The Walking Dead: Power to the Polaroid
The Polaroid camera Rick used to take pictures of the assault on the Sanctuary on The Walking Dead is now proving to be integral when it comes to making lasting memories.
During the season 8 premiere of The Walking Dead we saw Rick taking pictures with a Polaroid camera. We later learned that Rick was using the photos to provide Jadis with proof that Rick’s people had Negan on the run. Now that Carl is on borrowed time, however, new photos from the mid-season premiere suggest that Carl is taking time to create memories for his sister before his time is up.
Thinking back to the early days of photography, pictures taken on the battlefield of the Civil War were revolutionary for their day, and now they serve as visual records of what happened in that dark period of American history. Similarly, since digital cameras are defunct in the zombie apocalypse, Polaroid cameras make perfect sense to document what happened for future generations. It’s hard to imagine that there is an abundance of Polaroid film stashed anywhere given that it’s nearly impossible to find 35mm film, but Rick has one and he has been using it.
In newly released photos from episode 809, “Honor,” we see Carl taking pictures with Judith. From the look of things the pictures were taken before Alexandria was firebombed, so hopefully they were saved from Negan’s attack. (For all we know, the accompanying teaser images of Michonne looking inside the burning building could be before or after an attempt to save Carl’s photos and the notes he was writing to everyone)
Carl using the camera to document his last days on earth is a genius move, to be sure, but it also serves as a powerful reminder that everyone living through the zombie apocalypse is rewriting history and every single photo is a visual representation of what happened. The photos are primary sources, just like the videos Deanna made when Rick arrived in Alexandria.
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At some point the tide will turn in the war against the undead, and there will be time to record what happened. The photos of Rick’s people attacking the Sanctuary, the photos of Carl and Judith, and any other photos that are taken at this point become part of the new historical narrative that show what life was like in this dark period of time.
The Walking Dead returns on February 25.