The Walking Dead, Survival Rule Of The Week: We ARE stronger together
By Liam O'Leary
3) “The Hydra Method”
I’m sure you’ve all heard of the hydra, right? Well, if not, let me recap: In the tales of Hercules, the mythical Greek hero had to perform twelve trials, one of which was defeating a hydra, a monstrous serpent with several heads, who, upon having one cut off, would grow two more heads to replace the one lost. It’s sort of become more infamous lately following the first Captain America movie, as its the name of the villainous Red Skull’s organization, and while they certainly are villainous, their motto is one any group of survivors in a zombie apocalypse should adopt:
“Cut off one head, two more will take its place.”
If you want an example of this principal in action, look no further than last Sunday’s episode of The Walking Dead. In that episode, as Carol and Beatrice attempted to get Luke’s sound equipment outside of the siege, Beatrice was attacked by a Whisperer and quickly swarmed by the horde before the pair could reach the woods where the rest of their team was waiting. Beatrice attempted to give Carol the equipment before she died, but, with so many walkers (And Whisperers) around, Carol couldn’t afford to turn back and get it.
However, all was not lost. With the horde busy feasting on Beatrice and her attacker, they couldn’t be bothered with the person who ended up collecting Beatrice’s precious cargo and walking off with it. To Carol’s surprise, it was Lydia, using her expertise in Whisperer tactics to step in for the fallen Beatrice and ensure that her mission would still succeed.
This is the sort of coordination a group needs in a zombie apocalypse, particularly in a dire situation like the one the Alliance was facing: People need to know what the plan is, so that, should one member of the group fall, another can pick up the proverbial flag and carry it to the goal. With this sort of strategy, even if an enemy takes out an important member of your group, your plans can carry on, and force your enemy to have to take your group apart one-by-one if it wants any hope of victory.