Corrected statements I made in the video: (1) Frank Darabont was the original showrunner for The Walking Dead, not Glen Mazzara. (2) Most experts now recognize that nature AND nurture contribute to personality development. (3) Other social mammals establish dominance hierarchies. This phenomenon is not exclusive to humans. (4) Not all religions believe in life after death. FAQ: Q: What is the name of the song used in the conclusion? A: Ben Howard - Oats in the Water I will update this list as needed. Thank you to my viewers for holding me accountable and pointing out some of my mistakes.

The walking dead has always been about the human dynamic. The zombies are just a existential variable.

Quick comment on the sanity part; For most of his time on the series, Glenn killed no human person. None. And - aside from when he was under extreme amounts of pressure, he is largely the most sane and level-headed person.

This show is really just who can survive traumatic experiences and not get PTSD.

When Morgan says, "I have to clear.", he's not talking about clearing his conscience. He's referring to the death of his son. He blames himself for his son's death because he didn't clear the whole house. He never cleared the basement. And then his son went down there and got bit. So afterwards Morgan became obsessed with going around and clearing every house he comes across. That is what he meant by, "I have to clear."

The governor's best line was a single word, "Liar!" right before he beheaded Herchel. Rick had just given him a fully rational and peaceful solution to their conflict by inviting him to live in the prison and merge their groups. Governor knew that was the right choice to make. Yet, he chose to do something completely irrational, solely based on ego and grudge, unable to fully process how the paradigm had shifted from conflict to peace. Funny enough, this is exactly how pretty much every war happens. There's always at least one side who responds to logical solutions with "Liar!"

Alexander the Great eat the same food, lived in the same circumstances and fought in every battle with his soldiers. Gaining the respect of those you lead is in part by not putting yourself above them. Rick Grimes has demonstrated this very effectively.

Great essay, but once again: survival of the fittest is not "survival of the strongest" but survival of the most adapted. That might overlap, but not always does.

The Walking Dead doesn't get anywhere the credit it deserves. It's not about zombies or gore or violence or even survival. It's about the human rationality, psychology and emotional deterioration from a constant threat. Fantastic writing in every way.

Firing Frank Darabont was the shows BIGGEST mistake he planned for so much more which is why Season 1 was so so so amazing and it slowly then quickly falls apart. He was gonna give the backstory to the purple walker, the soldier in the tank, and how Atlanta fell. Fear TWD did justice in showing the fall of the military in the beginning but Atlantas story was a last stand for refuge and they ruined it by being greedy cutting the budget in half and firing darabont who took Dale with him who was a great character. How do you cut the budget in half of the biggest season 1 series premier ever? Greed. That’s all it was greed.

I always thought of Morgan’s “I have to clear” was more of a “because I didn’t act, I must now always act.” Because he didn’t kill his zombie wife that inaction resulted in the death of his son. Only for it to change to “all life is precious,” which means I am now *choosing* not to act.

I am clinically diagnosed with PTSD, and this show helped me immensely, both with coping and just trying to carry on with life, especially during that initial time. Your video essay is absolutely phenomenal, you put so much of why it means so much to me into a words. im geniunely grateful for this video, youve gained a sub

