http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Characters/TheWalkingDead2010ChamblerFamily

Due to the Anyone Can Die nature of the show and quickly moving plots, only spoilers from the current/most recent season will be spoiled out to prevent entire pages of whited out text. These spoiler tags will be removed upon the debut of the following season, and the character bios will be updated then as well. Additionally, character portraits will be updated each half-season with the release of an official, complete set from AMC. If you have not seen the first ten seasons read at your own risk!

The Chambler Family

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In General

A family whom The Governor encountered in the time between the Season 3 finale up to the first half of Season 4.

Adaptation Name Change: Their surname is Chalmers in the comics, not Chambler.
Anyone Can Die: With Tara's death in the penultimate episode of Season 9, all characters on this page are now deceased.
The Hecate Sisters: Tara is a Deadpan Snarker, making her the crone, Lilly is literally the mother/matron, and Meghan is the maiden, being the young carefree girl.
Related in the Adaptation: Technically to Meghan since the TV's version of April is fused with Meghan's mother, Lilly Caul.
Sibling Yin-Yang: Tara curses and snarks a lot more, along with being more distrustful and less polite, while Lilly was politer, more trusting, and less snarky.
Tomboy and Girly Girl: Tara is a cop-in-training Tomboy before the Zombie Apocalypse, while Lilly is the more feminine and a former nurse.

Tara

Tara Chambler

"I know it sucks and it's scary, but it's time to be brave."

Portrayed By: Alanna Masterson

Voiced By: Ana Esther Alborg (Spanish dub), Chiaki Mori (Japanese dub), Anja Stadlober, Nurcan Özdemir ["The King, the Widow, and Rick"], Lea Faßbender ["A New Beginning"] (German dub), Pamela Ravassard (French dub), Erica Necci (Italian dub), Anna Remková (Czech dub), Gerda Pikali (Hungarian dub)

Appearances: The Walking Dead (Seasons 4-9, 10 ^noteFlashback (archive footage))

Debut: "Live Bait"

"We're friends. We have each other's backs. That's it. That's how it works."

Tara was attending the Atlanta Police Academy before the Zombie Apocalypse began, but was picked up by her father and sister before Atlanta fell to the walkers. After meeting the Governor and losing her family to his actions, Tara assisted Glenn in his quest to reunite with Maggie to atone for her role in the assault on the prison. After the survivors of the prison are reunited and liberated from Terminus, she remains with the group and develops close friendships with Glenn, Maggie, Rosita, and Eugene.

After the group reaches the Alexandria Safe-Zone, she is assigned a job as a supply runner for the community. During a disastrous run, Tara suffered a head wound and was knocked unconscious. She was brought back to Alexandria by Eugene and remained comatose for several days before waking up. She finds love with the town's new doctor Denise, but left for a lengthy supply run with Heath towards the end of Season 6, unaware that Denise had been murdered by the Saviors in her absence. Tara encountered the Oceanside Community, a group of women who survived a Savior genocide, and narrowly escaped thanks to Cyndie's kindly aid. Tara ended up having to renege on her promise of keeping Oceanside's location a secret, however, and led Alexandria back to raid its' firearms when war with the Saviors loomed. Though Tara was initially lambasted by Oceanside for her betrayal, they were able to work out a peace partially thanks to Tara's willingness to die for the cause.

Tara’s desire for revenge on Dwight for killing Denise caused complications during the Savior War, taking part in Daryl’s rogue strike on the Sanctuary and nearly exposing the Alexandrian refugees during their exodus to Hilltop. After realizing Dwight was truly loyal to them, she relents. After the Savior War and Rick’s apparent death, Tara moves to Hilltop after becoming estranged from Michonne. Following Maggie’s departure from Hilltop, she more or less runs the community due to Jesus, the appointed leader, being unwilling to take charge. When Jesus is killed by the Whisperers, Tara is appointed leader of Hilltop as they prepare for conflict with their new enemy. Tara’s reign as leader doesn’t last long, nor does she get to lead her people into war, however; Alpha selects her as one of her victims in the pike massacre, likely as revenge for having previously capturing Lydia.

