| This article is about the TV Series character. You may be looking for her Comic Series or Road to Survival counterparts, the Road to Survival character, the Webisodes character, or the actor. |
| “ | I grew up.
―Kelly to Alexandria's council, about what she did to survive.[src]
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” |
Kelly is a survivor of the outbreak in AMC's The Walking Dead. She is a member of Magna's group and Connie's sister. After being rescued by Judith Grimes from life on the road, Kelly and her companions are brought to Alexandria, before eventually moving to reside in the Hilltop Colony.
Overview
Kelly is a fighter, yet compassionate and protective survivor. She's stubborn at times, but knows when to listen, especially when it comes to Connie's opinion, to whom she is very protective. Although she brings the balance to the group, she isn't listened to all the time.
Pre-Apocalypse
Location Unknown
Nothing is known about Kelly's life prior to or as the outbreak began, except that she has a sister, Connie, and that she was a high school student.
Post-Apocalypse
At some point after the outbreak, Kelly and her sister Connie met girlfriends Magna and Yumiko, Luke, Bernie, among other survivors. The group survived for several years, eventually becoming closer and seeing each other as family. However, as the years went by, several members of the group died.
The group resided in different communities, such as Jones Springs and Coalport, both which eventually fell causing the group's distrust in rejoining any other similar settlements.
Season 9
"What Comes After"
In the woods, Magna's group take on a herd of walkers. They quickly get overwhelmed but they get saved when the walkers around them get shot from the trees.
Kelly and the group escape into the woods to find a 9-year-old girl who asks for their names. They introduce themselves and ask what her name is. The girl picks up her hat and introduces herself as Judith Grimes.
"Who Are You Now?"
In the woods, Kelly and the group follow Judith as she leads them to Rosita, Eugene, Laura, and Aaron. Wanting to take them in, Judith declares she won't return to Alexandria until they accept them. The others reluctantly agree.
Later, Kelly and the group arrive at Alexandria's gates and Judith assures them they'll be safe. They get escorted inside, where Gracie runs over to Aaron. Rosita updates Siddiq on Yumiko's condition and he escorts her to the infirmary. Magna tries to tag along but is stopped by D.J.
Michonne arrives on horseback and doesn't look pleased to see the new arrivals. She frisks Magna and asks Eugene why they're here. Aaron claims it was his call but Michonne reminds him it's not his call to make. "I decided," Judith tells her. Michonne scolds her but Aaron says they’re here now and they should decide their fate together, while Gabriel suggests they vote tomorrow. Michonne agrees and instructs her people to put them in holding.
The next day, Kelly and the group stand before the Alexandria council for questioning. They ask who their leader is and Magna claims they're a team, while Luke explains their group used to be bigger and that they just lost their friend, Bernie. Gabriel asks about their former professions. Luke was a music teacher, Magna was a truck stop waitress, Connie was a journalist and Kelly was a high school student. Luke says they should trust them, but Michonne isn't done with questions. She stands up and asks Magna to see her left hand, which has a prison tattoo. Michonne then calls her out for the hidden knife on her belt, which she puts on the table. Michonne storms out, saying she'll second any of their motions. Magna tries to question her but is shut off.
Later, in the infirmary, Siddiq updates Kelly and the rest on Yumiko's condition. Luke asks him if he has been there since the start but Siddiq confesses that he was also found in the woods, but things were different in the past.
At night, Kelly and the rest scold Magna for ruining their chance to stay. Luke asks Magna to hand over her necklace, which also doubles as a knife, but she's reluctant. Magna says they should fight their way through Alexandria to take their supplies before heading out, but Connie tells her to leave Michonne and Judith out of it. Luke says they save the fighting for people who deserve it, and Magna finally surrenders the necklace.
The next day, Kelly and the group prepares to leave by thanking everyone for their hospitality. Kelly laughs as Judith says to Connie she will practice her ASL. Michonne rides up and says she's going to instead escort them to Hilltop with Siddiq.
"Stradivarius"
On the road to Hilltop, Siddiq tells Michonne she should have let Magna's group stay in Alexandria, but she says she still doesn't trust them and is only doing this for her daughter. In the cart, Magna complains to her group that Michonne has her knives and she wants them back. Yumiko tells Michonne she's just upset about their lost friend, Bernie.