Varys: "May I leave you with a bit of a riddle, Lord Tyrion?" He did not wait for an answer. “In a room sit three great men, a king, a priest, and a rich man with his gold. Between them stands a sellsword, a little man of common birth and no great mind. Each of the great ones bids him slay the other two. ‘Do it,’ says the king, ‘for I am your lawful ruler.’ ‘Do it,’ says the priest, ‘for I command you in the name of the gods.’ ‘Do it,’ says the rich man, ‘and all this gold shall be yours.’ So tell me - who lives and who dies?” … Tyrion Lannister: "The king, the priest, the rich man - who lives and who dies? Who will the swordsman obey? It's a riddle without an answer, or rather, too many answers. All depends on the man with the sword.” Varys: "And yet he is no one," Varys said. "He has neither crown nor gold nor favor of the gods, only a piece of pointed steel." Tyrion Lannister: "That piece of steel is the power of life and death." Varys: "Just so … yet if it is the swordsmen who rule us in truth, why do we pretend our kings hold the power? Why should a strong man with a sword ever obey a child king like Joffrey, or a wine-sodden oaf like his father?" Tyrion Lannister: "Because these child kings and drunken oafs can call other strong men, with other swords." Varys: "Then these other swordsmen have the true power. Or do they? Whence came their swords? Why do they obey?" Varys smiled. "Some say knowledge is power. Some tell us that all power comes from the gods. Others say it derives from law. Yet that day on the steps of Baelor's Sept, our godly High Septon and the lawful Queen Regent and your ever so knowledgeable servant were as powerless as any cobbler or cooper in the crowd. Who truly killed Eddard Stark do you think? Joffrey, who gave the command? Ser Ilyn Payne, who swung the sword? Or ... another?" Tyrion Lannister: Tyrion cocked his head sideways. “Did you mean to answer your damned riddle, or only to make my head ache worse?" Varys: "Here, then. Power resides where men believe it resides. No more and no less.” Tyrion: “So power is a mummer’s trick?” Varys: “A shadow on the wall,” Varys murmured, “yet shadows can kill. And ofttimes a very small man can cast a very large shadow.” -George R.R. Martin, ‘A Clash of Kings’ (Book two of ‘A Song of Ice & Fire’), Chapters Tyrion I & Tyrion II

Carol has one of, if not the absolute BEST character arc in modern history.

just watched this and realizing this only has 6000 views is so undeserved!! i know this vid is 4 yrs old but u can still be very proud of it!

My head is f**ked My conscience is f**ked. I spend nearly all my time alone. Thought provoking video. Well done.

Doctor Glenn’s suicide may be a great metaphor for the cowardly futurist: those who desire to live in the world, not as it is* but as it ought to be, are the least able to face reality as it finally knocks on their door; unprepared, they pull the trigger.

21:56 I find it very imporant to state that yes, unlike others, Rick got back on his feet, but it is very important to note that Rick didn't do it alone: Hershel played a crucial role on Rick's recovery. Hershel represented one of the most fundamental aspects of what it means to be human, not only in terms of survival but also showing the importance of looking up to God, which means looking up to higher standards, the burden of responsability and the burden of sticking up to principles and values that keep you from losing what makes you human.

I don't see Deanna as a bad leader she simply was ill equipped and not only that she willingly stepped aside when a better option came along - perhaps the best trait a leader can have. In fact Rick had clearly gone too far down the dark road of brutality and paranoia. If instead of meeting Alexandria and Deanna he met the saviors it might have pushed him into becoming the next big bad group to protect himself and those he cares about from the vicious world outside, remember Rick was willing to torture and kill Aaron for no good reason other than he knew where they were. I sincerely believe Alexandria and Deanna's leadership saved Rick every bit as much as he saved them.

Sometimes I wish the show had more time to dive into the characters emotions, but those episodes are almost universally chastised by the adrenaline junky side of the fanbase. Some of shows best moments for me aren't the high stakes action, but instead the characters reflecting on the events. Good examples of quotes that induce chills are Hershel's quotes in season 2 regarding losing his faith in religion after seeing the world outside the farm, Morgan's conversation with rick in season 3 "Clear", Ricks speech to the governor regarding coming back from the worst kinds of actions, Michonne's conversation at the gates of alexandria about how if you never give up the fight that got you there it turns on you and ends up hurting you, Eastmans speech about PTSD and continuing moving forward thru new doors. And Im sure dozens more, these are what the show is about when watching an episode live or on a premiere you miss some of these subtle emotional moments/quotes, but re-examining the series in a binge style format you catch the shifts in characters much clearer and it makes it more intimate

After Covid I really think thing’s basically all changed. After almost everyone lost something from family to jobs to social skills it was like the world just reset after 2 years and now everything is different

