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. In the comic book series, she joins Rick Grimes' group after they leave the prison 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, the conclusion of which sees the 3 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 3 communities.
In the TV 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.
Appearances
Comic book series
Rosita, Abraham and Eugene joins Rick's group at Hershel's farm after the prison is destroyed. When Eugene reveals he is a fraud it leaves her outraged, but Rosita and the others soon accept him. She remains with the group when they settle in Washington at the Alexandria Safe Zone, moving in with Abraham. While there, Abraham breaks up with her to be with Holly. 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. The father of the baby is later revealed to be Siddiq, another member of Alexandria. 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 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. Rosita and Abraham 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 "Self Help", Rosita and the others are en route to DC and take refuge when the 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 knocks 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. While filtering water, Rosita talks to them about when she first met Abraham in Dallas. Glenn and Rosita bond and he welcomes her as a part of the group wherever they wind up. 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 remembers their former goal and he is happy to have finally made it. She then arrives at 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 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", Rosita and Aaron kill some members of the Wolves that attack Alexandria. In "Now", Rosita stands guard at the gate, crying over Abraham, who has not returned home. 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 gives machete lessons to several Alexandrians and Eugene, who is afraid of dying. Rosita says dying is simple and what’s hard is letting your friends die because you were too scared to save them. In "Start to Finish", the Alpha Wolf forces Rosita and Tara to surrender their weapons during the herd as he leaves with Denise. In "No Way Out", Rosita joins the other Alexandrians killing the walkers that invaded Alexandria after Carol kills the Alpha Wolf. In "Knots Untie", Rosita is seen in bed with Abraham after having sex. Rosita snaps Abraham out of a daydream of Sasha. Abraham apologizes and the two begins kissing. Rosita gives Abraham a necklace. 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", Spencer asks Rosita to dinner after they have sex. She goes on a supply run with Denise and Daryl, despite her concerns over Denise's inability to leave the walls of Alexandria. Denise is killed by Dwight, and Eugene is captured. However, a distraction causes them to fire at the Saviors, who run off. Rosita tends to Eugene as they go back to Alexandria. In "East", Rosita appears jealous and resentful of Abraham and Sasha, and goes after Daryl who seeks vengeance on Dwight, but this leads to her capture. 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 is forced to watch Abraham get beaten to death with Negan's bat. Rosita is taunted by Negan as he forces her to look at his bloodied bat. This causes Daryl to strike Negan who decides to kill someone else as punishment. Rosita then witnesses Glenn be brutally murdered as well before Negan torments Rick and leaves with Daryl as a prisoner. Sasha later comforts Rosita after the Saviors leave, as Glenn and Abraham's remains are taken away. In the episode "Service", Spencer tries to convince Rosita that this is life now and that they have to play ball, but Rosita refuses to accept it. She kills the reanimated Saviors present to get a gun and is later shown asking Eugene to make her a bullet. In the episode "Swear" Rosita continued with her idea of ammunition and when Tara, not only made her aware of the events, but also asked her to give her some weapons, which was impossible to provide that factor. In "Sing Me a Song", Rosita and Eugene return to the factory