Action Girl: By Season 5, she's able to stand alongside the likes of Michonne, Sasha, and Rosita. Her shooting abilities are also shown to have greatly improved and she delivers a Boom, Headshot! to over a dozen walkers when Spencer tries and fails to climb across Alexandria's walls.
Adaptational Attractiveness: Possibly. While her comic/novel counterpart is described as overweight, it isn't specifically stated if she's a Big Beautiful Woman or not.
Adaptational Badass: Downplayed, if not subverted, at least at first. She becomes much more competent after a few appearances and quickly overtakes her novel counterpart.
Adaptational Curves: Her comic/novel counterpart is described as overweight, which this Tara is obviously not. Thanks to her actress' pregnancy around Seasons 6 and 7, she does put on a few pounds after arriving in Alexandria, but she's still not overweight.
Adaptational Job Change: In the novel, Tara Chalmers is a musician before the outbreak, not a cop (in-training).
Adaptational Sexuality: She is a lesbian, while her comic/novel counterpart was straight.
A Day in the Limelight: She is the main protagonist of "Swear".
Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: She is very antisocial and wary of other people aside from her family. This changes after joining Rick's group, and Tara actually becomes one of the more outgoing and friendly members once she gets to know everyone.
And Then John Was a Zombie: Her decapitated head reanimates and is put out of its misery by either Daryl, Michonne, Carol, Siddiq, or Yumiko.
Ascended Extra: In the comics, Tara was a minor character whom the Governor encountered before going to Woodbury. In the show, she has a slightly altered characterization and later becomes a main character.
The Atoner: She says outright that she deserves to die for her part in the destruction of the prison and agrees to help Glenn find Maggie in an attempt to make amends. In reality, Tara spent the entire battle hiding and had nothing to do with any of the deaths.
Break the Cutie: Tara starts out as mostly a lighthearted, plucky smartass who’s one of the most consistently good and cheerful survivors, easily making friends with the group and integrating herself with them. Sadly, she is never the same after she returns home from a run to find her girlfriend and two of her best friends (including Glenn, who welcomed her into the group in the first place) murdered. After this, despite the odd snarky moment, she becomes a much more cynical, harsh character who matures quite a bit.
Butch Lesbian: Of the small and wiry variety. Thanks to her actress' pregnancy, however, she's understandably not quite as small and wiry as she previously was in Season 6.
Cartwright Curse: Both her girlfriends, Alisha and Denise, are killed not long after entering into a relationship with her.
Character Death: Decapitated by Alpha along with nine others in "The Calm Before".
Character Development: Goes from a somewhat aloof Faux Action Girl to a genuine badass and the series' Plucky Comic Relief, before later becoming the wise and even-tempered leader of Hilltop.
Character Tic: A fist bump to show that she is cool with someone. Over the course of the series, she does it with The Governor, Rick, Eugene, Cyndie, Daryl, Kal, Dianne, Oscar and Marco.
Cool Aunt: To Meghan.
Covert Pervert: Abraham mentions having caught her staring down Rosita's shirt, and Tara later takes a peek at Abraham and Rosita having sex after having caught Eugene doing the same.
Deadpan Snarker: She snarks quite a bit, but it's pretty obvious she is doing so to cover for being nowhere near as confident as she appears. After her Heel–Face Turn, she's no longer trying to appear confident and is making herself genuinely useful, while still retaining a nice bit of genuine snark for the right occasion.
Tara: (after the groups bus crashes and catches fire) Maybe we could find some bikes. Bikes don't burn.
Death by Adaptation: Tara Chalmers is last seen alive during the conclusion of the Rise of the Governor novel.
Defiant to the End: As the only community leader captured by Alpha, she’s one of the most vigorous during the hostages’ Last Stand against the Whisperers.
Easily Forgiven: Rick and Maggie forgive her for being part of The Governor's forces that attacked the prison, which ultimately led to Hershel's death. Of course, Tara didn't fire a single shot and quickly dropped her gun in favor of hiding upon her Heel Realization.
Excellent Judge of Character: She realizes the Governor's true character after witnessing him behead Hershel.
Fanservice Pack: The Expository Hairstyle Changes in Season 5 have been good for her.
Faux Action Girl: At least, until "Inmates" where, after getting a pep talk from Glenn, she joins him in killing some Walkers effectively. Her apparent lack of effectiveness appears to be due to understanding what the Governor is rather than actual ineffectiveness, as a result.
Flipping the Bird: First towards Rick in "Heads Up" after he chews her out for risking her life to save Spencer and in "Swear", after Creepy Child Rachel spits at her. She repeats the latter upon the second time she departs from Oceanside.