A while later, Michonne and the others arrive at Magna's giant crate of supplies, which have been displaced and destroyed by walkers. Magna’s upset at the sight of Bernie's things while Michonne instructs D.J. to gather more of their weapons. This angers them, and Michonne also announces she's returning to Alexandria in the morning while Siddiq and D.J. help them finish the journey. Magna and Luke start to get riled up, but Yumiko calms them down and reluctantly agrees to her terms. They decide to find shelter for the night.
At night, inside a factory, Kelly and Connie sleep side by side. She and the rest wake up after hearing Michonne slice Luke's Stradivarius in half.
Luke gawks at his broken Stradivarius in disbelief and explains to Michonne how old and rare it was. Yumiko lays her head on Magna's leg and playfully recalls the mansion they found it in. Luke says the Stradivarius is the one thing that separates them from the animals and how it brought humans together in the past, leaving Michonne in thought.
In the morning, Siddiq tries again to convince Michonne to come with them but she says she can't take the risk with Maggie. Siddiq reveals to her that Maggie and Hershel left last fall, shocking her. Before he can explain, D.J. arrives to let them know that there are walkers outside. The group gets out to find several walkers blocking the path to their horses.
Michonne kills several walkers as Magna demands they get back their weapons. Michonne finally relents and orders D.J. to return them their weapons. As Magna's group splits up and take out several walkers, an undead Bernie appears, deeply upsetting them. A heartbroken Magna can't put him down, so Michonne does it for her. The group opens a clear path and leave.
On the road, Michonne empathizes with Yumiko and Magna, saying that she understands their pain of losing a friend considered family. Suddenly, two Hilltop soldiers ride up to them to inform that Rosita's injured and being cared for at Hilltop. Michonne instructs them to tell Hilltop they're on their way. Connie notices something nearby, confusing the group, but tells them it's nothing. As they leave, someone watches them from the bushes.
"Evolution"
At Hilltop, everyone runs inside as Michonne and Siddiq arrive with Magna and her group. From the guard post, Dianne makes them all surrender their weapons before entering.
Inside, Tara coldly greets Michonne and updates her on Eugene, Aaron, Daryl, and Rosita's situations. She then informs Kelly and the rest of the group that they’ll have to wait for Jesus to return before deciding on their future, but they can stay until he gets back. Connie thanks her for everyone.
"Omega"
In the woods, Kelly and her group follow Tara in the search for Alden and Luke. They find a group of walkers feasting on their horses and kill them, while checking they aren't Whisperers. Connie notices that the horses were cut open and skinned with knives. Tara realizes that Lydia lied about it just being her mother out there and decides they should go back to Hilltop until they find out what this is.
Later, in their trailer, Yumiko suggests they leave to search for Luke again but Magna warns they could lose everything if they disobey Tara's wishes. Kelly reveals that she saw some kids sneak out of Hilltop and agrees with Yumiko that they should search for Luke. They take a vote and decide to leave that night.
At night, in the woods, Kelly and the rest find a new set of tracks that could be from the Whisperers. As a herd approaches, Yumiko has second thoughts about leaving. Magna and Connie back her up, but Kelly breaks down, reminding them Luke saved her in Coalport. Connie comforts her and tells Magna and Yumiko to return without them and she'll stay and talk to Kelly. Unknownst to them, a Whisperer watches them from the woods.
In the morning, Kelly is escorted by guards to Hilltop as Connie follows behind. Suddenly, a small group of Whisperers approaches the gates, making Connie hide in the cornfield. Kelly tries to run to her sister but is grabbed by the guards and is rushed inside.
"Bounty"
At Hilltop, Kelly watches with her binoculars at Connie hidding in the cornfield and then listens as Alpha and the Whisperers wait for them to bring Lydia to her. Daryl asks them to leave and Alpha signals for more Whisperers to show up. Magna asks Alpha if they killed their people. Alpha says no and promises if they don't bring her Lydia there will be conflict. Daryl then decides to walk outside to talk to Alpha face to face, to which Kelly is unsure of.
From the guard post, Kelly watches as Daryl walks outside and Alpha instructs one of her people to bring someone. Daryl informs Alpha he's ready to fight her people to ensure she doesn't get Lydia back, when he then spots one of the Whisperers with a baby. Alpha explains they're animals and "animals have babies." Suddenly, a couple of whisperers bring up a tied up Alden and Luke. Alpha offers to trade both of them for her daughter.
A while later, Connie runs out of the cornfield, sling-shots a walker, and grabs the baby to save it from a nearby herd. The Whisperers around her unsheathe blades as Connie escapes back into the cornfield. Daryl runs in and kills the walkers around her while Kelly, Tammy, and Earl step in to rescue her. Later, Lydia and Henry return to Hilltop and Daryl goes outside to make the trade.
