" No, the world we know is gone"
"but keeping our humanity,"
"That's a choice."
MatPat: Oh, is it Dale. I beg to differ
*AWESOME Film Theory intro music*
Hello internet
Welcome to Film Theory
The most brain dead shown on all the internet
And wouldn't you know it, The Walking Dead is back.
Now, I love talking about zombies and the Walking Dead
Where to survive, what weapons to use, zombie decomposition
*Zombie growling sound*
"That's gonna leave a mark."
But one thing that I love about the walking dead is that it does perhaps the best job of
exploring the mental toll and physical realities of
what it would be like to live in this biter filled world
day after day. Well...
realities all except for the deafness of the survivors
Yeah Bobby Kirks, I'm not letting that one die!
oh yeah and the fact that the blood born insects would transmit the disease.
"You guys really work hard to find out scientific reasons for all this stuff and then I go"
"I don't know. Mosquitos Nah, too hard."
"Great"
(back to voice over): Truth hurts
That Robert Kirkman, by the way,
The creator himself
who I got to interview and grill about some of the fan communities theories about the show.
He confirmed
(Live action): "Who have you been most sad to see die off the show?"
"Tyreece, definitely Tyreece."
(voice over) and denied
(Live action): Has Rick been in a coma this whole time?" "No"
(voice over) Some huge things about the show including some of my own theories
but I'll save more on that until the end of this episode.
Because first I want to focus on another realization that hit me as I watched Negan bash out someones eye with a barb-wire bat
The sheer density of just awful
awful, depraved, sick human beings Rick and the group encounter
on a regular basis
Remember, these guys are taking a few hikes through the American South in the span of less than 2 years
according to online sources, the end of season 5
was only about 514 days after the initial outbreak
but in that year and a half, they've run into murderous dictators, flesh-eating cannibals, and more roadside criminals than you can shake a lucielle at
Now at first I thought this was just for story-telling purposes
You know, we need to have drama in a story so let's sprinkle in a fresh helping of ruthless maniacs every so often to see how the group responds
but then I stopped and realized something
That if the events of The Walking Dead happen in real life,
You'd see the exact same thing happen
This isn't a fictional system built on false stakes
An apocalypse like this actually gives a survival advantage to certain personality types. Specifically,
Psychopaths
The demands of a zombie apocalypse in particular means you'd start to develope a significantly higher proportion of sociopaths
in the surviving population
so, what exactly does that mean?
and how does it affect Rick and the Pips?
well prepare yourself for one eye-popping conclusion
First, we need to define our terms
because even in researching for this episode I was literally pulling my hair out trying to get it all straight
because no one standard of definition really exists
so more often then not, the word psychopathy is referring to
"a mental disorder that causes a person to not feel guilt"
Psychopaths tend to be unfeeling and have a difficult time connecting to the emotions of others
they're arrogant and manipulative and tend to be huge risk-takers
Sociopathy, from all my reading
is basically the same thing but with one small difference
in general usage, psychopaths are born while sociopaths are bred.
Nature vs. nurture
Severe trauma or some sort of abuse are the most likely culprits of creating a sociopath
someone with disaffected emotion and great skill in manipulation
however, it's worth noting that both fall under the category of anti-social personality disorder or ASPD
So, got all that?
Well, even if you don't I think this quote from someone who is actually suffering from ASPD will clear it up for you.
quote
(reading on screen text)
So clearly we're talking about individuals who have a hard time reading the emotions of others
while also not really caring about those emotions or those people much in the first place
now, part of the reason we all love zombie fiction so much is that we assume it's our chance to be a badass
(accent) look at me getting to wield crowbars and shotguns and spiked bats
looting homes and having all sorts of creative kills. BOOM. Headshot
except, there's that operative word of kill.
something most of us overlook is that zombies still look very human
and psychologically speaking we're programmed not to kill each other
and that's not even mentioning having to kill loved ones who are just bitten
we see this situation played out time and time again in The Walking Dead
Daryl is forced to kill Dale
Morgan must kill his wife
Carl steps up to be the one to put his mother out of her misery
so as you can imagine, being able to separate yourself emotionally from other humans is going to be super helpful
when your very survival is dependent you stabbing human looking figures through the brain all the time
I.e. the trait that literally defines Anti-social personality disorder
and that's something The Walking Dead nails
time and time again throughout this series we see men who could be diagnosed with some form of ASPD in positions of power
Negan, the head of the saviors, who manipulates people with his charm
uses fear to keep people in line and makes killing into a game
From issue 114 of the comic quote
(reading text appearing on screen)
All signs of a sociopath through and through
then there's Joe, leader of the claimers
(text on screen being spoken by Joe)
and then really finds his place during the apocalypse
and of course you can't forget the Governor.
A smooth talking manipulator
(text on screen read by the Governor)
Who rules with an iron fist.
Killing anyone who threatens him without hesitation
including his own men.
