there's any good to come from Bob's death for her because of the situation that it puts her in. Sasha was so resistant to a genuine connection with another person and it's something she's been struggling with for a long time. Bob came along and saved her from that life of exclusivity and of saying, "This is about me, I'm going to survive and be a team player but ultimately I'm just going to be focused on me." He saved her in that way. He came along and pulled her out of that and showed her that there's more to life than just survival. While Tyreese is a positive influence in that way, he didn't reach her quite like Bob. So to start to open up to that and share that with Bob and start to hope again — maybe even there's delight and light in life — and then for it to suddenly be ripped away, that's the worst thing for her, especially at this moment.
Especially the way that Bob went out: a zombie bite and having his leg amputated and eaten.
Exactly. The brutality of it and the grossness of it — the perversity of it, really— makes it that much more horrible.
Sasha and Tyreese had a major disagreement about seeking revenge on Gareth. Where do they go from here?
That is a massive difference. You're starting to see the disparity between the two of them. Tyreese is going through something very complex right now from what happened with Lizzie and Mika. It's as if their trajectories are going in the opposite direction. He's really grasping for humanity and refuses to let go of it and has been pushed further to it. On the other hand, Sasha has been pushed further and further to repression and brutality. It's going to be interesting to see how they continue to interact with one another because they do seem to be going in the opposite direction.
See more 'The Walking Dead's' Most Shocking Deaths
How is what happened to Bob going to impact Tyreese? He couldn't kill one of the cannibals who wound up hunting Bob?
It's going to add to the mix of feelings that he's having right now. He is very troubled right now and would seem that it's going to get worse. Tyreese, who put Bob down, took a brief pause from where he had been living for a moment. He refused to kill and he was living in that place for a while because he needed to be more adamant about holding on to humanity. He realized in the moment that Sasha needed him and that is humanity. It's the true essence of it: helping those you love and stepping in where they fall. On one hand, it could really trouble him and come back to haunt him; but on the other hand, it could satisfy him, in a way, knowing what he did for her. We'll see how that plays out.
What was the "Death Dinner" with Lawrence and Andrew J. West like?
There was and it was sad but fulfilling. There were lots of tears, beautiful words, reminiscing and laughter. It's hard because have a lovely time with each other.
What can you say about how we'll see Sasha recover from Bob's death?
We'll see! It's quite a pickle. Nothing is ever simple; we're walking contradictions and Sasha is no exception.

 

