Tom Snyder (Eden Rising)



"You can be nervous... there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. In fact, I encourage it, being nervous helps you in different facets, believe it or not. But, never show it. Whenever you're in a tight situation, or in any kind... never show the nervousness breaking through your defenses. Both the victim or the culprit can immediately sense it -- they can see it in your face and just like that -- you lose complete control of the situation..."

- Tom, to Kelvin

Tom Snyder is a main character in Eden Rising. Tom is a former small-town sheriff now leading a group of survivors through post-apocalyptic United States. People look up to Tom, not only for the badge and gun he carries, but because he exudes natural charm and charisma. He has a way with people, though he is admittedly not very good at handling personal crises, nor does he have a good track record with women, since the death of his first wife Annie haunts him to this day. After his daughter Darla is bit by an infected on the arm and given an amputation, Tom began unraveling. After many poor decision-making moments, Tom and his group finally arrived at Eden, where Tom was able to settle down. However, his relationships with Darla and Ash were ruined by him focusing on building his relationship with Leigh, whose focus is not on him but on her malicious intentions.

Pre-series
Tom was married to a woman named Annie, who died giving childbirth. The child, Darla, survived. Tom has since been devoted to raising Darla in the post-apocalyptic town of Glenley where he protects as one of its sheriffs, though Annie's death has deeply traumatized Tom and has completely shaped his future. Now plagued by guilt of Annie's death, Tom is accursed with ending his relationships because of his inability to get over Annie. He married a nurse, Kate, early in Darla's childhood, but that marriage ended amicably.

Season 1
As the series begins, Tom is training a young deputy named Kelvin, and is dating Darla's teacher Sidney Strauss. He recovers a mysterious red-hooded stranger on the premises of Glenley. When he discovers that their electric fences have been sabotaged and disabled, Tom realizes this man is more of a threat than he anticipated. As an agent of The General, a tyrant who overtakes cities and towns for his own, this red-hooded stranger ends up leading numerous soldiers into the town for pure destruction. Tom leads a group of survivors out of Glenley and on the road.

Their first pit-stop is to New Venice, a post-apocalyptic metropolis once managed by Gwen, who wants to go back and retrieve her friends. Gwen's best friend Kitty, Kitty's husand Xander, Kitty's sister Lori, Lori's son Joey, and Gwen's ex-boyfriend Christopher join the group on this pit-stop, escaping as The General takes over the metropolis. Soon after, Tom is forced to deal with the revelation that one of his close confidantes, Declan, was a former convict in jail for his participation in a gang rape while a teenager. Tom manages to call the group to a vote, but Declan decides to leave on his own out of shame, a decision which Tom respects. On the road, Tom starts to strike up a bond with teenager Ash.

Tom leads his group to a fair, where it is rumored an Eden outpost is located, but it has since been overrun by The General, who captures Tom and his group. Tom and Kelvin witness young Ash brutally slaughter The General. The group manages to stay safe, until Tom realizes that his ex-wife Kate was gravely wounded in their escape attempt. He puts her down with a gunshot to the head to prevent reanimation.

Season 2
Tom loses his temper upon arriving to the airport after his daughter Darla is bit by a infected soldier, and the lieutenant stationed there, Griggs, blows up the airplane ready to take the group home as a precaution. Tom unloads an entire clip of his gun into Griggs's head, and the group begins to wonder about Tom's state of mind.

When Darla's arm is amputated and she is stabilized, the situation begins to defuse until the next-in-command soldier, Michael, begins planning an uprising. Most of the soldiers are picked off by attacking infected, and Ash takes out Michael with a headshot to shut him up, and Tom shoots down the two remaining soldiers. Now, Tom establishes himself as the leader of the airport group. Darla mentions to Tom that she feels like Sidney is trying to act a lot like Kate's replacement, which she finds uncomfortable, so the three decide together as a family unit to split ways, with Tom and Sidney breaking up.