Forgotten Fallen Friend: While she's referred to a few times after her death, she goes bizarrely unmentioned by Rosita and Eugene, the two characters she'd shared the most screen time with in previous seasons. Neither of them seem terribly affected by her passing (besides a few quick shots of them reacting to news of her demise).
Genre Blindness: Despite being almost two years into the apocalypse, she still hadn't figured out to kill walkers by shooting them in the head. Somewhat justified by the fact she would have been taught to aim for center mass at the Police Academy and hasn't encountered that many walkers.
Have I Mentioned I Am Gay?: In the initial absence of any other lesbian/bisexual women characters, Tara's sexuality is established through a conversation with her sister about how she'll never meet a nice girl now that the world's ended.
Heel–Face Turn: While she was never much of a 'heel' to begin with, she joins Rick's group after realizing the Governor's true colors and being rescued by Glenn.
Heel Realization: When Rick makes an impassioned argument for peace and forgiveness, Tara quickly realizes that the Governor has been lying about the supposed 'killers' in the prison. It really hits home when he beheads Hershel.
Incompatible Orientation: With Eugene, who was interested in her. The two of them still become friends. Abraham also bemusedly notes her interest in Rosita, who Tara also grows quite close to.
Jerkass Ball: In Season 8, she is a lot more ruthless and less prone to giving mercy than before, and is entirely comfortable with killing every Savior she comes across. Later, she teams up with Daryl and they callously risk the lives of innocent people by driving a truck into the Sanctuary, flooding it with walkers and allowing its denizens to be eaten. While her thirst for vengeance is justified given the deaths of several friends and loved ones, it's enough to put her at odds with Rosita, recently coming down from her own increased jerkass levels. In "Dead or Alive Or", she outright tries to murder Dwight (who killed her girlfriend), though she does cool down a bit after he pulls a Heroic Sacrifice by diverting a group of Saviors from their path. After Dwight saves her life in "Do Not Send Us Astray", Tara admits to Daryl that while she may not ever forgive Dwight for what he has done, she's made peace with her grudge against him and fully trusts him to be on their side.
Jerkass to One: In Season 8, while she's a lot more stubborn and ruthless to enemies, the only person she's actually a jerk to on the heroes' side is Dwight.
Killed Offscreen: Like with the rest of the pike victims.
Kill the Cutie: One of the series' most lighthearted characters, it doesn't save her from being beheaded by Alpha and the Whisperers in the penultimate episode of Season 9.
Lady Swears-a-Lot: Is rather prone to cursing, at least early on.
The Lancer: To Jesus after the second Time Skip in Season 9. She is seen managing the day-to-day tasks around Hilltop and then reporting back to Jesus (the original Lancer before Maggie left to work alongside Georgie).
The Leader: Of Hilltop after Jesus' death. Subverted in that she was already more or less running the community anyway, with Jesus as an Authority in Name Only.
Lovable Coward: Spends most of the prison battle cowering behind a tank. Then again, at least a small part of that is out of reluctance as she seemed to favor the peaceful solution and is shocked when the Governor kills Hershel.
Mook–Face Turn: Teams up with Glenn post-prison battle.
Mythology Gag: According to The Other Wiki, the casting call name for her character was Melody. In the novel, Tara Chalmers is a musician before the outbreak.
Nice Girl: Post-"Inmates" and barring her stint with the Jerkass Ball in Season 8, Tara is one of the kindest and most warm-hearted members of Rick's group and the Coalition in general.
The Not-Love Interest: To Eugene, who would do pretty much anything for Tara, while she constantly works to make sure that he can pull his own weight within the group.
Not Quite Dead: She is knocked out by an explosion in "Spend" and presumed dead. Luckily for her, Eugene Took a Level in Badass in the same episode. He subsequently rescues her and takes her back to Alexandria, where she is patched up and recovers after a short coma.
Odd Friendship: With Eugene. She still defends him even after he reveals that he was lying about the cure and the two of them are shown playing cards on the way to Alexandria.
Official Couple: With Denise as of "The Next World". It doesn't last too long, as Denise dies before the end of the season.
Off with Her Head!: Alpha decapitates her and mounts her head on a pike.
Out of Focus: After joining the group and moving past her minor character arc of feeling guilty over her involvement in the prison attack, Tara does not do much in Season 5 beyond providing light comic relief and sharing a few scenes with Eugene. Then she falls into a coma after a head injury for several episodes toward the end of the season and only wakes up at the end of the finale. Averted in the first half of Season 6, where she forges a friendship/potential romance with Dr. Denise and appears in more episodes than Daryl. She goes out of focus again in the latter half of the season, when her actress' pregnancy causes her to be Put on a Bus. Zig-zagged in Season 7; despite not appearing until episode six, she is also Promoted to Opening Titles, said episode is A Day in the Limelight focusing almost entirely on her character, and she becomes one of the group's primary fighters in the second half of the season and in Season 8.
