[TangoJ]

My head kind of leaves the story for a bit every time Sasha is on screen, but hey, that's just me

 

You have great taste, my friend.  I left the GoT story anytime Khal Drogo was onscreen, so I feel ya.  I love Lawrence Gilliard Jr., but not THAT way.  LOL

[Lioness]

You have great taste, my friend.  I left the GoT story anytime Khal Drogo was onscreen, so I feel ya.  I love Lawrence Gilliard Jr., but not THAT way.  LOL

 
Khal Drogo, Jon Snow, and Jaqen H'ghar before he morphed after leaving Harrenhal. 

[Serenity@sea]

You have great taste, my friend.  I left the GoT story anytime Khal Drogo was onscreen, so I feel ya.  I love Lawrence Gilliard Jr., but not THAT way.  LOL

Jason Momoa + Kit Harrington =    

[Lioness]

Plus dragons. 

[etphoto]

Haven't read every post but who is saying Bob is a "main" character?  I'd consider him as a supporting role type character. 

[D_Piece]

I can't believe you ladies aren't mentioning Nikolaj....I am thoroughly disappointed in all of you.

[Persephone]

I like Bob!

 

Yeah, it annoyed me when sh*t went wrong because of his urge for the drink, but come on, that was incredibly realistic! People just assume that when the chips are down, they are going to be able to shape up and rid themselves of the habits or vices (or both) that kept them down for so long. Or, those habits or vices that kept them GOING for so long. 

 

Without question, people who suffer from alcoholism or nicotine addiction, etc. can survive in a world like the one we see on TWD. But to assume that all survivors are the ones who never dealt with that temptation? Give me a break. Just because they are strong doesn't mean they aren't "weak".

 

Bob has shown a lot of growth and loyalty. I had my doubts when the beginning of the 4th season aired, and I went so far as to blame him for killing Karen and David. The loose cannons are always the first ones we accuse. But he has really come a long way in terms of character development and I really appreciated what we learned about him at the beginning of "Alone". 

 

As much as I truly hate losing our original members, I enjoy it when TPTB give us character development or at least some insight on the newer characters that they introduce. That is not to say that I would welcome an original group member's death simply because we had become attached to someone new. But let us not forget that the Greene family was not part of our original group, and we have since grown to love Hershel, Maggie and Beth. 

 

I also truly enjoy Tyreese. I don't know; there is just something about him that seems so desperate and "good". His vendetta against the person who killed Karen whilst never knowing if his sister was still alive truly annoyed me, but I think that may have been a flaw on the part of the writers. One of the few, I may add. But his agreement to kill Lizzie followed by his apparent forgiveness of Carol just solidified, for me, the kind of person that he is. He seems a little lost; perhaps still in denial. 

 

Getting back to Bob, I think he has suffered a great deal, before and after the ZA. Does that give him an excuse to act reckless with the group simply because he wants a drink? Of course not. But he is also still a human being, struggling with his old (human) demons and probably hoping that he can pull off both. He isn't a monster; he is simply a human being, struggling with a past, pre-ZA weakness. Wouldn't it be great if we were all strong enough to do the same? 

[Lioness]

I like Bob!

 

Yeah, it annoyed me when sh*t went wrong because of his urge for the drink, but come on, that was incredibly realistic! People just assume that when the chips are down, they are going to be able to shape up and rid themselves of the habits or vices (or both) that kept them down for so long. Or, those habits or vices that kept them GOING for so long. 

 

Without question, people who suffer from alcoholism or nicotine addiction, etc. can survive in a world like the one we see on TWD. But to assume that all survivors are the ones who never dealt with that temptation? Give me a break. Just because they are strong doesn't mean they aren't "weak".

 

Bob has shown a lot of growth and loyalty. I had my doubts when the beginning of the 4th season aired, and I went so far as to blame him for killing Karen and David. The loose cannons are always the first ones we accuse. But he has really come a long way in terms of character development and I really appreciated what we learned about him at the beginning of "Alone". 

 

As much as I truly hate losing our original members, I enjoy it when TPTB give us character development or at least some insight on the newer characters that they introduce. That is not to say that I would welcome an original group member's death simply because we had become attached to someone new. But let us not forget that the Greene family was not part of our original group, and we have since grown to love Hershel, Maggie and Beth. 