Four months later, the group has split alliances, with many people siding with Gwen against Tom. Leigh and Tom participate in a relationship, but keep Darla out of it, much to Sidney's chagrin. Tom and Gwen have a scuffle about the rationing of food, as concern is raised that she was showing favoritism in her rations. Tom later decides to accompany Leigh to the Last Chance Society, to comfort her in her father's dying days, leaving Gwen in charge of things at the airport.

Libby, nurse of Leigh's father, told Tom and Leigh that Ronald was going to die soon. Leigh was unable to give him the medication that would quicken her father's death and do it painlessly, so Tom decided to help her out and do it himself. While at her father's funeral, Leigh runs off, leaving Tom to mull over his actions. Gwen, Ash, Darla, and an injured Manila arrived at the Last Chance Society after contacting Tom, in need of medical care for Manila, who was stabbed by a mysterious assailant. Tom later learns that his ex-girlfriend Sidney was a victim in the attack and he's left in a state of shock and anger.

Tom ended up caught in the struggle between John Smith and Father Warden for leadership, as Tom's people (particularly Declan and Ash) were used as scapegoats for the conflict and Tom refused to let that happen. With Kelvin left berated by Tom for turning his back on Tom and the rest of the group, Kelvin commited suicide in a last-ditch effort to protect Ash, and Tom was left with a bad taste in his mouth over his actions, feeling Kelvin took the easy way out. Tom witnessed Smith preparing a failsafe bomb and Smith fed himself to his infected wife, defeated. Leigh attempted to disable the bomb but Tom did not allow her to out of fear they were wasting time and he just wanted to get everyone to safety. As they fled, the bomb exploded behind them and numerous people were killed. Tom returned to the airport and visits Sidney's grave, before boarding the rescue plane and arrive at Eden.

At Eden, Gareth informed Tom of Leigh being a factor in Sidney's death, setting up a juicy conflict.

Season 3
An indeterminate amount of time since the season two finale has passed. Tom and the others have settled into Eden, and Ash has since moved out of Tom's suite. His relationships with Leigh and Darla have faltered, with suspicions fueling that Leigh was involved with Sidney's death after Gareth's hints. They attended therapy together, and he admitted to wanting to fight these suspicions and get back together while Leigh seemed more despondent and careless.

Tom cooked a dinner that Darla and Leigh attend, though it turns out disastrously as Darla pointed out that he didn't fight to work out his relationships with Kate and Sidney, and they actually cared about her. It turns into a shouting match and Leigh steps out, saying this isn't working out. At therapy the next day, both Tom and Leigh admit they want to work toward a goal of separating amicably. While on a walk after therapy, Tom encountered a woman who killed herself in her car of carbon monoxide poisoning. He put down her reanimated self, and is visibly traumatized after this. Leigh comforts him and learns that Tom's mother killed herself in this way, and witnessing this brought back that childhood trauma.

When Darla announces what happened to her outside the dome, Tom accompanies Leigh, Declan and Touch Star employee Victor to The Serpent's island in an effort to retrieve the kidnapped Ash and PJ.

Six weeks later
Tom has gained some authority and he and Leigh are pointing guns at each other. A bomb is on the table in between them and Leigh insists she has won, while Tom tells her it is over and he arrests her.

Killed Victims

 * Numerous counts of infected
 * Numerous counts of 'Jugulators'
 * Numerous citizens of the Last Chance Society (caused; refused to let Leigh defuse a bomb)
 * The General (Reanimated)
 * Kate Kirby (before reanimation)
 * Griggs
 * Two of Michael's soldiers
 * Ronald Weiss

Quotes
"One could say your death was senseless. But when you think about it... all death is senseless.  Death removes sense; it bursts into the everyday and colors it with shadows.  All death shatters hearts and families and worlds.  The only way to justify my actions--  the things I did to you-- I abandoned you for work.  Because I couldn’t move on from my wife.    I don’t whisper for the dead.  No.  They’re past saving.  I do it, I help people, to put the world back together...  and now it’s time to put my own world back together all over again.  My world and my daughter’s.  Rest in peace, Kate."

- Tom, delivering a eulogy for Kate

Trivia

 * Tom's theme is "Maybe They're On to Us" by NEEDTOBREATHE.