Plucky Comic Relief: Becomes this after joining the group. For instance, her excitement over finding a yo-yo in a backpack in "Crossed". Even funnier since the show made it out to be a dramatic reveal. She also has a few moments in "Swear", such as awkwardly attempting to talk her way out of being held at gunpoint, and walking back to Alexandria wearing a pair of goofy pink shades.
Promotion to Opening Titles: Added to the opening credits in Season 7.
Put on a Bus: At the end of "Not Tomorrow Yet", she leaves with Heath for a lengthy supply run and doesn't return before the end of the season. She finally reappears in the sixth episode of Season 7 and makes it back to Alexandria at the end of the episode.
Reasonable Authority Figure: During her time as leader of Hilltop, and perhaps the most effective leader the community ever has, with the possible exception of Maggie. When Magna's group sneaks out to look for Luke, she has a few of the guards tail them to make sure they don't get into any danger and return home safely. She then assures Yumiko that she can be upfront with her about such matters in the future.
Tara: I want them to know they can count on me when trouble comes. That they have a leader that shows up for them.
Revenge Before Reason: Even though using Dwight was a good strategy against the Saviors, Tara still wouldn't forgive him for killing her girlfriend. Because of that she starts chasing him around the woods to kill him, resulting in Dwight getting found by his Savior allies and getting taken away, ruining the plan.
Revolvers Are Just Better: Refers to herself as a "Smith & Wesson kinda girl", and indeed her two most prominent sidearms up to that point were made by Smith & Wesson.
Sacrificial Lion: The longest-running character to die in "The Calm Before" and the only community leader to lose their life to Alpha.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After seeing Hershel get killed, she decided that she doesn't want to take part in the prison takeover. After a few close ricochets and a grenade too close for comfort, she literally just wanders off away from the direction of the fighting.
- "Bounty" reveals that she ended up leaving Alexandria for Hilltop after getting fed up with Michonne's dictatorial rule following the incident with Jocelyn. They make amends shortly before Tara's death in "The Calm Before".
Secret-Keeper: Agrees to keep the existence of Oceanside a secret to honor Cyndie's wishes.
Shell-Shocked Veteran: Glenn finds her caged in at the prison holding a loaded pistol, staring into the distance.
Ship Tease: With Denise in Season 6. They share a kiss in "Now", and became an Official Couple in the episode "The Next World".
Shrinking Violet: She has shades of this when she first joins Rick's group, due to her guilt over her association with the Governor.
Sole Survivor: Until "The Calm Before", she is the last surviving member of both her family and the Governor's second militia.
Sorry, I'm Gay: Her response to Eugene telling her that she is "seriously hot" is a straightforward, "Yeah, I like girls."
Eugene: ...I'm well aware of that.
Token Good Teammate: Of the Governor's militia in "Too Far Gone". She is the only one who seems to favor a peaceful solution, judging from her shocked reaction when the Governor kills Hershel and her unsure expression during Rick's speech. She is also the only one who doesn't open fire on the prison survivors, though it's unclear how much of that is reluctance and how much just fear.
Token Minority: She is the first openly gay character introduced on the show until Aaron and his boyfriend Eric make their debut in Season 5.
Took a Level in Badass:
- After getting over her Heroic BSoD, she appears much more competent in "Inmates" than her previous appearances, taking out several walkers singlehandedly after Glenn collapses. Previously, she was insecure and purposefully projected a 'badass' image, but since her Heel–Face Turn she's dropped the act and focused on being efficient and brave. It's worked well for her and she's become the formidable young woman she was pretending to be.
- In "Remember", she doesn't hesitate to stand up to Aiden and Nicholas when they attempt to carelessly string up a walker during their scouting patrol. Unlike Deanna's sons and the people of Alexandria, Tara has been living outside the walls for over two years and is well aware of the dangers that come with underestimating walkers and other people. Along with Glenn and Noah, she storms back to the community gates and refuses to work with them again.
- She also proves to be quite an efficient leader when she takes over Hilltop from the recently deceased Jesus in Season 9.
Took a Level in Kindness: She's notably anti-social in her first few episodes.
You Are in Command Now: Officially takes over as leader of Hilltop after Jesus' death. Tragically, she's killed by the Whisperers mere days after her predecessor.
Younger and Hipper: She is the older sister of April Chalmers in the comics.

