The Walking Dead Series Overview and Prediction
*Warning: Potential spoilers, if you have not completed TWD (tv series) from Season 1 throughout Season 6*
The purpose of this post is to open up a new perspective on TWD as a TV series and to redirect attention from Negan’s victim in the Season 6 finale to a broader consideration. Please take all of these thoughts for what they’re worth and feel free to comment.
After the finale, headlines of social medial discussion of TWD have included some sort of theory as to who was killed off. During the last 13 minutes of the season 6 finale, I was not only pulled in by how intense the scene was, but I was also curious as to how a character such as Negan was able to rise to such power and accrue such a following. I was also thinking, “what if TWD wasn’t necessarily told from the perspective of Rick Grimes?” At this point, the viewers have no idea of Negan’s apocalypse background. Rather, we have been taken on the journey of Rick Grimes - a sheriff who wakes up from a coma to enter into the apocalyptic world, establishes a leadership role among a group of survivors, and encounters life changing dilemmas. In the second half of Season 6, there is a notable scene is where Rick is speaking to the Alexandrian group in the church about how they must attack the Saviors before Alexandria is attacked, as these are bad people and are unable to be negotiated with. This scene is particularly striking to me, as this is the first time throughout the whole series so far that I have questioned my perspective of Rick Grimes as a hero.
AMC has a history of producing TV series in which we find the viewer struggling with their perspective on a character, and no other show exemplifies this better than Breaking Bad. We are introduced to Walter White as another protagonist who must make ends meet to take care of himself and his family. But throughout the series, we see the evolution (or perhaps, devolution) of Walter White from high school chemistry teacher to a methamphetamine kingpin committing an onslaught of crimes that lead viewers to question their stance on his character. Is he still a protagonist, or has he become the main villain?
After Rick Grimes ordered the slaughter of The Saviors in their compound, I reconsidered how I ultimately felt about his character. With having our biased background knowledge of his journey, we are led to believe that Rick and his group are the heroes in this situation. But what if TWD was told from the perspective of Negan from the beginning of Season 1? If this were the case, then I am inclined to believe that the slaughter in the compound would cause viewers to see the Alexandrians as evil as The Saviors. To be blunt, Rick Grimes has done some fucked up shit, but the viewers are led to believe that everything Rick does is in good conscience. Why? Because we have been forced into the idea that Rick is still a good guy. We expect that Rick will be the leader of the new world. But underneath all of this, it is my opinion that we are beginning to see Rick Grimes devolve into someone more villainous.
Let’s go back to the very beginning of Season 1. Remember how Rick Grimes rose to power among the small group of survivors? He presented himself as a strong, charismatic, kind individual who would do anything to protect his group. NOW, here’s where I’m about to introduce something that, to put it in the most cliche of terms, blew my mind when I thought of it. When the viewers are first introduced to Daryl Dixon, he is the aggressive, volatile younger brother of Merle Dixon - an outcast of society. Throughout each season, we have seen so much growth from his character. He has reached a level of respect within the group that is comparable to how the group respects Rick. The details of this particular prediction are a little fuzzy, but I believe that we may begin to see a role reversal with Rick and Daryl. This role reversal will ultimately lead up to Rick being questioned by his group and considered to be a danger by others. At the same time, Daryl will become more and more respected by the others until he replaces Rick as the lead figure. Perhaps Daryl will be even faced with the challenge of eliminating Rick if he poses too much of a threat to the good of the group.
I would love to have feedback on these ideas, but I think that this would be a fantastic and somewhat unexpected plotline. Comments?
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