By Amy West
Throughout its run, The Walking Dead has made sure to adapt big, memorable moments from Robert Kirkman’s graphic novels, from settings as beloved as Hershel’s farm and Alexandria, to near unshakeable deaths like Glenn Rhee’s. But that’s not to say it doesn’t take artistic licence from time to time.
When it does dare to deviate, it tends to play around with how long certain survivors stick around for. For example, fan favourite Carol Peletier, who’s played by Melissa McBride, dies early on in the comics, while her daughter Sophia – who succumbed to a walker bite on screen in season 2 – lasted until the final page. Additional characters who’ve had their timelines altered include Andrea, Abraham and Grimes siblings, Judith and Carl.
Since Andrew Lincoln’s Rick scarpered in season 9, other survivors like Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus), Aaron (Ross Marquand) and Yumiko (Eleanor Matsuura) have shifted into focus.
With Danai Gurira’s Michonne no longer around, the first chapter of the zombie drama’s three-part final season saw Yumiko adopt one of the former’s storylines from the comics, as she discovered that a long-lost family member, her brother Tomi (Ian Anthony Dale), was alive, and a member of the mysterious Commonwealth. (In the original source material, Michonne learns that her daughter, Elodie, is there).
She was also a lawyer in her pre-outbreak life, like comic book Michonne; something that awards her great privilege within the walls of the latest community. But now, ahead of the second block of season 11 episodes, showrunner Angela Kang has insisted that Yumiko is much more than just a substitute for one of the franchise’s most popular players.
!["Eleanor]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2022/02/walking_dead_yumiko_Mercer-7abc857.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"walking_dead_yumiko_Mercer\"")
“There’s definitely elements of comic book Michonne, but also, like, it’s not too similar because she’s a different character,” she told RadioTimes.com. “It was so useful to have that character who actually gets thrust into the upper echelon, so she has a level of power that some of our other characters don’t.
“She just has a different view on what the Commonwealth is. Yumiko’s a very, very smart character, she’s incredibly capable and so she’s going to find herself in some situations where she’s really got to use that sharp mind that she has to navigate things on behalf of herself, and her family and friends.
“But, you know, I’ll just say, Eleanor does some exceptional work in the season so I’m excited for people to watch it.”
Echoing themes from season 5, where Rick, Daryl, Carol, Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and co first stumbled across the gated town of Alexandria, and found themselves struggling to trust and adjust to a slower, more civilised way of life, 11B is set to see the majority of the gang try to settle in at the Commonwealth.
Some inevitably find it an easier task than others, but regardless of their personal struggles, the sense of newfound security in some makes way for something that The Walking Dead hasn’t seen much of lately…
“Without getting into specifics, romance is a part of the story of the Commonwealth. So yeah, there’ll be some of that kind of storytelling,” teased Kang, keeping schtum on whether Princess (Paola Lázaro) and Commonwealth army general Mercer (Michael James Shaw) will become an item like their comic book counterparts.
The first two episodes hint at a possible reconciliation for Carol and estranged husband Ezekiel (Khary Payton), and continue to highlight the bond between Daryl and Connie (Lauren Ridloff) – but whether or not either pair will find the time to properly mine those relationships remains a mystery for now.
“A lot of the time, when we’re in the middle of people-in-battle plots, those things just fall by the wayside, but you know, they’ve carved out a little bit of a different life for themselves,” Kang noted. “It’s The Walking Dead, though, so there’s always things that feel fraught, even in the middle of happy moments as well.”
We wouldn’t expect anything less. 11B’s first episode, titled No Other Way, sees Aaron, Rosita (Christian Serratos) and the other survivors still positioned within a devastated Alexandria try to stop the horde of walkers that were swept in by the storm in 11A’s last episode.
“We always want to keep innovating the way that we do the action. There’s always a certain amount of limitations we have, with time and budget and now with COVID safety, but we’re always looking to do something we haven’t done before. Something that’ll be a new challenge for our people,” Kang explained.
“We decided long, long ago, before the pandemic even started, that we wanted to flood Alexandria to really show how damaged it is. The production wound up building a whole tank for it, with water-warming for the kids and, you know, it could empty itself in seconds and all that stuff,” she continued.
“Because of safety measures, we have to do things differently whenever it comes to stunts, and we have to be extra cautious because you have people in close quarters and sometimes in situations that are tricky, but we’re always trying to be responsible whilst also pushing the envelope.
“That’s really fun for us as writers and, yeah, hopefully it gives the audience some fun stuff to watch from home as they’re still sitting through this pandemic.”
The Walking Dead season 11 returns in the US on 20th February on AMC, before arriving in the UK the following day exclusively via Star on Disney Plus. You can sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now.
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