Hershel Greene (TV Series)


 * For the comic book character, see Hershel Greene.

Hershel Greene is the patriarch of the Greene Family and father to Beth and Maggie. He is now the owner of his father's farm.

Hershel's Farm
Hershel grew up on the farm which had been in his family for 160 years, but moved out when he was fifteen because of a bad relationship with his father. He never let go of the grudge he held against him and avoided any form of contact, resulting in him not being present at his father's deathbed (a matter which, to this day, he doesn't regret).

In his later years, he became a veterinarian because of his love for animals. He married a woman whom he had two daughters with, and settled back on the farm to live an average family life. Soon after, he hired Otis as his ranch foreman. Otis and his wife Patricia become close friends to the family.

Hershel's wife died of unknown causes when their eldest daughter Maggie was a teenager, however soon after this he began dating and eventually married a woman named Annette, who had a son named Shawn from her previous marriage. At first, he faced hostility from Maggie for marrying Annette, however he found her gradually warming up to her..

At one point, he had developed an alcohol addiction, which eventually he gave up after Maggie was born and going so far as to ban alcohol form the house entirely, though he secretly kept a whisky bottle in one of his clothing drawers.

As the outbreak started, Annette and Shawn were bitten by their undead fellow townspeople, and soon died and turned. Hershel, not believing their deaths and thinking they were merely under a disease of some kind (as the television/radio broadcasts seemed to imply) had Otis put them in the barn for holding until what seemed like an epidemic to him would blow over. He barricaded his remaining family and friends within the farm and had Otis continue to wrangle townspeople that came onto the premesis and put them in the barn.

Bloodletting
Hershel makes his first official appearance where he tries to save Carl Grimes, who was hit by a stray bullet during a hunting accident, but is only able to remove one of the six bullet fragments. He explains that he will need better supplies, and Otis and Shane agree to go to a local high school to scavenge the appropriate medical tools. While waiting for the equipment, Hershel and Rick discuss a possible cure for the zombie outbreak. Rick states that there is no cure, but Hershel believes otherwise.

Save The Last One
While continuing to wait for Shane and Otis's return with the medical supplies, Hershel watches Carl's vitals carefully and informs Rick and Lori that if he doesn't get the medical supplies he needs, then they would have to decide whether to risk operating on Carl or not. However, near the end, Hershel receives the required medical equipment he needs to save Carl's life and in fact does so near the end of the episode. Hershel is also the one who tells Patricia that Otis was killed.

Cherokee Rose
Hershel continues to monitor Carl's condition and after has a funeral for Otis. After, he provides Rick with a map to help locate Sophia but informs that Rick and Shane need to relax and rest before they wind up hurting themselves. Hershel enforces the rules for his property and Rick agrees to follow his rules and tells him that once everyone is ready to travel again, they must move on and cannot stay at his farm. Hershel continues to amaze Rick with his views of scenery and the situation of the walkers and talks about religion and god.

Chupacabra
Hershel begins to grow more and more impatient with Rick and his group of survivors as they begin to borrow things of his without asking and both groups co-existing too well. He has hinted towards Maggie and her relationship with Glenn as well as Rick taking Jimmy along with him to search for Sophia without Rick asking and finally Daryl taking one of his horses. He then talks to Rick and tells him that he wants Rick to control his people and he will control his. Later he finds out that Carol and Lori decide to prepare a meal for everyone without asking to use his kitchen. After, Daryl is shot by Andrea and Hershel's medical expertise is needed again to patch up Daryl and he says he's amazed that Rick and his people have made it this far since they are more careless then he is. Hershel joins everyone for a quiet dinner and later Glenn discovers Hershel's dark secret about the barn.

Secrets
After Glenn discovers the barn of Walkers, Dale confronts Hershel about it, but to no avail Hershel remains unswayed, and continues to suggest that Rick and his group should move on.

Pretty Much Dead Already
Rick confronts Hershel about the barn, telling him that the survivors can handle the situation for Hershel. Hershel tells him there is no situation, and that the group should be moving along. Rick tells him that they can't go back out into the dead's world, saying Hershel doesn't truly know what the undead are like. Hershel continues to refuse, but Rick mentions that Lori is pregnant, and tells Hershel "Think about it again, we can't go out there." Hershel decides to give Rick a chance, and brings him and his son out to attempt to wrangle some undead, to prove that Rick is willing to let go of killing. Seeing this, Shane confronts Hershel about the dead, shooting one several times while asking Hershel how it's still alive. After Shane kills a walker right in front of him, Hershel collapses to the ground and helplessly watches as Shane, Andrea, Glenn, Darryl, and T-Dog slaughter the walkers in the barn. He also sees Sophia zombified, and her death by Rick's hands.

Nebraska
Hershel, devastated by the the barn massacre, leaves the farm and goes to town so he can drink at the bar. Rick and Glenn follow him into town and manage to persuade him to return to the farm. As they are about to leave, however, they encounter two other survivors, Dave and Tony. They get along at first, but the groups suspicions are raised when the other survivors seem to have knowledge of the farm. Hershel watches as Dave attempts to shoot Rick, but Rick retaliates and kills the other two survivors in self defence.

Trivia

 * In the comic series, Hershel appears to be in his late fourties to mid-fifties, however in the TV series, he appears to be much older.
 * In the comic series, Hershel had a much larger family. It consisted of his deceased wife, three sons (two living), and four daughters. However in the TV series, the Greene family only consists of two daughters (Maggie and Beth), and a dead stepson and spouse.
 * In the TV series, Hershel admittedly had a "rough" relationship with his father that resulted in his absence from his father's bedside, which he mentions that he does not regret. However in the comic, Hershel appears to have had a positive relationship with his father. It being his father's dying wish for him to return and take care of the farm.
 * Hershel was in fact a recovering alcoholic upon the birth of Maggie. The latter states he didn't even allow liquor in the house. He relapses following the barn shootout and service, taking refuge in the local bar. However, after he and Rick discuss their role in giving the others hope he solemnly turns away from it once again.