Q. All the major characters have clearly changed in some way or another, but Carol seems to have made a complete transformation, from passive domestic violence victim to ruthless and strategic survivor. How soon did the writers and creators know what her story would be? — Katie Camara, Fall River, Mass.

A. All I can say is that I personally think all stories are about change, in some way or another. When we were working on Season 2, I got very excited about the possibilities of the character and where she could go. I thought about it a great deal, not really knowing if we would take that journey I was interested in taking. When I began show-running the show, I had this fan fiction in my head that I wanted to see play out, and it’s been very gratifying working with the writers, with Melissa, with Greg and the other directors to make it real.

Q. Considering the immense popularity of the show, what do you think it is saying about North American society? Invasion narratives were very popular during the Cold War and the zombie renaissance certainly began after 9/11, so these stories seem to speak to certain anxieties. What other concerns might the show be addressing about contemporary society? - Faye Trecartin, Montreal

A. If you ask me, and, er, you just did — I think it’s actually about a desire for simplicity and authenticity (one of the big words of the moment). I think there’s a fantasy element to having everything stripped away to the barest of essentials. The world the characters of “The Walking Dead” inhabit is one of pure survival. Now that survival may be about one’s actual life or their humanity, but it’s survival in both cases. I think there’s also something to people wanting to find out who they really are. The situations these characters find themselves in define them and expose the core of who they are or who they can become. I think we want that. There is so much artifice to our lives, so much noise, so much distraction, fakery and fiction that I think there’s an attraction to seeing it all stop, and being left with nothing but to keep yourself alive and find out who the person is looking back at you in the mirror.

Q. The story has followed the comic at times but diverged widely at others. Do those decisions generate much internal controversy? I think the show has been much better when it followed the original. Do you get much fan feedback about this and, if so, what’s the consensus? — Texan in NYC