Tara Chambler (TV Series)

"I was at the prison... with the Governor. I didn't know who he was or what he could do. And I didn't know who all of you were. I... I just didn't want it to be hidden... that I was there."

- Tara to Maggie.

Tara Chambler is a main character and survivor of the outbreak in AMC's The Walking Dead. She is the daughter of David, the younger sister of Lilly and the aunt of Meghan. She later on becomes a member of Abraham's and Rick's crew and greatly helps Glenn.

Location Unknown
Tara had aspirations to become a police officer and was enrolled in the academy. At some point she had begun dating a girl named Sam who, during a camping trip one day, revealed that she had a boyfriend and wasn't lesbian as she had led Tara to believe.

Post-Apocalypse
During the initial stages of the outbreak, Tara's sister Lilly, their father David and Lilly's daughter Meghan had picked Tara up from the academy and holed up together inside of an apartment complex. For about a year, Tara continually secured their area of walkers, unaware that she needed to destroy the brain in order to kill one.

"Live Bait"
This is the episode that introduces Tara. She is first seen with Lilly, her sister, talking to The Governor about what had happened prior to the outbreak. She explains that she was in training to become a police officer before "the crap hit the fan." We soon find out Meghan Chambler is her niece and Lilly is her sister. Later on she is seen crying next to her father, David Chambler, who was sick and had just passed away. He then turns and almost bites Tara, but The Governor saves her. Later on she is seen talking to The Governor about her father's death. She tells him she knows that those who die will turn no matter what, thus seeming to know a little more about the outbreak than we initially thought. She then fist bumps The Governor, as acknowledgment for saving her life. Tara, Lilly, and Meghan leave with The Governor, thinking he can possibly take them to a safer place and protect them. They are then swarmed by a mob of walkers and in an attempt to escape, Tara runs away and twists her ankle, but is saved by Lilly. They trudge through the forest and she is last seen standing with Lilly outside the forest, unscratched and unbitten.

"Dead Weight"
Tara is first seen chatting with Alisha while Alisha is getting a cut treated by Lilly. Later, it is revealed Alisha and Tara are in a relationship, and are shown holding hands and sleeping together. Tara later tries to rescue Meghan from a rogue walker in the camp, her attempts were not very successful and the walker is put down by The Governor.

"Too Far Gone"
Tara is the first to agree to The Governor's plan to try and take the prison. She is present when Hershel and Michonne are brought out in front of Rick Grimes. Rick tries to reason with Tara, asking her if this is what she wants. When the fighting begins, she ducks behind the tank and vehicles, showing that she is uncomfortable with the assault. Mitch tells her to pick up her gun and to fight. Tara tries to reason with Alisha telling her that they shouldn't be doing this and that The Governor decapitated Hershel. Alisha tells her to stay behind her and run into the forest if things get bad. As The Governor's militia moves into the prison, Tara runs away, leaving Alisha behind.

"After"
Tara does not appear in this episode.

"Inmates"
Tara is seen hiding in a fenced enclosure at the prison. As Glenn Rhee is leaving, he spots her, almost in a catatonic state. She mentions her sister being swarmed by walkers. Glenn convinces her to accompany him. As they reach the road, Glenn asks if she has seen Maggie, but she hasn't. She mentions she wasn't supposed to be here, and once "Brian" killed the "old man", she knew instantly that she was on the wrong side, that she and his militia should never have trusted "Brian". Glenn asks if it was Hershel, since she describes him as an old man. She nods. She repeatedly tells Glenn how horrible she is for participating in the prison attack; Glenn responds that while he is not on good terms with her, he needs her help. She kills one walker as Glenn fights off the majority; after Glenn collapses with fatigue, she attacks the one who is about to bite him, repeatedly bashing its head in. She looks up to see Abraham Ford, Eugene Porter, and Rosita Espinosa, angrily and sarcastically asking them if they enjoyed the show.

"Claimed"
Tara is first seen riding in Abraham's army truck. She is writing down coordinates on her hand with a marker so she knows where they're going. Walkers appear and she pulls out her gun to shoot but Abraham orders her not to and instead he attacks them with a crowbar. He is smiling and Tara said she's never seen that before. He replies saying he's the luckiest person in the world. Glenn wakes up and asks her where they are now. She replies that they just passed the Prison bus while he was passed out. She is later seen killing walkers after they attack the army truck.

"Still"
Tara does not appear in this episode.

