The Walking Dead’s Georgie is the ‘Varys’ the survivors need

Georgie, the new broker of information in The Walking Dead, is driven to build a prosperous world. She may be based on Pamela in TWD graphic novels and draws parallels to Varys in The Game of Thrones.

In season 6 of The Walking Dead, the survivors were not merely surviving.

They were looking towards a future. Under the direction of Deanna Monroe and her husband Reg, the community of Alexandria had plans for farming and sustainability, expanding the community and building a future. However, that was all dashed thanks to an invasion by the Wolves and a walker herd.

By season 8, the world expanded to include The Hilltop, The Kingdom, The Scavengers and Oceanside. However, the communities have been merely surviving rather than seeking to rebuild civilization.

Danai Gurira as Michonne, Jayne Atkinson as Georgie, Lauren Cohan as Maggie Greene – The Walking Dead _ Season 8, Episode 12 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

Knowledge broker Georgie, played by Jayne Atkinson, arrived in the episode “The Key.” By providing a blueprint on medieval industry, Georgie validates what they are fighting for and inspires Maggie to look to future.

While a character named Georgie is not in graphic novels of The Walking Dead, there are many parallels between Georgie and Pamela of the comics.  Pamela is the leader of The Commonwealth, a settlement of 50,000 people in Ohio.

We think there are similarities between Georgie in The Walking Dead and Varys from The Game of Thrones. The two trade knowledge rather than bullets. They also support the overall stability and prosperity of their realms.

When Varys stated his wishes to Tyrion, he put peace and prosperity at the top of his list.

“A land where the powerful do not prey on the powerless… Perhaps. And perhaps we’ve grown so used to horror we assume there’s no other way.”

Sound familiar to the Walking Dead? Maggie and the rest have fallen into a negative cycle with the Saviors of fighting and revenge, revenge and fighting. In “The Key,” Georgie does offer hope along with information, something our survivors haven’t felt for some time.

Varys’ army is constructed of whisperers rather than soldiers. Georgie and her twin sidekicks have been spying on The Hilltop’s capabilities and Maggie’s potential as leader. Similar tactics, yes?

Both Georgie and Varys also remain calm and unflappable under pressure. OK, maybe Varys became a little unhinged when he had the witch who neutered him trapped in a box. Still, both are secretive and no one really knows if they can be trusted. Their overall motivations remain hidden with only hints delivered along the way.

Ultimately, Varys states that a realm in conflict needs a leader who balances strength and gentleness. “A monarch who could intimidate the High Lords and inspire the people.”

Who said anything about a “him?”

We will wait to see if Georgie unites the broken communities of The Walking Dead as their leader. Or perhaps she will be the knowledge cog that propels Maggie to greatness.

In the interim, we have time to ponder if Varys’ dream of installing a powerful Targaryen Queen is earnest. In his words, “power resides where men believe it resides.”