Go along with sojourner's "Survivability Index."
On a 1-10 scale, 10 being best.
The Mom (Madison?): Right now I'd say flirting with a 7. She seems to already be grasping the horrors and realities of this world and gave us our first, real, direct zombie-kill; with an over-kill bonus using an improvised weapon. Part of her does seem to be holding on to reality (my reasoning for not telling her daughter) but she seems like she's going to be the first one to convince people what they need to do in order to survive all of this. To liken her to a primary series character I'm going to go with Shane (minus being crazy and directly murderous.) She knows the tough choices now that have to be made. (Like Shane being against rescuing those trapped at the Atlanta department store when they didn't return. Beating Ed for abusing Carol, trying to keep everyone secure and in survival mode.)
The Dad (Travis): I'm going to go with a 5 right now, we've not seen too much of him yet, but I'd liken him to a S1 or S2 Rick. He's probably still got some optimism in him and what it takes to improvise his way into safety but in the long run his want to do good is probably going to potentially cause more harm than good. Rick's decisions in the first two seasons were "morally" good, but arguably potentially dangerous for the group. His heart was in the right place but not his head, by the end of S2 it hits him on what it takes to be in this new world.
This is the arc I see Travis being on. Driving across town to save his estranged family seems like a "Rick" thing, pleading to be let into the barber shop has echoes of the CDC. He may be on the same arc precisely and his darker side will kick in but I think we'll see a Madisontatorship before we see a Travistatorship.
The Daughter (Alicia?): Right now she's low. Maybe a 3. She's young, illl-informed and unaware, but she needs to smarten up quick on what's going on. Hell, just some plain-old every-day smarts would do her some good. Just because you see your neighbor across the street being attacked doesn't mean you saunter you 98-lb frame over there to help, what could you possibly do? You'd only make yourself another victim. Long-term, I'd see her on a similar arc to Beth. Her head's never going to be quite in the game until it crashes down on her and she snaps on what it's now going to take to survive.
The Son (Nick): A 1. His druggie habits and detoxing isn't going to do him any favors, he's going to get himself into trouble at some point just looking for another score. He's only survived to this point by some level of luck and with help from others. He's stumbling through this whole thing so-far and he's going to need to wisen up quick.
Acne Kid (Tobias): From stuff I've seen, it's unlikely we'll see him again but let's hope that doesn't turn out to be true and if he doesn't return this season he will next season. Either way, I'd probably give him a 6. Only because he saw this coming and seemed to be preparing for it. I think he has the craftiness to get through it without needing to do the physical too much, his resourcefulness will do him a lot of favors and once he gets a better knife/weapon and knows to go for the brain he should do well. His resourcefulness makes him a lot like Glenn. Best of luck to you, Acne Kid. May you score a girl who'd be way out of your league had it not been for the apocalypse.
Barber Shop Owner: No way of knowing if he's a regular character or not, but on the face of it I'm going to go with him being a "moral center" for the series or any group he ends up with. This gives him a survival index of 2 because he's only going to survive as much as any group is willing to protect him. Likening him to Dale or Herschel. Both did what they had to when they needed to, but both only lasted as long as they did because of who they were with.
Estranged Wife: Maybe a 3. I'd liken her to Andrea, she may in the long-haul be able to survive with some practical skills but her want for "normality" may be her downfall as she naively goes for whatever is the easiest route even if it could mean her downfall. She had the good sense to listen to Travis for the most part but still seems like she'd "turn down a friend for a warm bed."
Estranged Son: A 2. Someone else whose head isn't int he game yet and his "parents are so harsh, man!" attitude will be his downfall. If he's able to overcome this and do what has to be done he may get to be a 4, but barely. Again, to liken him to a primary series character I'd say Carl.
Now, Carl certainly is a survivor and makes tough decisions but he's also impulsive and in the first episode of the back-half of the last season we see how he really is on his own and he struggles and ends up in an emotional break-down towards his father (thinking Rick had died in his sleep and turned. Carl begins to give-in to be eaten/turned.) He's only going to be as strong as those he's around and even then only if he wants to prove how big he thinks his dick is.
On his own he'd struggle unless, again, he wisens up quickly and even Carl hasn't completely done that even *after* his breakdown while out on his own for a day and nearly being raped.
