The latest episode of The Walking Dead continued to expand the show’s world by introducing a character crucial to future events.
*Spoilers follow – you have been warned*
Near the climax of season 10 episode 14, titled “Look at the Flowers”, Eugene (Josh McDermitt), Ezekiel (Khary Payton) and Yumiko (Eleanor Matsuura) run into a machine gun-wielding pink-haired character while passing through a desolate city.
“Oh my God, hi!” the character exclaims as the trio – on their way to meet Eugene’s friend Stephanie in West Virginia – look on, alarmed by her presence.
Her arrival comes after the gang noticed the city’s walkers had been handcuffed, dressed up and placed in scenarios that made it look like they were emulating human behaviour – the work of someone who has clearly been on their own for a long time.
So, who is this character? Comic book readers will immediately recognise her as Princess, a creation who is revealed to have been alone for a year.
After some consideration, Princess – real name Juanita Sanchez – is permitted to join the group as they make their way to Stephanie, who is expected to introduce viewers to a new faction called The Commonwealth.
It soon emerges that Princess disguises her painful history with a gregarious personality.
In the show, she’s played by Paola Lazaro. Speaking about Lazaro’s addition, showrunner Angela Kang told Entertainment Weekly: “She’s a really fun character, and here’s this person who has been stuck in this city and she has forged her own path in life to try to deal with everything that’s happened. And I’ll say that she is in obviously some sort of strange confrontation with our people, and we’ll learn a lot more about her in the episode to follow.
“She becomes an important catalyst for some of the things that are to happen. But we love this actress we cast, Paolo Lazaro. She’s wonderful. Just folded right in with the cast, is incredibly funny, but has a great dark sense of humour. And so I’m excited for people to see what she brings to this mix going forward.”
The Walking Dead continues in the US on Sunday and is broadcast in the UK the following evening on FOX and NOW TV.