Eugene and Abraham found to manufacture ammunition. Eugene attempts to talk her out of her plan as even if she manages to kill Negan, she'll die as will others. Rosita angrily calls Eugene a coward who is only alive because people feel sorry for him causing him to produce a sole bullet for her. She attempts to apologize for what she said, but Eugene doesn't want to hear it. They return to Alexandria to find Negan and the Saviors already there. In the mid-season finale, "Hearts Still Beating," Rosita is still feeling vengeful, but Father Gabriel tries to persuade her to try to gain revenge when the time is right as the community will need her. She later reconciles with Spencer and the two agree to a date, however these plans are cut short after Negan guts and kills Spencer for trying to betray Rick and take over as leader. This causes Rosita to draw her gun and shoot at Negan. An angered Negan seems as if he now wants Rosita dead, but when he realizes she's not afraid of dying he instead asks one of the Saviors to "kill somebody". She shoots Olivia in the face as Rosita and the others watch in horror. As Negan demands to know who made the bullet, Eugene finally confesses and Negan has his people take him away. Rosita sorrowfully protests as Negan leaves Alexandria. Once everyone is gone she is shown to be physically upset by everything that has just happened. The episode ends with Rosita joining Rick, Michonne, Carl, and Tara to reunite with Maggie, Sasha, Enid, Jesus and the newly escaped Daryl at the Hilltop, as they plan to stand against the Saviors.In "Rock in the Road", Sasha tries to form a conversation with Rosita but is coldly shut down. Rosita shows the group how to dismantle explosives. In "New Best Friends", Rosita encounters a group called the Scavengers. Rick negotiates a deal with their leader Jadis to help them fight the Saviors in exchange for guns. Rosita immediately decides to go out looking, causing her to clash with Tara who thinks they should wait. In "Say Yes", Rosita becomes frantic in her efforts to find guns for their fight against the Saviors. When they meet with Jadis to deliver the guns they've managed to find, they are told it's not enough. While Rick is able to buy them more time, Rosita, tired of excuses, goes to the Hilltop looking for Sasha. She convinces her to help her in a second attempt to kill Negan, with the condition that Sasha gets to make the shot. Having predicted this, Rosita gives her a sniper rifle from their stockpile, with both of them acknowledging that even if they succeed, they'll most likely have to die doing so. In "The Other Side", Rosita rejoins Sasha at the Hilltop and they embark for the Sanctuary. Sasha attempts to get to know Rosita asking how she acquired her skill set with explosives and vehicles. Rosita rebuffs her effort, with her only desire to complete their mission. Sasha advocates a stealth approach, suggesting they take up a sniping position and stay outside the fences, but Rosita insists they go inside to ensure Negan's death. They go with Sasha's plan first, setting up in a factory adjacent to the Sanctuary. Rosita begins to open up to Sasha revealing she was initially a helpless survivor before she met Abraham, but learned everything she could from the people around her. She also confesses that she didn't ever hate Sasha so much as the situation. They reconcile shortly before Negan steps outside. When they miss their window at taking a shot, they wait until nightfall before breaching the fences. Sasha goes first, but then seals the hole with Rosita outside. Rosita is surprised by this turn of events, but Sasha insists their friends need her before charging into the Sanctuary. Rosita is equally frustrated and saddened by this, before being found outside the gates by someone wielding a crossbow. The end of episode "Something They Need" sees Rosita return to Alexandria with a visitor who is revealed to be Dwight. Daryl attempts to attack him, but Rosita claims he wants to help which Dwight confirms to Rick. In the finale, Rosita is shot after she begins firing, following Sasha's death. She is saved by Tara and recovers in bed.
