Pharmakon; Fighting Fire With Fire
...or should I say "fighting wildfire with fire"...
(Part one, read part two here, and part three here)
...in that the virus responsible for the zombie apocalypse is called "wildfire"...
In TOWL 1x3 Bye, we hear the term "pharmakon" used in TWDU for the first time. As Major General Beale explains, "it's an ancient Greek word, meaning both poison and the cure".
In the next episode 1x4 What We, we see Rick and Michonne escape in that yellow hybrid truck, loaded up with cans of ethanol in the back, making it an electric/bio-ethanol hybrid:
We know from season 4 of FTWD that "ethanol" symbolizes "the antidote", or simply a "cure"...
I went into great detail on that here.
What is the connection between the ethanol and Major General Beale's pharmakon?
TOWL 1x4 What We had so many callbacks to TWD 4x12 Still and 4x13 Alone, we all were stunned. Quick question, where would the ethanol (which, according to Morgan Jones, is just a fancy word for alchohol) in the back of Richonne's truck have been produced?
In a still. It would have been produced in a still. Ethanol is produced through a process of fermentation and destillation.
In a still.
Hence all the references to TWD 4x12 Still and the moonshine shack, a shack where ethanol was produced and consumed.
In the series pilot, 1x1 Days Gone Bye, we are introduced to the physical laws of the TWDU.
We follow Rick, who wakes up from a three week coma in the hospital. The world has ended, and he doesn't know anything about what happend, how it happened, or why. He doesn't know what a walker is, and he doesn't know how to neutralize one. Neither do we, the audience. Morgan becomes the charachter who introduces us to the rules:
He checks Ricks temperature and finds it to be "cool enough", meaning he's willing to believe Rick on that he's not been bitten, he's simply been shot.
Pleased by this, he then goes on to explain to Rick, and us, the audience, how the virus works:
"The fever burns you out. But after a while, you come back"
He later elaborates on how relentless the fever was to his wife:
"Her skin gave off a heat like a furnace".... meaning the fever burns like fire...
It's the fever that kills. It burns you up. Then you come back.
(also, read about Sirius symbolism here)
In 5x1 No Sanctuary, we hear Eugene explain the scientific basis behind his alledged cure for the virus. Of course, Eugene wasn't a scientist, and he was never going to find a cure for the virus. However, he was knowledgeable, well read, and able to put together a plausible lie:
Fighting fire with fire. A poison and a cure. Pharmakon.
In TD, we were many who at one point believed in the bite/cure theory, that Beth got bit right before she was taken by the Grady car in 4x13 Alone, and that the treatment she was subjected to involved experimental medical testing, somehow resulting in her surviving the bite without developing an infection/fever. The jury is still out on that one, but in FTWD season 7 we did see a representation of the bite/cure theory that was suspiciously close to our old theories:
Alicia at one point got bit, and proceeded to amputate her arm. As we know, this has so far been the only way a person can survive the bite; by cutting off the affected limb immediately, before the infection has the chance to spread. This is how Hershel survived getting bit in season 3, this is how Lydia survived after her walker bite in season 11.
Alicia, by her own account, wasn't quick enough. The infection spread, and she developed the fever. Of course that's not something anyone can verify, theoretically she could have cut off her arm quick enough, and the following infection could have been a reaction to the amputation itself rather than the virus. However, the assumption given by TPTB is that she wasn't quick enough, and that's also her own belief.
According to Morgan's rules from 1x1, that should have been the end for her. There's no surviving that. She developed the fever...
...and fought it for months...
...way longer than anyone else we've seen in TWDU so far. In 1x6 TS-19, Dr. Jenner explained that the longest time between bite and reanimation at that point was 8 hours. Alicia went months without reanimating...
