Rosita Espinosa

Rosita Espinosa is a fictional character from the comic book series The Walking Dead and is portrayed by Christian Serratos in the American television series of the same name. She accompanies Eugene Porter and Abraham Ford on a mission to Washington, D.C.^[1] In the comic book series, she joins Rick Grimes' group after they leave Hershel Greene's farm and go to DC. Eventually Eugene is revealed to have lied but they continue onto Washington anyway, since he was still convinced the city would offer greater chance of survival, and they eventually find the Alexandria Safe-Zone. Though she and Abraham continue their relationship she eventually breaks up with him when he cheats on her with Holly and moves in with Eugene, eventually starting a relationship with him, but forgives Abraham after he is killed by Dwight. Rosita also takes part in the war against the Saviors led by Negan it's conclusion of which sees the 4 communities uniting forces. Two years later Rosita and Eugene are married but their relationship is strained. Rosita is revealed to be pregnant, but Eugene is not the father. She is ultimately killed by Alpha, leader of the Whisperers, along with 11 other key members of all 4 communities.

In the television series, Rosita, Abraham, and Eugene meet Tara Chambler and Glenn Rhee while on their way to Washington DC. They soon join Glenn's group, led by Rick Grimes, after escaping Terminus, a false safe haven. Rosita continued Abraham's mission to get Eugene to DC with Tara, Glenn and his wife Maggie Greene, but when Eugene revealed he lied, they rejoin Rick's group once more and she becomes a medical aid in the Alexandria Safe-Zone.

Character background

Comics

Rosita, as depicted in the comic book series. Art by Charlie Adlard.

In the comics, Rosita is a beautiful young Hispanic woman who serves as a romantic interest for Abraham. Rosita, Eugene and Abraham have been travelling from Houston to Washington, trying to get Eugene there as he says he can stop the apocalypse. Throughout the series she gradually develops a greater sense of independence. Rosita, Abraham and Eugene joins Rick's group at Hershel's farm, when they are recovering from their losses at the prison. She is then ever present with the group, helping keep the group safe. When Eugene reveals he is a fraud it leaves her outraged, but Rosita and the others soon accepts him. She remains with the group when they settle in Washington at the Alexandria Safe Zone, moving in with Abraham. While there, she discovers Abraham has been cheating on her with Holly, a construction crew member, and they break up, she then moves into Eugene's house. At Alexandria, she becomes increasingly close to Eugene and eventually forms a sexual relationship with him, but remains devastated over Abraham's death. After two years together, Rosita reveals to Eugene that she is pregnant, but he is not the father. At the community fair Alpha, leader of the Whisperers, manages to abduct and decapitate Rosita, along with Ezekiel, Louie, Erin, Ken, Luke, Carson, Tammy Rose, Josh, Olivia, Oscar and Amber (all from Alexandria, Hilltop, The Kingdom and The Sanctuary communities) and put their heads on spikes. This also kills Rosita's unborn child. Alpha later shows this to Rick, much to his horror. She is put down by Andrea and buried along with the others at the site.

Television series

When the outbreak occurred Rosita was in Dallas, Texas with other survivors and was approached by Sgt. Abraham Ford and Dr. Eugene Porter in an army truck. Abraham, impressed by Rosita's survival skills, told her of his mission to get Eugene to Washington D.C. as he knows the cure to the walker virus and requested she accompany him. Along the way they also recruited survivors Stephanie, Warren, Pam, Rex, Roger, Dirk and Josephine and Rosita and Abraham also became lovers. Rosita also learned medical aid from Roger and Pam, though tragically they along with everyone except Abraham and Eugene died trying to ensure their survival. Eventually Rosita, Abraham and Eugene made it as far as Georgia near the prison, just days after The Governor's attack.

Season 4

In the episode "Inmates", Abraham, Rosita, and Eugene meet survivors Tara and an unconscious Glenn on the road. In the episode "Claimed", Abraham reveals to Glenn and Tara that Eugene knows what caused the apocalypse, and they are on their way to Washington, D.C. to put an end to the walkers. In the episode "Us", Rosita accompanies Glenn to Terminus when they reunite with Maggie, Sasha, and Bob. In the season finale "A", when Rick, his son Carl, and Michonne and Daryl are locked up a shipping container by the residents of Terminus, led by Gareth, it is revealed that Rosita and the rest have all been captured and are being held there as well.

