When I choose films or TV to watch, I tend to lean towards the survival genre. It gets my blood pumping and my brain thinking, “what would I do in that situation?” I’m not a dooms day prepper, but I do want Lasik and a gun. I know, super random, but both would increase my chances of surviving a zombie apocalypse… Which brings me to my favorite show on television: The Walking Dead.
After the initial season, you realize zombies are not as much of a threat. I mean, these aren’t sprinting, agile, World War Z zombies. World War Z zombies are scary. The Walking Dead zombies are remnants of once-humans, decaying flesh, no brain functioning, slow, bumbling, basically, you can get around them. Once you realize this, you understand that the other surviving humans are the real threat. The show questions good, bad, who is a leader, surviving vs. living. The main cast is very diverse and next to Shonda Rhimes’ shows, must employ the most actors of color.
I love the theme of surviving vs. living. The survivors of the show are constantly looking over their shoulder, utilizing their “fight or flight” senses. They are constantly seeing loved ones die and other humans doing very bad things. They are also always making actual life-or-death decisions. It must be like how the first humans lived; however, the first humans didn’t have a life of cell phones, cars, and grocery stores to compare to before they had to survive. Is surviving living? If your whole family is dead, who are you building the new world for, and why? The show gets you thinking in this way and I love it.
The first seasons of the Walking Dead are available on Netflix and make for great binge-watching. Let us know what you think of the show.
