Undead Walking
Fansided

The Walking Dead: Sharing our TWD Family stories

By Renee Hansen

Amy (Emma Bell), Shane Walsh (Jon Bernthal), Glenn (Steven Yeun), Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs), Lori Grimes (Sarah Wayne Callies), Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), Dale (Jeffrey DeMunn) and Andrea (Laurie Holden) - The Walking Dead - Season 1 - Photo Credit: Matthew Welch / AMC
Amy (Emma Bell), Shane Walsh (Jon Bernthal), Glenn (Steven Yeun), Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs), Lori Grimes (Sarah Wayne Callies), Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), Dale (Jeffrey DeMunn) and Andrea (Laurie Holden) - The Walking Dead - Season 1 - Photo Credit: Matthew Welch / AMC /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 9
Next
Matt Lintz as Henry - The Walking Dead _ Season 9, Episode 6 - Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC
Matt Lintz as Henry – The Walking Dead _ Season 9, Episode 6 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC /

I’ve grown up with The Walking Dead.

Joe says:

When I started watching the show in season 2, I was only 12 years old. As my teenage years continued, my interests came and went in phases, but my love for The Walking Dead stayed consistent.

While I have grown up watching, reading, and playing The Walking Dead I’m not going to act like my fandom hasn’t wavered. After largely disliking season 8’s way too drawn-out storyline, I nearly stopped watching the show. For me, season 9 was do-or-die. Just when I started to doubt my fandom of The Walking Dead, the reason I fell in love with the show pulled me back in: the characters.

My favorite character is – and always will be – Glenn Rhee (Steven Yeun). I related to him in the way that he wasn’t the strongest or the smartest of the group, but he stayed true to who he was. Glenn put others first, always wanting to do the right thing by helping his fellow survivors. So, when he was brutally taken out by Negan (Jeffery Dean-Morgan), my support of the show was rocked, and I felt a bit lost on the character front. Sure, I liked plenty of characters, but I didn’t necessarily connect with any of them anymore.

When the time jump in season 9 introduced us to an older version of Henry (Matt Lintz), I finally found another character that I could connect to like I did with Glenn. He was a bit reckless and naive, but he was always willing to do the right thing and help others – just ask Lydia (Cassady McClincy). And while his death at the hands of Alpha (Samantha Morton) was tough to handle, the relatability and optimism that Matt Lintz brought to The Walking Dead reignited my love and connection with the show.

After recently attending Walker Stalker Con in New Jersey, my love for The Walking Dead has never been stronger. The actors I met – Matt Lintz, Cassady McClincy, Ross Marquand, and Callan McAuliffe – were incredibly kind and seemed genuinely excited to talk and take pictures with me. This kindness carried into my fellow fans attending the convention, with whom I struck up plenty of conversations about our favorite characters or moments. This only reinforced my love for the show, as I was finally able to feel the familial aspect that The Walking Dead fans always talk about.

I may not have bought into the idea at first, but they call it #TWDFamily for a reason.

Home/Fandom