 

I also truly enjoy Tyreese. I don't know; there is just something about him that seems so desperate and "good". His vendetta against the person who killed Karen whilst never knowing if his sister was still alive truly annoyed me, but I think that may have been a flaw on the part of the writers. One of the few, I may add. But his agreement to kill Lizzie followed by his apparent forgiveness of Carol just solidified, for me, the kind of person that he is. He seems a little lost; perhaps still in denial. 

 

Getting back to Bob, I think he has suffered a great deal, before and after the ZA. Does that give him an excuse to act reckless with the group simply because he wants a drink? Of course not. But he is also still a human being, struggling with his old (human) demons and probably hoping that he can pull off both. He isn't a monster; he is simply a human being, struggling with a past, pre-ZA weakness. Wouldn't it be great if we were all strong enough to do the same? 

 

 

I agree with much of what you say about Bob. I rarely have a drink but I would probably be drinking a whole lot more in a ZA. 

 

Can't say that I love any of the characters who aren't original. I don't hate them but I don't worry about them like I do Carol, Rick, Glenn and Daryl. I like Maggie and don't to see her die and Hershel was a good character but their deaths wouldn't make me turn off the series. Killing off Daryl might and the same goes for Rick. I pretty much accept that Carol will die soon because I feel the writers may be done with her. 

[d2daybreak]

First, I like Bob. I have found him and his weaknesses interesting from the beginning. I believe TPTB have developed him gradually purposely to allow him to be a red herring for who killed Karen & David and who was feeding rats to the walkers. Bob being unknown and a f*ck up (the Big Spot and Vet incidents) made him a likely candidate. After the prison, it quickly became evident that it wasn't Bob, but Lizzie. Once more of his backstory was shown, we began to understand Bob's motivations better, and no longer alone, his real character which the drinking had been masking began to show through.

 

Being clairvoyant on the fate of a fictional character would be a real talent.

 

I think Bob's character has a lot of potential. If you read any of the press from his casting news, it sounds like he is being written just as originally described.

From April of 2013:

Gilliard will play the series regular part of Bob Stookey, a former Army medic who is deeply haunted by his past -- both before and after the apocalypse. He's a loner, though he maintains a charming yet self-deprecating façade.

 

Thanks for this. The OP asks when did Bob become a main character and this answers it--from the beginning. Lawrence Gilliard, Jr. was hired as a series regular which equates to a main character in the eyes of the writers. This was the writers' intention all along. They just developed him gradually. Also, not only has Gilliard gotten a chance at the spotlight since the prison, but the bottle episodes have allowed several supporting characters to get development that they probably wouldn't have gotten otherwise including Beth, Sasha, and Tyreese. Shoot, Beth and Carl got whole episodes to shine. Something neither have ever gotten before and Carl has been a main character since day one. Though Sasha and Tyreese have also gotten more screen time since the prison, I can't help, but feel like we know more about Bob's backstory then we know theirs. There is a reason why they say in writing "don't tell, show." Seeing what it was like for Bob alone on the road allowed us to experience and not just hear about what it was like for him.

 

We have seen what life was like for almost everyone else--Rick (flashback), Carl (flashback), Daryl (hallucination), Michonne (dream), Carol (experience-we saw Ed beat her), and Maggie and Beth (experience--living on the farm). That leaves Tyreese, Sasha. I am not counting Abraham, Eugene, and Rosita because they are so new. We have time to get their backstories and I would like to, but first, I would like to get a flashback or something showing us what Sasha and Tyreese's lives were like before we met them.

 

I figured. I actually liked him [Oscar], but wasn't surprised by his death. When Tyreese showed up I knew he couldn't stick around.

 

I believe this is the reason that an African American actor was chosen to play Bob who was caucasian in the comics. Gimple wanted to put to bed the rumors that TPTB were racist as demonstrated by the only-one-black-man-in-Rick's-group-at-a-time phenomenon. He not only brought in another African American actor, but Gimple made both Chad Coleman and Lawrence Gilliard, Jr. series regulars and Gimple diversified the whole prison population with a variety of multi-cultural redshirts (Asians, African Americans and Latinos). Dr. S, Jeanette, and Julio are just examples of the addition of this kind of diversity in the prison ranks.

