Rosita Espinosa

Rosita Espinosa
The Walking Dead character
Rosita, as portrayed by Christian Serratos in the television series.
First appearance	Issue #53 (comics) "Inmates" (episode 4.10)
Last appearance	Issue #145 (comics)
Created by	Robert Kirkman Charlie Adlard
Portrayed by	Christian Serratos
Information
Occupation	Medical Assistant Herd team member (comic)
Significant other(s)	Abraham Ford Comic: Eugene Porter Television: Spencer Monroe

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 in a stable relationship but 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. They get into a brawl when Glenn insists on searching for his wife Maggie, and while Tara and Rosita try to stop the fight, Eugene tries to shoot some walkers with an assault rifle, but winds up rupturing the truck's fuel tank instead. The group eliminates the walker horde, after which Glenn walks back down the road they came from to find Maggie, followed by Tara and then Rosita; Eugene convinces Abraham to go along with them. In the episode "Us", as they walk down the railroad tracks, Glenn comes across a message about Terminus that Maggie had left for him; realizing Maggie is still alive, Glenn sprints forward down the tracks. When Tara's leg is injured by a falling walker, Abraham wants to rest, but Glenn wants to push forward. Rosita scolds Glenn for pushing Tara too hard, when Tara clearly feels indebted to him for her role in the prison attack. They approach a tunnel where Glenn sees another sign from Maggie; Glenn wants to go through the tunnel, but Abraham declares it too dangerous. Abraham leaves Glenn and Tara with two cans of food and a flashlight, and tells them to backtrack to the last road if they have trouble getting through. When Abraham falls asleep in the car, Rosita drives while Eugene navigates; he tricks Rosita into driving to the far side of the tunnel where they run into Maggie, Sasha, and Bob. They all enter the tunnel and save Glenn and Tara from being overwhelmed by walkers. Eugene manages to convince Abraham to go to Terminus with the others, as they might be able to obtain supplies and recruit others at Terminus to come to Washington. They all head to Terminus, where they are greeted by a woman named Mary. 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, lead by Gareth, it is revealed that Rosita and the rest have all been captured and are being held there as well. Rick declares that the people holding them are "gonna feel pretty stupid when they find out [...] they're screwin' with the wrong people."

Season 5

In the season premiere "No Sanctuary", Rosita is first seen early in the episode, making a weapon trying to escape the train car, made by undoing her earrings and attaching them to a belt. After the attempt to escape fails, she remains trapped in the boxcar. Later in the episode Sasha asks Eugene about the cure, and she says they want to know about the cure, which Rosita replies they don't have to know. When Rick, Daryl, Glenn and Bob comes to the rescue, Rosita joins them in their escape and kills walkers. Then she runs to the fence, finding a way to climb over and out of Terminus, therefore saving the group from being trapped inside with the walkers. Rick wants to go back and kill Gareth and the other Terminus residents but Rosita advises against it since it's already engulfed in flames. When Rick tells the group they need to leave, Abraham tells her they'll let him know about the mission to D.C. later. In the episode "Strangers", Rosita goes to the Church with the rest of the group and takes refuge with Father Gabriel Stokes. In the episode "Four Walls and a Roof", she, Carl and Tyreese remain behind to help guard Eugene, Gabriel, baby Judith and a dying Bob when Rick leads a group to ambush Gareth who is trying to kill them and use them as food, as they did Bob. 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", Rosita flirts with Abraham on the bus, teasing him about his hair; she promises to cut it that evening. The bus then crashes and flips over. She leaves the bus with Maggie and begins killing walkers. Abraham orders Rosita to check Eugene but he insists he's fine. When everyone leaves she stays behind whilst Eugene spits on the walker. Later that night Maggie gives Rosita a piece of book thread so she can stitch up Abraham's hand. Rosita stitches his arm and remarks that some former members of their group taught her these medic skills. Whilst Rosita and Abraham are having sex that night she points out that Eugene is watching them again, and that he's in, of all places, the self-help section. They laugh together - not unkindly - and carry on. Rosita checks Abe’s hand the next day and argues that they should rest for that day. Abraham is not interested and insists they carry on. Rosita's clearly not happy with his response but is quick to back him up when, a few moments later, Maggie and Glenn enter and make the same suggestion, showing support for him. Rosita points out that the air intake for the fire truck they're trying to get moving is on the roof, and not where Abraham is fiddling with. When walkers attack she fights some off before Eugene deals with them. Later when they see the large herd of walkers she argues with Abraham that they need to go around the herd, disagreeing with him in front of the others for the first time. When things start to get physical she still argues with him; at one point Abraham pushes her to the ground as he's frog marching Eugene back to the fire truck, clearly shocking her. When Eugene reveals that he's been lying all along Rosita is shocked. She insists he is a scientist and angrily points out that many people died trying to get him to DC. When Abraham beats Eugene unconscious, Rosita stops him from hurting Eugene more, with her hand on her sidearm, ready to lift her handgun. She then tries to wake Eugene up.

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. 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 mid-season premiere "What Happened and What's Going On", Rosita appears at Tyreese's funeral. 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. However she replies "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. She can be seen residing in the house with everyone during the first few nights of their stay in Alexandria. 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 can be seen enjoying herself while chatting with Glenn and Maggie. In the episode "Spend", Rosita appears briefly sleeping in bed while Abraham washes his face after they appear to have had sex. 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, which leads to an outburst from Sasha. However when she calms down she reveals she is really feeling guilty because she told Noah that he'd die, (which occurs in the previous episode). 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 before tending to Glenn and Nicholas, and is present for Rick addressing the community of the nearby walker herd endangering them and assigns Rosita, Spencer and Holly to be on guard tower duty. Rosita later helps Abraham build a barricade on one of the main roads to veer the herd away and agrees to help Jessie use a gun. 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. Spencer approaches Rosita and asks how she and her group were able to keep going with nothing but she tells him that to survive you keep finding something to lose. In the episode "Now", Rosita comforts Maggie when Michonne tells her of Glenn's apparent death but is distracted by Rick running towards the gate with half the herd behind him and barely manages to close the gate after he gets in. Rick addresses the community highlighting that Daryl, Sasha and Abraham succeeded in drawing half the herd away and knows they, Glenn and Nicholas will get back (unaware of the Nicholas' death), but Rosita begins to feel uneasy knowing Abraham is still outside. Rosita later 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 he had not stopped it. It is possible that Rosita was beaten to death by Negan in the final episode of Season 6, but it also could have been Rick, Daryl, Glenn, Maggie, Carl, Michonne, Abraham, Sasha, Eugene, or Aaron.

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".^[2] Christian Serratos was cast as Rosita to be a recurring character in the fourth season of the show.^[3] Her real name and the actress playing her were confirmed by Hollywood Reporter on September 16, 2013

References

1. Kirkman, Robert (w), Adlard, Charlie (penciller, cover) (p), Gaudiano, Stefano, Cliff Rathburn (gray tones) (i), Dave Stewart (cover colors) (col), Wooton, Rus (let), Mackiewicz, Sean (ed). "Here We Remain" The Walking Dead v9, 53: [22] (October 10th, 2008), 2001 Center St., 6th Floor, Berkeley, CA 94704: Image Comics, Skybound Entertainment
2. "The Walking Dead - Episode 4.10 - 3 Recurring Roles being cast". SpoilerTV. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
3. Nellie Andreeva. "Christian Serratos Joins ‘The Walking Dead’ — Cast As Rosita Espinosa - Deadline". Deadline. Retrieved 9 April 2015.

External links