48:16 I finally started watching TWD after seeing a few videos breaking down the incredible writing and development of the character of Rick Grimes (which is, of course, extraordinary..!) but the evolution of Carol was what truly blew me away as I watched her evolve in a genuine and awesome way. (When I got to the Terminus plot and Carol started gearing up to go in, I thought to myself “she went from a battered woman who was too traumatized to act when her daughter went missing into a human grenade that could be thrown into any situation, with strength and without fear, to destroy everyone in her way to save her people”, but also that they did it right - she didn’t turn into a different and strong woman the moment her abuser was dead and the abuse removed, it took time for her to find her footing, which is realistic. They didn’t rush it for the sake of plot, and I genuinely appreciated their patience in her development.)

my god, can’t believe this doesn’t have thousands of views. Def one of my fav vid essays on the series

“We are the Walking dead” -Rick

The most successful leaders are ones who’re able to present themselves as part of the masses, to let the commoners vicariously feel that the leader’s power is a personification of their own, and this makes them emotionally invested in his/her success.

The scariest thing about the Walking Dead isn't the undead. Rather, it is that the power went out.

I hate how canon is if you are covered in zombie guts you’re fairly safe yet every time there’s a huge hoard it’s all but forgotten.

Trauma can detach us from reality, but whether we get to rebuild is based entirely on whether or not we want to handle our own problems. While some have a never say die attitude, most have a point where effort just seems futile and they give in, sometimes that means letting yourself stay in the detached reality your mind creates to protect yourself, and for others it means putting a bullet in your brain. Suicide is such an epidemic because of how society treats people with stress, anxiety, and depression.

Looking at season 11/10 father gabriel turned into an absolute badass. He went from crying coward who wouldn’t even kill walker to killing another preist working for the enemy faction all to “protect his flock”

Such a great video. I wrote an essay a long time ago about what it's like coming back from war. The short version: its like watching the first five seasons of the walking dead. The entire Alexandria storyline reminded me of coming home. PTSD isn't a mental illness, it's just the knowledge that our safe, comfy lives have been a fickle delusion all along. We are not safe. Not one of us. War is just like normal life... until its not. There is no predicting when it will come crashing down. Only that it inevitably will. Try to explain this to my fellow Americans they start trying to convince me it's in my head, I'm perfectly safe. No. I'm not. Neither are you. And I ain't guessing. That scene with Sacha at the party really did my head in, because I've had that experience. Blowing up at someone for trying to have a pleasant conversation with me, when my head is screaming at me that this person is completely unprepared to deal with the slightest hardship, and they desperately need to toughen the fuck up... it's the lonliest, most hopeless feeling on earth.

I don't know how many times I've come back to watch this video essay... it is truly a superbly profound piece of work and definitely my favourite on the subject!! BRAVO!!!

I never watched The Walking Dead but this video is SO GOOD. I wish I could articulate ideas like this

This is easily the best video essay I have ever seen. Lot’s I already knew but the way you’ve managed to put this in words is spectacular. Bravo. Subbed real quick. No regrets.

23:39 There is only one thing a human cannot come back from, and that is death. The human body and mind are so inexplicably powerful in their capability to shrug off damage or heal from absurd wounds, even if the body needs a pegleg or a hook sometimes, that it's almost impossible to ruin a human irreperably without outright killing them. Sure, you may hurt their mind in a way they can't possibly recover from on their own, but with enough help, any _living_ human can recover from any damage. of this I am certain.

