Rick Grimes...Crazy Cop???

Rick Grimes, played by Andrew Lincoln

RodneyIsGodney. (2000-2013). The Andrew Lincoln/Rick Grimes thunk thread. Retrieved April 25, 2013, from Gate World Forum: http://forum.gateworld.net/threads/83250-The-Andrew-Lincoln-Rick-Grimes-thunk-thread

I have had many people say to me that they had hoped that Rick was one of the people killed in Season 3 because he was starting to annoy them. WAIT! I just have to say are we considering all the things this man has been through in the past 3 years? Yes, he's going a little crazy but I think we must admit, under the circumstances, that Rick is pretty stable.

We start with Rick getting shot and waking to a world where the dead are walking around. Being shot alone people have PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) but to have the first "living" person you see be a half decayed person crawling on the ground to get to you, your family is no where to be found and reality has changed that is enough to cause any sane person to go over the edge. But let's make a list of everything that has happened to this man.
 
1. Shot
2. Wakes up to a new world filled with the walking dead and has no comprehension of what is happening
3. Lost his family
4. Has to start shooting "people" (recognizing that these people are already dead and it's life or death comes later)
5. Finds people who have committed suicide
6. Get's trapped in Atlanta with no way out
7. Is saved by a group of people
8. Finds his family
9. Becomes the leader of a group
10. Defends his group against walkers
11. Finds out that his wife was sleeping with his best friend and is pregnant by him (granted it was because Lori thought he was dead)
12. Kills his best friend
13. His son is shot
14. Has to find basic needs for himself and his group of people including food, water, housing and basic needs.
15. Looting and steeling are considered normal (moral compass changes)
16. Wife dies in childbirth
17. He shoots a child from within their group
18 Makes life and death decisions for him and his group on a daily basis (and not always the right one)
19. Has to protect his group
20. Goes to war with another group of people
21. His son seems to be out of control
(Darabont, 2010-2013)

 And I am sure this is not a complete list... tell me how would you fair?

I think he deserves a break. The man is trying to keep it together and is taken to his edge. I think we need to give him a little break on the craziness...but the true question is should he be in the leadership position while he has his breakdown? On this I waiver. I waiver because it seems to get in the way of his decisions from time to time (like allowing or removing Tyreese and his group to stay with them in the prison). Did Carol have a point when he told his dad he should step down?  If he did step down, and his mental health improved, would he be allowed back in leadership?

Do you think Rick really wants to be in charge?
At the end of Season 3 Rick says "I'm not the governor" and wants everyone to decide, yet he seems to continue to be in the leadership role in the group...do you think this makes him a better leader? Do you think he is willing to continue to make the tough decisions when no one else will/can? How do you think this will affect the group dynamic? Will it change? How do you think Carl will react to this? (Darabont, 2010-2013)

Nonetheless, we need to give him a small break. Don't you think?

Works Cited

Frank Darabont. (2010-2013).[The Walking Dead]. Gale Anne Hurd.  Atlanta, GA: Stargate Studios.

Frank Darabont. (2010-2013).Season 1 Episodes 1-6 [The Walking Dead]. Gale Anne Hurd.  Atlanta, GA: Stargate Studios.

Frank Darabont. (2010-2013). Season 2 Episode 1-13 [The Walking Dead]. Gale Anne Hurd.  Atlanta, GA: Stargate Studios.

Frank Darabont. (2010-2013). Season 3 Episode 1-16 [The Walking Dead]. Gale Anne Hurd.  Atlanta, GA: Stargate Studios.