'The Walking Dead' star Andrew J. West talks Gareth and that shocking scene





By Dalton Ross on Oct 26, 2014 at 10:01PM @DaltonRoss

Image Credit: AMC​

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SPOILER ALERT: Read on only if you have already watched Sunday’s episode of The Walking Dead.
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Rick Grimes my be many things, but a liar is not among them. He promised Gareth back in the season 5 premiere of The Walking Dead that he would kill him using a machete with a red handle, and he followed through on that promise at the end of Sunday’ s episode. It was a brutal end for Gareth, but the man who played him is still around to tell the tale. We caught up with Andrew J. West to ask him all about tainted meat, his last scene, when he knew he was being killed off, and what his final day of shooting was like. (Click through both pages to read the entire interview.)
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Well, this was a good news/bad news situation for you, Andrew. The bad news is, you ate tainted meat. The good news is, you got to be a part of one of the most iconic moments from the comic book with that scene, and a scene that TV fans are not likely to soon forget either.
ANDREW J. WEST: There are so many iconic scenes from the comic book that have been translated so well for the screen version. You have the scene at the end of episode 2 with “If it makes you feel any better you taste much better than we thought you would.” That’s directly from the comic book. I read the comics before we went into season 5 and I was very familiar with the Hunters arc, but I did not know going into season 5 that Gareth would be so closely inspired by that character. So just to go back to episode 2 for a minute, when I was reading 2 and I saw that monologue pop up at the end of 2, I jumped off the couch in my apartment. I was reading a script and I couldn’t stop pacing back and forth because I was so excited to go in and shoot that scene because of the language, which is so good and so intense. And then to go in there for episode 3 and have the whole tainted meat scene, which, again, is taken directly from the comics — it was just too much for me. It was too good to be true. I was like, I don’t just get the one amazing scene form the comics, but that whole sequence! And yeah, I felt pretty lucky.
It’s funny because I, like a lot of people, theorized last season that the folks at Terminus were going to be cannibals based on the Hunters from the comics, but because Terminus does not appear in the comic book, it sort of was a misdirection where I figured, okay, so I guess they’re not going to do those scenes out in the woods. So I kind of got faked out.
It really did for me too, because now that finally I can speak freely about this stuff — which is in a lot of ways a huge weight off my shoulders because it’s nice to be able to talk about all this great stuff now and not have to worry about spoilers with the Terminus and Gareth arc — going into the finale of season 4, [showrunner] Scott [Gimple] did tell me when I got the job that there was a cannibal element to these characters. I knew that was borrowed from the comics, but I didn’t know to what length that would extend and how closely it would be inspired by the comics. So I didn’t find that out until we got back into production and I was reading the first couple of scripts, so it was a big surprise for me too. And, honestly, a pleasant one. It’s such a memorable arc from the comics. They did an amazing job with that on the show too. I absolutely loved it.
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When you showed up for that last episode for season 4, or when you showed up at the start of season 5, did Scott Gimple let you know, “Hey, this is going to be a short ride?” or did you find out later about your demise?
They told me right up front. The way the whole thing went down is I got the job and went down and shot the finale. At that point I didn’t know for sure that I would even come back for season 5. They had an option on me and had me on hold, but they didn’t say that it would be a guarantee. So we shoot the finale and then over hiatus I’m sort of waiting around hoping that they decide to bring me back, and Scott Gimple gives me a call and he says, “We’d love to have you back, but full disclosure: Gareth will be killed in episode 3.” So they told me going into season 5 that would be how it would play out, but the cool thing about it was that I didn’t even have the time to really mourn the loss of this character because I basically simultaneously heard that I was coming back to the show, so I was just excited about that. I was absolutely thrilled to get back into the show in any capacity and it was thoughtful of them to let me know just in terms of logistical things and organizing your life and whatever. It wasn’t a big surprise reading the third script — I knew that it would happen; I didn’t know how it would happen. So that was another pleasant surprise because it’s such a monumental and brutal blaze of glory way to go out. So there wasn’t some big traumatic shock reading the episode. I knew what was coming and I could just enjoy it at that point.
So let’s chat about the start of this last episode and the whole “join us or feed us” sales pitch with the bears eating their cubs and all that. It sounds like this was the first time you laid that pitch on Bob, so were they then not offered that choice when they arrived at Terminus because they brought the DC thing up so quick that you all never got to it?
Yeah, I think that’s where we were going with it. It probably was not unlike what happened with Rick and Daryl and Michonne and Carl when they came to Terminus. We’ve seen in the season 4 finale that they didn’t even get a chance to eat before they’re pulling their guns out because they know something’s up. So we never even have that conversation with them. They’re going right into the train car. And you get the feeling that it was probably similar with Bob and the group that he came in with too. And I think that speaks to the immediacy of these characters and how they know that they’ve got to accomplish something and accomplish something quickly. You can ‘t just hang out at Terminus and eat well. There’s a bigger picture here and they probably jumped right into that whole thing when they got to Terminus and, of course, that’s not what Gareth wanted to hear.
You mentioned that Scott let you know your demise was coming up in episode 3, so when you first read that line in the season premiere script where Rick talks about killing you with the machete with the red handle, were you like, “Yep, that’s how I’m gonna go?”
Yeah, that’s a pretty telltale line right there. You know, the number one is probably going to follow through on such a sincere promise. I kind of expected that that’s the way that things would go down, and also, again, having read episode 2 and seeing how closely Gareth was inspired by the Hunters arc, my mind immediately went to how they go out in the comic, which is similar. It’s not exactly the same, but the Chris character who inspired Gareth goes out in a very similar bloody and brutal way. Especially at the end of episode 2 I was like, “I think I know where this is headed.” That dang red machete — I should have taken it while I had the chance.