(on screen text spoken by the Governor)
Then there are the people who are changed by the apocalypse
not changed in the sense that they became a zombie
but rather the traumas of the apocalypse
changed them into sociopaths
and perhaps no one exemplifies this better than Gareth
Head of Terminus. A group
of literal cannibals
Terminus started as a community to help others who needed it in the aftermath of the zombies
but when a violent road gang took advantage of their good will
and started killing them
imprisoning them and raping them he changed from this
To this
Becoming murderous, becoming distrustful and manipulating others only to betray them
Turning into a sociopath was a survival advantage for him and his crew
So as we see with Gareth, you would think that communities who don't have ASPD
the ones who look for peaceful solutions and work towards community minded goals
people like Rick and the Grimes
would get swallowed up by these characters
Are doomed
If you're not willing to pull the trigger first, the sociopath gonna do it for ya
(Rick) We can all live together. There's enough room for all of us.
*Music*
"Kill em all"
*Sound effects
So is that it?
do the sociopaths slowly weed out everyone else in the zombie apocalypse until it's just a world of Negans and Governors?
Well, not according to the show and not according to science
the sociopathic leaders and ruthless criminals that we run into throughout the series
all seem to get themselves pick off one way or another by the prolific Grimes Gang
Sure, it isn't alway easy but Ricks ranger always make it while these supposedly perfect survival machines
always ended up taking a biter to the face
but why?
Well it turns out that this post-apocalypse is just another round of good old fashion Darwinian survival of the fittest
and here's what I mean.
Darwinian evolution was first based on individual evolution
the best individuals survive
fish grows feet, beaks get optimized, all that jazz
but over time, evolutionary biologists have found that that's not actually the whole story.
enter Group Survival Theory and Multi-Level Selection Theory
two, haha, evolutions of Darwins original ideas.
these are both really complicated and go into a lot of genetics and cell biology
but at their core, the theories look to explain why animals of the same species cooperate with each other
shouldn't every Dalmatian be trying to compete with all the other Dalmatians
for Dalmatian DNA Domination?
try saying that one 5 times fast
in reality, it's not what you see.
Instead, you animals working together in groups and packs and using altruism to promote the survival of the species as a whole
well it turns out that when you take away the basic necessities for human survival
like toilet paper and Iphones,
we're still just a species trying to survive togther
and not get eaten alive
or go deaf by shooting guns to close to our ears
and we function by the same rules as other species
especially when it comes to group survival and Multi-Level Selection Theory
Humans in cooperative groups survive better than lone wolves
as long as the groups are genuinely cooperative, like Ricks.
the key is that the benefits of a group need to outway the benefit of going it alone
and in The Walking Dead, loners don't last.
So, when the show spends all that time slow grinding through group dynamics
it's not just so that we can see Daryl and Carol have yet another stunted heart to heart in the moonlight
it's because that's the stuff that's actually keeping every one of those characters alive.
So, where does that leave our villains?
Well, like I said group survival theory only works when members cooperate.
And when there's genuine altruism
know who doesn't do altruism. unchecked sociopaths, unchecked psychopaths, people with ASPD
They do narcissism
a pathological over-confidence in their own abilities that drives them away from group survival theory
forget about helping others
that requires empathy and concern for people's survival
Something that sociopaths not only don't feel but biologically cannot feel
Personally, I can't stand the character of Carl
But, he has one amazing quote in issue 125 of the comics that summarizes all of this perfectly
quote
his advice is more practical than it seems
becoming numb to fear and anxiety about losing people isn't just a matter of convenience
it's a matter of survival
Fear drives people toward group survival theory
and without being able to feel fear, you're no longer the best equipt to survive
the egoism the sociopaths in the series have in spades
still can't make for that fact that you can't function in a group in the long term
if you need a perfect example of it take a look at the Governors storyline in the comics
which looks a little bit different than it does in the TV show
in the comic, it's not Michonne who ultimately kills him
it's his own army
who eventually refuses to kill more innocent people on his orders
but it also does hold true in the AMC series
in the TV show before Michonne kills the Governor,
he has to survive another attempt on his life
from Meryle
a member of his supposed survival group who turns on him, only to side with his brother
so in the end even though it seems like sociopaths would be the best fit for survival in The Walking Dead,
their lack of empathy and their inability to participate
in group survival ultimately spells their downfall every time.
Contrary to what the critics say, The Walking Dead does have a message of hope.
even if it is buried under mean characters who get their eyes beaten out
or their jugulars torn from their throat
or old loveable doctors who lose their legs
and eventually their heads
I guess in the end I got to hand it to Robert Kirkman
in the interview I asked him about this theory having not done the research yet
I was assuming that it would end that sociopaths have the best chance of survival in the apocalypse.
He told me this
"you know, walking dead is very much about"
"how much we care for our family and loved ones and how we struggle to, you know"
"take care of them, protect them, how it effects us, you know, when something bad happens to them. I think it's that"
"you know the humanity of that and the core aspect of Walking Dead is universal"
and speaking of that interview, I'm gonna leave you now with that
because it full with a bunch of theory talk that I think you're gonna really enjoy
so in the meantime guys
remember
that's just a theory
a film theory
actually, more accuratly: a bunch of TV theories
annnd, here's that interview
mat: you heard it here Robert: that would be the worst
Mat: stop it with the comas Robert: that would be the absolute worst thing ever
R: like if seems like it's gonna be the absolute worst thing ever then it's not true.
