There are few TV shows quite as popular as The Walking Dead. AMC's apocalyptic drama is currently in the midst of its whopping eighth season on the air, and is showing no signs of slowing anytime soon. With a crossover event on the way and its spinoff only gaining more popularity, it seems the zombie apocalypse could go on indefinitely. As such, we'll see plenty more major characters bite the dust as time goes by. Season 7 opened with the horrific death of Abraham (Michael Cudlitz) at the hands of Negan, bringing the ginger badass' story to an end. And now that Cudlitz is out of the woods, he can philosophize about the show. Specifically, how it echoes the themes of acclaimed novel Lord of the Flies.
How would you rebuild society, if you had a choice? What mistakes would you make? What things would you correct? Or would we be doomed to sort of repeat ourselves?
The Walking Dead certainly does seem to be a bit of a social experiment, and allegory about the human condition. If the power grids failed and an apocalyptic event happened, how would people respond? If the series and its spinoff are any indication, not well.
Michael Cudlitz' comments to News Breakfast show how much The Walking Dead cast truly internalizes and rationalizes the events of the series. Although fans might get frustrated or even fall off, the cast and crew seems to really love and cherish the massively popular series. And while casual audiences may just see jump scares and action sequences, hardcore fans will know that the series also focuses on humanity, family, and perseverance.
The Walking Dead alum's comparison to Lord of the Flies feels especially significant during the events of the past two seasons. While we thought the group was safe inside the walls of Alexandria, it turns out that area in Virginia had a myriad of communities. All the groups are under the thumb of Negan and The Saviors, and the latest drama is watching how the different parties unite in an attempt for freedom. These first meetings in Season 7 were very much a lesson in human behavior, as slowly the layers of distrust and shame were pulled back for characters like Rick, Ezekiel, and Dwight.
Now the big question is whether the events of The Walking Dead will end up like they did in William Golding's award winning novel. Lord of the Flies' terror stops when an adult enters the picture, and the boys are finally able to self reflect. If TWD is going that route, then perhaps there's a way that Negan and Rick could find an uneasy alliance after all. We'll just have to wait and see.
The Walking Dead will return to AMC on February 25th. In the meantime, check out our midseason premiere list to plan your next binge watch, and our cancellation list to see if your favorite show got the chop last year.
