Season 5 of The Walking Dead surpassed my expectations as a tv show by making me question myself. When I watch a tv show, I abandon the rules and stories of my universe and completely enter the visual text’s rules. For example, I’m a Christian, but I understand that my interpretation of the Bible isn’t going to be reflected in works like Noah or Supernatural because the stories may be similar, but the rules of those worlds are different and by watching those shows or movies, I’ve agreed to temporarily abandon my world, and if the work succeeds at making a cogent point by changing the mythology, then it is worth it.
When I entered the world of The Walking Dead, I agreed to abandon my moral code for the zombie apocalypse. Without law and order to enforce a code of conduct and a chaotic world where living humans could be more dangerous than the zombies, murder became acceptable as self-defense or punishment for pedophilia, rape, kidnapping, enslavement, domestic violence or manslaughter. I had no problem with this because despite being a Christian, I am also a human being and a New Yorker. I do not want to turn the other cheek. I want my world to punish those crimes with death instead of giving the perpetrator another chance to victimize someone else.
As events unfolded in Season 5 of The Walking Dead, I would think to myself, “Ohhhhh, that person is going to get killed” after seeing other infractions. It became expected and desired.

SPOILERS

So what IF Jesus’ rules were applied to The Walking Dead? Would I turn the other cheek if some cowardly idiot repeatedly endangered people’s lives, left them to be eaten alive while scavenging for supplies and tried to murder you? Hell, no! I would kill them to survive. Any other reaction would be foolishness, especially since there would be no negative consequences from others in my world, only positives. Would I turn the other cheek if a man whom I saved betrayed me, slandered me and tried to get me kicked out of a safe community thus endangering my life and the lives of everyone I love? I may not kill him, but I would not accept him as part of my community.
The Walking Dead did the opposite by showing what Jesus’ love and forgiveness really looks like. It is unnatural, impossible, stupid, foolish, illogical, self-sacrificing, expensive, inhuman, beautiful and abundant. At my core, it is not who I am. I was fooling myself to believe that I was abandoning myself to enjoy The Walking Dead. I was abandoning my self image and letting my true self out.
I am nothing like Glen, who rightfully could murder in self-defense, but helps his attempted murderer get back to the safety of community and trusts him again by allowing this murderer to use his body as a crutch. I am nothing like Maggie, who prays with her betrayer and sees his sinful acts as self-condemnation. There is no condemnation in Jesus Christ.
The Walking Dead shows that Christ’s love and forgiveness is irrational, but without it there is no community and only madness and blood even if you’re right. The Walking Dead has really challenged me to reevaluate my reactions in the face of evil more than any intellectual argument against the death penalty.