Themes: Foreshadowing

For other themes, see Themes.

Foreshadowing is a literary technique commonly used in the many mediums of The Walking Dead. It is when an event that has yet to happen is referenced, usually in a way only the audience can pick up on.

Occurences

The Comic

• The Governor arrives at The Prison with his army and shouts "Kill Them All!", foreshadowing a great deal of Rick's group dying in the assault. _{(Issue 43)}
• Hershel says that he thinks he may have seen Maggie for the last time after she leaves the prison after the initial attack, foreshadowing that he will die in the assault.

The TV Series

• A dead rodent can be seen as Rick and Shane drive to their last call before Rick is shot and enters a coma. _{(Days Gone Bye)}
• Occasional thunder throughout Episode 2 foreshadows the part where rain washes the zombie guts off Rick and Glenn. _(Guts)
• Carol shouts at Dr. Jenner, stating, "My daughter doesn't deserve to die like this!", possibly referencing Sophia's imminent death. _(TS-19)
• Jenner whispers something in Rick's ear before they escape the CDC. This was foreshadowing Jenner's secret that everyone is infected, which was revealed in the Season 2 finale, "Beside the Dying Fire". _{(TS-19, Beside the Dying Fire)}

Webisodes

• Hannah tends to her children as they mourn the passing of a goldfish. Stating that "Everything dies", only hours before her own death. _{(Torn Apart)}
• As Hannah runs through the neighborhood looking for her children, a bicycle can be seen at the side of the road, referencing her eventual fate as the bicycle walker. _{(A New Day)}

The Video Game

• While driving Lee Everett to prison, an unnamed police officer tells him, "People'll just about go mad when they believe their lives are over.", foreshadowing the chaos that is to come. _{(A New Day)}
• Clementine's mother says of Ed, "We had a run-in with some crazy guy, and Ed had to head to the ER to have it checked out", foreshadowing that Ed may have been bitten. _{(A New Day)}
• Shawn argues with his dad about repairing the fence, foreshadowing that it will break. _{(A New Day)}
• In episode 2, Mark says about Larry Caul: "I wouldn't want to be stuck in a room with him", referencing an incident later on in the episode where a few members of the group are stuck in a freezer with Larry. _{(Starved For Help)}
• Brenda St. John cooks and eats Mark's legs, foreshadowing how a zombified Mark would later eat and kill her._{(Starved For Help)}
• Jolene mentions that with the St. John's Dairy Farm operating, Clementine has nothing to fear from bandits. This is foreshadowing that the bandits will be a problem for the survivors in the future. _{(Starved For Help)}
• The title of the chapter in which Lilly leaves the group is called "Woodbury Bound", which foreshadows her eventual role as a member of the Woodbury soldiers. _{(Long Road Ahead)}
• Katjaa says she loves Duck more than life itself, which foreshadows her taking her life due to her son's death. _{(Long Road Ahead)}
• Chuck suggests that Lee teach Clementine basic survival skills, foreshadowing that these skills will be needed by her for protection, as well as cutting her hair, which will prevent her from being grabbed by walkers in the future. _{(Long Road Ahead)}
• Ben Paul says that he has a bad feeling about the group's raid on Crawford, foreshadowing that night's events and his possible death._{(Around Every Corner)}

Dead Reckoning

• Robb Spanner's strange behavior leads up to reveal that he was bitten by a walker and became infected. _{(Dead Reckoning)}

Social Game

Coming

Assault

Coming

Novel Series

Coming