5 similarities between Bird Box and The Walking Dead
4. Things Fall Apart Very Quickly
When Mallory’s sister Sally tells her to turn on the TV, the suicide epidemic was localized in Russia and the European Union. Hours later it had jumped the ocean and took North America by storm. There wasn’t even time to think about what was happening. People were swept up by their visions while fleeing and killing themselves without warning. There was nothing the military could do. It happened much too fast.
It’s unclear how things began on The Walking Dead. Fear the Walking Dead revealed that the undead plague seemed to start slowly, with the undead rising sporadically before the floodgates opened and everything started to fall apart.
It wasn’t long before the military arrived and forced survivors into camps, and when those fell apart whole cities were firebombed, sending refugees out on their own. It didn’t happen overnight and it took some time for people to understand the link between being bitten and getting sick.
In both cases the apocalypse caused total devastation in a very short period of time. People often talk about being prepared and having supplies or even a shelter. But when things go to pieces so fast, you might not have time to get to your safe spot.
3. People Do The Dumbest Things In The Apocalypse
Tom’s decision to open the freezer door led to Charlie’s tragic death. Olympia, we love you and your wide-eyed innocence, but why did you have to let Gary in?
Tom wanted to help Fish Fingers, but it was a mistake. Olympia’s decision to let Gary in might have seemed fairly innocuous at the outset, because she herself was saved when the group let her inside, but Gary ends up being the one who kills almost everyone. Had she not let him in, or if Douglas had successfully thrown him out, maybe the group would have survived longer.
Similarly, there have been numerous face-palm moments on The Walking Dead where we’ve seen characters make really bad decisions. Remember when Andrea shot Daryl because she was so good at shooting a gun? Or Bob grabbing that bottle of wine and sending the shelves crashing down? Or Daryl jumping up from the lineup to attack Negan…?
People act without thinking sometimes and that’s part and parcel of the human experience. We’re emotional, reactive creatures. But in the apocalypse, you don’t do stupid things. You avoid emotional knee-jerk reactions at all costs because it can cost you everything, as we’ve seen time and again on The Walking Dead.
Next slide: Reason to find hope in the darkness.