Religion and the Representative Anecdote: Replacement and Revenge in AMC’s The Walking Dead

ABSTRACT

The current study examines how the horror-based AMC television series The Walking Dead portrays religion in terms of a reframing of the role, if any, of faith in a higher power, and the portrayal of the faithful. The religious-themed discourse of this highly successful story about survivors of a zombie apocalypse as presented through dialogic and visual imagery serves as the text analyzed here; specifically, related episodes set in churches at two separate points in the series that combine to offer a metaphor of “structure” used to disassemble and reconstruct the role of religion. These episodes interlace religious themes to develop an overarching message that forms a representative anecdote of replacement in which the notion of “faith” becomes redefined.

Notes

¹ Typically, conservatives are separated into three primary categories: social, fiscal and foreign policy conservatives. William J. Bennett (1992) described the values of conservativism most related to social conservativism the following way: Conservativism, as I understand it…seeks to conserve the best elements of the past. It understands the important role that traditions, institutions, habits and authority have in our social life together, and recognizes our national institutions as products of principles developed over time by custom, the lessons of experience, and consensus…. Conservatism too is based on the belief that the social order rests upon a moral base. (p. 35)Lakoff (2002) astutely pointed out that what “traditions” and which “morals” count is never specifically articulated in a way that unifies conservatives; that said, it often manifests in a Judeo–Christian form. It is this tenet of conservativism that defines social conservatives as identified here.

² “What Lies Ahead” (2011) was written by Ardeth Bey and Robert Kirkman and directed by Ernest Dickerson and Gwyneth Horder-Paxton. “Four Walls and a Roof” (2014) was written by Angela Kang and Corey Reed and directed by Jeffrey F. January. Seasons 2 and 5 are available on DVD and online through Amazon.com.

³ The verses posted are: “MA 2752” (Matthew 27:52, “And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose”); “RE 9 6” (Revelation 9:6, “And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them”); “ROM 6 4” (Romans 6:4, “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life”); “LU 245” (Luke 24:5, “And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?”); “EZE377” (Ezekiel 37:7, “So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone”). (King James Version).

⁴ Ambrosius and Valenzano (2015) noted, citing others, Rick’s vengeance is not a virtue, in that as a “lawman,” he disregards the law in favor of frontier (swift) justice.

⁵ For example, T-Dog sacrifices himself to save the Group in the season 3 episode “Killer Within.” Hershel’s sacrificial-like death at the hands of the Governor in “Too Far Gone” (season 4) can be viewed as agape as well. Even the racist Merle exhibits agape and storge when he sacrifices himself to protect the Group and his brother Daryl in “This Sorrowful Life” in season 3.