Post by AntiArbitrator on Oct 22, 2012 21:28:18 GMT -5
INTERVIEW
'Walking Dead' episode 2 'Sick': Glen Mazzara talks Rick's new outlook and what happened in the prison
By Geoff Berkshire
October 21, 2012 10:08 PM ET
We're now two episodes deep into Season 3 of "The Walking Dead" and it's clear the furious pace of the season premiere was no fluke. A lot goes down in the season's second episode, "Sick," possibly none of it more shocking than Rick's brutal murder of shady convict Tomas in the immediate aftermath of a walker bloodbath.
Is this a sign of the new Rick? Last season he was hesitant to take the life of dubious interloper Randall, preferring instead to hold on to some semblance of the morality of a pre-walker world. But now, after killing his loose cannon of a best friend Shane and keeping the group alive during a very long winter, it seems like Rick has a whole new way of seeing things.
We asked executive producer and showrunner Glen Mazzara to fill us in on exactly how dark Rick's journey might become and how he plans to keep "Walking Dead" dangerous and surprising without going too far over the top.
Has Rick reached a point where he no longer questions taking a human life? What he did to Tomas was shocking on several levels.
Glen Mazzara: That kill is very important because Rick actually de-humanizes Tomas. Rick has spent an episode and a half hacking and slashing his way through the prison. When he kills Tomas it's basically just muscle memory. That's who Rick is. That's a very, very different Rick than we've seen in the past. That's a very telling kill and I think tells us who Rick is for the season.
And I assume this is also a sign of how he's changed since killing Shane, as well as dealing with the debate over how to handle Randall last season.
Rick's mission is to protect his core group, that's it. It's his family and the people who made it off the farm with him. That's what he cares about. He doesn't care about doing the right thing, he doesn't care about other survivors. He is simply focused on the people who made it through the winter with him.
On "Breaking Bad," Walter White's justification for every horrible thing he does is that he's doing it to protect and help his family. But most viewers understand Walt is a monster. Is it possible we'd ever view Rick that same way?
Possibly. But I think Rick would wrestle with that [justification] more. It's a central question for the season. The "I'm committing evil for the good of my family" [idea] is something I explored on "The Shield." I know "Breaking Bad" does a great job with it, it was one of the central theses of "The Sopranos." It's not something we really talk about [for "The Walking Dead"]. Rick is more just trying to keep people alive and I think it's a little more black and white. What characters like Tony Soprano, Walter White or Vic Mackey do in the name of their family is clearly illegal behavior. That's not the question in "The Walking Dead." There are no laws. This is survival of the fittest, this is a primitive state. Walter White, Vic Mackey, Tony Soprano gain money for their actions. That's not what's being gained here, it's life itself.
So, we don't have to worry about Rick spiraling out of control (at least for now)?
When Rick kills to save the group, hopefully the audience is along for the ride. I'd be surprised if a lot of audience members did not think that [killing Tomas] was a justified kill. The guy is not attacking him at that point, but he did just try to attack him by throwing a walker on top of him. [Rick] has learned his lesson from Shane. He's not going to let things play out. He wants a quick answer and he's moving on. That's what he said at the end, "I'm making decisions and we're moving on. There's no questioning it."
'Walking Dead' episode 2 'Sick': Glen Mazzara talks Rick's new outlook and what happened in the prison
By Geoff Berkshire
October 21, 2012 10:08 PM ET
We're now two episodes deep into Season 3 of "The Walking Dead" and it's clear the furious pace of the season premiere was no fluke. A lot goes down in the season's second episode, "Sick," possibly none of it more shocking than Rick's brutal murder of shady convict Tomas in the immediate aftermath of a walker bloodbath.
Is this a sign of the new Rick? Last season he was hesitant to take the life of dubious interloper Randall, preferring instead to hold on to some semblance of the morality of a pre-walker world. But now, after killing his loose cannon of a best friend Shane and keeping the group alive during a very long winter, it seems like Rick has a whole new way of seeing things.
We asked executive producer and showrunner Glen Mazzara to fill us in on exactly how dark Rick's journey might become and how he plans to keep "Walking Dead" dangerous and surprising without going too far over the top.
Has Rick reached a point where he no longer questions taking a human life? What he did to Tomas was shocking on several levels.
Glen Mazzara: That kill is very important because Rick actually de-humanizes Tomas. Rick has spent an episode and a half hacking and slashing his way through the prison. When he kills Tomas it's basically just muscle memory. That's who Rick is. That's a very, very different Rick than we've seen in the past. That's a very telling kill and I think tells us who Rick is for the season.
And I assume this is also a sign of how he's changed since killing Shane, as well as dealing with the debate over how to handle Randall last season.
Rick's mission is to protect his core group, that's it. It's his family and the people who made it off the farm with him. That's what he cares about. He doesn't care about doing the right thing, he doesn't care about other survivors. He is simply focused on the people who made it through the winter with him.
On "Breaking Bad," Walter White's justification for every horrible thing he does is that he's doing it to protect and help his family. But most viewers understand Walt is a monster. Is it possible we'd ever view Rick that same way?
Possibly. But I think Rick would wrestle with that [justification] more. It's a central question for the season. The "I'm committing evil for the good of my family" [idea] is something I explored on "The Shield." I know "Breaking Bad" does a great job with it, it was one of the central theses of "The Sopranos." It's not something we really talk about [for "The Walking Dead"]. Rick is more just trying to keep people alive and I think it's a little more black and white. What characters like Tony Soprano, Walter White or Vic Mackey do in the name of their family is clearly illegal behavior. That's not the question in "The Walking Dead." There are no laws. This is survival of the fittest, this is a primitive state. Walter White, Vic Mackey, Tony Soprano gain money for their actions. That's not what's being gained here, it's life itself.
So, we don't have to worry about Rick spiraling out of control (at least for now)?
When Rick kills to save the group, hopefully the audience is along for the ride. I'd be surprised if a lot of audience members did not think that [killing Tomas] was a justified kill. The guy is not attacking him at that point, but he did just try to attack him by throwing a walker on top of him. [Rick] has learned his lesson from Shane. He's not going to let things play out. He wants a quick answer and he's moving on. That's what he said at the end, "I'm making decisions and we're moving on. There's no questioning it."