Season 5

In the season premiere "No Sanctuary", Rosita escapes Terminus with the group. In the episode "Four Walls and a Roof", after Gareth and the Hunters are killed, she later leaves on the church bus with Abraham, Eugene, Tara, Glenn and Maggie to go to Washington DC to stop the virus. In the episode "Self Help", the group take refuge after their bus crashes. Abraham and Rosita have sex as Eugene watches, which Rosita laughs at and tells Abraham about it. Eugene reveals that he is not a scientist, much to the shock of Rosita, who tells him people died to get him there. When Abraham beats Eugene unconscious, Rosita stops him from hurting Eugene more, with her hand on her sidearm, ready to lift her handgun. In the episode "Crossed", Rosita is first seen offering Abraham water, which he hits away. She shouts at him and he stands up, looking threatening. Maggie makes him back away from Rosita at gunpoint. Later on her, Glenn and Tara trek to a river to refill their water supplies. They come across a few walkers trapped under a pole where Tara makes a joke about them not needing to get up as there is nothing for them in DC. Rosita does not approve of the joke. At the river the water is full of mud and dirt, but Rosita knows how to make a water filter because Eugene showed her how. While filtering water, Rosita talks to them about when she first met Abraham in Dallas. When they discover fish in the water, they head back to the walkers and kill them to take their clothes and make a net. Rosita and Glenn use the net to catch a fish, which Rosita knows how to clean. Glenn tells her that's a useful skill for wherever they end up, telling her that whatever happens with Eugene and Abraham, she's welcome to be a part of their group. They then head back to the fire truck. In the mid-season finale "Coda", once they make it back to the church, they then head to Atlanta to Grady Memorial Hospital to try and rescue Maggie's sister Beth but arrive too late as Beth has been killed. Rosita appears visibly shocked, covering her mouth as she is upset over Maggie's loss.

In the episode "Them", Rosita is with the group on the long trek they are on. She reassures everyone that Abraham is okay with his constant drinking, but doesn't interact with him, choosing to sit with others instead. She helps keep the barn doors closed when a herd attacks. In the episode "The Distance", Rosita goes with Abraham, Michonne, and Glenn to see if they can find Aaron's vehicles. She uses a stick to take out a walker and saves Abraham from one. When they search the RV, Abraham finds some food the group used to eat and Rosita reminiscences on the past with him, and Abraham asks if Rosita believed he would hit her after what happened with Eugene. She says no, as she knows him better. She rides the RV on both legs of the journey to Alexandria, sitting in the passenger seat with a map. When they spot DC in the distance she calls to Abraham and remember their former goal and he is happy to have finally made it. She then arrives at Alexandria with the group, being one of the first off the RV. In the episode "Remember", Rosita enters Alexandria with the rest of her group. In the episode "Forget", Rosita arrives at Deanna's party with Abraham. They both appear to be uncomfortable, but she relaxes after she mentions there is beer and smiles when Abraham goes off to grab some drinks. Later, she is seen enjoying herself while chatting with Glenn and Maggie. In the episode "Try", Rosita tells Michonne that Sasha has gone missing from her post in the tower. Worried, they venture outside the walls to look for her where they discus how different it feels to be outside, now that they have a home. They find several dead walkers and realize Sasha is actively hunting them. They track her down and help her eliminate a large pack of walkers. Sasha reveals her guilt over telling Noah he wouldn't make it. In the season finale "Conquer", Rosita is tending to Tara when Abraham walks in with some flowers and tries to leave when he sees Eugene asleep in a chair next to her, but Rosita convinces him to stay. As Abraham tries to quietly sit without waking Eugene, Rosita deliberately drops some pots to wake him and the two men ultimately reconcile. Later Tara wakes up from unconsciousness while Rosita is sitting watch over her.

Season 6

In the season premiere "First Time Again", Rosita tends to Tara, Glenn and Nicholas after their injuries. In the episode "JSS", Alexandria is unexpectedly attacked by bandits, called The Wolves, and Rosita and Aaron take part in the counterattack, killing several Wolves themselves. In the episode "Now", Rosita stands guard at the gate, sobbing over Abraham, but stops when Spencer approaches her and offers to take her place which she agrees to, and she commends him for stopping the truck earlier as it would have made their situation much worse if not for him. In "Heads Up", Rosita first appears offering machete lessons to a group of Alexandrians. Eugene attends, but recoils at the weapon and admits he’s scared of dying. Rosita gruffly tells him that dying is easy — what’s hard is letting your friends die because you were too scared to save them. Rosita later appears with Tara as they look in horror when they see the Alexandria bell tower collapse and destroy a part of the wall. In "Start to Finish", Rosita drags Tobin to safety when the walls fall down and the herd enters Alexandria. She and Tara then rescue Eugene and take refuge in a nearby garage, trapped in there by the walkers. Rosita is beginning to give up hope but Tara encourages her to keep going and the trio start working to escape the garage. Later on, they escape and stumble into the same room Owen the Alpha Wolf is holding Denise captive, with Carol and Morgan unconscious on the floor. He forces them to surrender their weapons and Rosita watches as The Wolf leaves the house, taking Denise with him.

