The Walking Dead (Continued First Season)

As I continue to think about my zombie story, I have finished watching The Walking Dead, analyzing a world where staying together and surviving are the most important things in life. Even as the world is considered over, there are still few who continue to battle everyday against the undead.

            Throughout the whole first season, The Walking Dead continues to see shifts in emotion and hope. There is always something tragic, followed by a ray of hope, back to misery. It’s a vicious cycle. Even when everything seems fine, there still has to be something bad that happens to the survivors as the population of the living continues to decrease. Even when in an apparently safe camp, zombies raid one night and take several members, turning them into undead monsters. When Rick ultimately convinces the rest of the group to leave, it shows a weakness among their trust in each other, which is an important concept throughout the show. Rick does a lot to save the group, but they continue to just look at his decision to go back to the city and take most of the men with him. They’re starting to lose trust, but ultimately decide to go with him to the CDC building (a giant scientific lab believed to be protected by the military so they can find a cure for the zombie infection).

            There again is a shift as they go from the tragedy at the camp, to finding “heaven” at the CDC building. When they are greeted by Dr. Jenner, he shows them around the safe haven. The kids enjoy the play room, while the adults enjoy hot showers and good food, along with plenty of alcohol. Everything seems perfect, but somehow the writers of The Walking Dead get the viewer to know something bad is going to happen. Whenever something good happens, the viewer knows something even worse is going to strike the group. They viewer is just forced to anticipate what is going to happen, and then still be shocked when it finally occurs. As the group enjoys their only night at the CDC, they find out the next morning about the building’s self-destruct system which will kill all of them in less than a split-second. Jenner tries to explain to them that death is the best option, as he almost tricks Rick into telling him that it’s only a matter of time before they die outside anyways. Eventually they find a way out, as the last episode of season one ends and leaves the viewers questioning what happens next.

            The most important thing to writing such a great zombie story is keeping hope and emotions on a rollercoaster. There are always ups and downs. There’s never anything that kills all of them and ends the story, and there isn’t any happy ending. As survivors fight for their lives, their patience with each other is tested, and they continue to fight the unexpected.