Beth Greene

For those of you that watch The Walking Dead and have not seen the recent episode…….there are spoilers ahead.

 I started watching The Walking Dead not too long ago. I binged on all four seasons on Netflix for probably a straight two weeks, meanwhile I should have probably been doing homework, but watching this series was more important to me. I heard the hype over the walking dead when it first premiered and I did not really see what everyone was talking about. The concept of zombies can either be really good or just plain horrible. Being that I was a fan of Resident Evil, I thought maybe it will be good. I started watching it, and at first I did not see the obsession, but I found myself wanting to watch what happened in each next episode. I became addicted and obsessed. It was good, and so I added another television shows to my list to watch.

The walking dead was interesting because of every character. Every character brought something different to the table. And being that every couple episodes you learn more about one character, as well as introduced to several news ones, you have to keep watching what happens to each person. You grow an attachment to what each character does and what they represent in the world. You want to see how this character develops and who they become. Even though I prefer some characters over the others, they all have some kind of interest. 

One character that I never really liked or hated was Beth Greene. Beth Greene is introduced in the second season when the main characters are brought to a farm. A farm where Beth lives with her father, sister, and other people from before the outbreak of the apocalypse. When I first was introduced to Beth I did not think much of her, she was kind of just there. She was the sweet farmer’s daughter, pale, blonde, and blue eyed who sang songs for everyone. Although she knows about the outbreak in the world, she still has not been that exposed to what it’s really like

out there. When the other group joins her family, she’s shown here and there helping out with providing food, and anything anyone needs. People do not really get a sense of who Beth is until the episode where she says she wants to kill herself. To me at least, I kind of expected that. I expected her to be a weak girl who couldn’t hold on. After she tries to kill herself, she soon realizes death is not what she wants. Death would not fix the world, she would just be gone. After that episode we see that Beth more. When all the characters have to leave the farm due to the fact that walkers overran it, they stay at a

prison. While at the prison, the people make it more homely. Once they have developed a system, Beth becomes somewhat of a motherly figure for character, Rick Grimes’ daughter, Judith. Judith’s mother, Laurie was killed during the birthing of her. Rick so destroyed from this, payed little attention to Judith because it reminded him of Laurie’s death. Although sad, this was a great moment for Beth to shine and show what kind instincts she has. Her singing also became more prominent and she slowly became closer with more of the main characters.

Everyone was seeing the prison as their new home, and somewhere they could live during all of this madness. Unfortunately the prison was attacked by other people. Once they were attacked many people were fleeing the prison and the group did get very separated. Being that Beth was one of the last people to stay around and help fight, she was left with Daryl Dixon, one of the group’s best fighters. 

Daryl’s character in the beginning was one of an asshole. Him and his brother were typical redneck low lives. Many people did not like him or his brother Merle. However once Merle was gone from the group, there was a side of Daryl that came out. He became more sensitive, and loving. He felt like it was his job to protect everyone, and now that Merle was gone and did not have a bad influence on him, he could finally show the caring side of him that was always there. Daryl’s character has become one that viewers love now, a protecting, caring, sympathetic man.  When Beth and Daryl were stuck together, it was kind of their first real close interaction. At first Daryl was very short, and rude to Beth. Beth did not understand why he acted this way, and being Beth she tried to stay positive, but he kept shutting her down. Finally he reveals to Beth that he feels responsible for the prison’s overtake, even though it was not his fault. Being that he was a protector to them, he felt like it

 was his one purpose to keep everyone safe, it was what he was good at, and he felt like he failed everyone. He was upset that they found somewhere wonderful to live, and it was so easily destroyed. Of course he says this under intoxication, and it comes off a bit rude to Beth, however it is under that circumstance that we see a side to Beth that we can’t help but love.

She faces the fact of what happened, and she feels
nothing but compassion for Daryl. She tells him that he can’t give up just because of everything bad that happens in their lives. She says this with force, and we truly see Beth for who she is, a strong woman full of hope even in the saddest of times. It is through her hope that Daryl continues and moves on from his guilt. It is her hope that guides him back, and helps him find their way.

 After this time together, they become very close. Many fans began to ship them as a couple because together they were a balance. She was full of hope and brought out all the love in him, and strength to continue on even when something goes wrong. He brought out more strength in her, showing her how to be strong physically, and never giving up on her. However their time together was ended when beth was kidnapped by a group of cops from Atlanta. Daryl destroyed by this, eventually finds the group and tells them what happened and how he is going to find her. When we finally see Beth, she wakes up in a hospital. The people taking care of her say they saved her life and that she couldn’t leave until she repaid them. We begin to see how unstable this hospital is and how no one ever leaves. Beth however, is determined to get back to Daryl, and tries her hardest to find an escaped. After a failed attempt in trying to leave she realizes that even though she’s failed she cannot give up. While at this hospital Beth proves how strong she is. She is no longer that sweet weak girl that we first met. She is no longer that girl who tried to kill herself. She is determined, strong, and full of hope, never ever giving up.

