Bob Stookey (TV Series)

"When I got to the prison, I thought to myself how long, the clock's ticking, how long until everyone else is dead and I'm on my own? Bad things happened because I was scared. They didn't need to, I didn't need to be afraid."

- Bob to Sasha.

Bob Stookey is one of the main protagonists and survivor of the outbreak in AMC's The Walking Dead. He was formerly an army medic.

Overview
"Bob is deeply haunted by his past — pre- and post-zombie apocalypse. As a result, he’s a bit of a loner, although he maintains a charming/self-deprecating/confident public face."

Location Unknown
Very little is known about Bob's life before or as the outbreak. At some point in his life, he served in the U.S. Military as a medic and is haunted by his past.

After The Outbreak
Bob states that he had been a member of two separate survivor groups before he was found by Daryl. He was the sole survivor of both groups after they were overrun and believes it's his curse to see everyone and anything around him die or be destroyed. He has also become heavily dependent on alcohol to cope with his experiences and he admittedly drinks himself to sleep at night. Due to his experiences, Bob suffers from survivor's guilt and goes on to accept his "curse".

"30 Days Without An Accident"
Bob is found by Daryl about a week before the start of Season 4. He has seen things go bad "over and over" and winding up in the safe prison has not shaken those experiences from him.

Bob is first seen approaching those who are going on the supply run to the Big Spot. Bob addresses them stating he would like to come with them to help out, saying he needs to start helping out with things since arriving at the prison the previous week and receiving a weeks worth of meals and a roof over his head. Sasha is initially reluctant, but some convincing, mainly from Daryl, changes her opinion and she allows him to join the supply run. While the group is looking for supplies he finds a shelf full of wine, and picks up a bottle. Initially thinking of taking it, Bob changes his mind and puts it back. The entire shelf cracks under the bottle being put back and tips over onto Bob, trapping his foot under the shelf. The sound of the shelving unit collapsing attracts walkers who are on the roof and begin to fall through the worn out ceiling. A legless walker that had fallen through spots Bob and starts crawling towards him. He pulls the remaining skin off the walker's face, hoping that it won't get to him. Then Daryl comes and pulls the zombie away and stomps on its head. Daryl and Zach subsequently lift the shelf, setting Bob free, but Zach is bitten and killed in the process. They manage to escape just before a large, wrecked helicopter that was on the roof crashes through the ceiling, destroying the mall.

Later that night back at the prison, Bob lays in his bunk visibly upset about how Zach lost his life saving him.

"Infected"
Bob, who lives in Cell Block D, is one of the residents to escape the zombie attack, but not before Rick gives him a shotgun that he seized from an old man who was shooting in the block. Later, Bob is seen alongside Rick, Hershel, Sasha, and Daryl as Dr. S explains the cause of the infections that are developing around the prison, suggesting that a flu may have caused Patrick's sickness and death.

"Isolation"
Bob approaches Tyreese after his fight with Rick and suggests he get his wounds looked at, but Tyreese insists on burying Karen and David first, so Bob grabs a shovel and helps him. Later, Bob goes with Daryl, Tyreese, and Michonne on the supply run to the veterinary college to get medicine for the infected survivors. On the way to the college, between constant static, the group hears a voice over the radio, causing Daryl to get distracted while trying to catch the frequency again. This causes them to run into a few walkers until encountering the largest herd of walkers ever shown thus far, approaching them from the front. Daryl tries to go in reverse, but the car gets stuck with walkers piling under it until the tires have no traction. Seeing that they are trapped, the group leaves the car and plans to run into the woods. Bob uses his pistol to clear a path for himself and notices that Tyreese never left the car and is being surrounded. He urges Tyreese to leave the car. Tyreese snaps and begins smashing skulls, attracting all the walkers, and yelling for the group to go, so they leave him. After regrouping together, Bob, Daryl, and Michonne see a walker approaching and then Tyreese comes out the woods alive so the group help him up and continue with the mission.

