Why I’m Not Walking

In Defense of Baseball Bats and Barbed Wire

 

So unless you’ve fallen off a truck recently, hit your head, lapsed into a coma and switched bodies with a dog’s chew toy, you’re probably aware that the Walking Dead finally aired it’s long awaited season premiere this past Sunday. And there has been quite an issue raised by some, especially on social media, regarding the content of the show and the brutality of what we saw there.

Since horror is where I live in the narrative sense, I wanted to share some thoughts on this. I’m not going to get into the specifics of the episode – this will be a spoiler free discussion and I would ask that if anyone leaves a comment, please respect that. I realize at this point that most people know who died, I even saw an image of a newspaper obituary for the character. Still, my default position is always to respect the experience of the viewer, to not risk taking away what I got to enjoy.

First of all, I want to make it clear that in no way do I think less of anyone who might be put off by the content of the show. I get it. The scene was very disturbing and difficult to watch, even if you didn’t have an attachment to the characters.

I also agree that the Walking Dead is not perfect as a show. Like any other series, it has its high and low points. While I appreciate that a major premise of the comics is that people can be just as bad, or even worse than the monsters, I kind of wish the zombies would start to get a bigger role in the stories. Ever since the introduction of the Governor, I think the show has been stuck in a cycle of atrocity – retribution, and I wouldn’t mind seeing a new direction. It doesn’t have to only be about the slow burn up to the horrible tragedy that our heroes must avenge, often in an equally depraved fashion.

But for as much as I think the show has done wrong over the last few years, this is one example of something they did right. Was it brutal? Yes, of course. But it was a brutality that perfectly mirrored the original story of the source material.

And yes, I realize that the show has strayed from the continuity of the comics on more than one occasion, to the point of even inventing characters that never exists originally. But this introduction of the character of Negan was one of the most iconic moments of the comics. To make the Walking Dead and not do this scene would be like doing Game Of Thrones without doing the Red Wedding.

Taking a show that has gone somewhat stale and turning things around requires a dramatic break from the formula, from the structure of what the viewers find familiar. This premiere for the Walking Dead accomplishes that, by brutally taking away something we love. This is horror. And in horror sometimes, things happen that challenge us. Horror isn’t always easy. But I think it’s usually a pretty honest reflection of our humanity. Horror isn’t about making you safe or virtuous. Horror is about making you think. It’s about making you feel.

I’ve seen the phrase “torture porn” thrown around a lot this week and I don’t necessarily want to definitively say that the Walking Dead is or isn’t torture porn as that is extremely subjective. Speaking for myself, while I can see that much of the violence could be described as gratuitous, I think that the fact that the show does so well with character development gives the overall experience enough substance that I’m willing to overlook other lapses. Also, this is a brutal, bleak world these characters live in. To not put that on display would be, in my opinion, dishonest and inauthentic.

So while I feel bad if this recent show bothered you, I think that the show itself is only guilty of doing what it has done from day one. I think the name of the show alone should be indicative enough to make people realize that there are occasionally going to be moments that are emotionally challenging and violent.

And not for nothing, but I don’t think anyone who tuned into the premiere could have been surprised by what they saw. This moment has been hyped by AMC and social media for months, ever since the season finale from this past spring. How many ridiculous posts and articles have you had to read, hyper-dissecting the order in which everyone was lined up and where the trees were in relation to Negan and who he might have been standing in front of?

Most of us knew this was coming.

So if the Walking Dead isn’t your thing, that’s okay. Like I said, I understand why people could be sickened to the point of not wanting to watch the show. anymore. Fortunately, the solution is simple.

Just don’t watch it.

And I don’t mean that to sound flippant or dismissive. Just that your departure from the show or your choice not to watch doesn’t need to be heralded by trumpets sounding or great fanfare. I only mean that we live in an era with an unprecedented number of options for entertainment. From the confines of your home, you can watch movies, with nearly unlimited options. You can read books (hint, hint) or look at art. You can watch videos about cats or traveling or cooking. You can learn how to play chess or paint. You can listen to, or record music You can watch full seasons of television shows that even predate Netflix and Amazon.

There’s plenty out there for you.

And while I’m on the subject, I also wanted to address those out there trying to defend the show. Take it easy folks, okay? You also don’t contribute anything to the discussion when you dismiss people by calling them pussies or babies or delicate flowers. Not when their only offense is to be a human being who is affected by seeing a person’s skull bashed in on a television show.

The playground of popular entertainment is massive. There are shows designed for users of all kinds of temperament and sensibilities. You don’t need anyone’s permission to watch the shows you want and likewise, you shouldn’t feel like you’re some kind of a gatekeeper, evaluating the quality of people’s character, based on the content they take in. There’s enough space and enough options that we should all be able to get along.

Just don’t shit in the sandbox.