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You had to do a total shift in that last scene in the church once Rick has Gareth down on the floor and all of a sudden he’s not in the position of power and strength, and we see a new side of Gareth — one that we have not seen outside of the flashbacks. What was that scene like for you?
It’s tough to shoot because you see this guy who is so confident and so in control and so just detached and calculating through this entire run, and then we see him in a position of vulnerability, and we see a guy who is scrambling and fighting for his life. But I love that they put that in there because it gives you another dimension to who this guy was. And a little of it goes back to the flashbacks in the premiere episode where we see glimpses of him before they decided to adopt this way of life, while they’re still being held prisoner by these awful people. But what’s cool in episode 3 when he is essentially pleading and begging for his life even though he says, “There’s no point in begging,” but he wants to survive desperately so he’s going to try to talk himself out of that situation — we see him back in that vulnerable place, but it’s different though.
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And that’s what I loved about it so much. There’s a fire and a strength and a darkness that I think is still in that character that wasn’t necessarily there before in the flashbacks. It’s similar in tone, but there are subtle differences. And a lot of that was in the language too. I could see it — “You don’t know what it is to be hungry.” It’s a spooky line, and it was cool to be able to go in and say something like that in such an intense situation, and it just gives you another side to this character.
We never got the backstory as to how you and the folks at Terminus made the switch from the cattle to the butcher. Did Scott ever create any backstory for that we never got to see, or is that something you’ve worked out at all in your head in terms of how you guys escaped that situation and turned the tables?
Well, it was talked about that we do turn the tables and we do figure out a way to take Terminus back. The details weren’t necessarily worked out. There were some things that I thought about in my mind just to help me approach the arc of the character. For me, the fact that Gareth was able to take Terminus back — it wasn’t even so much about how he did it, but the fact that he was able to, really displayed to me the resourcefulness of the character and the fact that he is a very intelligent guy in that he is going to use his mind to figure out how to survive. And that revealed a lot to me about the character and it helped me approach everything else that I was able to do as this character.
And that’s one of the cool things about this character as opposed to Chris from the comic book who inspires Gareth — Chris is totally different in that aspect. I always saw Chris as a somewhat intelligent guy, but he’s not nearly as resourceful and organized as Gareth is. Fans of the comic know that they kind of live in this abandoned house and they’re not really good at hunting and whatever. But the fact that Gareth was able to take it back shows how powerful he can be as a leader, not in terms of toughness necessarily, but in terms of organization and commanding a group, essentially, because he would have to be in order to take it back.
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What was your send-off like on set after your final day of shooting?
That was an interesting day. It was just so bloody and so crazy and it was even pushing boundaries for this show, which is saying a lot. So we were shooting that scene late, late into the night and it’s draining and it’s so intense, but that’s what we live for as actors is to jump into scenes that are that intense. So when we finished that scene it was just this collective exhalation and this long sigh of “Oh my God, we got through it.” And then, of course, everybody hugs and there’s a big moment, and then we had a cast and crew dinner the next day or the day after and a kind of send-off and they treat us all really well. And there’s definitely a sense of sadness, certainly for me, but even for some of the people I worked with even after only being around for four episodes.
Yeah, you only appeared in 4 episodes, but obviously left a big mark. How would you sum up your experience working on this show?
Unlike anything else I have ever experienced. This is a once in a lifetime experience. It’s a once in a lifetime job. I was talking with Josh McDermitt, who pays Eugene, the other day on the phone about it and talking about how this is unlike anything else we will experience in our careers ever again. Not to say there won’t be great things to come for him, for me, whatever, and obviously he’s still on the show. There won’t ever be a job like it. It’s a special, special thing: The fan base, the construction of the story, the way the show is executed — it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen, and it was a dear experience for me.