Season 8
In the season premiere, "Mercy", Rosita is seen at Alexandria, looking out her balcony, still healing from her wound, looking at the Alexandrians leaving for war. In "The King, the Widow, and Rick" Rosita is first seen at the car with Michonne, she asks if she can go with her; she goes along down the road and stops the car when they hear a woman singing. They go investigate and see Zia and Leo. She's shot at by Zia and runs away, then she stops Leo who tells her "Baby girl, you're not gonna use that-", but she kills him with a RPG, then Zia rushes the truck outside, though. While making an escape, Daryl and Tara cut her off with a garbage truck. They shoot her down quickly. Michonne and Rosita tell them they want to see the Sanctuary. Daryl and Tara claim they have a lot more work to do. Daryl parks his truck and shows Michonne and Rosita the overrun Sanctuary. Daryl turns the truck on and promises they're going to end this thing right now, in the episode "Time for After" Rosita is seen with the group outside the Sanctuary. Daryl plans to charge the truck into the building and send the walkers into the Sanctuary. Rosita, Michonne and Tara will cover him and distract the walkers. Morgan joins their conversation and offers to help. Rosita is against the plan, saying it is risky, and she vouches for Rick, says he is talking to the Scavengers to boost their numbers. Tara refuses to trust the Scavengers after they betrayed them. Rosita leaves, but not before stating she learned waiting is the best option sometimes and she had to learn as much from seeing Sasha walk out of the coffin. In the final mid-season "How It's Gotta Be" Rosita is first seen unloading boxes from the truck she gives the boxes to Tara with a smile on her face, she is later seen when Negan bombs Alexandria Rosita along with Tara, Dwight, Daryl, Rick, Michonne and the other alexandrians escape with the in the sewers only to learn that Carl was bitten by a walker.In the mid-season premiere "Honor" Rosita remains in the sewers with the other Alexandrians as the Saviors' grenades continue to blow apart Alexandria above them. Rosita suggests they all flee to the Hilltop while the Saviors destroy Alexandria above ground. Dwight points out that the Saviors will soon run out of ammo and insists they stay put until the siege is over. After the explosions subside and the remaining Saviors leave, Rosita and the others prepare to head to the Hilltop for refuge. In "Dead or Alive Or" Rosita along the way took the leadership of the group along with Daryl and was also in charge of keeping tara under surveillance after realizing her blindness to Dwight. When Tara started looking for excuses to kill Dwight for murdering Denise, Rosita tried to make her understand by explaining that they still needed him to win the war against Negan and demanded that she calm down because they had just lost Carl and could not continue behaving recklessly. Despite Rosita's speech, Tara went ahead with her thirst for revenge and took advantage of Rosita being distracted fighting against walkers in the swamp in order to chase Dwight through the forest and try to execute him. Although Tara could not fulfill her purpose due to the sudden appearance of some Saviors, Rosita revealed that she had witnessed the whole scene and when Tara asked her why she did not try to stop her, she simply replied that she could not have been stopped either. Finally Rosita and the others arrived in Hilltop after a long walk and everyone was informed about what happened in Alexandria. In "The Key"
Rosita and Maggie stand guard at the gate. Maggie peers through binoculars and spots a mysterious crate in the distance. Rosita retrieves the crate and gives Maggie the attached note, which offers them a "key to your future" in exchange for food and records. The note includes coordinates for a meeting point. Maggie worries that it's a trap, but Michonne suggests they investigate. Later, Rosita and Enid guard Georgie, Hilda and Midge, when Maggie brings them to Hilltop, but she later lets them go, in the episode "Do Not Send Us Astray"
Rosita is among the Hilltop residents and refugees who are prepared to defend the Hilltop from the Saviors. During the battle, Rosita and Ezekiel shoot out the headlights on the Savior vehicles. She and the others manage to survive the attack as the remaining Saviors flee. She also survives the subsequent outbreak that killed several more people, in "Still Gotta Mean Something" Rosita is seen in Maggie's office with Dianne and Daryl. Dianne reports that they don't have enough ammo to fend off another big attack. Presuming the Saviors are low on ammo themselves, Daryl suggests they fight them hand-to-hand. Rosita points out that Eugene is probably making ammunition for the Saviors and she know where he is, Rosita and Daryl observe the Bullet Factory Outpost, they see Eugene receiving a shipment of hundreds of bullet casings to make into new bullets. Rosita decides that instead of taking out the machines, they will take out the man, implying she intends to kill Eugene, something that Daryl agrees with, in "Worth" Rosita along with Daryl capture Eugene killing his bodyguards, then they take him to the Hilltop colony to keep him captive and Daryl reluctantly takes him threatening him with his tongue cut, along the way Rosita reproaches Eugene for betraying his true friends, while that Eugene defends his affiliation with Negan, when suddenly appears a walking horde on the road, which keeps Daryl busy eliminating them, meanwhile Eugene manages to get ready to escape throwing up Rosita and he manages to escape. In final season "Wrath" Rosita is seen going with the militia for the final battle against the rescuers, during that battle everything seemed to be in Negan's favor, when suddenly a mysterious explosion in the arms causes the militia to take the front and once Negan defeated, both rival groups manage to make peace, later she went to the Sanctuary to help the residents to repair the place in order to leave the past behind and create a peaceful future for all.