"Alone"
Tara does not appear in this episode. However, it can be inferred that she (along with Abraham, Eugene, and Rosita) was behind Glenn off-screen when he found Maggie's message instructing him to go to Terminus.

"The Grove"
Tara does not appear in this episode, but is mentioned indirectly by Mika when she tells Carol that the prison there were bad people even if she is good.

"Us"
Tara is seen along with her group, walking the tracks on their way to Terminus. Eugene tries to strike up conversation with her, firstly by theorising the dinosaurs could have been wiped out by the same virus that has wiped out civilization, before asking her what kind of gamer she was. Later, Glenn comes upon another Terminus sign marked by Maggie, Bob and Sasha and sprints ahead in search of them. Later, the group come upon a tower along the tracks and Abraham insists the group stops to rest, not having done so since they began their trek to Terminus. An impatient Glenn dismisses the plan and Tara is quick to agree with him. When a lone walker appears above in the tower and almost falls on top of Eugene, Tara is pushed out of the way by a protective Abraham and injures her knee. Nonetheless, she is still adamant in her support of Glenn. Rosita interjects, calling Glenn an "ass" and demands him to show more concern for Tara's wellbeing. The group argues, but eventually resolves to push forward.

Eventually, Tara and the group come upon a railway bridge in the mountainside. Abraham reluctantly parts company with Tara and Glenn, saying the risk is too high to Eugene and they will instead go around, telling them they'll likely be camped at the other side should they survive and make it through. Tara and Glenn enter the tunnel and find evidence of a fresh cave in, as well as many trapped walkers. Glenn insists he needs to see the faces of the walkers to ensure none of them are Maggie and Tara helps. When the two set a diversion with a flashlight to sneak around the overwhelming swarm of walkers, Tara slips and gets stuck in the debris. Glenn, refusing to leave her, is forced to empty his handgun clip into the surrounding walkers. Out of bullets, the pair are then saved by Abraham, Eugene, Bob, Rosita, Maggie and Sasha who have now converged and joined forces. Tara is later introduced to Maggie by Glenn, who tells his wife that he and Tara "met on the road." An appreciative Maggie gives Tara a hug of thanks. Later, with the newly formed group deciding on their next move, Tara agrees to go with Abraham on to D.C. after they reach Terminus. The following day, Tara, now walking with a cane, arrives at Terminus with the others and is met by Mary, a middle aged woman who offers to get them settled and make them a plate of food.

"A"
Tara appears in the train car at Terminus when Rick, Carl, Michonne and Daryl enter. Rick recognizes her from The Governor's assault, but does not say anything.

"No Sanctuary"
Tara has a short appearance in this episode. She crafts a makeshift weapon to use in the escape attempt, but it fails and she is left inside. She encourages the group and is confident that they'll be able to survive their break-out. When Rick opens the boxcar for everyone to escape, Tara helps kill walkers on their way out and aids in protecting the group. She is then seen for the rest of the episode accompanying the group, always at a distance. When Carol reunites she watches the groups back during their reunion.

"Strangers"
Tara talks to Rick about her involvement in the Governor's attack, and Rick says he forgives her, noting that he could tell she did not want to be there during the prison attack and that is why he tried to talk to her. She travels with the group when they reach Father Gabriel. The group travels to his church, and she splits off with Glenn and Maggie to collect supplies. When the group is later in the church and eating, Tara reveals to Maggie she was with the Governor and involved in the attack. Maggie forgives her and they hug.

"Four Walls and a Roof"
Tara is present when Gabriel explains his survival story, and she helped carry Bob back into the church. Upon hearing of Gareth's return, Abraham demands that the group leave for Washington right away. As part of a bargain to make him stay and fight, Tara promises to go with him tomorrow regardless of what happens. She joins Rick's posse to help trap Gareth's group inside the church, and then watches as Rick, Michonne, Sasha and Abraham brutally murder the Terminus cannibals. The next day she is with the others bidding farewell to Bob before he dies from infection, and then following Abraham in the church short bus to Washington.

Killed Victims
This list shows the victims Tara has killed:
 * Numerous counts of zombies.

Relationships
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David Chambler
"Tara's been up there a bunch of times blasting them bastards to pieces. She says that they just keep getting back up. I told her no more."

- David to Phillip about Tara.

Tara loved her father and fiercely protected him during the days of the apocalypse. Tara constantly worries for her father's worsening condition, and takes care of him. When David died, Tara held his hand and cried. When Philip kills a reanimated David, she tries to stop him from doing so. Later, Tara tells Phillip that she understands what he did and thinks her father would be glad that someone stopped him before he could bite her. Tara was saddened of her father's death, but eventually moved on.

