Warning: This article contains spoilers from “The Walking Dead” Episode 710, “New Best Friends”
“The Walking Dead,” meet Jadis.
The mystery woman Rick (Andrew Lincoln) first laid eyes on in last week’s midseason premiere was finally revealed in Sunday’s episode. Played by 37-year-old Scottish actress Pollyanna McIntosh, Jadis is the leader of the solemn group of warriors that menacingly encircle Rick and his fellow survivors as they track Gabriel (Seth Gilliam) to a junkyard.
The introduction doesn’t exactly start off friendly. “We own your lives,” Jadis says to Rick. “You want to buy them back?”
His first attempt to talk his way out of it by asking them join the fight against Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) earns a quick no. It’s only after Gabriel holds Jadis’ right-hand woman, Tamiel (Sabrina Gennarino) at knife point, does she agree to hear Rick out — then proceeds to push him off a trash heap into a pit where he has to battle for his life against a spike-encrusted monster. (Whom we later learn is named Winslow. Charming.)
Rick manages to kill the beast by burying him in a pile of trash then stabbing him, proving himself a worthy partner. Jadis agrees that her people will join Rick’s fight — but only if he can deliver them “lots and lots” of guns.
So just who is Jadis, and what kind of partner will she prove to be for Rick? The Post caught up with McIntosh to find out. [Ed. note: This transcript has been edited for clarity and length].
She’s fun but fair. She’s got her right-hand woman and her right-hand man. We’re a varied bunch, but we’ve been brought together by Jadis’ leadership and we know exactly what we’re doing, we know the plan, we know how to move. We’re making these animals out of the metal. There’s a way we create our weaponry — we’ve made use of everything around us and it gives us a certain pride. There’s definitely a prideful element to Jadis . . . She doesn’t tell you more than you need to know. Jadis is about keeping as much mystery as possible between the group and outsiders, which gives them power, and then keeping as much cohesion and togetherness in the group. That’s a good leader.
We have started calling them the Heapsters on set. Because the junkyard home is called the Heaps. We have everything there. That’s our home.
When I first see him, I’m just very much wanting to size him up. After I give him a little dance with Winslow, I realize that he can handle himself. And not only can he handle himself, but the group that he’s come with — the way that they’re all rushing to the tubes and all trying to help him get out — there’s also a love between them that I see. So shoving him in the pit works on two levels. And he’s still recognizing me as being in charge by the end of it. He doesn’t go off on me, like, “How could you throw me down there?” There’s this energy that he has that he wants to move forward to the next thing, he wants to keep the deal going. I see a lot of strength in him, too. She might have met her match.
He’s not a trash zombie! He’s my Winslow. Winslow is the first weaponized walker that we’ve seen. It just shows they think outside the box, these guys. It worked, it was a great test of Rick. It’s probably quite satisfying to her to see Winslow doing his job. As far as where he comes from or what happened, I can’t tell you anything I’m afraid.
I can’t. I don’t even know if there are any more like him. I have my ideas.
They’re very much about keeping to themselves and not getting into trouble. I love the scene of Gabriel being taken because they’re kind of like ghosts in the dark. You don’t see them until they’re right on you. That’s the way we like it, the element of surprise. We’ve been very successful in keeping ourselves safe. We do know about the Saviors, though, because Tamiel went to get the boat things. So we’ve got eyes on what’s going on — but as long as they don’t have eyes on us, we’re in a good position.
We’ll just have to see, won’t we? There might be a little more adventure coming. It’s going to be really fun seeing how these two leaders, who lead in very different ways — but have it in common that they’re both strong survivors — get on from this point forward.
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