In most contexts (depending on the size of the power structure and setup of the leadership), it's typically less about making the best possible decision and more about making a decision but having the foresight to analyze it from the beginning. The problem with most forms of leadership that we see today is that we unexpectedly gave ourselves this insanely rapid growth in communication and accessibility of information without strengthening/codifying our common values and morality. If you have 8 basic groups of people in a nation the size of the US but all 8 have wildly different perspectives and values, you'll never find a way to have a singular effective leadership. We basically made social cohesion obsolete by making regional cultures obsolete

This is the perfect breakdown of the characters of this show. My question is when we see people suffering trauma and loosing themself, why dont we see this as a normal response? Is this because we are taught a definition of normal behaviour as we grow up? To me this is resorting to a primal state, a type of fight or flight, something which is rarely seen in day to day life bit is within us all. A kind of protective bubble a person builds for themself so they can heal and refind there balance.

On “Sanity” in TWD it seems like it’s a rubber band with the people that have lived. They snap back and forth between being OK and able to function and live semi normal and something happening and having someone going insane. They ones that come back often have help from others as well as finding some other reason to live for, it can be a person or idea, anything really, as long as it is important to that person. Interesting breakdown.

Time is an illusion and perception is reality. That means something totally different to every person. People don't really associate that phrase with a kind of empowerment but it can be. But it also means that you make your own decisions so you can make your own path. That takes commitment and patience that most people don't have.

This channel needs to be much, much bigger. I don't understand how great channels like this are so overlooked by the stupid algorithm.

I remember watching this video a year ago or so and suddenly the power of the algorithm made it pop back up in my recommended (seems like based on the number of new comments, this is a common thing). Great video here, there’s not many analyses of the characters and world the show takes place in (videos are usually on the show itself) so this was very interesting!

This is by far the best analysis of TWD and their themes that i've seen!

This show is very deep a complex and this video explains this perfectly it deserves to be seen

After Dale's death humanity officially died. I feel very empty every time watching the show on this episode. It feels like it losing its soul, its heartbeat, becoming hollow, walking dead

I have to push back and say it’s not justifiable to keep the mystery of the virus from us. Other shows have told us an origin and still focus on character development. In fact I would even argue that it adds to the story because it means that everyone is pointing fingers at each other and they know I have to put aside their differences to work together two things can be true at once.

God one of my favorite scenes in both the show and comics is when Negan guts Spencer. "You've. Got. No. Guts". Really shows that Negan may be on the is on the brink of insanity and a total fucking asshole but he really does respect Rick and the work and effort he has put in as a leader and helping his people survive. Negan, MUCH MORE than Spencer, truly understood what it takes to accomplish that. He could easily manipulate Spencer and never have any problems from sanctuary but instead he kills him on the spot.

absurd that you only have 500 views , honestly. great video , as a fan of the franchise and the genre. thank you

Fully commenting just to boost this video, I cannot believe it only has 14k views and I think it deserves a lot more. I'm only 12 minutes in and I can tell you've put so much effort into this and I really want to show appreciation for that!!

The whole discussion of leadership and governance reminds me of Weber's idea that the defining aspect of the state is its monopoly on violence. The state decides when and where it is legitimate to use violence, and that's what all the leaders in TWD do as well.

This is easily my favorite video on TWD, please don’t ever delete it, it’s such a poignant take on the show and what it means and it’s very insightful.

"Choice is a game played between those who have power and those who don't."

This is beyond a doubt the best video I have seen about the Walking Dead. Fantastically researched, great points eloquently made, and great editing.

Nothing more to say, you said it all. Perfect analogy. - The Walking Dead has changed my life and shaped who I am as a person and my perception of reality. I’ve watched since the pilot and continue to until current day. I will hold this entity close to my heart forever. Words really cannot display the love I have for this show and the life lessons it has taught me. This analogy is the perfect representation. Thank you so much for taking the time to compile this masterpiece. Also, thank you so much for adding Oats In The Water, beautiful song that blended so well with the video, from one of the best episodes.

I really wish they would have some group of people who really tried to plan a future. Like a person is never left alone, EVER, in case they die. Portable baby heart monitors with alarms in case a pregnancy goes wrong. The show has been on repeat for quite a while now. Find a place, build it up, watch it burn, find a place, build it up, watch it burn.

Such a strong analysis. Thanks for all your hard work on this.

