How The Walking Dead dealt with Andrea (Laurie Holden) in season 3 differed greatly both from the comics and from what the writers originally planned for the character. Andrea, a key member of Rick’s (Andrew Lincoln) original group, factored heavily into the main plot of season 3. She met her end after turning against the Governor (David Morrissey), with whom she had shared a romantic relationship. As punishment, the Governor chained her up in his torture room with a zombie. After getting bitten, Andrea killed herself.
What happened to Andrea in the season 3 finale isn’t at all what happened in the comic book version of the story. In The Walking Dead comics, Andrea survived the conflict with the Governor, and went on to play important roles in the story arcs that followed, including Alexandria, the battle with Negan and the Saviors, and the Whisperer War. During this time, she was one of Rick’s most reliable allies. The two also shared a romantic relationship. Her story came to an end in The Walking Dead #168, shortly after the battle with the Whisperers ended, when she was bitten by a zombie.
Andrea’s death in the comics came much later than the character in the show, which made her death such a big surprise. In fact, what the writers wanted to do with Andrea in the first place was much closer to the comics, and the plan was for Andrea to “save Woodbury on a horse” and start a relationship with Rick. Laurie Holden has revealed in interviews that she had an “8-year deal” on the show, and she was shocked when she was suddenly told that Andrea was going to die in season 3.
According to Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, this was not a decision that the writers arrived at easily. It was suggested by former showrunner Glen Mazzara in the writers’ room, followed by a great deal of debate. Kirkman explained [via THR] that her death made sense due to all the “twists and turns” that the Woodbury story had taken in season 3, and he also talked about the impact it had on the characters as a motivating factor for killing off Andrea early. Kirkman felt that it was the right move for the show, as it helped make the Governor a more sinister villain for season 4 and pushed Rick in the direction the writers needed him to go.
Due to Andrea’s presence in The Walking Dead comics, her death in season 3 prevented many stories from happening and also paved the way for Rick to have a romance with Michonne (Danai Gurira). But as Kirkman has pointed out, her death served an important purpose. Andrea’s death came at a time when Rick was in a bad place and his leadership had suffered because of it. It woke up Rick and helped to mold him into the leader that he was before and the leader that his group needed him to be for the trials ahead.