From the gates, Kelly watches as Daryl hands Lydia over to Alpha in exchange for Alden and Luke. Yumiko hugs Luke and gets him inside, where he is embraced by the rest of his group. Kelly then watches as Lydia apologizes to her mother and Alpha smacks her across the face, ordering her to address her as Alpha like everyone else. She then smiles at Daryl as they leave.
At night, Kelly drinks and celebrates Luke's safety alongside her companions.
"Chokepoint"
On the road, Kelly and Tara's group clear a tree from their path to the Kingdom to ensure the roads are cleared for Alden's convoy carrying the food and trade goods for the fair. Kelly lets Tara know she's worried about Connie, but she assures her she's fine with Daryl. Magna and Yumiko also tell her that Connie is taking care of him.
Later, a small herd of walkers approaches the group. They get in position and remind themselves to watch for the Whisperers. Suddenly, the Highwaymen ride up on horses and introduce themselves to Tara after helping to take down the herd. They then escort them to the Kingdom, having accepted Carol's deal.
In the Kingdom, Kelly helps unload the trade goods and interacts with the welcoming Kingdommmers.
"The Calm Before"
In the Kingdom, Kelly and a group gear up to go look for Connie as the fair starts. Suddenly, Daryl, Michonne, and the convoy arrives. Kelly runs happily to her sister and hugs her.
Later, Kelly says goodbye to Yumiko and Magna as they prepare to leave the Kingdom to go to Hilltop and leave some soldiers in case of a possible attack.
In the fair, Connie apologizes to Kelly for leaving in a rush and confess she saved the baby because she still hasn't moved on from a past trauma. Later, Kelly and Connie try to help Earl look for Tammy around the fair.
The next day, in the Kingdom, Kelly listens from the crowd as Siddiq delivers the tragic news, tells them how brave everyone was in their final moments and how he was intentionally kept alive to tell this very story. He encourages everyone to remember the fallen.
Season 10
"Lines We Cross"
Some months after the blizzard, Kelly and the Coalition form a militia in order to train the several residents of the communities to face any future treats. She takes part in a training exercise on the Oceanside beach. As Ezekiel and Jerry methodically release walkers from a shipwrecked boat, Kelly and the other militia work together as a unit to take out the walker threat.
Later on, Kelly helps the Oceanside residents pull some fishing nets from the sea. She tells Connie she's worried her gradual hearing loss will prevent her from translating for her. Connie assures her that she'll be okay and they should see their deafness as a superpower. Suddenly, Dog runs over with Daryl following behind. Kelly gives Connie a look suggesting she and Daryl are into each other, but Connie just rolls her eyes.
That night, Kelly and the others decide to cross Alpha's border to put out the fire and avoid it burning down Oceanside. They discover the remains of the satellite and start combating the fire. Some use water while others dig a means to prevent the fire from spreading until the morning arrives. The group runs out of water as a herd of walkers approaches the group. With their backs to the fire, the group prepares for a fight.
Kelly and the group take their formations and start fighting off the herd. As they keep killing the walkers, Daryl tosses an axe to cut a tree down and have it fall onto some walkers. Later, the fire is put out and everyone recovers. She then helps out Eugene scrap the fallen satellite for any valuable part.
"Silence the Whisperers"
Kelly is alerted to the commotion of a tree falling onto a house and a portion of Hilltop's walls. Luke wonders if the Whisperers are responsible, and Kelly is left thinking about that. She then helps the other residents rescue the trapped injured from the rubble. The next day, the residents realize that a small herd has arrived outside the community walls. Kelly and a group head outside to fight them off.
That night, Kelly and the other residents kill the incoming walkers with the help of the Alexandria convoy when the herd invades the community. The following morning, Kelly hugs Luke goodbye as he rides with the parting group towards Oceanside and watches as they leave the community.
"What It Always Is"
Sometime following the attack on Hilltop, Kelly and Magna decide to keep a crate from Oceanside alongside other supplies they had been previously stealing from the community for weeks in a secret place somewhere in the woods due to their lack of confidence on the Hilltop being a longterm safe place for their group due to past experiences.
Kelly then accompanies a group to hunt but decides to stay back in the woods with the promise of meeting them back at Hilltop. While tracking a wild boar, she starts struggling with her hearing. Kelly hits her target and puts the boar out of its misery when a walker approaches her. Kelly kills it as more arrive and devour the boar. She sprints away through the woods until she trips and falls down a hill injuring herself. A walker silently creeps up behind her as Kelly starts passing out. Somehow she manages to kill it and escape safely.