In 7x15 Amina, we watch her struggle with the fever. She's closer to dying than ever before. She has dreams of herself as a walker, she has hallucinations, she thinks she's talking to a little girl, who in reality is a representation of herself. Alicia is preparing to die in this episode, but the girl, who is Alicia herself, explains that she was once bit, and she survived just fine.
The girl brings up an excellent point:
This is a fair question. This is the role fever normally plays in infections. Fever raises the body's temperature in an attempt to burn the infection out. Fighting fire with fire. But as we know from Morgan's commentary in TWD 1x1, this fever is different:
"Bites kill you. The fever burns you out. Then after a while, you come back".
And Alicia is well aware:
...but the girl, who is a hallucination of herself as a young girl, insists that's she's going to survive.
Throughout the episode we watch Alicia's struggle to avoid giving up. The episode is packed with symbolism we already know and love, such as bird symbolism and stairwells as representations of metaphorical passages between the realms. At one point she's in a stairwell, trying to reach the top of Strand's Tower. She says she's not going to make it, then the girl replies over radio that she will. She then sees a bird, which guides her through the burning tower.
By following the bird, we see Alicia reach the top of the tower. We later see her wake up, her fewer gone, the bird by her side.
She's the first person in TWDU to get bit, develop fever... and then subsequently recover from the fever.
She's the first person to survive a bite and the following infection! That is, if she really was too late with amputating her arm, as she believes herself. If she really was infected, she represents something completely new in TWDU, a complete shift, a paradigm shift, away from the old rules that Morgan laid out in 1x1. The end of the beginning, and the beinning of the end?
A cure?
Last but not least, Alicia's confirms that the bite/cure theory that TD were discussing after Slabtown, could be real. Hypothetically, it could still be what happened to Beth in season 4-5.
What set Alicia's case apart from others we've seen bitten in TWDU, that potentially allowed her to survive the bite, infection and fever, was that she had been exposed to high doses of radiation around the time of her getting the bite. This is where the potential "cure" part of the bite/cure theory comes into play. And this is where "radiation" ties into the pharmakon/"fighting fire with fire" framework.
And this is also where things get interesting for TD, because Beth would have had access to radiation therapy at Grady, in fact, there was a whole storyline about an oncologist, Dr. Trevitt, who Dawn desperately wanted to have saved. Oncologists deal with radiation therapy. And to make matters even more interesting, he had previously worked at St. Ignatius Hospital, and as I explained here, the name "Ignatius" is derived from the latin word for "ignite", which refers to "ignite/spark a fire"...
...fighting fire with fire...
Radiation goes under the "fire" symbolism, because electromagnetic radiation, in the form of everything from UV rays from the sun, to X-rays as well as other types of radiation used in radiation therapy, has the potential to burn your skin. When you get a sun burn, that's the UV rays from the sun burning your skin.
In fact, we saw this theme revisited in the last season of FTWD:
(Thanks @wdway for these screenshots)
We learn that June, inspired by watching Alicia survive for as long as she did after her bite, started experimenting with treating walker bites with radiation therapy. She didn't have massive success, and the patients experienced burns from their treatment and eventually died, but we did see her treat Dwight and Sherry's son Finch after he was bitten. And while he ultimately didn't survive, they were able to extend his life with one week, likely due to the radiation therapy. So while a full cure might be a way ahead, Finch's response to the radiation therapy could be concidered legitimate medical progress.
And as a fun fact, I will mention that after we saw Rick survive his little death fake-out back in 7x12 Say Yes, when he survived by hiding in the yellow carnival ride car which I discussed here, we did see this:
No, I'm not talking about the infamously bad CGI deer, I'm talking about the ER sign behind it. ER for Electromagnetic Radiation? As in radiation therapy? In a death fake-out scene?
If it turns out that radiation therapy in some way, shape or form could help treat walker bites, or potentially create some kind of cure/vaccine/immunity, that would be fighting fire with fire, or should I say fighting wildfire with fire. It's a poison and a cure. It's pharmakon.
