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• 1 2022-10-23T13:06:59-07:00 Theme: Trust & Betrayal 11 plain 1250976 2022-10-25T13:44:27-07:00

  In almost every piece of Virus Eco-horror fiction made, trust is central to the plot. In a world, where humans are overpowered by a microscopic, unseen enemy, they are forced to rely on each other to ensure survival. In the Walking Dead, the themes surrounding Trust and Betrayal are explored in the following ways.

  Intimacy between Characters (Life threatening situation).

  This is an idea that can take many forms in this sub-genre. When we look at it in the context of the Walking Dead, I am specifically talking about the relationships formed between characters after a pivotal, life threatening plot device in each season. That ranges from a camp site being raided by a horde of "walkers" to characters going on extreme, solo search and rescue missions for another character deemed irredeemable or worthy by the viewer. The ensuing relationship is generally a platonic or romantic dynamic that helps establish the humanity of the character as we are given flashbacks to their past live before the apocalypse. This allows the viewer to relate to the character's current emotional state better as they understand the events and memories that influence their actions. The relationships also help create new alliances whilst breaking others completely changing the power dynamic in a band of survivors.
  
  

  Group Unity

  Group Unity is the idea that with each season and a new faction, we see each member have very different ideas of what survival looks like and how far they are willing to go to save a group member from danger. In Virus Eco-Horror, it is almost archetypical to have characters that secretly hate each other and are willing to sacrifice the entire group for their own benefit. However, there are times when the dangers of the "Horde" or a warring faction are so overwhelming that a group of survivors who we consider to be a band of "misfits" will have seamless chemistry as they fight them off or perform heroic acts of bravery. I think this is a crucial sub-theme as it goes back to the idea of "faith in humanity" as we see that characters do have empathy and the apocalypse has not turned them into complete violent melee killers.