In "No Way Out", inside the townhouse, Tara insists they rescue Denise from the Alpha Wolf. Rosita points out they don’t have enough guns to fight walkers outside. Carol borrows Rosita’s gun to sweep the house. After Carol kills the wolf, she informs Rosita and the others that Denise made it safely to the infirmary, relieving Tara. She joins Carol, Tara, Morgan and Eugene outside with the other able bodied Alexandrians killing the walkers that are apart of the herd that invaded Alexandria. In "Knots Untie", Rosita is seen in bed with Abraham, presumably after sex. Rosita snaps Abraham out of a daydream of Sasha. Abraham apologizes and the two begins kissing. Rosita stops and leaves to get something. She returns with a necklace she made Abraham from the truck light. Rosita says his neck was looking bare. In "Not Tomorrow Yet", Abraham packs his bag and tells Rosita that he's leaving her. Rosita cries, demanding an explanation, but Abraham simply tells her she's not the last woman on Earth. The next day out on the road, Rosita and Carol have a conversation about Morgan and her frustration over his views on killing. She admits she almost exposed the secret about the Wolf. Later, she infiltrates the Saviors' compound and kills several of them with Aaron. In "Twice as Far", Rosita first appears getting out of bed and getting ready for the day. Spencer is seen laying in bed after she gets up. The two are implied to be in a relationship. The next day, Spencer asks Rosita to dinner and she reluctantly agrees to it. Denise then finds Daryl and Rosita and discusses with them about a local gift shop/pharmacy she found while driving through the nearby area. They disagree with the plan, but she tells them it's a risk they have to take, and if it really is a pharmacy, there could be drugs inside, which could be used to help Alexandria. They relent, but Denise further insists in accompanying them, noting that she knows her way around and, with her newfound experience with dealing with the undead, can prove to be of assistance. Initially skeptical, Rosita agrees, but only if Daryl comes with them. Rosita appears frustrated at Denise for her riskiness, and Denise tries to explain that she is being brave. She is shot in the eye with a crossbow by Dwight as she tells Rosita that she wanted her to come with as she was alone for the first time in her life. Rosita and Daryl are surrounded, until the captured Eugene bites Dwight's crotch after the other Saviors search for Abraham. After the gun battle and many of his Saviors dying, Dwight escapes. Abraham, Rosita and Daryl bring Eugene and Denise's corpse back to Alexandria. Afterwards, Rosita keeps watch over Eugene in the infirmary. In "East", Rosita is seen guarding the gate, glancing up at Sasha at the lookout post. Abraham arrives and take over Sasha’s shift, and Rosita watches them. Despite Rosita’s protests, Daryl opens the gate and leaves on his motorcycle. As Glenn and Michonne prepare to go after him, Rosita tells Abraham to cover her shift as she claims to know where Daryl is heading. Rosita, Glenn and Michonne arrive at the spot where Dwight killed Denise. They find Daryl’s motorcycle hidden underneath some branches, confirming Rosita’s hunch that Daryl came back to kill Dwight. Rosita points in the direction that Dwight escaped, but wonders if they should let Daryl complete his mission. Rosita, Glenn and Michonne catch up to Daryl in the woods and Rosita is nearly struck in the head by Daryl’s crossbow. She reprimands him as the others try to stop him from going after Dwight, but he refuses. Rosita decides to join him but is captured anyway. In the season finale "Last Day on Earth", Rosita is in the lineup as Negan arrives, killing one of the group.

Season 7

In the season premiere "The Day Will Come When You Won't Be", Rosita has to watch as her former partner Abraham is slain by Negan. Rosita is taunted by Negan as he forces her to look at his bloodied bat. Rosita then witnesses Glenn's murder as well after Daryl interrupted Negan by punching him, but he is later taken prisoner. Sasha later comforts Rosita after the Saviors leave, as Glenn and Abraham's remains are taken away.^[2] While on a drive with Spencer, Rosita later kept a gun she found, which Negan could penalize her people for possessing. But she took it without telling anybody, knowing that Eugene would be able to make replica guns, in order to one day fight back against the Saviors.

Casting

Rosita was first announced, along with Eugene and Abraham, in a casting call for Episode 10 back in July under the code-name "Jordana Barrazza".^[3] Christian Serratos was cast as Rosita to be a recurring character in the fourth season of the show.^[4] Her real name and the actress playing her were confirmed by Hollywood Reporter on September 16, 2013

References

External links