It’s a shame the algorithm did you dirty on this one. Amazing job. The only thing I can think of is the length may have been the reason to why this doesn’t have more views? Idk man but this was a great analysis

This is one of the best videos on KZfaq. Absolutely incredible breakdown of very complex issues. Tremondus work.

Rick never lost his moral compass or humanity

Rick is the best leader. Ezekiel and Negan are good leaders. Maggie is a good leader for the most part. Michonne is a fantastic leader. I think Carol could be a good leader when she thinks clearly but she works better as the Advisor Assassin. Daryl could be a good leader if he wanted to be. He'd rather right-hand. The big problem now is there are no true leaders. I guess Gabriel and Aaron? But both act on emotion a lot more than they do logic. Its all these reasons that i firmly believe Ezekiel will recieve the upcoming Rick Grimes comic death. He's the only person left who can actually lead a large group and give the big speeches.

Love that you made this video. I always felt like I was able to relate to this show and my mind ever since I started watching it 10+ years ago.

Absolute gold. Thanks for telling the things I too feel but can't put into the words.

Thank you for digging deep beyond the context of the show and applying it in reality.

I’ve watched this show since it came out when I was 9 and I’ve always been a fan. I love watching the characters and it’s why I love the show. I love the zombies sure. But it feels personal, the relationships and the conflicts and I often relate to them. I joke with my boyfriend all the time I would be a fantastic survivor because I’m a natural leader. But I couldn’t let people die and that would be my downfall. I would feel compelled to help anyone who yelled help. It’s the same reason I’m so scared of the human trafficking rings because I know if I saw a kid struggling or anything I would not be able to not help. Maybe it’d get to that point given a zombie apocalypse, but if I were thrown into one right now I would die. I’m also pretty adaptable I’d say, with work, school, and life. But, true to my age. I’m very naive and, given the chance, I’d make a great leader… but I can be real lol I’d die pretty early on. This was a really great essay and I loved listening to it while I do homework. I love anything walking dead and would love to hear you talk about more lol. Thank you for making it! It was wonderful.

I love this video. I’ve watched it many times and I feel like there are so many great grains of wisdom here. GREAT JOB

it might not be the apocalypse we visioned but it is indeed an apocalypse

Over three years and seemingly picking up the views it deserves, glad it was in my feed, would love to see the analytics for this vid... hope it picks up the views that you deserve... Thanks for the work you put in, good job :)

Thank you so much for sharing this video! THIS is why I am in love with the walking dead experience. I have tried to explain the relevance of this series to people and the fact that it's not really about zombies but I am not able. You have given TWD the insight that it needs for other people to understand how it is, in so many ways, a metaphor... again I may not be able to explain this correctly, but it's just so much more than a story about the undead. PLEASE continue to make videos. At least make one when the original series ends! I would be FASCINATED to see your take on this incredible story!

These are my favorite types of videos. Long analysises of shows I've never seen about how they relate to real life.

Thank you. This is good stuff... I had to expand my previous comment - this is really food for thought. I have shared this with most people I know. Long discussions, a few arguments, some have even revisited the subject in future conversations!

The effectiveness of having zombies for a apocalypse is that they never really go away, so the threat is always there

I'm majoring in mechanical engineering, and I tend to think of sanity as a bar of metal that's been strained and stressed and then let go; if you don't stress the bar too much, it'll retain it's shape, but if it is stressed enough, it will deform permanently so that its shape is forever altered even after you remove the applied load. the resulting shape may be similar, but it won't be the same, and if you know where to look you can see the difference. I think most of the characters are like the latter example, even the ones who seem normal aren't really the same people anymore.

Leaving a comment in hopes that it helps more people find this video. This is absolutely amazing.

4am & this random video made me think about life on a level I've not experienced ...SUBSCRIBED

This might be one of the most criminally under viewed videos I've ever seen. Fantastic work.

This was made before 2020... Well done my man.