Season 9
Casting
Rosita was first announced, along with Eugene and Abraham, in a casting call for Episode 10 of Season 4 in July 2013 under the code-name "Jordana Barrazza". Christian Serratos was cast as Rosita to be a recurring character in the fourth season of the show. Her real name and the actress playing her were confirmed by Hollywood Reporter on September 16, 2013.Reception
Critical reception
The character initially received mixed reviews, though most noted the increased screentime and focus of the character in the seventh season compared to the previous three seasons. For the episode "Four Walls and a Roof", Zack Handlen for The A.V. Club noted Rosita's lack of importance saying, "Goodbye, Gareth! On the downside, you were only in a few episodes; on the up side, you had more dialogue in them than all of Rosita’s lines combined."Erik Kain for Forbes noted Rosita's decision to try and kill Negan was a highlight. He said, "...at least Rosita continues to be pretty awesome. More Rosita, please." However, for the episode "The Other Side", he was critical of her plan. Kain was also critical of Rosita saying, "If the show had really explained that Rosita was this awesome, essential part of group, I'd be more inclined to agree with Sasha's decision. As it stands, Sasha seems just as integral to the group as Rosita. It makes as little sense as Sasha agreeing to Rosita's plan in the first place, when the sniper plan is so much better. And it just plain sucks that the better character is waltzing off to certain death, while one of the show's worst characters is safe." Writing for "Say Yes", Matt Fowler for IGN appreciated the focus on Rosita in the seventh season. He said, "It took Abraham dying for the show to basically give her a distinguishable personality and this darker, bitter and stubborn Rosita is vastly more interesting than the old version." In contrast, Handlen felt, "Rosita’s anger is getting tedious her character remains frustratingly static. The writers have figured out one note to play for her, and they’re leaning into it, hard. The point is, she’s not all that interesting to watch right now."
Ron Hogan for Den of Geek felt similar to Kain on "The Other Side". He appreciated their scenes, but questioned the idea that Sasha needed to sacrifice herself as Rosita was needed, and not her. He said, "Rosita is valuable because she knows how to hot wire cars, can disarm IEDs, and knows a bunch of cool knots. Does that make her more valuable than Sasha, who is the group's best sniper bar none, when Rosita had a shot at Negan from less than 10 feet away and missed him? Sasha seems to think so, as she leaves Rosita behind and storms into the Saviors compound on a suicide mission."
Some critics noted Rosita's lack of development, but felt the episode was serviceable on improving this. Writing for The A.V. Club, Zack Handlen felt that "Rosita’s become something of a drag of late, as her rage and self-loathing have made her tediously one note. Her interactions with Sasha, in which she never bothers to hide her resentment over Abraham, have been the worst of it." He went further to say, "Thankfully, by the end of this episode, both women felt a little closer to actual people again. It’s a simple trick—they bond over attempted murder and a list of Rosita’s ex-boyfriends—but an effective one." Jeff Stone of IndieWire felt that the episode was "an excuse to give Rosita some semblance of character development, something she’s been sorely lacking over her four seasons on the show. It’s also mostly set-up for a cliffhanger to lead us into the final two episodes. It’s serviceable on both counts."
Noel Murray of Rolling Stone ranked Rosita Espinosa 20th in a list of 30 best Walking Dead characters, saying, "Rosita's big trademark is her soldier's cap, but it’s been up to TWD's writers and actress Christian Serratos to fill that hat. She's the one who's turned the character into a woman who's been strong out in the field, and one heartbroken in private that the men in her life don’t stick around. Whenever she gets a big scene, the heroine becomes so much more than her headwear."