Hello and welcome to Pegboard. Proper introductions will be coming soon. For now, please enjoy our Walking Dead Rankings. Each week Jesse and I will rank the Walking Dead characters from least likely to die to most likely to die. If a character does perish then we earn points. For instance if Glenn dies this week then Jesse will have 11 points and I will have 7. Please enjoy and look forward to plenty of other content in the near future! (And yes, we know this week is the last new episode for quite some time, but we wanted to do this anyway).

Jesse’s Rankings 

1. Daryl – May as well get the most obvious one out of the way. He may not be the leader of the group, but Daryl has become The Walking Dead’s franchise player, and you never part ways with your franchise player unless you have a viable replacement. Think Lil Ass Kicker is hopping out of that makeshift crib and loosing arrows through walker skulls any time soon? Didn’t think so.

2. Judith – Speaking of Lil Ass Kicker, she hasn’t said much beyond a random gurgle here and there. Maybe it’s because she’s a baby, or maybe she’s just stuck up, but the fact remains we don’t know diddly squat about the newest member of the Grimes family. In this series, the less screen time you have, the better your chances are at surviving.

3. Beth – I hate to be redundant, but the same goes for Beth. For the actress who plays her, it has to fairly humiliating that the only character who has fewer lines and screen time than she does is an infant. Rest assured, once she gets a backstory, I will move her immediately to the top of my list.

4. Carl – There isn’t a safer role on television than the preteen or teenage son of the show’s protagonist, not to mention this season Carl has transformed from a useless little runt into a sharpshooting badass. He’s simply come too far to be written off now, and besides, they need him to stick around for at least a few more years so we can have the obligatory Carl/Beth romance.

5. Tyrese – I’ve never read The Walking Dead comics, so I don’t have a rabid infatuation with Tyrese like some fanboys do, but that doesn’t change the fact that I believe he’s been severely underutilized this season. I’d like to hope that his role in the show will expand over time, but I remember hoping the same thing for T-Dog only to watch him get torn apart so another member could escape. There’s no doubt in my mind that Tyrese will make it through the episode and join up with Rick’s group, along with his sister, and in turn I’ll spend the next 6 months wondering whether we have a new prominent character or simply the next token black guy. Based on the first three seasons, I’m inclined to think the latter, but I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

6. Carol – Let’s see, Carol’s entire family is dead. As I mentioned above, T-Dog allowed the walkers to tear him to shreds so she could get away, and then Axel served as her human shield during the Governor’s attack on the prison. Now I ask you, what was the point of any of that if Carol gets offed anyway?

7. Maggie – I absolutely expect at least one member of the Green family to die in some truly horrific fashion, and which death would be more depressing than that of the blushing bride-to-be? Kevin has a far better explanation for why this could happen, and so I’m just going to be lazy and say why it won’t happen. Quite simply, there isn’t a lot of tail in post-apocalyptic Georgia, and The Walking Dead can’t afford to lose its hottest chick, unless season 4 takes place at the Playboy Mansion, in which case Maggie dying is perfectly fine.

8. Andrea – Everyone who likes this show is sick to death of Andrea. They’re sick of her stupidity and obliviousness to signs that anyone else would easily pick up on. They’re baffled over how long her blind loyalty to the Governor and Woodbury lasted despite the fact that he’s a deranged psychopath who’s trying to kill her friends.  Not only would no one care if Andrea was a casualty in the season finale, but most people would likely rejoice upon it happening. However, it’s blatantly obvious that the writers are head over heels for Andrea and think she’s the coolest thing since sliced bread, so clearly she’s not going anywhere. God help us all.

9. Rick – When it comes to the Sheriff, I feel that we are at an impasse. Rick started out as the ultimate paragon, making peace where he could and trying to lead his people to something that resembled a normal life. Then he took a turn to the dark side and let it be known that it was his way or the highway. Now he’s supposedly making it a democracy again, but at this point it feels like Rick as a character is just spinning his wheels. How much more can he truly evolve if he stays alive in the show? It would be a bold move for the writers to kill of their lead, but I really don’t think they have the balls to do it.

10. Michonne – Just so you know, I’m about 99% sure that Michonne won’t be among the deceased when all is said and done, so why do I have her ranked so high? If The Governor could only pick one member of Rick’s group to maim and murder, he’d select Michonne in a heartbeat. If he could pick a second member, he’d wait until Michonne turned and then he’d kill her again. Wielding that katana like a female Samurai Jack probably buys her a free pass to season 4, but make no mistake, the Governor will resort to every dirty trick in the book in order to avenge his zombie daughter.

11. Glenn – Quick question, before Glenn wandered around the prison yard for the biggest and least disgusting ring he could find, did he explore other options? Did he go to Jared? If not, then Maggie needs to seriously consider whether he really wants to marry her or if he just wants to decrease the time in between their filthy prison sex. Anyway, I’m of the opinion that at least one fan favorite is going to bite the dust here, and if Tyrese really does join the group, then we have to make room for him right?

12. Milton – Seeing as the Governor is on a murderous rampage and has pretty gruesome plans in mind for anyone who crosses him, Milton picked a pretty bad time to torch his walker pit. No, we don’t know for sure if that was really Milton or not, but even if it wasn’t, the guy has performed more than a few acts of decency over the past few episodes, so he’s as good as dead.