Ok, so back to the ethanol. How does it tie in with the radiation, how could it represent a cure, and what does it have to do with Beth and TD?
Well, one clue came in TWD 10x16 A Certain Doom. The Whisperers war was at its height, and Whisperers had surrounded Team Family, who were sheltering in a place called the Tower (interestingly the same location as the one used for Grady Memorial back in season 5) with thousands of walkers.
In order to escape and survive, Team Family mounted loudspeakers on to a wagon, and blasted music to draw the walkers away. The song they went for was an interesting choice; Talking Heads with Burning Down The House:
...whose lyrics include this line: "fighting fire with fire"...
Keep in mind, the walkers in TWDU are what they are because of a virus specifically called "wildfire", they're a threath to humanity because of the wildfire virus...
If that's not a representation of "fighting fire with fire", I don't know what is...
And how do we tie ethanol to the symbolism around "fighting fire with fire" and "burning down the house"?
Because of TWD 4x12 Still, in which houses were definitely, decidedly burned down...
Burning down the house. Fighting fire with fire... And how did they set the house on fire again?
Ethanol. They used ethanol. Moonshine.
Which is why it's so darned interesting that TOWL 1x4, with all the references to TWD 4x12 Still, ended with Richonne escaping in a yellow electric/bio-ethanol hybrid truck, supplied with cans of ethanol in the back. Ethanol, which would have had to have been produced in a still, and is famous for burning really well, even well enough to burn down houses.
And let's again appreciate Daryl's immediate response after learning the truth about the wildfire virus back in TWD 1x6 TS-19:
It's like he knew... He couldn't have known that ethanol/alcohol would be involved in a cure all the way back then, but I have a sneaking suspicion TPTB knew a thing or two about it...
I recently wrote about the resurrection symbolism from the sorghum barn from TWD 6x10 The Next World. In that episode, we saw Eugene endorse sorghum as though it was a miracle grain, and maybe it is, because sorghum can be used to manufactor ethanol.
In TOWL 1x1 Days, we saw a similar type of entusiasm over a different grain, millet, when we learned that Okafor was growing millet in his study/appartment, and was constantly on the look-out for the perfect strain of millet. Millet can also be used to produce ethanol.
In TWD season 9, we saw Daryl oversee an ethanol production plant at the Sanctuary. They made it from corn, which they grew on the premises. As the Sanctuary was a factory rather than fertile agricultural land, the crops weren't exactly thriving, and the ethanol production was at the center of many of the conflicts in 9A.
Nevertheless, we saw Daryl convert bikes and cars to run on bio-ethanol. His current bike, which we saw Carol drive in the sneak peak for DDTBOC (which apparantly needs work on its transmission), runs on bio-ethanol. We saw Maggie, chief of food production at Hilltop, trade produce for bio-ethanol.
It was used as fuel, and now we've come full circle with that, in that we saw the yellow electric/bio-ethanol hybrid truck in TOWL 1x4 What We.
This is already a massive post, so I'm saving the rest for part two.
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Alpha, Beta, GAMMA, and Delta. Is Beth a Gamma?
Something stood out to me when in episode 1 of TWOL’s when As and Bs were explained. It was Major General Beale's, adding another shorthand term from the Greek alphabet. He called walkers “delts” or deltas.
So, As are Alpha leaders who are killed because they are a threat to the CRM. Bs are Betas who are the common folk who are used as workers. Ds are deltas or The Walking Dead.
So, what happened to the third letter of the Greek alphabet, Gamma?
I believe the scientists in the Civic Republic are classified as Gammas and Beth will be one of them. The Grady storyline was set up so that Beth would be able to be part of the CR without being a consignee for six years or being killed as an A.
The uppercase Gamma is written like this:
This is a reverse of the negation symbol found on the trees in Season 5 around Coda. @angelthefirst did an amazing post on these symbols.
So, now we are going to see the reverse of Season 5. Beth’s Gamma arc!
