I hate horror films. There was a time when I loved them. When me and a prepubescent best friend of mine used to rent the worst, gory films every Sunday like it was church and rub massage oil into each others backs asexually, as he was gay and I wasn't interested. But those days are long behind me. I find violence scary and believe that there is enough bad shit on the news; and for me to choose to watch it for entertainment is slightly psychopathic. I'm a violence avoider.
However, The Walking Dead shuffled into my life like a lifeless, starving zombie and I haven't been able to stop watching, not matter how badly I've wanted to. Maybe it's the finely crafted characters, or the sheer desperation of the premise that keeps me watching...but mostly I think it's just Darryl. Week after week I snuggle under the covers with Steve and spend half the episode with my hand clamped over my eyes trying to simultaneously not watch and not miss anything.
That said, the most recent episode had me doing more than just shutting my eyes. SPOILER ALERT! I cannot be held responsible if you read further and then hate me.
This last episode illustrated the pure, unbridled hopelessness that infects the bones of these characters. Now I'm sure many of you will think I'm overreacting, but I felt as though the most recent episode of The Walking Dead was a microcosm for how mental illness is treated in today's society and it affected me in a way I am still feeling today. 10-year-old Lizzie was sick. She felt a deep empathy for zombies that she didn't feel for people. She felt connected to the undead in a way that no one understood, and no one really tried to, they only wanted to tell her it was wrong. No one was treating the symptoms, only trying to eradicate the actions of what they saw as the disease without ever understanding her behavior or seeking the origins.
Lizzie's parents were dead. One eaten by a zombie and one killed by a fever. Lizzie had a little sister Mikka who loved an accepted her until the other adults told Mikka that what Lizzie felt was wrong and that Lizzie was sick. Lizzie was systematically isolated by the group which only pushed her further towards the company of the undead. No one listened to Lizzie, so Lizzie had to show them.
The adults knew Lizzie was a danger, not only to herself, but to others. She had led zombies to the gates of the prison, she had lured them from the woods to the steps of her home to 'play' with her, but still the adults left her in charge of her little sister and an infant. Lizzie was not well and everyone knew, but no one listened and no one cared enough to ask. Then Lizzie killed her little sister and this is where I lost my shit. WHY DIDN'T ANYONE SEE THIS COMING?! Why were these idiot adults still leaving her in charge and alone with the other children? Lizzie needed help and she deserved more.
As someone who works with people who suffer mental illness, this is far too often the result. The actions of these people are so often ignored until something really bad happens, usually their own suicide and then people shake their heads and congratulate themselves for being strong in this difficult time. Lizzie didn't kill herself, she killed her sister and neither of these little girls is real, but they way Lizzie was treated felt real and it's so terribly disappointing.
The most upsetting thing about this little girl is that everyone around her should have known something like this could happen. She needed supervision and she needed attention. Everyone knew what she was capable of and they ignored it and then when she did what she was always going to do at some point...they EXECUTED her. 'She can't be around people' they said. 'Keep looking at the flowers, Lizze' Carol repeated as she cocked the gun and pulled the trigger. 'She can't be around people.' This statement came from the mouth of the woman who accepted charge of the little girls from their dying father. There was no attempt to help Lizzie. Ever. Just put her down. People like Lizzie are invisible in our society and we treat them like they are disposable. Lizzie was not disposable.
Surveys quickly popped up all over the internet asking if that was the right thing to do and overwhelmingly the answer was 'yes.' NO. That was not the right thing to do. The right thing would have been to try and understand her, to pay her some attention and stop telling her that what she was feeling was wrong. No one listened to Lizzie, so she took matters into her own hands and tried to show them. They repaid her confession with death and I think it's grossly irresponsible that they executed a 10-year-old mentally ill girl and people all around the world are saying that it's OK.
Don't try and help the person, it's easier to eliminate the problem. Mentally ill people are not a problem and they are not an inconvenience to dispose of. I think the writers had a chance to bring the human element back to this show, to display that what makes us human will ultimately be why we survive. It was a massively missed opportunity to show that a person is more than the sum of their actions. Shortly after Lizzie's execution Carol admits killing two other people to Tyrese and he forgives her. He doesn't shoot her in the head. Lizzie deserved better and I'm so disappointed that she wasn't given the opportunity to heal.
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