The Walking Dead television series – Virginity and Family
My last post on this topic:
—- SHOW FAVORITE IS A VIRGIN AND SINGLE —-
As the cable series The Walking Dead moved along, character Daryl Dixon had only one living family member left, so far as the show has revealed to this point: his brother Merle Dixon. Merle was killed a couple of seasons ago.
In interviews, actor Norman Reedus, who plays Daryl on the show, assumes that the character is a virgin – yes, a virgin.
In real life, Reedus is currently in his mid-40s and was in a long term relationship with a model in his late twenties (they had a son together). It has not been fully verified on the show what Daryl’s age is, but I would assume Daryl is the same age on the show that Reedus is in real life.
But as far as his Daryl character, Reedus feels that due in part of Dixon’s abusive upbringing, he’s not had much exposure to women and dating. He spent much of his life living in the woods, hunting, and living off the land. Reedus says he plays the Dixon character as though the character has never had sex and is not a smooth Don Juan with the ladies.
The show writers so far (thank God!) have not caved in to the immense female fan viewer demand to pair him up with Carol, Beth, or anyone else on the show. I hope they keep it that way.
You can read more about this subject on these off-site pages (I have additional comments about this below these long excerpts):
(Link): ‘The Walking Dead’s’ Norman Reedus: Daryl is a ‘total virgin’
Excerpts:
- By Liz Kelly Nelson
Oct 10th, 2011
Daryl Dixon knows how to handle a crossbow and has no problem putting an arrow between the eyes of a zombie, but when it comes to romance, he’s a bit of a late bloomer.
“I’m trying to play him like he’s a total virgin,” Norman Reedus tells Zap2it. “Like if someone were to try to kiss him he’d be like, ‘Eeeeee.'”
Reedus (“The Boondock Saints”) plays Daryl on AMC’s smash hit, “The Walking Dead.” Although the character wasn’t in the original Robert Kirkman comic books, he’s become a fan favorite. If we were comparing this show to “Lost,” which would be wrong because they are two totally different beasts, he’s kind of like the Sawyer of the group: hot, dangerous and — deep down — a good guy.
… Well, you find out more of his back story: why he’s so aggressive, why he doesn’t trust anybody, his family history. I tried early on not to make him a copy of Merle. You know, Merle has all these racist swears and he takes drugs and all this other stuff and I really wanted to make Daryl more of an Al-Anon member than an Alcoholics Anonymous member. He’s a victim of having a big brother like that. It’s just the two of them and he has no social skills whatsoever.
He’s just sheltered and the thing about Daryl is that he has a different journey than everybody else. He can get along in the woods by himself. He can hunt, he can track, he’s not afraid of zombies. He’s not running or hiding. But he doesn’t really have the social skills to be a part of this group that he would never ever hang out with, so as he’s becoming a more valued part of this group — he’s a skilled archer and he can protect them — but he just doesn’t… he’s kind of like this guy who needs a hug, but if you try to hug him he’ll stab you.
Excerpt:
- by Kimp, March 2013
Fans of the TV show “The Walking Dead” probably can’t imagine a zombie apocalypse universe that doesn’t include actor Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon.
… Daryl Dixon is not a character in “The Walking Dead” comic books. When Reedus auditioned for the “Walking Dead” TV show’s producers, they were so impressed by his performance that they created the Daryl character just for him. Reedus says that initially Daryl was written just to be very angry, but he has softened Daryl along the way. “I’m trying to play him as a virgin who was constantly put down and had to fight for everything, as someone with a huge chip on his shoulder,” he told Flaunt magazine.
“In television, you kind of have to plant these little seeds and hope that those trees bear fruit. So I’m constantly trying to look for little moments and make this guy evolve.”
The Daryl Dixon character remains single, and according to Reedus, a virgin, meaning, a real, actual, literal virgin, not a virgin in some kind of metaphorical sense – this is all the more unusual, considering that Daryl Dixon is probably the single most popular television character around today.
The Daryl Dixon character is regarded as cool, a bad ass, and tough by many people who watch the show. He wears leather jackets, hunts zombies (and game) with a cross bow, and rides a motorcycle. He goes hand to hand combat with a hunting knife with human foes and zombies (referred to as “walkers” on the show).
I find it fascinating that a character who has never had any romantic scenes, who the actor insists is a virgin, is so beloved by so many, and who think the character is the coolest guy ever.
While many women viewers of the show pine for Daryl to get a girlfriend, nobody so far, that I’ve seen anyway, regards him as a loser weirdo for being single and a virgin.
Dixon does display some moments of social awkwardness on the show with other characters on occasion, in that he can be very blunt, grouchy, and not big on social niceties and pleasantries – but he is not a loser, ugly, fat, or weird, which are the usual stereotypes of people who remain virgins past their late twenties in our culture.
The Daryl Dixon character displays some good qualities at times, such as loyalty, helping people in need without expecting or demanding any sort of repayment (e.g., rescuing the Hispanic family under zombie attack on an overpass), placing other people’s needs ahead of his own or his own safety (such as making runs in zombie infested areas for medicine for sick comrades, getting baby formula for infant Judith, etc), and compassion – when he comforted a grieving Carol over the loss of her daughter Sofia.
