After a major twist revealing which country is safest after the zombie outbreak,The Walking Deadis now a perfect mirror of the28 Days Laterfranchise. Whether in movies or TV, zombie viruses have a nasty habit of spreading uncontrollably across the globe, and that certainly appeared to be the case inThe Walking Dead. AcrossThe Walking Dead’s various shows, more or less the entirety of the United States has been shown, and no area is safe from undead.
This is also true of foreign countriesThe Walking Deadhas visited, including Mexico, France, and Spain, which will be the main setting forDaryl Dixonseason 3. Indeed, the Civic Republic Military believed that, as far as it could tell, the entire world had been crushed byThe Walking Dead’s zombie virus. While nowhere is zombie free, however, one location appears to be riding out the apocalypse better than others.
Anarchy Is Apparently NOT In The U.K.
As explained inDaryl Dixonseason 2’s ending, the United Kingdom appears to have survived the zombie outbreak, broadly speaking. Beginning their long journey back home from France, Daryl and Carol briefly allied with two survivors from Scotland. According to this married couple,the U.K. government rapidly locked the country down whenThe Walking Dead’s virus first hitin 2010, entering a state of martial law.Daryl Dixontakes place over a decade later, meaning the U.K. has been holding on that entire time. While not totally unaffected by the virus, 10 Downing Street represents the only government inThe Walking Dead’s world confirmed to be standing.
Nevertheless, some ambiguity remains over exactlyhow safe the United Kingdom is inThe Walking Dead. Despite what the Scottish survivors claimed,Daryl Dixonseason 3’s trailer shows glimpses of the U.K. looking barely any different from the rest of the world, with red buses abandoned on London streets and survivors looking worn and weary. It’s possible that the U.K. is stable, but not quite business as usual. Alternatively, things might have taken a turn for the worse while the married couple fromDaryl Dixonwere visiting France.
While some questions still need to be answered, it does seem thatThe Walking Dead’s virus covers the entire globe, but the United Kingdom sits in the middle of that chaos relatively unaffected. This is the complete opposite to28 Days Later. In Danny Boyle’s original 2002 movie, England was the epicenter of the Rage Virus, butother countries seemed largely unaffected after the titular 28 days had passed. Scandinavian planes picked up Jim and his surviving friends in28 Days Later’s ending, then the U.S. arrived to provide assistance in28 Weeks Later.
There is still some debate over whether28 Days Lateris a zombie movie, since those infected with the Rage Virus aren’t technically dead.
That remains the case inforthcoming sequel28 Years Later. Releasing in 2025, plot details confirm the United Kingdom remains gripped by the Rage Virus, but the rest of the world is fine. This is despite a tease at the end of28 Weeks Latershowing infected storming through Paris. In a perfect flip ofThe Walking Dead, therefore,the U.K. is a small blob of viral chaos surrounded by relative calm. The comparison is especially fascinating becauseThe Walking Deadand28 Days Latershare some history. Both contributed to the huge zombie boom of the 2000s and 2010s, and both stories started with the protagonist waking up from a coma to be greeted by the post-apocalypse.
The British Haven’t Been Quick To Help In The Walking Dead
Curiously, there is a significant difference in the respective global situations ofThe Walking Deadand28 Days Later. In Danny Boyle’s movie, unaffected countries attempted to help the afflicted U.K. by evacuating survivors.28 Weeks Laterthen revealed a U.S.-led NATO relief effort had effectively ended the outbreak’s first phase. Even in the upcoming28 Years Later, NATO retains a presence in the U.K. Evidently,efforts have been made across that 28-year period to help the Britishthrough their rage crisis.
The United Kingdom’s conspicuous absence onThe Walking Dead’s global stage is a plot point future releases can address.
Unfortunately, the U.K. has not extended that same courtesy to the rest of the world inThe Walking Dead. Despite being in a better position than most states, the United Kingdom simply locked itself away in 2010, even erecting checkpoints inside the Channel Tunnel to keep French survivors out. Across the entirety ofThe Walking Dead’s timeline,no representative from the U.K. has ever made contact with the communities in the U.S.and attempted to lend a hand.
Is Daryl Dixon Season 3 Really Set In Spain? Because Daryl & Carol Are Going The Wrong Way
Daryl Dixon season 3 is scheduled to take place in Spain, but Carol and Daryl’s season 2 ending creates confusion about the spinoff’s next setting.
The U.K. might be barely clinging on, as suggested byDaryl Dixonseason 3’s trailer, and so finds itself in no position to help elsewhere. Maybe the government is simply unwilling to risk lifting the lockdown and reaching out to other countries. Perhaps the Zexit referendum votes are still being counted. Whatever the reason may be, the conspicuous absence of the United Kingdom onThe Walking Dead’s global stage is a plot point future releases can address.
The Walking Dead
The Walking Deadis a massive multimedia franchise that began with a comic book series created by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. The franchise gained widespread popularity with the launch of the television seriesThe Walking Deadin 2010 on AMC, which chronicles the lives of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies, referred to as “walkers.” The success of the original show has led to numerous spin-offs, web series, video games, novels, and other media. The franchise explores themes of survival, human nature, and the breakdown of society in the face of an existential threat, making it one of the most successful and influential horror series of the 21st century.