 

'Walking Dead's' Andrew J. West Wanted Gareth to 'Ride Off Into the Sunset'

7:00 PM PDT 10/26/2014 by Lesley Goldberg

The actor talks with THR about Sunday's shocking episode

Gene Page/AMC​

"The Walking Dead's" Andrew J. West

[Warning: This story contains spoilers from episode 503, "Four Walls and a Roof," of AMC's The Walking Dead and the comics series it is based on.]
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Rick Grimes made good on a major promise during Sunday's The Walking Dead.
During the third episode of season five, the zombie drama based on Robert Kirkman's comic series made quick work of one of the show's most disturbing new threats.
After kidnapping Bob (Lawrence Gilliard), cutting off his leg and eating it, the story of the so-called Hunters — and Bob — came to a shocking end. Bob revealed to Gareth (Andrew J. West) and his goons that he's "tainted meat" and had been bitten when he was pulled underwater by a zombie at the food bank, mirroring a major arc from the comic series. Gareth winds up returning Bob to the church group where he's forced to say a proper farewell to girlfriend Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green), who with Rick, vows to exact revenge on the cannibals. It all leads to a brutal confrontation inside Father Gabriel's (Seth Gilliam) church that concludes with Rick (Andrew Lincoln) killing Gareth with a machete — a vow he made when he was inches from death at Terminus.
The Hollywood Reporter caught up with West to discuss Gareth's early exit, filming the death scene and whether this is the last viewers will see of the good guy-turned-cannibal.
Read more 'Walking Dead' EP on the Show's Dual Blow: Bob 'Put Himself in the Line of Fire'
That was fast! Were you surprised how quickly Gareth was killed off?
It's pretty shocking! There were a bunch of surprises. It was a one-episode deal with their option to bring me back for season five. I got a call from showrunner Scott M. Gimple saying, "We'd love to have me back, but just so you know, Gareth will be killed in episode three." As disappointing as it is for actors to find out their characters will be killed, I simultaneously found out I was coming back to the show at all. It offset any disappointment. I love the way it all went down.
Is this the last we'll see of Gareth or might he appear in flashbacks?
That's the interesting thing about the show: we've seen familiar faces that have perished pop up down the line. We saw Hershel (Scott Wilson) in flashbacks; Lori (Sarah WayneCallies) makes appearances in hallucinations — so you never know. Rick does a pretty good job with Gareth in this episode. I don't see anybody getting up from something like that, but you never know when a character might pop up down the line.
Is this the end of the Hunters story or could there be more still left at Terminus?
I don't know. I wouldn't put anything past the writers. They know how to construct a world in an interesting way and show all facets of that world gradually through various processes and revelations. I think anything's a possibility.
The story of how Terminus was overtaken still hasn't been told. Will there be more of that? Are you disappointed the audience didn't get to see Gareth's backstory?
I am personally, but I'm biased. I am extremely attached to this character. I would have loved to have seen episodes upon episodes upon seasons of seasons of backstory on this character. I've grown to love this character, as crazy as that sounds. I hope that for as horrendous and vile as Gareth can be in certain moments, I hope that there is a little bit of confusion on the part of the viewers in terms of how to feel about him. I hope there are some conflicting feelings about how much they despise or dislike character. I would have loved to have seen more of Gareth's backstory and to see him ride off into the sunset.