Later that day, Kelly is found resting under a tree by Daryl, Connie, and Magna. As they give her water, Kelly insists to Magna they tell Daryl and Connie about the supplies they've been taking. Daryl is mad about them hiding the supplies and Connie suggests they lie and say they found it in the woods. When the group later arrives back at Hilltop, Kelly is taken to the infirmary to be treated for her injuries.
"The World Before"
Kelly is part of the group from Hilltop to meet up with Daryl, Carol, and Aaron in the woods to go find the horde following Gamma's intel. She greets her companions and hugs Aaron after not having seen him for a while. That night, the group crosses one of the borders in the woods to continue their mission.
The next day, the group arrives at the location of the horde in a clearing only to find it's empty, so they leave to go search for the missing Lydia. When Carol chases after Alpha into a dark building, Kelly and the others follow her inside. The group then falls below a cave into a trap where they find themselves surrounded by most of the horde.
"Squeeze"
Having become trapped in the cave with the horde, Kelly and the group recover from the fall and realize Alpha is watching them from the top as they look around for a possible exit. She watches as Carol screams in anger and later as Magna tries to climb a wall in vain. The group starts seeking other avenues of escape and eventually they decide to jump from rock to rock onto the other side of the cave in order to find another exit.
As the group moves through the cave, Kelly points out that they don't have enough food to stay there forever. Jerry assures her there has to be an exit since walkers managed to get inside. Shortly after, Kelly asks Connie if she thinks its dark outside but she tells her not to think about it. When Magna is ambushed by a Whisperer, the group engages in a fight and kills several Whisperers, before deciding to follow the ones who escaped to find the exit. They follow the path and squeeze trough narrow tunnels until they find an underground mine station where she discovers a box of dynamite.
When Carol accidentally drops a stick of dynamite in an effort to destroy the herd, the explosion causes the cave to begin collapsing. Kelly and Aaron make it to the surface and kill some Whisperers while Jerry holds a beam to prevent it from collapsing as they wait for the others. Daryl and Carol escape but Magna and Connie stay back and kill several Whisperers to protect Jerry, but he cannot hold the log anymore and leaves through the hole. The rest of the dynamite immediately explodes and the cave implodes, trapping Magna and Connie inside.
Kelly falls to the ground in agony as Jerry holds her. She sobs for her sister's apparent death but snaps out of it and states that the explosion will attract walkers and Whisperers in the vicinity and they should leave because they won't be able to help Connie and Magna if they die. Daryl then tells the group to head home and inform everyone they found the horde, while he'll find the other entrance to the cave.
"Morning Star"
Back at the Hilltop, Kelly wishes to join Luke's search party in an attempt to rescue her sister, while Luke cautions her against it, as her ankle is injured. Yumiko asks Kelly about Magna's last words to her, but the latter thinks them unimportant, since she believes they will rescue their friends. Annoyed at Yumiko's questioning, Kelly asks why she is coming with them if she thinks Magna and Connie are dead. They are interrupted by Daryl and Lydia's arrival. The pair reveal that Alpha is coming.
The caravan returns to the Hilltop, with Daryl informing the others of the situation. Luke suggests calling Alexandria for reinforcements, but Dianne thinks that neither Alexandria nor Oceanside can get to them in time. Earl is confident that Hilltop is prepared, and tries to rally everyone for the upcoming conflict.
Outside, Luke and Kelly are rigging the defenses when Yumiko joins them and apologizes to Kelly for being "an asshole". Kelly quickly forgives her with a hug, and is confident they will get Connie and Magna back "cause assholes get shit done". They are suddenly interrupted by dozens of rats fleeing from the bushes. Yumiko quickly realizes that the horde is coming, and orders everyone to prepare.
With the Whisperers nearing with their horde everyone is gathered on the front lines. Kelly puts her palms on the ground and confirms that the horde is close. Indeed, the horde soon emerges from the bushes and approaches the Hilltop. While they are momentarily halted by the electric fence, the walkers soon break through it and approach the second line of defense. Aaron orders the survivors to split ranks. The shield-wielding survivors reinforce the makeshift barbed wire fence, while the melee weapon-wielding survivors start taking out the walkers. The archers, meanwhile, stay in the back and rain arrows on the herd. Behind the herd, Beta commands the Whisperers to launch the sap they collected earlier using makeshift catapults into the front lines, drenching most of the defenders as well as the Hilltop's walls. This is followed by the Whisperers launching fire-arrows into the front lines, setting one unfortunate Hilltop resident ablaze. With no choice, the defenders begin to retreat towards the Hilltop, but are trapped when the Whisperers launch another volley of fire-arrows into the Hilltop's walls, setting the community ablaze.