Lilly Chambler
"All I saw was my sister in that field. She wasn't supposed to be there. She had a gun, but they just...swarmed her."

- Tara to Glenn about her sister.

Lilly is Tara's sister and they are shown to clash due to their differing personalities. Lilly often appears to scold Tara on her use of swear words in front of Meghan and her attitude towards "Brian". Despite this, Lilly and Tara had a sisterly relationship and clearly loved each other. It is clear that Tara trusts her sister with knowledge of her sexual orientation and other details of her private life. After Tara sprained her leg Lilly offered to look after her. Tara hid in a fenced off part of the prison during the attack on it, from there she witnessed her sister get swarmed by zombies. Tara is clearly saddened at the loss of her sister and shuts down after watching her die, this death stays with her for a long time.

Meghan Chambler
"Meghan, don't say that, okay?"

- Tara to Meghan.

Tara loved her niece, Meghan, and fiercely protects her during the days of the apocalypse. She enjoys playing and spending quality with Meghan. When Tara swears during lunchtime, she tells Meghan to not swear like her. It is revealed in "Us" that she knows of Meghan's death.

Rick Grimes
"You didn't wanna be there, that's why I tried to talk to you."

- Rick forgiving Tara for her involvement in the prison attack.

Rick first interacted with Tara during the prison attack in "Too Far Gone", asking her if she was okay with attacking and taking over the prison. After the rescue from Terminus, Rick interacted with Tara again as he could tell that Tara was worried while she watched Glenn and Maggie hugging. Rick forgives her for her involvement in the prison attack, saying that he could tell she didn't want to be there and it's why he tried to reach out to her while he was negotiating with The Governor. The two seem to be on good terms as he accepts her as a member of the group and fist bumps her back when she reaches out to him.

Glenn Rhee
"Get out of here!"

- Tara to Glenn about leaving her behind

In "Inmates", Glenn finds Tara closed off in a fenced off area of the prison courtyard. He goes back for her and convinces her to help him, even though he knows she was part of the destruction of the prison. Glenn and Tara discuss what happened and she realized they shouldn't have trusted "Brian" when he decapitated an old man and she is the one who has to tell Glenn that Hershel (Glenn's Father-in-Law) was killed. They discuss Maggie who Glenn wants her to help him find Maggie, but Tara can't understand why. Glenn tells her he doesn't want her help, but in his weakened state he needs it, they are interrupted by a walker attack and Glenn collapses of fatigue. Tara is shown to be apologetic for her role in the prison assault and helps save his life. Their relationship improves significantly in "Claimed"; Glenn seems to genuinely trust Tara by the end of the episode, and Tara even assisted him in getting Abraham to stop the truck so he could go back and look for Maggie. In "Us", Abraham mistook Tara for having romantic feelings for Glenn, which he soon realized wasn't the case. Tara is also shown to be feeling very guilty and in a great deal of debut to Glenn since even when she injuries her leg she continues walking and follows him into a dark and dangerous tunnel, in the tunnel she is trapped by fallen debris and the walkers move in, Glenn refuses to abandon her and fights off the walkers until they are rescued by more of the group. When Glenn is reunited with the others he decides not to mention Tara's involvement in the prison attack so she can have a fresh start with them. After the group's escape from Terminus, Glenn and Tara continue to be close.

Maggie Greene
"You're here with us, now."

- Maggie to Tara.

Maggie and Tara didn't know each other but Maggie was grateful to Tara for saving Glenn and gives her a hug. In "A", Maggie notices Rick looking at Tara and says, "they're our friends", showing that she trusts her. After the group's escape from the train car, Tara spends more time alone with Maggie and Glenn, which increases her guilt about her role in Hershel's death. Once Tara tells her about being with the Governor, Maggie forgives her.

Abraham Ford
"You got a damn mouth on you, you know that?... What else you got?"

- Abraham to Tara.

Despite having a rough and disagreeable first meeting, Tara and Abraham seem to have a stable relationship, as she follows his "orders", even though Tara questions why he smiles while killing walkers and doubts Abraham's intent to assist Eugene to Washington. While on watch Abraham tells Tara when they first met he thought she was in love with Glenn until he caught her looking down Rosita's shirt and realized she was a lesbian. Tara didn't get mad at Abraham after he accidentally pushed her when he was protecting Eugene, making her hurt her knee.

Eugene Porter
"Tara, you are seriously hot."

- Eugene to Tara.