[Serenity@sea]

First, I like Bob. I have found him and his weaknesses interesting from the beginning. I believe TPTB have developed him gradually purposely to allow him to be a red herring for who killed Karen & David and who was feeding rats to the walkers. Bob being unknown and a f*ck up (the Big Spot and Vet incidents) made him a likely candidate. After the prison, it quickly became evident that it wasn't Bob, but Lizzie. Once more of his back story was shown, we began to understand Bob's motivations better, and no longer alone, his real character which the drinking had been masking began to show through.

 

 

Thanks for this. The OP asks when did Bob become a main character and this answers it--from the beginning. Lawrence Gilliard, Jr. was hired as a series regular which equates to a main character in the eyes of the writers. This was the writers' intention all along. They just developed him gradually. Also, not only has Gilliard gotten a chance at the spotlight since the prison, but the bottle episodes have allowed several supporting characters to get development that they probably wouldn't have gotten otherwise including Beth, Sasha, and Tyreese. Shoot, Beth and Carl got whole episodes to shine. Something neither have ever gotten before and Carl has been a main character since day one. Though Sasha and Tyreese have also gotten more screen time since the prison, I can't help, but feel like we know more about Bob's backstory then we know theirs. There is a reason why they say in writing "don't tell, show." Seeing what it was like for Bob alone on the road allowed us to experience and not just hear about what it was like for him.

 

We have seen what life was like for almost everyone else--Rick (flashback), Carl (flashback), Daryl (hallucination), Michonne (dream), Carol (experience-we saw Ed beat her), and Maggie and Beth (experience--living on the farm). That leaves Tyreese, Sasha. I am not counting Abraham, Eugene, and Rosita because they are so new. We have time to get their back stories and I would like to, but first, I would like to get a flashback or something showing us what Sasha and Tyreese's lives were like before we met them.

 

 

I believe this is the reason that an African American actor was chosen to play Bob who was caucasian in the comics. Gimple wanted to put to bed the rumors that TPTB were racist as demonstrated by the only-one-black-man-in-Rick's-group-at-a-time phenomenon. He not only brought in another African American actor, but Gimple made both Chad Coleman and Lawrence Gilliard, Jr. series regulars and Gimple diversified the whole prison population with a variety of multi-cultural redshirts (Asians, African Americans and Latinos). Dr. S, Jeanette, and Julio are just examples of the addition of this kind of diversity in the prison ranks.

Agreed on all counts.

If you recall from the Comic-Con trailer, they showed Bob in a cell with blood all around him. Now we know that it was misdirection and he had nothing to do with Karen and David's deaths. It was a smart way for TBTB to get us talking about a new character. I recall a few threads asking what is the deal with Bob. It was also a red herring to throw us off the real killer. 

I think that Tyreese and Sasha were introduced at a bad time (S3 - when backstory wasn't important). IIRC, we didn't even learn what their relationship was unless we read the interview with Chad Coleman.

We've seen that a flashback can add dimension to a character. The simple one for Bob went a long way and I think it changed a lot of people's views on him.

[d2daybreak]

Agreed on all counts.

If you recall from the Comic-Con trailer, they showed Bob in a cell with blood all around him. Now we know that it was misdirection and he had nothing to do with Karen and David's deaths. It was a smart way for TBTB to get us talking about a new character. I recall a few threads asking what is the deal with Bob. It was also a red herring to throw us off the real killer. 

I think that Tyreese and Sasha were introduced at a bad time (S3 - when backstory wasn't important). IIRC, we didn't even learn what their relationship was unless we read the interview with Chad Coleman.

We've seen that a flashback can add dimension to a character. The simple one for Bob went a long way and I think it changed a lot of people's views on him.

 

I had forgotten about the Comic-Con trailer. TPTB set Bob up from the start to be someone of questionable characters a red herring. Then, the first thing we learn about him isn't even that he has a drinking problem. First, we learn that Sasha isn't comfortable with Bob going on the supply run because he is the newest arrival to the prison (only a week). Sasha's wondering about him verbalizes the impression left by the Comic-Con trailer giving it only more power to make us question Bob. Once we get to know him, we learn that he isn't as questionable as he seems. He is just like most folks, flawed, but basically, good.