Gamma is used as part of MANY medical terms including Gamma radiation(radiation being at least part of what allowed Alica on FTWD survive a bite).
Being the third letter, Gamma also symbolizes resurrection.
A foreshadow of the Gamma arc(Beth’s arc in the CR)was the Whisper’s Gamma, aka Mary. She was on Alpha’s side until Alpha’s lies were exposed. I believe Beth will, at first, believe she is helping humanity as part of the CR until she realizes what they are really doing across the country. Then, like Gamma, she will switch sides to bring down the CRM from the inside. Even the name Mary was chosen deliberately. Mary was the mother of Jesus. We know Beth is a Christ figure in TWD, so the Whisper’s Gamma is forerunner or “foremother” to Beth’s Gamma arc. Mary also came to see her nephew as a reason to hope for a better world again. (I wonder if Beth will have a child when we see her again and he/she will be part of motivation.)
Ultimately, I believe they are setting up a take over of the CRM from within. Rick and Michonne as the A leaders take over the military wing of the CRM, and Beth as the Gamma leader taking control over the scientific research and development wing of the CRM. I think Beth will somehow end up on a mission in Europe to find out what caused the virus and what the scientists there know/have learned. Once she meets up with Daryl and Carol, all three of them will end up back in the CR uniting with Rick and Michonne for a final CRM take down.
C is the third letter in our alphabet or the equivalent of Gamma in the Greek alphabet. So, Team Family will end up winning their last battle because of “Cs” which is perfect symmetry to Season 4 when Team Family lived in cell block C.
Thoughts?
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A interesting comparison and differences………
So have you guys may be wondering something? Because I actually noticed something that I think many people find this comparison quite believable, and for good reasons. Because it also involves around a spin-off of the main show that’s set in an extended universe. Much like Helluva Boss. And that spin-off…….is Fear The Walking Dead. Now you guys may exactly asking “why or how is this comparison to two separated spin-off has notable similarities yet plenty of different things?????” When I answered that major question from you all, you’ll eventually understand.
Right off the bat, FTWD and HB has a similar problem/flaws when how comes to the later seasons as far as the writing, character, set pieces, etc. Especially with two common/noticeable problems between them…..among with explaining the different things to along with it.
Is how both show switch and just mostly focused on one or two characters, taking over the other important main characters purposes. Which is being Blitzo and Stolas, among with Morgan Jones. Hints how the fandom/community called both of them being “The Biltzo and Stolas Show” and “The Morgan Jones Show.”
Starting with Morgan Jones, his first appearances happened around the beginning of Season 4, set a few years later after Season 3 ended. And I can agreed that Morgan isn’t a good choice for a multitude of reason. But the main problem is how he doesn’t really do anything much or changed anything for the show beside just killing walkers and being insufferable despite being the new main protagonist after the story arc of the Clark family, whose purpose was to healed what was broken and helping other supporting characters, but his niceness and nobility is what kinda ruins him as one of the best characters from The Walking Dead universe. And this happened ever since Travis was killed off from Season 3, then Nick was also killed off during Season 4, Alicia was gone around the end of Season 7, and Madison just….isn’t the same person anymore. Because of that, he taking over for what could’ve been a potentially great new season for the Clark family after Season 3, if everything’s was different. But guess not. On the positive side, Morgan isn’t quite a terrible father nor a terrible leader. Since he still has a heart inside of him, still at time, deeply care towards the people surrounding him, and even tried his hardest to be a good father to his daughter, ever since he lost his own son….unlike with Blitzo and Stolas.
I’m just going to say this…..Blitzo and Stolas was two characters I used to enjoyed and ship a whole lot!!!!!! At first. They may seem like two fun characters who may be a bit of a gay horny couple and often at times, they would often used each other. But they do have moments where I felt them in between, was something I’ve never thought was that good….that is until Season 2 came, and their characterization is right I started to realize……they’re never a good character nor a good father, and most of the time, they both always appeared in almost every episode. And looking deeper. Really shows it all.