In last week’s latest episode, the group that Daryl finds finally comes for Beth. When they negotiate a trade for Beth, everything is going fine. However, when they are about to leave, the main officer in charge, Dawn Lerner, wants one Noah back (one of the people at the hospital that escaped and joined Daryl’s group). When beth hears this, it hurts her so much that something that we would have never expected to happen, did. As Beth goes up to Dawn, and basically insults Dawn, she pulls out a scissor she had in her cast and stabs Dawn. However, Dawn already had her gun in hand, and shot Beth in the head immediately after this. 

The symbol of hope, dies. The one person who never gave up, and always encouraged others to keep going, is gone just like that. After the writers built her character up so much, the took her away that quickly. Everyone in the group is affected by this death. They were so happy to finally get her back safely, the one person they all looked to. To them Beth was the one of the only things pure left in the world. Without her and her guidance, everyone feels kind of lost. 

I was kind of surprised the writers killed her off. Especially after all the praise fans were giving her character. People are outraged that she is dead. There is already a petition to bring her back from the dead, signed by more than 10,000 people. As well as plenty of conspiracy theories as to how she is going to come back to life. Basically, no one really wants to see a world without Beth Greene. I don’t really blame them either. I was really upset by this too. Even though she was never really my favorite character it was very sad to see her go. And not only seeing her go, but seeing everyone’s reactions to her death. Seeing Daryl’s reaction, someone who she loved for all of the purity that she contained.

Seeing Rick’s reaction, someone who grew a family bond with her over his daughter. And seeing Beth’s sister’s reaction, Maggie, someone who only had one family member left.

The episode overall was just heartbreaking. And while I’m devastated to see Beth go, I think it was necessary. These characters are living in a world where death happens every second. After the world has turned into this apocalyptic state, people become scared. When people are scared they do stupid things. And that resulted in Beth’s death. The writers had to show that the world they are living in is scary, and not everyone lives. At any second, any could be killed. And not only that, but they also have to show some kind of development in the other characters. How everyone will be effected by this, will show what kind of person everyone is. And personally, I believe that while at first everyone will feel down about everything and not want to survive at first, they will fight through it. They will fight through it and survive for as long as they can because that’s what Beth would do. Beth would continue to survive, because it’s what you have to do. She would not completely lose hope because of someone’s death. She would honor that person’s death by continuing on and fighting for her life. 

Overall I just wanted to talk about her character because it is a prime example of strong character development. And her character will have a huge effect on the other characters and how they develop.

R.I.P. Beth Greene. 

Stephen King's Movie Club

Most are familiar with Stephen King as an author of chilling stories, often adapted into movies. The correlation between his films and their easy adaptability to the big screen is no surprise considering King's own admission:

"My books are the movies I see in my head, that's all. I write them down, and some producer says, 'Hey! This'd make a pretty good movie!' because in a way it already is one." - Stephen King

Of his masses of books and short stories adapted for the big screen I want to discuss King's self proclaimed favorites.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Based on the short story "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" by King published in 1982, The Shawshank Redemption, tells the story of an innocent man, Andy Dufrense, imprisoned for the murder of his wife and her lover. Directed and written by Frank Darabont, it is true to King's original story, adapting an almost entirely internal monologue to a beautiful film.

Interestingly, the narrator of the story is not the main character, Andy, but a man he meets in Shawshank prison, Red. Although most screenwriters would cringe at using a narrator, it works in Shawshank because the source material is so heavy- and because Red is played by Morgan Freeman. Who doesn't want to listen to Morgan Freeman talk? Red calls himself "the only guilty man in Shawshank." This line is straight from King's writing as are many others. Like this one:

Stand By Me (1986)
Based on the short story "The Body" by King, published in 1982, Stand By Me is a tale of childhood and innocence lost. Directed by Rob Reiner, known at the time only for Spinal Tap (1982), who later directed another King flick, , this story isn't the kind of movie to give you nightmares but it does have the contemplative, almost philosophical tone that all Stephen King stories have in one way or another.
The boys - played by River Phoenix, Wil Wheaton, Cory Feldman, and Jerry O'Connell - embark on a quest to find a dead body. King has an affinity for writing about young people who've lost something while keeping their childlike view of people and the world in tact.
The two main boys, Gordie and Chris are dealing with very adult problems, and throughout the story they are written as complex people who are not only sad but can laugh. Gordie LaChance, played by Wil Wheaton, is dealing with the death of his older brother and being alienated by his parents. Chris, played by River Phoenix, has a bad reputation around town earned by his family, which he is struggling to either live up to or denounce. Despite all four boys personal problems they support each other and still manage to be preteen boys.