"Indifference"
Bob continues to help Tyreese, Michonne, and Daryl on their mission to retrieve medicine from the veterinary college. While helping Daryl jump-start a van they found, Bob says that he almost started to run when Daryl found him because he was the last man standing in the first two groups he was with, and that he blames himself for Zach's death because of accidentally knocking over the liquor shelf and attracting the herd of walkers, to which Daryl tells him that it is "bullshit". After getting the medicine, the group is forced to jump outside onto the roof of a walkway where Bob almost loses his bag to a herd of walkers, but manages to retrieve it despite the protests of the others to let it go. Daryl discovers Bob's bag contains nothing but a bottle of liquor, but Bob has his hand on his holster when Daryl attempts to throw it away. An un-intimidated Daryl disarms Bob and grabs him until Tyreese breaks it up, saying that Bob has made his own choice. Daryl says that they should have never let him join the prison group to begin with and threatens to beat Bob into the ground if he takes a sip of the liquor before the medicine is given to the sick members of the group.

"Internment"
Bob and the group arrive back at the prison after Rick and Carl successfully defeat the horde of walkers that crashed through the fence. Bob is then shown with Hershel and Maggie in one of the cells, preparing vaccinations and tending to an extremely ill Glenn.

"Live Bait"
Bob does not appear in this episode.

"Dead Weight"
Bob does not appear in this episode.

"Too Far Gone"
Bob is contemplating his bottle of whiskey when Sasha appears and tells him that she owes him her life. He is next seen outside with the others when The Governor marches on the prison. When Daryl begins to arm the survivors, Bob is the first person he gives a weapon to. After The Governor executes Hershel, he opens fire on him and his militia with his fellow survivors as they storm the prison. During the firefight, he is hit in the shoulder, but finds an exit wound, and is last seen fleeing with Sasha and Maggie.

"After"
Bob does not appear in this episode.

"Inmates"
Sasha is seen bandaging Bob's shoulder wound while Maggie sharpens her knife. Maggie then tells them to stay put while she goes to look for the bus full of other survivors, including Glenn. Bob insists that they go together and she refuses but they follow her anyway. The three of them find the bus, but its full of the now undead survivors. Maggie convinced the other two to clear the bus of walkers, to find out for sure if Glenn died with the other survivors. They clear the bus, and Maggie discovers that Glenn wasn't among those on the bus.

"Claimed"
Bob does not appear in this episode.

"Still"
Bob does not appear in this episode.

"Alone"
The episode begins with a flashback of Bob and his travels before being recruited at the prison. He is seen wandering alone through the forest setting up camp in a cave, then getting drunk and later resting on top of a semi-trailer. Presumably a few hours later, Daryl and Glenn pull up on a motorcycle and truck, where they and Bob meet, asking him the three questions necessary to enter the prison. When asked how many people he has killed, he responds with "one", explaining that she asked him to do so. Bob seats himself in the back of the truck and they return to the prison.

He is then seen in the current day, surrounded by walkers in the fog with Maggie and Sasha. During the skirmish, he is bitten on the shoulder, but to everyone's relief, the bite did not go through his bandage, and Sasha embraces him. Later, the three of them find a sign with directions to Terminus, and Bob notes that he heard them broadcasting on his way to the college. While Sasha is sceptical, Bob is more than willing to help Maggie get there and possibly find other survivors from the prison.

While Maggie is out getting fire wood, Sasha tells Bob that they need to convince Maggie to stop looking and find higher ground to settle down for safety reasons.

When Sasha and Bob wake the next morning, they find that Maggie is gone and has left a note telling them to not risk their lives for her. Bob decides to try and catch up to her, with Sasha in tow. Sasha confronts Bob about always smilling since leaving the prison and he tells her that he has broken his streak of being the only survivor again. He proclaims that he his happy to not be alone again.

The following night Sasha tells Bob to try and sleep because he is still bleeding and needs to heal. Bob instead confronts Sasha for assuming that Tyrese is dead and being afraid to go to Terminus to find out for herself. He then tells Sasha that he always thought she was the toughest and sweetest.

