We’ve seen a big change in Rick Grimes since season 2 – he’s a much more hardened version of himself now, which might cause him to become a bit reckless. Andrew Lincoln shares his thoughts on Rick’s adaptability to these new circumstances.
In the second episode of The Walking Dead this season, “Sick,” we saw a much darker side of Rick when he decided what to do with the prisoners. He contemplates killing them without even getting to know them.
We’re seeing a little moral ambiguity in Rick’s character, and as Andrew Lincoln tells Zap2it, Rick is becoming much more ruthless.
“I think [Rick’s] humanity is pretty intact but I think his ruthlessness or his decision making has very much moved into the Shane point of view … [Rick] is the most isolated within his group and in his relationship with everybody in the group, especially his wife. I don’t think he’s the most stable.”
So is Rick becoming more like Shane? Or is he just becoming more protective of his family and friends? Shane almost always made decisions that were right for the group (aside from wanting to kill Rick), but his methods weren’t exactly gracious.
In “Seed,” Rick is quick to dole out death with the prisoners, especially when it comes to Tomas and Andrew. He is definitely a changed man.
“Certainly in Season 1 and Season 2, I don’t think he would’ve been so quick to make that judgment call.”
Could Rick Grimes be a danger to the group, or does he have their best interests at heart? Lincoln seems to think Rick is starting to fly off the handle.
“I think [Rick] is behaving in an incredibly irrational and reckless way.”
Will the survivors continue to trust Rick as their leader, or will they feel the need to usurp his power?
“Certainly over the course of the season people start to doubt many things in Rick. His decision making as a leader is very much called into question. I wanted it to be born out of fury and rage at protecting the group, a primal pride that’s a strength and a weakness as well.”
In the next episode we’ll meet the Governor, who is a ruthless leader on his own terms. If they follow the comic book characterization, he could even be considered evil. Is Rick headed down the path to this type of authority?
“Perhaps The Governor is an evolution of Rick or a mirror to Rick a little bit further down the line.”
We hope that Rick doesn’t evolve into a Governor-type character. Hopefully his loyal band of survivors would be able to rein him in before that happens.
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