 

I think a flashback would go a long way in helping us understand why Tyreese is having trouble finding his place in the group, has a sort fuse at times, but could find it in his heart to forgive Carol. Sonequa Martin-Green shared on The Talking Dead that Sasha used to be a firefighter. That says a lot about Sasha, her perspective in the ZA, why she was on the council, even why she was the one talking about escape plans in Too Far Gone. Aside from that, we have been given nothing in the show to tell us that she was a firefighter. If I hadn't watched The Talking Dead after Alone I wouldn't even know. Hopefully, that is changing.

 

I just hope we don't have to see another eight bottle episodes to get the backstory on them, Abraham, Eugene, and Rosita. But talking about the bottle episodes would be a whole other post. 

 

BTW, I realized that I didn't include Glenn's backstory when I listed other characters. With Glenn, we saw him making his way around Atlanta with ease. That gave us a visual to tie to his backstory of being a pizza delivery boy.

[NaarioDaharis]

I never expected Bob to be the murderer, actually. He didn't seem sly enough to me. He f'd up his f*** ups! (excuse the language).

 

He got in trouble both times he tried to sneak bottles. I don't think he could have gotten away with the 'murder.'

 

Speaking of the murders, I was thinking Karen was going to take Andrea's place and I was really bummed when she died lol.

 

If you have to go read some other material to understand something on the show, then the show isn't doing a good job.

 

Its like people who say the Star Wars prequels are a lot better if you read the books. That just means the books are good and the movies suck!

 

I feel like Tyreese was just introduced at a weird time period. Might as well of not brought in his character at all and kept T-Dog. I don't know the grand scheme, of course, but too often it seems like the writers back themselves into holes with these characters.

 

Carol is floundering, Tyreese is floundering, Daryl is starting to teeter, Bob and Sasha are just there. Some people think they are growing but I really think that is just because they're willing to buy into the stories they're presented. To me its just filler because I look at things in terms of the overarching plot.

 

Sometimes its good to just have nice moments, but when a whole season is 5 episodes of bottle out of 8, it begins to, well, flounder.

[Serenity@sea]

I never expected Bob to be the murderer, actually. He didn't seem sly enough to me. He f'd up his f*** ups! (excuse the language).

 

He got in trouble both times he tried to sneak bottles. I don't think he could have gotten away with the 'murder.'

 

Speaking of the murders, I was thinking Karen was going to take Andrea's place and I was really bummed when she died lol.

 

If you have to go read some other material to understand something on the show, then the show isn't doing a good job.

 

Its like people who say the Star Wars prequels are a lot better if you read the books. That just means the books are good and the movies suck!

 

I feel like Tyreese was just introduced at a weird time period. Might as well of not brought in his character at all and kept T-Dog. I don't know the grand scheme, of course, but too often it seems like the writers back themselves into holes with these characters.

 

Carol is floundering, Tyreese is floundering, Daryl is starting to teeter, Bob and Sasha are just there. Some people think they are growing but I really think that is just because they're willing to buy into the stories they're presented. To me its just filler because I look at things in terms of the overarching plot.

 

Sometimes its good to just have nice moments, but when a whole season is 5 episodes of bottle out of 8, it begins to, well, flounder.

I disagree that Carol and Tyreese are floundering. It feels like they are finally starting to come into their own.

If they continue to develop Bob and Sasha, I can see them being strong characters as well.

Daryl is finally getting some development besides being Super Daryl.

Wiling to buy into the stories they are presenting?!?  Isn't that what storytelling is all about? I don't consider character development filler. If we don't care about the characters, then we don't care what happens to them.

 

Being that most of the groups are still separated, there wasn't much choice than to have bottle episodes in the back half.

[Singlyme]

Personally, I love the character development in any story.  Otherwise, it's like watching strangers with whom you have no emotional ties, whether it's love or hate - no understanding of motivation.

 

I'm glad they're reaching into Sasha, Ty, and Bob.  I, too, wish we could have a glimpse of their backstories.  We got a small tidbit on Bob's lone journey, but I'd love to see something previous - perhaps his horrors in a war zone prior to the ZA.  Drinking to escape constant death around him? 

 

Unless they're using Joe as a redshirt, I'm dying to know his background!  Love the actor.