Like with Blitzo.
Although he can be hilarious at times and has a few moments that makes him stand out. Yet at the same time, he screw everything up and is a complete asshole. Especially how he treats Moxxie and even stalks him and Millie as well, despite the moment from Episode 6, Season 1. He still abuse the hell out of Moxxie, not to mentioned, taking advantage from Stolas, and most of all….neglectful to his love one/friends/colleagues. I get he has a tragic backstory, ever since Buck has never cared for him beside MONEYYYYYYYY!!!!!!! But just because there’s people who are asshole to you, doesn’t excuse the fact that you’re an asshole, abusive, and a neglectful imp who doesn’t let his own siblings nor colleagues just moved on and do their own things. But still been trying to have a relationship with his adopted daughter “Loona.”
Which perfectly leads to Stolas himself.
Stolas is not a good character and a good father. Straight away. He’s responsible for cheating on his own wife with a imp, leading into massive drama behind the Goetia family. It’s even possible Octavia has a good relationship with her father once when she was young, but as time’s goes on…eventually leading to her father relationships with Blitzo. But not for good reasons. Especially in one of the best episodes from Season 1, Episodes 2. It’s apparently cleared he only cared for himself but doesn’t cared about anything else, even if he tried to cheer his daughter up when taking her to Loo Loo Land. But it was around the same time when Stolas also invite, you guess it…..Blitzo! The same guys who he was falling in love and was cheating his wife. He only invited him….JUST TO BE HORNY TO HIM!!!!!!! Making him a complete fucking liar towards his own daughter about “needing security,” when you’re just having Blitzo to flirt with him…..the same can be said for Season 2, Episode 2 when he and Blitzo are trying to search for Octavia, after she accidentally ends up in LA. Yet, only for him TO JUST FLIRT ON BLIZTO INSTEAD OF BEING SERIOUS ON SEARCHING YOUR OWN DAUGHTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2. Another biggest problem between both shows is how it moved away from the original concept that both of them should’ve focused on.
Both the concept of the spin-off has a lot of potential. Especially how Helluva Boss is meant to be an episodic show about three Imps and a Hellhound forming an assassin team known as the I.M.P that involved around teleporting to the human world, in order to assassinate their targets that’s responsible for doing horrible thing. While Fear The Walking Dead is a prequel to The Walking Dead, which is set around the beginning of the Undead Apocalypse. These ideas, again, sounds freaking awesome!!!!!!! But, that’s where another problem rises, because FTWD moved away from the concept as Season 4 came by and Morgan coming along for the ride. It just only become more like a midquel/sequel to The Walking Dead than an actual prequel and the writing just becomes ridiculous and abysmal. As for Helluva Boss, it should’ve been an episodic rather than a plot driven show, which resulted into a complete mess of too many recurring plots and characters, an confusing world-building, characters personalities being assassinated or completely downgraded, many plot holes, etc.
Conclusion. These show, despite so many issue and flaws that cannot be ignored. I still have a lot of fun watching them with some fun I can enjoyed from, especially with its entertainment value. But with Fear the Walking Dead finally getting closer to end in Season 8 as Morgan Jones is officially leaving in the end of the first half, to search for Rick Grimes. Leaving a bit of a nice sendoff to him, leaving the rest of the original cast of the characters to conclude the rest of the storyline. For it to come to the end. As far as the current state for both HH/HB “mostly HB,” it’s not looking good for how the fandom has become a divisive mess that argues with their opinions/criticisms, and especially how Vivziepop has become a mainstream definition of how not to be an amazing creator, she’s not a terrible person …but not a good person either. Even the way she responded to criticism, is not looking pretty for both her and the future of her animated shows. Even growing some concerned for Hazbin Hotel….still……….
We must wait and see. Sooner or later.
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