R: "that seems like a sound theory but it would be terrible"
R: we should shoot that scene just to mess with people though
M: one of the things that we noticed across the walking dead TV show is that the zombies have seemed to more and more decayed or decomposed
as the seasons have gone on.
M: cause we calculated it R: what did you guys calculate?
M: because they're on the surface exposed to the elements and because of the extreme heat of the American South
they would be fully decayed by about 2 months in
R: yeah that's something that Greg Nicotero and his team at KMB
they sit down between every season and try and figure out like
what's the new advancement we can do with a zombie or what's a way that we can make them look a little different
the idea there is that you know time is going on
M: so is there a period of time that you've kind of had in you head where that first mega of wave of zombies that we see in season 1
dies out or passes on or kind of returns to the dust?
R: around like 16 season or so
*laughing and stammering*
M: when the audience uh starts to move away from the show
M: who have you been most sad to see you know, die off in the show?
R: it's hard to play favorites
R: just because you know, I do like them all
but Tyreece, definitely Tyreece
it's hard with the show cause they're all so connected to actors
and it's like I miss all of the actors M: of course
R: you know, you go to press events and there not there and all the sudden you like
"wait, where's Steven Yeun? Why isn't Steven here? Did he not come to this one?"
R: oh M:oh, he passed on
R: "that was a mistake I really liked hanging out with that guy."
*laughing* R: but uhh
it's gotten to a point where
I'm the guy on the show that's like
"hey, wouldn't it be weird if we did a season where we didn't kill anybody?"
M: it be a shock
M: it would be a shock R: yeah it's like yeah that's how you shock people now
R: you don't kill people. Can we just not kill people
R: and then it's always like well there's this story that needs this
but it's wearing me down is what I'm saying. It's too much death M: I get it
M: killing people is emotionally taxing
R: I know. It's the worst
R: I don't know how the serial killers do it.
M: speaking of Tyreece, as the theory guy R: oh tell me more
M:there's a lot of online theories that there are hidden secrets as to the end of the series
in kind of his death sequence or kind of the death hallucinations that he's having in his final moments
M: any truth or... R: huh. huh
R: I'm not gonna deny anything
R: i think you might be onto something M: 16 years down the road
R: I don't know if it necessarily points to the end but you know
M: maybe some future events R: sure sure
M: you gotta settle the age old debate
R: yes. I love settling debates okay M: who would win in a fight, who would win in a fight R: not me
M: okay done well then that's, that's the question. You heard it here first
not Robert
R: who was it against, just to be sure?
M: the debate was uh, Carl vs, Michonne vs. Daryl
M: I know... the choice is obvious to me R: geez
R: all three at the same time? M: yeah
R: I feel like that would be M: Battle Royale
R: you know, they're gonna have trouble hurting Carl and Carl's gonna win. Not because
he's the better fighter
but just because the other 2 are gonna be at a disadvantage because of their humanity and they're gonna underestimate the kid
but you know look straight out, the physical ability and
I kinda give it to Michonne
Daryl is cried more in the show like
way more that Michonne has way more
M: but he has a ranged weapon
R: ranged weapon pfff
R: whatever M: What!
R: he shoots one off, she takes it in the shoulder he's reloading she cuts his head off
M: I think a lot of people who are aspiring creators
especially who watch this show
would love to kind of know what it's like when you've quote unquote "made it" you know
did you ever expect to get here?
R: it's tough, it's real tough M: and what is it now?
R: no I don't know
I mean the the neuroses those never go away. I'm still insecure
I still hate everything that I do, I still I still try to make everything better than I possibly can and I'm always disappointed when I don't reach that level
all that creative torment that I felt in the beginning
Totally still present
M: has it increased now that achieved such a level of immense popularity that "oh, I'm gonna let down the fans" or "oh"
"I don't wanna disappoint them" or do you kind of like as a sociopath,
relish in those moments of like "oh man they're gonna love me for this."?
R: if I start paying attention to that
while I'm trying to write
I'm never gonna get anything done
you know. Every time I sit down to work I'm trying to make it good.
If I try to add an extra layer of pressure
because it's gonna be seen by more people
uh I feel like it's just gonna make the work bad
as a creative person if you're out there trying to
worry about whether or not the thing you're doing is gonna be successful
or if it's gonna be received by an audience
uh you're kinda knee capping yourself
because what you really should be focusing on is you know, does it speak to you?
then also eat your vegetables
M: and with that
we conclude thearapy with Robert
M: Thank you, thank you so much R: great time
R: awesome
R: lots of fun M: thank you for proving that he's not in a coma
R: definitely not in a coma M: literally the worst
R: that'd terrible M: so bad R: it's terrible