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Warning: Major spoilers ahead for those who have not seen tonight’s new episode of “The Walking Dead”
At the end of last week’s episode, we were introduced to a new character who called himself Aaron (Ross Marquand) — a very friendly, clean-cut young man who seemed to have a propensity for stalking people. A tad bit creepy for some of the viewers. Well, at the very end of this week’s episode, we get a first look at yet another new character, Eric (Jordan Woods-Robinson, “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 “). Just who are these guys and more importantly, can they really be trusted?
If you haven’t read The Walking Dead comics and absolutely cannot wait, here’s the scoop on these newcomers (assuming they stick closely to the comic book material, which I think they will).
First, Aaron and Eric are good guys. No monster hiding behind a mask like the Governor or Gareth. Both are recruiters for a relatively large fortified community not far from Washington D.C. called the Alexandria Safe Zone, something that most of you probably have seen on the interwebs the past few weeks when it became clearer that Alexandria was pretty close on the horizon. The two men would scout the area for survivors, and once they found a group, they would observe them for a period of time from a distance to determine if they are good people and whether they would fit into the community.
If Aaron and Eric came to a favorable decision, Aaron is normally the one who would reveal himself and inform the survivors that they have been selected to “audition” for membership into their community. Eric usually would hang back and only step forward if Aaron runs into any trouble, killing the survivors if necessary if they became violent.
You may have heard rumors that the series would be introducing its first gay character soon, and yes, folks, those rumors are correct. Aaron and Eric not only travel together looking for new members for the ASZ, but they are a gay couple. Sorry all you fangirls out there — both guys are smoking hot but unfortunately, they play for the other team. Even still, they will be both be nice to look at regardless, and Aaron turns out to be a hell of a fighter and will eventually work very closely with Rick as time goes on.
Given what we know about Aaron and Eric, you can guess what’s behind those gates at the end of the episode — the Alexandria Safe Zone. But, membership isn’t a shoe-in for Rick’s group. Remember, Aaron and Eric find people to **audition** for membership into the community. The next step for everyone in Rick’s group is to be “interviewed” by the leader of the Alexandria Safe Zone — a very interesting character (and, yes, good guy!) that we will very likely meet for the first time next week.
Stay tuned, folks. This is the part in the comic book series that I’ve been waiting to see on the small screen, and I’m beyond excited. Things are about to get really good on this show, and trust me when I say that each and every one of you are going to love it.
The Walking Dead airs on Sundays at 9/8c on AMC.
