The Walking Dead - Episode 4 - Indifference [Spoiler Warning!]

[Umbran]

It seems to be going to theme that to survive in the setting, becoming a psychopath is genuinely effective...

Curious definition of "effective", when it led to Shane's death and the Governor to lose an eye and an entire town. Psycho may be "effective", for a short time, but it seems to fail as a long-term strategy

I think Rick sees her going down the same road as Shane and the Governor in that respect.

Agreed.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Hence his test question, "How many living have you killed?"

 

[Bedrockgames]

Curious definition of "effective", when it led to Shane's death and the Governor to lose an eye and an entire town. Psycho may be "effective", for a short time, but it seems to fail as a long-term strategy

sure, in those cases it ultimately did, and i think that the moral compass of the show is reflected in these outcomes...but its also true that it proved effective in a number of instances. Shane killed otis and saved Carl as a result (and it is likely he wouldn't have had they both tried to escape together). The governor managed to keep Woodbury running well and protected until he went completely off the deep end and massacred his own people. I am not endorsing behaving like a psychopath, but the show seems to be trying to demonstrate that the right thing to do is a lot harder in this post apocalyptic world, is often dangerous and that the new society and reality reward what was once criminal behavior in some respcts. To me that is interesting. It is a little more complex than you often get in americanc tv shows, but it isn't amoral or a total endorsement of the Shane/Carol path. The right thing to do, and trying to keep your humanity can well cost you your lives at times, but surviving doesnt seem worth it if you lose that.

I am just really enjoying how they give the characters room to consciously make moral decisions, but the world they inhabit is very morally gray (which is it was all the more impressive when herschel went intofcell block A to help the sick-----because everyone else was perfectly content not to help them an keep risks to themselves as low as possible, which isn't that unreasonable.

that is why, to me, even though this episode was much less exciting than last week's, in a lot of ways it was more compelling viewing.

 

[Homicidal_Squirrel]

Added a spoiler warning to the thread title. Hope you don't mind, H_S.

My Vengeance shall be terrifying!

 

[Homicidal_Squirrel]

I think psycho works for the lone-wolf type. It also works at the start when it takes a lot to get things together, but after that team work is required, and bring a bit psycho trends to interfere with working with others. If the characters aren't able to change from crazy to spruce rules, like Michone (sp?), they tend to start grading in the system.