I tend to couch my admission that I’m a raging fan of The Walking Dead with “but it’s not about the zombies!” It’s never about the zombies. Once I realized this, I became much more receptive to watching and reading other works in the Zombie Apocalypse genre. Typically, works of zombie or living dead horror center on the humanity and relationships of the living characters. Zombies are horribly one-dimensional. Some are more frightening than others (seriously, fast zombies are the WORST), but ultimately they function more as props than as characters.
The real story emerges as we follow the living and their attempt to both survive and retain compassion for other living humans and a sense of right and wrong. We feel for the characters we meet as we come to appreciate their humanity in the face of so much gruesome and horrifying death. The best part of any zombie story is attaching ourselves to likable characters and watching their journey unfold as they struggle to survive.
So, what struck me as terribly odd in the first two episodes of Dead Set is how little I liked ANY of the characters. The members/participants of Big Brother are all presented as obnoxious. The producer is a giant jerk. Kelley is clearly supposed to be the object of most of our sympathy — but we find out quickly that she is cheating on her seemingly otherwise innocent (and adorable) boyfriend. So far, I do like the boyfriend (Rick), but he is a very minor character at this point.
I’m trying to understand what exactly the intent of the character development might be. Are we supposed to find the good in otherwise off-putting people in the face of disaster? Is the show remarking on the good of people even within the ugliest portrayals of humanity? Seriously, Dead Set — throw us a bone!