While walking, the two find an area filled with buildings, and Sasha states that she wants to settle in one of the taller buildings and start a new life. But Bob insists they keep moving and catch up with Maggie. The two part ways, with Bob giving Sasha a goodbye kiss.

Shortly afterwards Maggie and Sasha reunite and catch up to Bob. The three embrace, then continue down the tracks towards Terminus.

Killed Victims
This list shows the victims Bob has killed:
 * Unnamed woman (Out of Mercy)
 * Zach ﻿(Indirectly Caused)
 * Big Tony (Zombified)
 * Possibly numerous unnamed soldiers of The Governor's Militia
 * A few unnamed prison newcomers (Zombified)
 * Numerous counts of zombies.

Sasha
"You said it, we can't split up."

- Bob to Sasha. At first, Sasha was hesitant to trust Bob, questioning whether he should come along with the supply run group. It seems this has changed as of Too Far Gone, as Sasha expresses her gratitude in his role in helping her back to health. Bob is his usual effacing self around her. It's possible that Sasha does not yet know about Bob's substance abuse problem and his role in Zach's death. After being shot, Bob escapes the prison with Sasha and Maggie, and Sasha is later seen treating Bob's gunshot wound. In "Alone" he seemed to have a great likening for Sasha because he kissed her.

Tyreese
"I'd like to start pullin' my weight around here...let me earn my keep."

- Bob to Sasha and Tyreese about the Big Spot supply run.

Bob comes to Tyreese at some point at the prison, asking if he can do his part to help out. It is possible Bob looks to Tyreese as a leader, or at least values his role in the prison group, as he also shows a horrified concern when Tyreese is swarmed by a large group of walkers. He also showed concern after Tyreese and Rick had a fight, and told him to check on his wounds.

Daryl Dixon
"You take one sip before those meds get in our people, I will stomp your ass into the ground."

- Daryl to Bob.

Bob was found by Daryl before the start of Season 4. Though not much interacting between them is shown, Daryl saves his life, only for Zach to get killed instead. After a huge number of prison inhabitants had been sick, Daryl brings him, Tyreese and Michonne to look for medical supplies, even though he contemplates that he would be a liability. Bob also talked about his past with two other groups with Daryl, implying he is comfortable with the latter. When Daryl finds out that Bob took the booze, he gets angry with him, and said he should have kept walking when Daryl came across him. Tyreese tells Daryl to let it go, and Daryl tells Bob that he will beat his ass into the ground if he drinks the booze before they return with the medicine. During Too Far Gone, it appears that Daryl and Bob have made up since Bob is one of the first people that Daryl hands an assault rifle to, though his demand of "you okay?" is to make sure that he hasn't partaken in the alcohol he grabbed while at the veterinary college.

Zach
Bob and Zach weren't shown interacting with each other, however Zach lost his life saving him, and Bob later showed signs of guilt for his death. This is further explained in Indifference, where he tells Daryl about how blames himself for causing Zach's death because of accidentally pulling down the whole shelf of alcohol and attracting walkers, which also caused the helicopter to fall and kill him.

Trivia

 * The name used for Bob's casting call was "Roy Stark", until the casting was revealed on April 26th, 2013.
 * His appearance in the Comic Series was that of a Caucasian male in his late 50s, while his TV counterpart is that of an African-American male in his mid 30s to early 40s.
 * He is the second character whose ethnicity has been changed from Caucasian to African-American for the TV Series, the first being Dr. Stevens, whose gender was also changed from male to female.
 * Bob is an alcoholic or at least has an alcohol problem (similar to his comic book counterpart), there are several examples of this:
 * In "30 Days Without An Accident", he walked past a wine aisle and, after some hesitation, picked up a bottle off the shelf only to put it back soon after.
 * Also, in "Indifference", he steals a bottle of whiskey instead of the medicine which angers Daryl.
 * He is the second actor who has appered on HBO's series "The Wire", the other being Chad L. Coleman, who potrays Tyreese.