Nobody wants to see the forest through the trees, nobody thinks in a quantum physics mind frame so nobody in either in cinema or television wants to show you the #truth when writing, directing or producing a zombie genre film.
The Walking Dead graphic novel, which I highly recommend reading does explore this dark forest however sadly the television series does not. *Spoilers* The end of season two takes us to a place where we see Rick approaching his "Ricktatorship" which is something that also occurs in the graphic novel however the creation of our anti hero and his decent into madness does not occur in that manner at all.
The Fall of Shane however in the television series, leads up to but does not conclude the topic of this blog. Shane as we assume was an honorable man before the zombie apocalypse. He was Rick Grimes's partner in law enforcement and small town best friend that holds himself accountable for Rick's injury/hospitalization and in the madness of the zombie apocalypse retrieves and protects his best friend's wife and son. Consequently however Shane and Lori end up having an affair until the return of Rick.
Now I have to say that by allowing Shane to remain around longer in the series then in the graphic novel you are given some additional insight that is missed in the graphic novel. We get to see the complexity of Shane's evolving feelings and emotional state.
Now if you haven't read all or any of the graphic novels beyond this point I must quote Dr. River Song, "Spoilers".
The progression of the graphic novel is much more hurried than that of the television series however it is also slower for other points. Some characters die off sooner, some later and some never existed at all. (I'm looking at you Daryl) However we must consider the media source and how a person perceives things. You can't drag out a story over 16 comics like you can in 16 episodes.
In the graphic novel Sophia was not a zombie in the barn but yes Hershel had a barn of zombies, the group did not stay at the farm for so long before finding the prison via an unsuitable gated community after dealing with some snow and Lori's growing stomach because although Lori is also pregnant on the show she's not showing yet but like any classical soap opera we never fully understand how much time has passed, for all we know 16 episodes could only be a month in their world.
Alas there is SO MUCH MORE TO COME! *Spoilers* We have the Governor (which has been cast and is coming) and the sick little Thunder Dome like community he runs (If only Tina Turner and those hoop earrings where in this show- we don't need another hero...we don't need a way home....") we have the little band of prisoners, we have the downfall of the prison, the dramatic loss of characters, falling like dominoes to death by zombie and survivor alike, a band of cannibals and up to the point where I am, we have what seems like a new home.
All in all however in the graphic novel and ever so briefly in the television series, i.e. band other survivors met and killed in the bar, does it explore the very edge of the forest in the trees that in the zombie apocalypse the greatest threat to your survival is not the flesh consuming corpse slowly walking down the street it is the thinking and breathing neighbor struggling for their own existence and in most cases lost an immediate family member in the chaos of your new existence.
We all like to think that we would survive when the dead begin to walk, we all like to thing that we would be zombie killing, gun slinging, sons of bitches with the best hideouts and survival plans and besides the people on Doomsday Preppers none of us truly have mapped out our survival strategy, (and Survival Katie) have a basic set of supplies ready or have even thought about the notion that our family members, closest friend and that guy across the hall would survive with us. None of us take into consideration that we will have to band together with other survivors in order to survive or "rebuild the community" and none of us consider that dark nature that the human mind can take when it is faced with it's own survival or that fact that we would have to come together with people we would not normally mingle with to get by.
"Are you my mummy?"
Something that The Walking Dead graphic novel explores that the series has not fully explored and I doubt will explore is the dark side of humanity. What we would consider evil in nature by our standards I like to believe is actual nature.
From an evolution standpoint if you so choose to believe like I, we have evolved from apes that in their lives would have killed and eaten things "savagely", even each other to survive and in our desperate attempt to separate ourselves from the animal kingdom, remove ourselves from natural selection have "risen above" with reason.
I believe in this state, the Zombie Apocalypse that we humans would return to a semi animal state. Not saying we will grow hair all over our bodies or become random quadrupeds but I think between the shock and trauma of zombies and the instinctual need to survive a strong portion of society will turn to motives and action that what by today's societal standards are barbaric and detestable and that in order to survive the pandemic you yourself might have to take that turn as well.
*** I am not endorsing the consumption of human flesh *** (especially now, so any of you cannibals out there reading this, do not justify yourselves with this as an endorsement) and there is a good chance that I might become vegan in a zombie apocalypse since I don't want to gut a rabbit or odd squirrel however I do understand I will have to do what I gotta do to survive and that at sometime you will have to ask yourself "Have you ever danced with the Devil in the pale moonlight?" and if you ever have to, can you waltz out of the darkness to face the next day or will you fall victim to your own inner darkness and never see the light of day again? Can you face true human nature?
