Enid and Carl are trying to hold onto some hope in the apocalypse. Gene Page/AMC
“The Walking Dead” has a big roster of characters, and you’ll be seeing even more of three characters in particular when season eight debuts October 22. Enid (Katelyn Nacon), Jadis (Pollyanna McIntosh), and Negan’s right-hand man Simon (Steven Ogg) were all promoted to series regulars recently.
But if you’re hoping to see some flashbacks for Carl’s romantic love interest Enid this season, don’t get your hopes up just yet.
“I would love to see more on her background, but I don’t think necessarily this season [that will happen],” Nacon told INSIDER Saturday at New York Comic Con’s press panel. “I think a lot of it’s seeing her progress more into an adult and a woman pretty much.”
Enid in season five versus season seven. Gene Page/AMC
“When we first saw her, she was kind of like this angsty teenager, kind of closed off, had these walls built up around her,” she continued. “But now, we’re seeing her become kind of like a strong warrior. She’s trying to implement herself into the community in a bigger way, get ready for battle.”
Enid joined the show in season five as a member of the Alexandria community. She has since found herself helping Maggie at the Hilltop as her pregnancy progresses and starting a relationship with Rick’s son Carl.
Carl has had a thing for Enid for some time. Gene Page/AMC
“I hope that one day we will learn more about her past because there’s a lot we don’t really know. There’s a lot that I still don’t really know,” said Nacon of being hopeful for more backstory on her character one day. “I just know that her parents and her were off on their own and then they got taken away and she had to learn how to survive and grow up really quickly.”
When we met Enid, her mantra was “JSS.” The letters stood for the phrase “Just Survive Somehow,” and helped her carry on after the death of her parents. Nacon says that Enid still very much believes in “JSS,” but the acronym has a slightly evolved definition for her now.
Enid wrote “JSS” wherever she went until she arrived at Alexandria. AMC
“I think it’s JSS, but it’s for a different meaning,” said Nacon of Enid’s mindset. “Now, it’s not only just survive for yourself. It’s survive somehow for these people that are surrounding me, the people that I love.”
