Yesterday, funny blogger ListOfX posed a question in reply to our entry about characters in the “Walking Dead” using names like “Walkers,” “Biters,” and “Skin-eaters” as the names they choose to call the zombies in the show: “Why not just call them zombies?“
We have three theories.
1. Calling them “zombies” might confuse audiences into believing that this is just another zombie movie with plot points we’ve all seen before. If this was a “zombie movie” people might expect it to end in under 80 hours, and not write Sunday-night posts on social media about how awesome the fresh, original TV show is. So, in other words, they’re just using “branding” much in the same way that the show is branded to be based on a graphic novel, as opposed to “based on a comic book.”
2. The zombies aren’t really zombies! What a surprise twist that would be, when the series ends, and we find out that the zombies were really normal people, and the normal-seeming people were really undead zombies! Although, if this happens, you shouldn’t be that surprised, as the lack of depth to any character in this show (including our favorite character, “Lady With Sword Who Often Does Not Respond To Dialog”) should have been a clue that the normal-seeming people were mindless zombies all along.
3. This is all a complex set-up to when the character who had his leg amputated after a zombie bit it finally finds a walker at a seniors’ supply store, and he makes the joke: “I’ve never been so happy to see a walker.” And while the audience all laughs at the mild, weak joke, the character would be suddenly eaten by a zombie, because that’s how zombies deal with rare moments of humor in a world where the characters’ entertainment standards are based on never having seen a zombie movie or trailer.
