I suspect that, in six years, kindergarten teachers will find a surprising number of kids with the names Michonne, Daryl, and Carl. All three are warriors, and somewhat Eastwoodesque in being killers with few words.

I am, of course, referring to characters in AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” a show Pam and I really enjoy.

Those three characters have emerged as distinctive and un-psycho. Merle, Shane, and the Governor are distinctive, but not guys you’d take home to Momma. Most of the women characters are just annoying (Lori, Maggie, Andrea) or invisible (Carol, Beth).

The old guys tend to be likable and sane–Hershel, Dale–but I don’t see parents naming kids after them. Glenn is coming into his own. Rick–I don’t know. He needs to come out of his funk, and it looks like that may be happening.

But Carl, especially with that great hat, is developing into a great character–kind of Eastwoodesque, a killer with very few lines. Daryl has always been a great character. And Michonne ia kick-butt samurai warrior. And Eastwoodesque too, now that I think of it.

I was happy to see Morgan appear in a late-season episode. I’m wondering if he’ll be sticking around. He could be an interesting guy to have around.