Connecting The Walking Dead: ‘The Deepest Cut’
By Liam O'Leary
3) Hope Is World Beyond’s Merle Dixon.
Now, let me preface this: Am I saying Hope is a violent, drug-dealing redneck, with a knife for a hand? …No, are you crazy? What?
What I am saying is that, as odd as it might be to say, Hope’s behavior over this episode particularly, is a lot like Merle’s in the latter half of season three of The Walking Dead.
The reason I say this is because, just like Merle, Hope is willing to do the bad thing, to be the bad guy, in order to protect her sibling.
If you recall Merle’s final episode, “This Sorrowful Life”, he was willing to take Michonne to The Governor, even if he believed the deal wouldn’t be honored, in the hope of protecting Daryl. Part of the reason he was willing to do this was because, to a certain degree, Merle had resigned himself to being the “necessary evil”, the person called upon to do the dirty jobs, and what little acceptance he achieved hinging on that taking that role. Eventually, after talking to Michonne, Merle decided to go back on the deal and cut Michonne loose, sacrificing himself in order to disrupt The Governor’s attempt to ambush Rick’s group, get rid of some of The Governor’s soldiers, and make sure Daryl and the rest of the group had a fighting chance.
This pattern of behavior — Taking on the dirty job (In this case, of potentially putting down Huck) and putting herself in danger to protect her sister — is so like Merle, I couldn’t help but draw attention to it. Honestly, of all the siblings we’ve seen in the Walking Dead universe, Hope may the first one since Merle to emulate him when it comes to protecting hers. It’s one of the more surprising parallels I’ve seen in the show so far, but also, one of the most welcome.
Next. The Walking Dead Theory: Huck's Backstory IS A LIE.. dark
So what did you think? Did any of these connections slip past you? Were there any that you thought I missed? Let me know in the comments! If you like this and want to see something different from me, specifically my tips to survive the zombie apocalypse, why not pick up a copy of my book, The Rules: A Guide To Surviving The Zombie Apocalypse! You can also get it at Amazon here, on iTunes here!