THE WALKING DREAM
There are many fan theories out there and I’m sure this one has been explored before but I’m going to do it here and now. The questions many fans of The Walking Dead (TWD) and Fear the Walking Dead (FTWD) have begged for more than walkers begging to eat your flesh is; how did it all begin? How did the outbreak start? Was it man made? Is it an act of nature? Is it aliens? Is it some other unknown? Well my theory and I’m sure the theory of many other fans is this, it didn’t happen, it’s all a dream.
Let’s break it down for you and pepper in a little history in the process. Originally the story of TWD was pitched to Image Comics by creator Robert Kirkman. Image Comics passed on the idea under the belief that no one would want a comic about Zombies and it would not be sustainable as a long running series. Kirkman in an act of desperation came back to Image and said they didn’t understand, the series has a twist to it, the zombie outbreak is actually created by aliens. Image Comics thought this would be an interesting plotline and published TWD. The Walking Dead then took off and became a success that outsold many other long running comics from all publishers. Image Comics one day approached Kirman and asked when the aliens were going to show up, this is when Kirkman came clean about the lie he used to get his comic launched. Yes boys and girls, the Walking Dead juggernaut was built upon a lie.
So where does that leave us on the outbreak? Well it has been left up in the air, at least on a fan level. My theory is it is not happening, it is all a dream and I think Fear the Walking Dead helps to really solidify that. Consider the circumstances, the Walking Dead starts when Rick Grimes wakes from a coma he is in after being shot in the line of duty. But what if he didn’t wake up? What if everything we are seeing is in Rick’s imagination? What if Glen is an orderly who got pissed having to clean up Rick’s bed pan one day and called him a dumbass? What if Rick thinks Shane and Lori are knocking boots because they always visit him together? What if Dale, Hershel, and Morgan are different experts brought in to see if they can get Rick to wake up?
Let’s consider a few other things that seemingly fall through the cracks or fans just don’t think about. The biggest issue I see is there is no concept of time going on here. Sure there was a time when Andrea mentioned staying with Michonne for the winter but that’s really it. No holidays are mentioned, months, weeks, years, birthdays, nothing. Now before you attack me like a pack of walkers on a prison raid think about this; yes it’s the end of the world, yes time really doesn’t matter anymore, yes there is little cause for celebration. But! There are kids and parents involved, sure Lori couldn’t keep track of Carl if he was staple gunned to her hip, covered in cow bells and lighting himself on fire but do you really think Hershel would all of a sudden just stop saying happy birthday to his girls, or merry Christmas? This is a god fearing product of the bible family man who wants to pretend the end of the world is not actually happening. Now our cast is in Alexandria, a town convinced everything is hunky dory, they also have multiple kids yet there is no thanksgiving, no birthdays, no Christmas, no anything.
Another thing you notice is no one tries to confirm if this outbreak is strictly local to America or if it is global. Even when our group stopped into the CDC, at no point did our good doctor mention nor did anyone ask if anyone tried to contact or confirm how wide spread this is. You would think in the earliest stages there would have been a phone call or email, or something, but it never gets mentioned. This points to Rick ‘world building’ in his own mind, it’s not that England and France don’t exist it’s just that it’s not anywhere that Rick thinks or cares about. You may also notice that the places Rick feels most safe in are law related. You may have noticed that in Rick’s world the police station is the only place for hot showers, guns, communication, and transportation, the prison was the safest place to live yet a town with steel walls is not. Terminus, a train station seemed to be used as symbolism to which direction the team would go and how old members would reunite.
Then there are the Walkers, each season they have begun to rot more and more, they have also become slower and weaker, until now. In the current season our walker are fresher, more spry, and faster. Sure you could blame fresh kills on the Wolves but the Wolves mark their kills with a ‘W’ in the forehead. This seems to point to a revamp in Rick’s dreams.
Aside from the holidays we lack seasons, there are none and no acknowledgment of this. Another issue is upkeep, has anyone else noticed well-manicured lawns and plants in desolate towns? This seems like too easy a detail for writers, directors, and set builders to overlook.
I said Fear the Walking Dead helps to really solidify my belief that this is all a dream so let me explain. Fear the Walking Dead begins with Nick Clark shooting up in an abandoned church and seemingly floating in and out of consciousness. So what if what we are seeing is a product of Nick overdosing and going into a coma? What if he is in the church overdosing on that dirty mattress and FTWD is actually just playing out in his mind? I present to you again the lack of time; only here it’s even more apparent. How long has the quarantine gone on? No one complains about it being days, weeks, or months, you just kind of assume. How many times have we watched as Nick seems to be okay, chilling by the pool, strolling around or what not? Sure we point to him getting ahold of new drugs but what if it’s all in his head? Has anyone else noticed that no one in his quarantine seem to pay any mind to how quickly the drugs he is stealing seem to disappear even though they are on a regulated drip?
All in all I think it is safe to say the answer is quite clear, it’s not that the outbreak is spreading, it’s just tricks of the imagination and the TWD will either end with Rick waking or dying, get ready to Fear the Walking Dream.