"Walk With Us"
Kelly takes part in the failed defense of the Hilltop, ultimately fleeing with Alden, Adam, and Mary. Having only reluctantly allowed Mary to join them, Alden angrily refuses her help with Adam despite his own troubles in soothing the baby. Mary finally gets Alden to accept her advice and help, taking the baby and successfully soothing him. Seeing Mary's obvious affection for Adam causes Alden to finally soften his attitude towards her and ask about her sister, Adam's mother. When a herd arrives, Mary leads Alden, Kelly and Adam to an abandoned van, but refuses to join them, instead leading the walkers away.
After Mary's brutal murder by Beta, the reanimated Mary is suddenly put down by Alden with an arrow to the head before Beta can lead her back to the Whisperers. Before Alden can shoot him too, Beta flees, leaving Alden with Kelly and Adam, upset at Mary's sacrifice for them.
"The Tower"
Kelly will appear in this episode.
"A Certain Doom"
Kelly will appear in this episode.
Killed Victims
This list shows the victims Kelly has killed:
- At least 4 unnamed Whisperers (3 Alongside Aaron)
- 1 wild boar
- Numerous counts of zombies
Relationships
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This relationship section needs a lot of work. You can help the Walking Dead Wiki by expanding it. |
Connie
As sisters, Kelly and Connie are very close, with Kelly acting as Connie's translator, owing to Connie's deafness. In "Lines We Cross", Connie notices Kelly's hearing is starting to go bad and comforts her letting her know deafness is a superpower.
Magna
Kelly and Magna have a very good relationship. Having survived together for so long they have become very close to each other.
Yumiko
Kelly and Yumiko have a seemingly good relationship, having survived so long together out in the wild. They work very well together in defending themselves from zombies.
Luke
Kelly and Luke are very close and have a great relationship. When Luke goes missing Kelly immediately wants to go find him and she is the last one to give up the search.
Michonne
Kelly and Michonne relationship started off bad because Michonne didn't trust her or Kelly's group when they arrived at Alexandria. However, over time Michonne gained their trust and they seem to have a positive relationship.
Siddiq
Kelly and Siddiq seem to have an okay relationship.
Tara Chambler
Kelly and Tara seem to have a good relationship. After Tara's death, Kelly is seen among the people who listened to Siddiq's speech.
Daryl Dixon
After the training session on the beach, Daryl and Connie are approached by Dog, petting him, which leads them to realize that Daryl is approaching. They both give him a friendly wave, which he responds to waving at both of them, indicating a friendly relationship between Daryl and Kelly. Kelly notices the looks that Connie and Daryl give each other, which leads her to give Connie a knowing look to tease her. It's possible that she may approve of Daryl for her sister should anything happen.
Alden
TBA
Mary
Kelly doesn't trust Mary at first being once affiliated with the Whisperers. However over time she no longer views Mary as a threat. She is saddened by her death.
Gabriel Stokes
Kelly and Gabriel have a good relationship. In "The Tower", Kelly teaches Gabriel how to sign.
Appearances
TV SeriesSeason 9
Season 10 |
Trivia
- Kelly's Comic Series counterpart is male, however she is female in the show.
- Also, while Kelly's comic counterpart is in a relationship with Connie, this Kelly is Connie's sister.
- She is the fifth character whose gender has been changed from male to female for the TV Series, the first being Dr. Stevens, the second and third being Deanna and Reg Monroe , and the fourth being Farron.
- Kelly is one of eight characters who know ASL, the others being her deaf sister Connie, and their fellow group members: Magna, Yumiko, and Luke. Along with Carol Peletier and Daryl Dixon. She later then starts teaching Gabriel Stokes sign language as well.
- Kelly is the ninth LGBT character on the show. The others being Tara, Alisha, Aaron, Eric, Denise, Jesus, Yumiko, and Magna.
- Sometime after the blizzard, Kelly began exhibiting symptoms of deafness, and it is implied that she will eventually become fully deaf like her sister. While Kelly is still able to hear sounds, she occasionally has a hard time distinguishing when someone is talking to her, particularly when there is a lot of chatter going on.