It’s refreshing to see certain role reversals and room for growth in every character we have met thus far in The Walking Dead. As we’ve discussed before, The Walking Dead has shown us that the apocalypse is no respecter of persons and everyone is treated equally. With an apocalypse scenario, what you were before it happened no longer matters. TWD has allowed bad guys to turn good and good guys to go bad.
We’ve seen this all over the five seasons. Someone who may have been an important person — wealthy, influential, and powerful — quickly becomes just another person. In the same way, someone who was considered a menial worker becomes a hero.
Daryl: Daryl was a creation for the series, but in the beginning, he was a redneck thug. He seemed to have few redeeming qualities other than the fact that he could hunt. He was surly, angry, and living in the shadow of his older, meaner, brother.
As episodes went on, though, Daryl began to show a softer side as well as a strength and character that has been surprising. How many of us had a little fear that Daryl would turn to the dark side when he was sucked into “The Claimers” group? He showed us that, even then, he had a firm grasp over what was right and what was wrong.
Over time, Daryl has become perhaps the most beloved character on the show — far from his beginnings as a thug in season one. Where do you think he’ll end up in a few episodes time? According to spoilers around the internet, we’ll be seeing Daryl change in a big way very soon. What will cause this emotional and grand character evolution?
Rick: Rick started the series with his morals firmly intact. As an officer of the law, he knew the difference between right and wrong and was vigilant to not blur the lines between the two. We’ve watched him struggle with moral choices and his own conscience. He has reached a point in which his survival mode has choked out most of his ethics.
Shane: Shane is one of those people who seemed to have a bad side with no morals all along and once the apocalypse hit, he didn’t have to go far to find his comfort zone.
Carol: We have watched Carol’s evolution from being a weak, beaten down, abused wife with little personality to the strong warrior woman she is today. In season one, Carol was afraid. She was afraid of her husband, afraid of life, afraid of speaking up, afraid of being beaten, afraid of losing Sophia. All of the things she was afraid of either happened or were taken from her.
Now, Carol is a force to be reckoned with. These changes in characters have shown us that, in a survival situation, everyone changes and adapts to survive. Some change for the better while others may let go of their conscience in order to get by. We will continue to watch with interest to see what happens next with these characters and wonder what new changes we can expect to see in coming episodes.
Keep and eye out on CDL for more TWD spoilers and discussions. We love this show!
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