Lilly

Lilly Chambler

Portrayed By: Audrey Marie Anderson

Voiced By: Inés Blázquez (Spanish dub), Sandrine Mittelstädt (German dub)

Appearances: The Walking Dead (Season 4)

Debut: "Live Bait"

Lilly is an oncology nurse living with her daughter Megan, sister Tara, and father David in his apartment in rural Georgia. They take in the Governor after the fall of Woodbury, having no clue about his dark past, and Lilly begins a relationship with him.

Adaptational Badass: Zig-Zagged. While she's an Action Survivor, her three comic counterparts are vastly different characters; April Chalmers is a non-fighter, while Lilly Caul is a competent ex-military. Lillian Chalmers is a Posthumous Character.
Adaptation Dye-Job: Zig-Zagged. April Chalmers is blonde, but her other counterpart and namesake, Lilly Caul, is also a brunette.
Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: While not antisocial like her sister, Lilly is more composed but still quite snarky.
Chekhov's Gunman: It is she who finally puts an end to the Governor.
Composite Character: Combines some elements of Lilly Caul and April Chalmers from the comic/novel continuity. According to The Walking Dead Wiki, she's also Lillian Chalmers' (April and Tara's mother in the novel) counterpart.
Dead Guy Junior: The Chalmers matriarch in the novel is named Lillian according to The Walking Dead Wiki. Since her Chalmers counterpart is actually April and not Lilly Caul, this probably just falls into Fridge Brilliance in the writers/showrunners' behalf.
Death by Adaptation: As of "Inmates". In the source material, April Chalmers survives the book in which she appears and Lilly Caul ultimately survives taking shelter in the prison after killing the Governor to avoid the incoming herd of Walkers, becoming the new leader of Woodbury. The television show's Composite Character of the two is instead devoured by that herd after shooting the Governor.
Devoured by the Horde: According to Tara, she allowed a swarm to devour her.
Driven to Suicide: Completely gave up after Meghan's death and allowed herself to be eaten.
Forgotten Fallen Friend: After Tara tells Glenn what happened to her, she never mentions her sister again.
Killed Offscreen: Torn apart by walkers in the prison's field, according to Tara.
Love Interest: To the Governor.
My Greatest Failure: Following the Governor is what ultimately leads to her daughter's death, and her own death according to her sister.
The Medic: She puts her medical experience to good use taking care of her father, who is in the late stages of lung cancer. She also patches up The Governor's injuries after he retrieves two oxygen tanks from a nursing home.
Spared by the Adaptation: Her most minor counterpart, Lillian Chalmers, is a Posthumous Character. She dies in the mid-Season 4 finale. Ironically, two of her prominent counterparts lived in the comics/novel continuity.

