What do You Want on Your Burger? A Close Analysis of Gender in The Walking Dead Pilot

     I really, really enjoyed the pilot episode of The Walking Dead. I watched it right before I went to sleep and had a nightmare where I was eaten by a horse zombie; it was great. However, I did notice a LOT more about the portrayal of gender in the TV show than in the issue of the comic we read.
     The show--after the first scene of the child zombie--basically starts out explicitly focusing on gender. The very first introduction to Rick and Shane viewers are given is a scene of them in their police car, eating greasy fast food and talking about the difference between men and women. Not only does their dialogue set the tone for gender, but their greasy food is a symbol of it, too.
     I mean, when anyone thinks about women, one of the most sexist lines to say ever is, "Cool story, babe; go make me a sandwich." It's a general assumption that women are the ones who cook and make healthy, hearty, edible homemade food, which is definitely not what we see in the first shot right after the opening sequence. We've got calorie-loaded, greasy, appealing-at-the-same-time-we-get-a-little-disgusted fast food straight from Dairy Queen or Burger King or wherever it is they went. It's sort of, subconsciously, something we associate with males. If women make homemade food, guys--and especially single guys who can't cook--get take out. Now, Rick isn't a single guy, so the fact he is getting take out with his buddy could mean some stuff.
      If you take a look back at the shot I'm talking about, Rick's side of the food box has a lot more left in it than Shane's side. But, at least from what we can see, not too much of the "good" stuff. He's got a lot of lettuce and thrown off vegetables. It's another trope that women make people eat their vegetables--mothers tell their children to finish them, wives "nag" at their husbands they aren't be healthy enough, and so on. Perhaps Rick is taking this time to throw Lori's rules under the bus and say, "Ha! Take that! I don't need your stupid rabbit food!" He's out with his guy buddy just sitting in a car waiting for something interesting to happen. . . He can forget the healthy rules and just eat the junk food if he wants. He has the power.
     This is a really stereotypical symbol to make in an opening shot, but it works. Even if we don't think that much about it consciously, just seeing some greasy fast food in an opening shot sets the scene for a very masculine perspective--which is exactly what we get as the scene continues with their conversation about the difference between men and women.


Discussion Questions:

What sort of reactions did everyone have to Lori in the show vs. the comic? Did anyone else's perception of her change?

Morgan seemed a lot more wary of Rick in the show, too. Was this just because of his wife and the character building that went along with that? Or is there something more there? Hmmm. . .