If you’ve ever taken a film studies class then you know everything can have a deeper meaning. That meaning and understanding can also be viewed differently by each individual.
In my new series: Unraveling The Dead, I plan to explore the underlining themes, dissect the characters and expose the hypocrisy not only in the show but the fandom as i see it.
I thought my first one would be about the man who is The Walking Dead:
Rick Grimes: A God or Something else?
Rick is probably the most intricate character on the whole show.
Religion and Rick
Following in the footsteps of many main characters, Rick has a godlike persona.
There are many common themes between Rick and a “Christ” like figure.
Death doesn’t suit him
Rick just doesn’t die or does he but doesn’t stay there.
Let’s look at examples:
1. When Shane was at the hospital at the beginning he sensed no pulse or breathing. Shane says this could’ve been due to the gun fire but I’m not entirely positive of that. He wakes up 3-4 months later like he hasn’t taken a breath in months. I think this is the first instance of death and awakening.
2. He “speaks” to the dead, including his wife looking for redemption as well as peace. Many write this off as a delusion of an upset man but once again I see it as more.
3. When the jail blows up, Rick collapses in the house he finds with Carl. There was a moment when Rick wasn’t moving, talking or seemingly breathing when he started moaning. Eventually, we heard “Carl”. Once again we go back to death and awakening.
4. Then there’s the metal rod that literally pierces half his body. On his trip to the bridge not only did he stay ahead of the dead but he saw and spoke to the three people (representation of the three wish men) Shane, who represented his inner battle and the man he had to become, Hershel, voice of reason and a father figure, and then Sasha who was killed sacrificing herself trying to save the others just like him. He then blows himself up on a bridge, saying he found his family and to save the others, right after a debate of who has the right to live and who gets to die between the saviors and Oceanside and Michonne and Maggie. Somehow though, Rick survived.
Judas complex
Rick also had his own versions of Judas.
1. Shane: he betrayed Rick due to his jealousy of the family he was going to have before his return. I also personally think that he had been scratched and was slowly dying. He also thought he was showing Rick who he needed to be.
2. Daryl: This was even harder than Shane to take. Not only did Daryl and Maggie allow the women from Oceanside to murder Arat causing the gunfire that drew the walkers but also the unrest with the saviors. Then, Daryl takes Rick on a joy ride and keeps him away so Maggie can murder Negan. If Rick had been in Alexandria, he could’ve gathered a team to fend off the oncoming horde.
Love
Rick had a lot of love to give. He wanted the world to be a place where everyone could trust one another but he learned quickly this wasn’t the case.
He put a lot of trust in the people around him. He loved his children with everything he has and is going to be heartbroken when he learns about RJ.
His own demons
He had his own demons he continually fought.
1. He denounced baby Judith for a while due to her parentage due to his hate towards Shane and his guilt for not being there for Lori and Carl having to kill her.
2. He left that traveler to die on the side of the road.
3. He murdered those saviors while they slept at the satellite without knowing anything about them.
Godlike or diseased
Like I mentioned before, Rick doesn’t die. But, thanks to my brother Logan, who brought this to my attention, I don’t believe it’s because he’s a God but because the disease affected him differently.
We feel the disease that caused the dead to reanimate affected Rick differently than everyone else.
In Torchwood: Miracle Day, immortal Jack Harkness became mortal while everyone else became immortal when his blood mixed with alien technology.
Well, when the disease mixed with Rick’s blood it does the opposite of what it usually does. He dies but comes back as his normal self.
In Conclusion,
Rick is a bag of mixed nuts and they’re impossible to crack.
Is he a God?
Is he responding to the disease differently than everyone else?
No one knows for sure but we do know one thing,
Rick Grimes is the beating heart of The Walking Dead and I can’t wait to see where his journey goes in the future.