While they don't speak a lot during their first meeting, it is shown in "Us", that Eugene spends time talking to her about video games. When Abraham decides to let Tara and Glenn go through the tunnel alone, Eugene confesses to Tara that he finds her hot. Tara explains she "likes girls" and Eugene claims he already knew that. Later, Eugene tricks Rosita into driving to the tunnel exit so he can make sure Tara and Glenn made it out safely.

Rosita Espinosa
"Wow, you're an ass! She'll do whatever you say because she thinks she owes you."

- Rosita to Glenn about Tara.

It is mentioned that Tara is attracted to Rosita, during a conversation with Abraham he reveals that he saw her staring down Rosita's shirt at her breasts. Rosita seems protective of Tara because when Tara agreed to carry on walking for Glenn after she injured her leg, Rosita accused Glenn of taking advantage of Tara's debt to him.

Alisha
"We have to stay here, it's too late, you understand me? You stay behind me, and if we get separated, you just run somewhere safe and hide, you hear me? You go someplace safe and hide, and I will find you when this is all over. I will find you."

- Alisha to Tara.

While Lilly Chambler heals some wounds on Alisha's hands, Tara comments on her rifle, saying its not good in the field, and that she is more of a "Smith and Wesson gal" herself. Alisha asks if she is always so full of shit, in which Tara replies yes. Later they are seen sleeping together and hanging out together, implying they have started a relationship. Tara's opinion of fighting the prison quickly changes after the Governor kills Hershel; Alisha's doesn't. Though Tara pleads with her, that they shouldn't have to fight, Alisha talks her out of it. Instead, she reminds her of their plan to meet in the forest after the chaos dies down. Tara revealed in "Us" that she's knows that Alisha is dead.

Philip Blake/The Governor
"Fist bump."

- Tara to Phillip.

Upon first meeting Philip he introduces himself as Brian. Tara is shown not to trust him and openly asserts her dominance by threatening him and showing off her weapons, but after he kills her re-animated father, she tells him she understands what he did and thinks her father would be glad someone stopped him before he could bite her and she grows more accepting of "Brian" and decides to trust him. However, during the prison assault when Philip decapitates Hershel, Tara seems to grow afraid and disgusted by him. Tara later expresses deep regret for ever trusting him. It is later shown that Tara was told of Phillip's previous identity as "The Governor".

Caesar Martinez
"Wait, your father was a Catholic priest? So the father became a daddy?"

- Tara chatting with Martinez.

Initially, Martinez was surprised to see Tara and her family with "Brian," but he agreed to let them join the camp. Tara and Martinez formed a friendly, mutually respectful relationship during their time at the camp. As the group bonded over drinks, she praised him and his leadership. Tara was shocked when she learned of Martinez' death.

Mitch Dolgen
"You. Pick up your weapon! Fight, now!"

- Mitch telling Tara to fight.

Tara doesn't say much about Mitch, though it can be assumed she was grateful to him and his fellow survivors for saving her family. However, when Tara expresses her dismay of Pete taking over the camp, Mitch silences her and starts a fight with her, but Lilly stepped in. This was most likely the start of why Tara didn't like the new camp. During the assault on the prison, Mitch becomes angry at Tara for doing nothing, and orders her to fight.

Pete Dolgen
"You can't just take over!"

- Tara to Pete.

Tara doesn't say much about Pete, though it can be assumed she was grateful to him and his fellow survivors for saving her family. When Pete announces that he will take over as the leader of the camp, Tara expresses dismay over him taking leadership of the camp, and says that he can't take over. This results in Mitch silencing her and starting a fight with Tara, but Lilly managed to step in. Before returning to her business, Tara glares angrily at Pete until Mitch shouts for her to move in her face. }}

Appearances
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Season 4

 * "Live Bait"
 * "Dead Weight"
 * "Too Far Gone"
 * "Inmates"
 * "Claimed"
 * "Us"
 * "A" (No Lines)

Season 5
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 * "No Sanctuary"
 * "Strangers"
 * "Four Walls and a Roof"

Trivia

 * The casting call name for this character was Melody.
 * Tara is the first main character of the television series to be based on a character in the novel series.
 * Tara appears to be based on Tara Chalmers from Rise of the Governor.
 * Tara is the first openly homosexual character in the TV Series.
 * She is also the first openly lesbian character in the entire Walking Dead franchise.
 * Tara is the last surviving member of the Chambler family.
 * She is also the last known survivor of Martinez' Camp.

Tara Chambler