The Walking Dead: Enid’s past is shaping the future

Enid has lost so much in the apocalypse, but her losses have given her the skills and knowledge needed to survive in this world and to help others. 

When she was first introduced in episode 512, Enid was shown to be incredibly mysterious and closed off. She barely spoke and seemed to not feel totally comfortable living in Alexandria. This really made her stand out to Carl as she slipped out of the community to spend time out in the world.

In “JSS”, we saw firsthand the tragedy Enid experienced prior to her arrival at Alexandria. The absolute danger of the world presented itself to her as she was forced to watch her parents being eaten alive by walkers. Alone, she just survived somehow until arriving at the oasis of Alexandria. Being inside the walls was just too suffocating and Enid spent much of season 5B and 6A leaving and coming back, not fully able to connect with anyone.

Glenn was the first to really convince Enid that Alexandria was her home and that she had a new family. Once she finally accepted this, her path became more clear and she allowed herself to become comfortable around her fellow survivors. The connection she formed with Carl was undeniably crucial and romance began to bloom.

In the middle of All Out War, Carl lost his life trying to help someone. Enid found out several episodes later and was once again devastated by another massive loss in her life. By this point, she was fully committed to her new family and worked hard to contribute to the greater good, even training with Siddiq to become a medic. Carl’s drive to help others surely inspired this, but it goes so much further than that.

In the many years after Carl’s death, Enid is now in a really good place. She’s the Hilltop’s primary medic and she’s in a relationship with Alden. With the Whisperer conflict now in full swing, she seems to be taking on an additional role as a mentor to Henry. It makes complete sense that she would fulfill this role considering Henry looks up to Enid.

When Henry flees the Hilltop with Lydia to prevent her from being traded back to Alpha, Enid follows and says exactly what needs to be said to bring them back. Enid explains to Henry that you can only live in this world by staying who you are and by not allowing the horrific things you must do to change yourself. She learned this from Carl. Much like herself, Carl went through unimaginable tragedies, but he remained a kindhearted and helpful person.

Carl had to do plenty of bad things and was forced to make impossible decisions, but he lived with them. He didn’t turn to the dark side. Years later, Enid is doing the same thing. Turning Lydia over isn’t ideal or easy, but it’s the only option in this situation. She knows this, and if Henry and the community are going to survive, it must be done.

What Enid represents is how one must dance on the fine line of just surviving somehow and being helpful. If you’re not careful, you might end up wandering the world alone. On the opposite end, you might find yourself causing deaths due to your overt good nature. Enid seem to have found the middle ground after learning from her experiences and stacking up her losses. She’s a survivor, carrying on the legacy of Carl and making sure Henry doesn’t meet the same fate as that “someone special with a good heart”.

Do you think Henry will take what Enid taught him to heart on The Walking Dead? Share your thoughts in the comments!