Edwin Jenner (TV Series)

"It's in our blood, we're all carriers."

- Dr. Edwin Jenner to Rick about everyone being infected.

Dr. Edwin Jenner is an employee and doctor for the Center for Disease Control. Edwin appears in AMC's The Walking Dead Episode 5, "Wildfire", and the season finale, "TS-19", where he died alongside Jacqui in the CDC explosion.

Center for Disease Control
Dr. Edwin Jenner worked alongside his wife, Candace Jenner, at the Center for Disease Control (CDC). He knew a fair deal about the building and facility as well as safety protocols and decontamination steps. He also interacts with the CDC's main computer Vi who helps run the facility as well.

"Wildfire"
Dr. Jenner was seen making video log entries about his work and research while working with samples in order to find a cure. On Day 64; after starting the day's work to find a cure, Jenner reaches for something and accidentally tips a vial over, the contents of which land on the exposed sample which caused toxic fumes, causing the lab to go into full decontamination mode which destroys the remaining sample. In despair, Jenner decides to get drunk on wine, and is contemplating shooting himself in the head. When the Atlanta group shows up on the CDC's doors, he reluctantly lets them in after watching Rick face the security camera and beg for someone to let them in.

"TS-19"
Edwin meets the survivors in the lobby of the CDC and demands a blood test from all of them to check if they have been infected, saying it is standard procedure and locks down the front doors permanently. After clearing everyone, he invites them to make themselves comfortable, showing that they had electricity, food, beds, and hot water, all amenities that the survivors have not had for a long time.

Later, everyone dines with Edwin and they bombard him with questions. In answer, he brings the group to the control room and talks about the CDC and how he is the last one alive after the rest of the doctors and staff committed suicide - as Jenner puts it, "opting out...".

From the control room, Jenner shows the Atlanta survivors a video of "Test Subject 19's" brain, which offers a picture of the infection and how it affects a person's brain before, during, and after death. It is later revealed that TS-19 was his wife, Candace, the head of the CDC who was infected and devoted her failing body to research in an attempt to find a cure.

When Dale asks about the countdown timer on the wall, Dr. Jenner replies that it is counting down to when the generators in the basement will run out of fuel, prompting an explosion set to destroy the entire CDC. Jenner then closes the doors in the computer lab. The survivors panic and attempt to flee, but Dr. Jenner seals the exit doors of the control room, reminding them of his words when he let them in ("When I close those doors, they won't open again.") claiming that it was no use anyway since he cannot do anything to open the doors to the outside. This causes outrage from the trapped group. He tries to comfort them, saying that the explosion will be peaceful and virtually instantaneous, and Shane attempt to kill him.

Jenner relents after Rick makes a passionate argument and unlocks the control room doors, allowing the survivors to try and find a way out. Before Rick leaves with the rest of the survivors, Dr. Jenner whispers something inaudible to the audience into his ear. Jacqui is the sole member of the Atlanta group who is left behind with him as the building explodes.

"Save the Last One"
Jenner is mentioned by both Lori and Rick in this episode. After realizing that the zombie apocalyptic world is no way for Carl to grow up, Lori, for a short time, claims that she regrets not taking Jenner's offer of a way out and that maybe he was right about everything. Rick claims that he cannot accept that and claims that Jenner simply gave up and made no attempt to survive.

"Beside the Dying Fire"
After watching Shane die and reanimate without being bitten, Rick finally shares Jenner's last words to him with the rest of the group: Everyone is infected; the living are all carriers and can reanimate upon a natural death.

Killed Victims
This list shows the victims Edwin has killed:
 * Candace Jenner (Zombified)
 * Himself (Suicide)
 * Possibly numerous counts of zombies.

Killed By

 * Vi (Caused)
 * Himself (Suicide)

With the loss of his wife, after using her samples to possibly develop a cure, and the mass power failure, Edwin was giving up hope and decided to commit suicide. He said it was the most peaceful way to die, with no pain or suffering and in the arms of the ones that we love and care about. With the CDC building losing power, Vi deployed the HITs to prevent any diseases (and people) from escaping and decontaminated the entire facility.

Candace Jenner
"I made a promise. To her...my wife."

- Edwin to Rick.

Edwin died before his wife had promised him that he would go forward in the study of viruses and discover new things, which is why only he had remained in Center for Disease Control.

Rick Grimes
"You don't know what's it's like out there....you may think you do but you don't."

- Rick to Jenner

Jenner seemed to trust and care about Rick's group, as he let them inside the CDC, providing them with food, showers and most importantly, shelter. He also warned Rick about everyone being already infected. It is possible that he did this out of a sense of guilt and obligation to help people in every way that he could after failing to create a cure for the zombie plague.

Trivia

 * The name Edwin Jenner is a nod to Dr. Edward Anthony Jenner, the English researcher who discovered the smallpox vaccine in 1796.
 * Another nod is that both tried to find a cure to a serious disease affecting the world at the time. While Dr. Edward Jenner succeeded in doing so for smallpox, Dr. Edwin Jenner, however, failed to find a cure for the zombie virus.
 * He is the only male in the TV Series to commit suicide.
 * In The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct, at the Atlanta Evac Football Stadium, the first Helicopter you see taking off, radio communications can be heard where it is said, that a person named "Jenner" has been evacuated. This could be an easter egg.