Meghan

Meghan Chambler

Portrayed By: Meyrick Murphy

Voiced By: Ana Esther Alborg (Spanish dub), Isabella-Lara Ociepka (German dub)

Appearances: The Walking Dead (Season 4)

Debut: "Live Bait"

Meghan is Lilly's daughter. She rarely speaks due to her father abandoning her several years before the series and the Zombie Apocalypse.

Age Lift: She's around 8-10 years old. In the comic, Lilly Caul's child is stillborn. Inverted with her other comic counterpart, who was in her twenties.
Adaptation Dye-Job: One of her comic counterparts and namesake is a redhead while she's blond. The other is stillborn so...
Adaptation Name Change: Her (other) comic counterpart's name is Megan, not Meghan.
Boom, Headshot!: Courtesy of the Governor to prevent her from reanimating.
Composite Character: She is mainly Lilly Caul's stillborn child, but she takes the name of the same character's best friend, Megan Lafferty (with a slight change).
Damsel in Distress: She always gets in trouble everytime she's on screen and was always required to be rescued.
Disappeared Dad: Went out one night to get beer and lottery ticket, but never came back and this was before the apocalypse.
I Want My Mommy!: A dramatic example during her final moments. She cries out for her mother in fear as the walker that bites her grabs ahold of her.
Kill the Cutie: The sweet little girl who was playing in the mud without a care in the world dies a horrible death.
The Load: Has no training whatsoever to survive in the apocalypse and needs constant protection.
Mercy Kill: The Governor shoots her in the head after she gets bitten and dies.
The Quiet One: Even after the Governor brings her out of her shell she rarely talks.
Replacement Goldfish: Becomes a surrogate daughter to the Governor.
Shoot the Dog: At the receiving end of this. Literally.
Shrinking Violet: Due to the zombie apocalypse.
Spared by the Adaptation: Both of her comic counterparts are Posthumous Characters; Lilly Caul's child (her main counterpart) is stillborn, while Megan Lafferty committed suicide upon discovering The Governor's walker heads collection in the prequel novel.
Tagalong Kid: No combat skills and is completely helpless.
Too Dumb to Live: Though it is also the fault of both the Governor and Lilly for not teaching her to defend herself from walkers.
Zombie Infectee: Bitten when playing in the mud close to a river. There was a walker buried in the mud.

David

David Chambler

Portrayed By: Danny Vinson

Voiced By: Txema Moscoso (Spanish dub), Katsumi Chō (Japanese dub), Friedrich Georg Beckhaus (German dub)

Appearances: The Walking Dead (Season 4)

Debut: "Live Bait"

David is Lilly and Tara's dad. He is in the late stages of lung cancer when the Governor begins staying with his family.

And Then John Was a Zombie: After he breathes his last breath, David comes back to life a few minutes after and tries to attack Tara. Then The Governor comes right in and bashes his head in to save them.
Cool Old Guy: Prior to turning into a Walker, he's seen playing several games with Meghan to try to cheer her up.
Death by Irony: He needed oxygen tanks to help him survive but when he turns the Governor kills him with his oxygen tank.
Hero of Another Story: He was able to save his entire family right during the Zombie Apocalypse outbreak and set up their means of survival up until his illness couldn't let him do so anymore.
Handicapped Badass: Managed to save his family and protect them from the start of the outbreak even while suffering from lung cancer.
The One Guy: The only surviving male of his family. For some time, at least.
Papa Wolf: He was a fierce defender of his family when he was able-bodied.
Sacrificial Lamb: Even when getting more oxygen, it's pretty evident that he's still going to kick the bucket.
Your Head A-Splode: Courtesy of The Governor with an oxygen tank.

Characters / The Walking Dead (2010): Chambler Family

The Chambler Family