Read more 'Walking Dead' Star on the Show's Dual Blow: Bob 'Put Himself in the Line of Fire'
Rick made good on fulfilling his promise to kill Gareth. What was filming that scene like?
It was an intense, brutal scene because it's the climax of these first few episodes. It's a brutal scene. To be knelt before Andy Lincoln like he was before me in the premiere was an interesting reversal of roles and it's scary to be in that position. And I'm not taking about Gareth, I'm talking about me to play that scene because he's in it, I'm in it, everyone is very much involved in what's going on. It was brutal and bloody. That part of it was fun; there's special effects guys just spraying blood all over the place. They had to get shots of Andy actually hitting me with the machete because they didn't know exactly how they'd cut it together. So they wrapped me up with padding around my torso and they gave Andy a rubber machete and just had him beat me with that thing. It doesn't hurt at all because I got the padding and it's rubber, but you feel that pressure and you feel how intensely he's swinging. It creates a pretty remarkable atmosphere. It's scary.
Did you have one of The Walking Dead's now infamous "Death Dinners" with Lawrence?
We did a cast dinner and Scott certainly had some nice words to say. I had a nice send-off. Everybody was there and since it was an episode where both of us go out, we were both there. But Lawrence is obviously the much more well-established character on the show, and that's a much bigger moment in the show, at least from my perspective. He's been around for a long time. He's one of the good guys, so that was the focus for me.
Do you think Gareth got what he deserved?
I think Gareth needed to go. As much as I would have liked to see this guy last forever, in this world, he's got to go. Does he deserve to go out like that? I don't know. That is something that will be explored down the line. It's going to be interesting to see what kind of effect Gareth and the Terminus people have on the psyche of our heroes moving forward. With Gareth, it's implied that he was a probably decent and normal guy that horrific things happened to and he changed into something terrifying. What's interesting going forward is to see how Rick and the rest of his people maintain their humanity after seeing horror upon horror. Gareth and the Termites are the latest expression of that horror; this is a new thing for them. They've lost many members of the group but they never had a member of the group kidnapped, had his leg chopped off and eaten in front of him. That has to take a toll. It has to change the way you think about what people are capable of. It's a mirror image: We see what happens to Gareth; what will happen to Rick and the rest of his people after they experience something like this? What Gareth does to Bob is depravity on a different level. It's reasoned depravity to some regard, but it's not for the sake of chaos necessarily. It'll be interesting to see what affect that has.
See more 'The Walking Dead's' Most Shocking Deaths
What's next for you?
We filmed this movie called Walter in 2013. I play this unassuming and awkward guy named Walter who works in movie theater and believes he's the son of God and it's up to him to decide the eternal fate of everyone who comes in contact with him. It's a great cast with William H. Macy, Justin Kirk and Jim Gaffagan. It comes out in the spring. Walter could not be further away from Gareth; they're polar opposites. We shot Walter before The Walking Dead, so it's nice to have that juxtaposition of characters so close to each other.