Jeez, fantastic essay. I hope it finally starts gaining traction, I’m glad it hit my recommended

To add onto the sanity segment. Trauma is not solely about the things stated, especially, how the mind responds to trauma -- but also the associations that the mind learns to connect with trauma. For instance. If a person goes through a traumatic situation, and immediately receives support and care from loving friends/family, this person will associate trauma with love and support, and they will learn deep down that everything will be OK. On the other hand, another person goes through a traumatic experience and has no one to fall back on, or the traumatic situation continues without end. This person associates trauma with more trauma, and they learn deep down the idea that they cannot change their circumstances or make them better. Learned helplessness. This is deeply damaging to the human psyche. This goes to show that the circumstances surrounding the trauma go a long way towards our personality formation. On the other hand, if somebody goes through a traumatic situation and receives no help from anyone else, they may learn that the only one they can depend on is themselves, and come out with both negative and positive tendencies. As the man said, what doesn't break you makes you stronger, and sometimes what breaks you makes you stronger, too.

This is brilliant 👏 I didn't think I would come to love this show but it's become a dear friend

That's a great evaluation, it really is. I'd loved to have it include more thoughts on the point of dissociative aspects of states of mind bordering on PTSD, though. But that's just for personal reasons.

How is this channel not even at 3k subs???? This was so in-depth I loved it holy hell

Profound, and insightful. I am adding this to my saved videos. Well done.

The part in season 5 before Aaron finds them, where the whole group thus far, Eugene and Abraham and Rosita being the newest, is holding the barn doors together as the walkers and the storm are pushing against them. It was a beautiful shot, poetic and powerful

POWER- reminded me of season 11 episode 12 when Lance was sitting on the porch with Maggie and tried to alter her state of consciousness with his "lucky charm" and ideas of what a world could be (same way hypnosis is used) to try to gain power over Maggie. She didn't fall for it. She stayed in her proper conscious state. Told Lance no thanks!

Phenomenal video. Very well put together!

Thanks for the great content. So much truth in this video you created!

This is terrific content. Top quality! Hope this channel grows a lot!!

Great video. Very profound and thought provoking insights.

The timing and content of this video, it is something I wish I had been there for at the time it dropped but can only now reflect on through agreement seeing it today. Thank you for this, it is good, quality shit that I find personally handles difficult topics respectfully and with grace. I very much appreciate what you've worked on here and it def still stands the test of time and probably will for basically ever if only in essence. Can't wait to see and support the rest of your work and I wish you the best in your future endeavours 🙌🙌

Wow this video essay is a master piece. As a big The Walking Dead fan this is by far the most interesting and deep analysis I've come across. Thank you so much for taking your time to make this and share this with us! I'll definitely subscribe to your channel.

Great work you made all your points clear and concise and also engaging with good editing must've took alot of time you deserve credit

I loved this and really enjoyed it

Came for a walking dead video. Left with a better understanding of the human mind. Thank you.

Great video. I’ve been watching the show for years since it started. Learned a lot about myself through these characters and have grown into the person I am now. We all suffer trauma in todays world. Some of it is small and surmountable. Some of it breaks us down. The trick is looking deep inside and figuring out if you’re gonna let it change you, or if you are willing to change yourself to keep moving forward. We all get to come back, but not all of us know if we can.

watching this now in 2021 hits different

You’ve wrote an amazing essay here my man.

Thank you so much for this video, for I have learned and appreciated not only TWD but also my own outlook in life. Thank you so much.

this popped up in my recommended it’s old but it’s a great video great job should have way more recognition

Bruh, i never watched TWD before, but this is a great video. You're underrated man.

This was extremely well done great job 👍🏽

1st video I have seen from you channel and loved it man had a great time listening to the whole thing in one sitting.. I also love the walking dead and have had similar thoughts obviously not as in depth or as many but I really appreciated the video thank you.. Subscribed

Congratulations for your video, one of the most thoughtful video on youtube analysis on a political, psychological and philosophical view of walking dead. 👏👏