13. Herschel – Let’s be honest, Herschel is lucky that he even made it this long. Not only is he the first character to survive being bit, but the cost of that survival has had him hobbling around on one foot for the past 14 episodes. Now he’s given Glenn consent to wed Maggie, as if they’re supposed to be one big happy family in the zombie apocalypse? One of those three isn’t making it out of this alive, and I think it’s safe to assume that Herschel is more than likely the odd man out.

14. The Governor – I can’t imagine another season of The Walking Dead with “Phillip”. Not that I don’t enjoy what he brings to the show, but what else can they possibly do with the Governor? How much more villainous can he possibly be? Then you have to take into account how many other characters want him dead for one reason or another, and it just seems impossible that he’ll make it.

Kevin’s Rankings 

1. Daryl- I think we can all safely assume Daryl to live. He is a fan favorite and is essential to the safety of the group. Besides his brother just died at the hands of the Governor. I am thinking a revenge rampage is coming.

2. Judith- Where is the character development for Judith? The writers are hardly giving her anything to work with. Is she a natural born leader like her (assumed) father? Or is she an annoying, self-absorbed tart like her mother? Besides, I am pretty sure babies are not allowed to die on television. Its a rule. Google it.

3. Maggie- She is very important to the future of the group and of the new world. Or to put it simply, the writers are not going to kill off the only attractive female on the show. Besides she kicks ass and is about to lose her father.

4.  Carol- How many people have sacrificed themselves to keep this lady alive? Did anyone even care? Poor T-Dog. Not only did he have a terribly offensive name, he hung around for quite sometime before he had a pretty lazy “sacrificial” kill off. It would be pointless if she died.

5.  Beth- AKA personal nanny of Judith and singer of songs. That’s all I got for her. What is her over/under for words spoken this week?Four? Remember, singing doesn’t count in that bet.

6. Tyrese- We do not know much about Tyrese but we do know he has potential to be a fan favorite. If he gets killed off before he can make a true impact then I will be very disappointed.

7. Carl- This poor kid’s childhood is more screwed up than Simba’s. Carl is so desensitized to everything around him. Things started off pretty well for him considering. Sure the walkers killed most of his family and friends but at one point he had his mother, father, and a cool stepfather. Heck, he even found young love in Sophia before she wound up in a barn. Now his father killed his stepfather, he killed his mother and Beth has yet to notice his 1 inch growth spurt. Life is tough being a teenager zombie murderer.

8. Glenn- I am taking a gamble here just to prove a point to Jesse. This is my theory. In the last episode Glenn received permission from Herschel to marry his daughter Maggie. Maggie accepted despite the fact that Glenn did NOT go to Jared’s. In my opinion, one of the three involved in those scenes has to die. Naturally that person is Herschel. He is older, has passed on his wisdom and his daughter and he barely has a leg to stand on. Glenn could die too. He would be a gut wrenching death that shocks the audience. But I don’t see it. The Walking Dead  universe has so many fractured families. Everyone has lost someone. Which is why I believe that Maggie and Glenn will be the first full family of the new world. Plus, how could Maggie reasonably survive the loss of her father and her fiance in one episode?

9. Rick- The Ricktatorship is over. He will now consider other opinions and will allow voting to happen. I can’t wait to see those Walking Dead President campaign ads. How far would Rick get with his good ol’ “I love my country” cowboy routine? Can’t you see Glenn using a “He sees his dead wife” attack campaign? And Daryl would win the popular vote without even campaigning. Herschel is de facto vice president (until he dies). Oh, this is supposed to be about Rick dying? Well I put him this low because a shocking Rick death is exactly what the writers like to do. But I don’t think the timing is right. His character has gone off on an odd path recently. So much so that I don’t even know if I would be upset about his death. He needs more time to redeem his character.

10. Andrea- Perhaps this is wishful thinking on my part. No one seems to enjoy this character anymore. She is repetitive and lacks common sense. I really want her story to end here. Naturally that means that it will not. These Walking Dead writers are cruel human beings.

11. Michonne- Again this one could go either way. She is a sword-wielding badass but she is also extremely quiet and predictable. I could see the writers keeping her around to help protect the main group. I could also see the writers saving her and sending her on her own path. She is a lone wolf type and it would make sense that she would want to journey out on her own again. At the same time the Governor is determined to get his revenge and what would stop him?

12. Milton- I am fairly certain of his death if only because I cannot see a place for him in the future of the show. He had his part and he has played it. There is no real reason to keep him around unless we want the group dragging around a nerdy researcher that could help uncover some of the mystery of the Dead.

13. Governor- Ahh the eyepatch. I am not sure how I feel about this character. I am happy to see a villain rise up in this world of anarchy but I am also a bit bored by him. I don’t think it is a question of whether or not he dies. Rather I see it as who gets to end the man? Rick is the favorite because he is the leader and thats what leaders do. But I could hear many arguments for Michonne (hates him, saw through him from the beginning), Andrea (made her look like a total idiot), Daryl (killed his brother), or even Milton (finally realizes what he is doing is wrong and is the only one that the Governor trusts enough to get close to).

14. Herschel- Herschel has passed on his wisdom and his blessing to Glenn. Great character and it will be hard to see him go. I am glad he held on for so long. I never expected him to survive the second season. He ended up being a very impressive character during the third season.