 

'Walking Dead' EP Breaks Down the Show's Dual Blow

7:00 PM PDT 10/26/2014 by Lesley Goldberg

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Greg Nicotero talks with THR about the bloody and shocking episode

Gene Page/AMC​

"The Walking Dead's" Andrew Lincoln

[Warning: This story contains spoilers from episode 503, "Four Walls and aRoof," of AMC's The Walking Dead and the comics series it is based on.]
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'Walking Dead's' Andrew J. West Wanted Gareth to 'Ride Off Into the Sunset'


AMC's The Walking Dead delivered not one but two major blows Sunday.
In its third episode of the season, the zombie drama based on Robert Kirkman's comics parted ways with not one but two series regulars, while kicking off a new mystery involving fan favorite Norman Reedus' Daryl.
After being taken by the Hunters and having his leg served up for dinner, LawrenceGilliard's Bob was returned to the church group after giving Gareth (Andrew J. West) and his cannibal clowns a surprise of his own in a scene ripped directly from the comic series: They were eating "tainted meat." As many expected, Bob was bitten by an underwater walker at the food bank and rather than having his death pull the group down, opted to enjoy his last moments with girlfriend Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green).
See more 'The Walking Dead's' Most Shocking Deaths
As the group learns of what Gareth did to Bob, it sets Rick (Andrew Lincoln) off on a mission to make good on his vow to kill the head of the so-called Hunters. Gareth, meanwhile, has the same idea, but is no match for Rick, who baits the Termites to the church. Sasha — going against her brother's Tyreese's (Chad L. Coleman) peaceful wishes — joins Rick and company in a brutal slaughter that ends with Gareth's shocking demise.
The Hollywood Reporter turned to executive producer Greg Nicotero to discuss the episode and what Gareth's early exit means, why Bob marked for death and what to expect when Beth (Emily Kinney) makes her long-awaited return to the series.
Bob was infected! What are the rules if you eat "tainted meat"? Were the Termites goners anyway?
I don't think so. Since everybody is already infected, I don't think eating "tainted meat" would make that much of a difference. It's great because you really don't know. Since w already know that everybody has already got it, it probably wouldn't have made much of a difference
Why was it Bob's time to go?
Bob was happy because we learned in season four that he was always the last one to survive. When the prison was taken over by The Governor (David Morrissey) last year and when Bob was on the road and smiling and happy and Sasha questions why, it's because he was still part of a group. That was one of the things that was good for Bob. We took this fantastic moment in the comic and attributed it to Bob. He told a great story last year, in terms of his journey, but as we know on the show, it's really challenging to stay alive. I always love that moment in the graphic novel — when it's Dale who is grabbed by the Hunters and his leg is cut off and the whole "tainted meat" moment happens to him. We went to great lengths to be sure we shot images that mirrored that moment in the comic because Jeff De Munn's Dale died in season two. So it was sadly just Bob's time to go. It does a lot for propelling Sasha's story forward. Bob was an integral part of the group; he just started developing that relationship with Sasha but in the first episode, Bob was the one that mouthed off to Gareth at Terminus so it could be that he put himself in the line of fire.
Read more 'Walking Dead' Star on Shocking Demise: 'Nobody Is Promised Tomorrow'
Was it always the plan to have Bob step in for Dale?
When we were headed for Terminus, we knew we were going toward that story line. … There are times when characters that we intended on keeping all the sudden the story shifts and now it may make more sense for a person to move onward. We have a lot of other characters that have equally as compelling stories as Bob does. Since last season, we've made an effort to stay close to the source material.
Every death on this show serves the story. What will Bob's death do for Sasha and her relationship with Tyreese?
Sasha and Tyeese are in two very different places. Tyreese is a good guy and in this world, where you're forced to make hard choices, it's challenging. Tyreese, clearly after first two episodes, it's hard for him to do it. He's going to be wracked with the guilt that maybe if he had killed Martin in the cabin in the first episode then maybe they wouldn't have found them. Tyreese has been through more hell than anyone with Lizzie and Mika last year and at the beginning of the season premiere, Carol is planning on leavingTyreese and going out on her own. Tyreese is that guy who saves babies; he is that guy who would rather not have to kill somebody if he doesn't have to. Whereas this is going to affect Sasha in different way because now she has no reason not to kill and do the things that need to be done.
I'm also surprised that Gareth didn't survive longer than he did.
It's very important that the show continue its momentum. We feel like we had teased arrival of Terminus for almost the entire second half of the season last year. We want to keep our story moving forward. That story line — the Hunters and cannibals — we want to be able to pay tribute to it from the comic but we also want to keep moving forward. As we get into episodes four, five and six, in true Walking Dead tradition, we're going to step off and explore some other characters we may not have explored as in depth in previous episodes.
Read more 'Walking Dead's' Andrew J. West Wanted Gareth to 'Ride Off Into the Sunset'
So Beth?
Yes, and we're going to get an opportunity to get into some other characters' backstories. We did it very successfully with Michonne (Danai Gurira) last year and we can expect to learn a lot more about Abraham (Michael Cudlitz), Rosita (Christian Serratos) and Eugene (Josh McDermitt) and their backstory and how they met and things like that.
