“People in Hell Want Slurpees”: The Redefinition of the Zombie Genre through the Salvific Portrayal of Family on AMC's The Walking Dead

Abstract

AMC's popular, post-apocalyptic show The Walking Dead follows a clan of survivors as they endure the zombie apocalypse while struggling to maintain their humanity. The characters pursue temporal salvation through four social institutions: family, government, religion, and science/medicine, identified by a preliminary soak. Through content analysis of dialogueic, visual, and nonverbal references to these institutions across seasons 1–3 (N = 35), we find that each respective season proposed, and then rejected to some extent, the redemptive roles of science, religion, and the state—mirroring actual contemporary distrust. Simultaneously, through persistent, underlying storylines, the show reveals a traditional understanding of the centrality of familial relationships to maintaining a liberal society's survival—which we argue redefines the zombie genre away from its leftist roots.

Keywords:

• Genre Theory
• Zombies
• Social Institutions
• Family
• Television
• Content Analysis

Acknowledgments

We are indebted to the constructive feedback provided by Kory Floyd and the anonymous reviewers. Their suggestions greatly enhanced the quality of this article. We also appreciate the discussants (Laurie Naranch and William Miller), panelists, and audience members at the “Politics, Literature, and Film” session of the 2014 Midwest Political Science Association meeting for their insightful comments and questions. Finally, we thank our families for providing us the time to view all these episodes twice. As our findings attest, you are the central support for our lives and work!

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

[1] We maintain convention by using the term “zombie” throughout this essay. TWD, however, eschews this label—instead preferring “walkers” and other terms (“biters,” “lame-brains,” etc.).

[2] We use “family” to mean the same thing as Turner's (1997, 2003) term kinship.

[3] While we do not formally analyze the graphic novel's content, both authors have read the bulk of the Image comic series through at least the second compendium (issues 1–96) and recognize the similarities and differences between the comic books and the show. Seasons one through three roughly correspond with issues 1–48, although the ending of season three differs from the comic storyline.

[4] Of 140 data points (four institutions across 35 episodes), we agreed on the institutional counts per episode in 102 cases (73%). In the 38 cases where we did not initially agree, we were on average disagreeing over +/– two institutional references per episode. We decided on final episode counts by reconciling our disagreements. Nonetheless, we each initially identified over 95% of the agreed-upon references across the four institutions. This consistency validates our operationalized definitions and methodological implementation.

[5] We also performed a post hoc analysis known as Tukey's HSD (honest significant difference) test. This test found that significant differences between the three season means for each institution were due to negative differences in the following season pairs (others not significant): science (1 and 2; 1 and 3); religion (2 and 3); and family (2 and 3).

[6] “And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done” (King James Version, KJV).

[7] “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you…” (KJV).

[8] “And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell” (KJV).

[9] “Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day” (KJV).

[10] “And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” (KJV)

[11] Fans refer to the aftermath of Rick's speech as the “Ricktatorship.”

[12] Rick would also fit this category of experience if it were not for Carl (and less so in the television show, Judith). After Lori's death in the comics and show, Rick dedicates himself to doing whatever it takes to ensure Carl's survival.

[13] This brief discussion of seasons four and five is based on our preliminary viewing, which lacked the systematic content analysis applied in our second viewing of seasons one to three.

[14] See: http://www.cdc.gov/phpr/zombies.htm

[15] Initial studies showed that TWD was favored by liberal Democratic viewers (Zennie, 2011). More recently, a study of Facebook “likes” found that the show's appeal stretches across the political divide (Gilman, 2014).