Bonus: From youtuber Zefrank's True Facts series, True Facts About Morgan Freeman

Makeup: Another Essential Part of the Story

So we all know that in order to make an awesome video (film/show/etc.) you need a camera, a tripod, an audio person, lights, a script, costumes, actors, and so much more. One aspect that I personally forget about is makeup. Makeup can really help set the mood of the video and can actually make or break it too. For example, think of "The Walking Dead" series; imagine if they used no makeup. They would look horrible and the show would be nonexistent. Luckily for "The Walking Dead" they have amazing makeup artists who create amazing works of zombies, or should I say art. I have watched a couple behind the scenes videos of the makeup artist creating these zombies. It is crazy what they use and how they use it to create these creatures. Here is a tutorial that "The Walking Dead" crew put up as tips for Halloween.

They used oatmeal, gelatin, latex, and a lot of makeup to create this realistic look. There have been a number of scenes within the series that have characters who have missing jaws, lips, arms, etc. How the heck do they do that? Well here is bicycle girl, who is the first walker to be seen in the show. This is how they got her ready.

So imagine this production of bicycle girl takes about three hours. There are scenes within the series that have twenty to fifty walkers walking the streets. Imagine how much time that has to take making everyone look like a legitimate zombie. While it probably only takes them a half hour or so for the smaller characters having to do twenty to fifty of them is insane. Really appreciate the work that is done by makeup artists because they are extremely talented and creative. Also I totally recommend watching "The Walking Dead"! It is an amazing show!!!!

The Walking Dead and the human condition

Hello there. I'd just like to take a minute out of your busy, busy schedule to discuss The Walking Dead. More specifically, I'd like to discuss the season premiere that came out last Sunday, so if you haven't watched it yet, but intend to, I'm giving you a heads up that there may be some spoilers coming your way. What The Walking Dead does very well--at least in my opinion--is portraying characters and the human condition. Basically, the writers for the show (Frank Darabont and Scott M. Gimple) do a wonderful job subtly showing viewers how, even though there's a zombie apocalypse going on, the characters still seem to maintain their most human characteristics.

First off, let's talk about Rick. Rick Grimes--father to Carl and leader of the "resistance"--is focused on a lot in the season premiere. In the opening of the episode, we see Rick tending to the garden and pig pen which he apparently built in the off-season. As a good father, Rick tells his son not to get attached to the pigs by naming them since they're simply going to be used for food. It turns out that Rick has already given them names of his own. Like a normal person, he himself has gotten attached and cares for the things he's taking care of, basically like pets. Later in the episode, Rick finds a woman wondering around in the woods. In the midst of a zombie apocalypse, many people would have just killed her--as previous episodes have shown--but Rick wants to help her. The only problem is, his past experiences have left him very suspicious of strangers. He could have just killed her right then and there, but, holding on to what makes him human, he chooses to try and help the woman.

Next up is Carl Grimes. Carl is Rick's son. He's a character who viewers typically, well, strongly dislike. Nobody quite knows why, but we all dislike him. Strongly. Anyway, in this episode, Carl names the pig as previously stated. He gets attached to his "pets" like any other normal kid would do. He also accidentally slept in due to his reading comic books with a flashlight until really late at night. What Carl, and even Rick, often forget, is that he's still a child. Despite his many attempts to act older and more mature than his age, he is still indeed a kid. This is strongly highlighted later in the episode when he refuses to go to story time that's held everyday for the kids. He says it's too childish for him to go to, but he later sneaks into the room so that he can listen to the stories. The season premiere of The Walking Dead really did a great job subtly reminding viewers that the stubborn, protective guy they're watching is actually still a little kid.

The woman in the woods, Clara, is a character that appears towards the beginning of the episode and kills herself towards the end (sorry, I said there may be spoilers). As her and Rick walk through the woods, she talks about her husband and what he taught her. She explained how he taught her what was often necessary to survive in a post-zombie apocalyptic world. He taught her how to steal, betray, and sometimes kill other people in order to stay alive. What was so touching about the writing in this scene was that it so strongly highlighted people's tendency to want to do good. While the need to survive may out-trump our original instincts, most people are not born complete savages. In order to be able to do such terrible things, one must often be shown how.

The final character I'd like to discuss from The Walking Dead's season 4 premiere is Bob (yes, just Bob). Bob is a new character who we don't really know anything about. The reason for his appearance in this post is what he did in this one episode. While the characters were searching around a convenience store for supplies, we see Bob stop in the alcohol section of the store. He stares at a bottle of wine, seems conflicted whether or not to take it, then eventually begins putting it in his bag. He then stops himself and puts the bottle back on the shelf. Bob's actions could indicate that he's a recovering alcoholic. While he's searching for necessary supplies in order to survive, he still has trouble fighting his urges and desires. The writers did a phenomenal job with this scene because, while nothing is explicitly said, viewers can deduce that Bob most likely struggled with alcoholism at some point in his life and is still dealing with it. It doesn't matter whether or not there are zombies knocking at your front door. If a person has an addiction to something, the urges don't simply go away overnight.

In the Season 4 premiere of The Walking Dead, the writers truly did an excellent job emphasizing the human condition. The episode showed all the characters are still human despite all the nonhumans trying to eat them.