So is this the end of the Termites or could we see more of their story in flashbacks to when Terminus was taken over?
Andrew J. West is tremendously talented but you never know. We told a bit of theirbackstory in the season five premiere. They set up Terminus to be place where people could live, survive and have a chance and then it was taken from them. It turned them from good people into not very good people, which is an understatement. That's an important motif we have on the show; that's what our characters are going through. Rick in season four put his gun aside and was determined to have the prison be a place where everyone can live and it didn't work out. The world is brutal place and our people are on the same path the people from Terminus were on. When Rick says, "Don't hesitate because they won't," he's saying in order to survive, you have to kill and be OK with that. That is pretty much the exact opposite of what Tyreese feels. It's a great dramatic tool.
Speaking of the people who overturned Terminus, as far as we know, they're still out there. Is that a story that you may come back to?
I don't know. It certainly is a compelling story. We got a glimpse into who those people are. Knowing that the crazy tattooed long-haired guy that took over Terminus was locked in train car, I always got the impression that none of them got away and that the Terminus people took the place back and either ate or killed the people that took it from them.
Daryl (Norman Reedus) has returned — but it's unclear if Carol (Melissa McBride) is with him when he says, "Come on out." Has he brought evil people with him? Or could it be Morgan?
I have a hard time imagining Daryl bringing anyone back to their group who wasn't good. He would never want to do that, he'd want to protect his people at all costs. It very well could be Morgan but I don't think it is.
Rick refuses to leave the church without Daryl and Carol, who are going after Beth But why were Glenn and Maggie able to leave with Abraham so quickly, especially considering Beth is still out there?
It was an opportunity for Glenn (Steven Yeun) to keep the peace. One thing we know about Glenn is that up to this point, they had it as good as you can have it in a zombie apocalypse. The prison was overrun but he survived. He went on the road with Tara (Alanna Masterson) and found Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and made it out of Terminus. When Glenn says to Rick in the premiere that "We have to let those people out of the train car because that's still who we are," Glenn is committed to knowing that there could be good people out there. He is on board with Abraham's mission to get Eugene up to D.C. and believes those guys will follow.
It seems so out of character for Maggie.
They don't know for sure wehre Beth is. The only evidence she has is when they're in train car and talking about the car with the white cross on it that Daryl saw. Maggie isn't around when Carol and Daryl see the car with the cross; as far as they know, there's no proof Beth is still alive. The audience knows she's still alive because we saw the Comic-Con trailer.
See more 'Walking Dead' Comes to Life: From Comics to the Small Screen
Is Rick's plan really to go to Washington? He seemed uncertain about following Abraham.
I think he is on board with that. He just needs to regroup and figure out what's best for his family and group. He doesn't know Abraham at all; the first time they met was in the train car. But as far as Rick is concerned, Abraham is a new addition and so there is a bit of a power struggle there between who is calling the shots. Abraham doesn't care who comes, he's going; but Rick also understands that there's strength in numbers. Why would you want to diminish a very strong group by splitting them up? Rick's intent, even though there is some tension between them, is to go.
Tyreese still is having a difficult time accepting all the violence in this world. How will he move forward after having to put Bob down?
Putting Bob down was act of compassion and humanity in line with what Tyreese would do. Sasha is about to do it and Tyreese comes in and does it for her. That's an opportunity for him to re-bond with Sasha. But everybody deals with this world differently; Daryl recovered from Merle's (Michael Rooker) death and moved on. We always get hints of Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) and Hershel (Scott Wilson) and the characters we've lost in the past but you have to move forward. Sasha is tremendous source of strength forTyreese.
To use one of Bob and Sasha's conversations, what is the good that will come out of Bob's death for Sasha? Is there one?
It's really hard to say what good would come from this. I don't see that there's anything positive for Sasha with Bob's death or anyone for that matter. The group's strength is partially in numbers and when you start whittling those numbers down, the group becomes weaker. It's going to affect Sasha and will put a wall up around her and take some of the warmth out of her.
Father Gabriel (Seth Gilliam) is haunted by his past in another arc from the comics. Is he to be believed or is there more to his story?
There's more to his story coming up. He was in the church and the people he had been responsible for came and looked for him to let them in and he couldn't do it. He did something unspeakable by turning his back on the people who needed him. It's easy for him to turn around and judge Rick after the slaughter in the church. Gabriel witnesses people murdered in the church, where it's a place of worship. It's easy for him to judge what Rick does but stepping back and looking in the mirror, he did something just as horrific.
We're three episodes in and still haven't seen Beth. What can you say about her condition when we next see her?
We don't even know what condition she was in when we last saw her but Beth is strong and a survivor. She's going to be in pretty good shape.
What do you think of Bob and Gareth's deaths? Hit the comments below with your thoughts. Click here for our exit interview with West and see what Martin-Green had to say about Bob's fate in our Q&A here.