—- FAMILY: “You Are My Brother” —-
Another point I wanted to drive home is that the show’s characters understand “family” more so than Christians do, much to the shame of Christians.
Jesus tried to teach Christians in the Gospels that their flesh and blood ties are to take a back seat to the spiritual ties they have with other Christians. As related from Matthew chapter ten of the Bible,
- 46 While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him.
Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”
48 He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”
49 Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers.
50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
Fellow believers in Christ are supposed to be your brothers and sisters, as well as your primary concern, not your children (if you have any), mother, father, sister, spouse, uncles, aunts, or spouse (if you have one).
The television show The Walking Dead, about a group of survivors toughing out the zombie apocalypse, have learned over the course of shows that “family” does not consist of blood ties, or marital bonds.
The show’s core group of survivors have grown to regard one another as family, even though many of them are not related by blood or by marriage (though one couple did marry about a season or two ago, Glenn and Maggie).
Main character Rick Grimes, played by actor Andrew Lincoln, lost his wife, Lori, a few seasons ago. She died in childbirth, giving birth to Judith.
Grimes is now single again. He spent several episodes in deep grief, having hallucinations of his dead wife and so forth. Let that by a lesson to the Christians who have turned marriage into an idol, who assume once you marry, you are set for life and your spouse will never divorce you or die on you.
As I mentioned, the Daryl Dixon character was left totally alone in the sense that his last remaining flesh and blood family, Merle, his brother, was killed several episodes ago.
In one of the last episodes of season 4 of The Walking Dead, Daryl returns to rescue Rick Grimes and two other characters – Michonne and Rick’s son, Carl – from being beaten, raped, and shot by a group of thugs, a group who Daryl had briefly teamed up with, but not realizing how completely vile they were.
The next day, after that scene, as Daryl is propped up against the car apologizing to Rick for having associated with the group of deviants, Rick tells Daryl that he has nothing to apologize for.
Rick also tells Daryl in this scene: “You are my brother.”
Remember, these two men are not related by family ties. They did not even know each other prior to the zombie apocalypse.
Daryl’s only flesh and blood relation, Merle, has been dead now since last season. For Rick to refer to Daryl as his “brother” is very significant on this show.
Here you have two characters who bonded over friendship and shared hardship – they regard each other as brothers.
Conservative Christians could learn from this show, a show that realizes that “family” does not always mean, or have to mean, people who are related by birth or marriage.
Embedded video below: Scene from the television series The Walking Dead: Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) telling Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) “You are my brother”
Related links, off site:
(Link): The Walking Dead’s Andrew Lincoln Reflects on Rick Calling Daryl His “Brother”
Excerpt:
- There aren’t many “aww” moments on The Walking Dead (sorry walkers, you’re not cute) but in last Sunday’s Season 4 finale (“A”), we were treated to heartwarming exchange between Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus), who hadn’t seen each other since the fall of the prison in the midseason finale.
This Rick/Daryl moment took place the morning after Rick bit and killed Joe (Jeff Kober) in an effort to save his son, Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs). Over the course of the conversation Rick reflects on the person he’s now become and tells Daryl, “You’re my brother.”
The folks over at Entertainment Weekly picked up on that moving moment and noted that it made them realize how much they missed the relationship between Rick and Daryl.
Actor Andrew Lincoln was pleased to hear that, noting, “Aw, man. I think that was the intention. Because it was real. We’ve been meeting like ships in the night. We would see one person, but we were so isolated from each other, certainly for the second half of the season. And you’re right: I think that relationship is one of the most exciting, satisfying relationships. I speak for myself but I’m sure Norman would say the same. They just work so well together, these guys. And the writers Angela Kang and Scott have to be commended because you have one of the most brutal acts ever perpetrated the night before, and then that fine moment.”
(Link): ‘The Walking Dead’: Andrew Lincoln promises ‘we will rain hell upon these Termites [citizens of Terminus]!’
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Related posts this blog:
(Link): If the Family Is Central, Christ Isn’t
(Link): Do Married Couples Slight Their Family Members as Well as Their Friends? / “Greedy Marriages”
(Link): Why Comic Characters and Super Heroes Can’t Marry – Marriage Makes People Selfish
(Link): Do You Rate Your Family Too High? (Christians Who Idolize the Family) (article)
(Link): Family as “The” Backbone of Society? – It’s Not In The Bible
(Link): The Deification of Family and Marriage (re: Kyle Idleman book)
(Link): When You’re Married and Lonely by J. Slattery
(Link): Mormons and Christians Make Family, Marriage, Having Children Into Idols
(Link): Idolizing Family by David McCrory ? / Familial Idolization
(Link): The Way We Never Were (book – Family Idol)
(Link): Over Sexed Don Draper – an interesting take on fornication in secular media
(Link): What Christians Can Learn from The Walking Dead Re: Family, Singleness, and Marriage
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