Themes From We're Alive

[LiamKerrington]

Theme: Reinvention

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9) Oh, and the Mallers. They definitely were happy with their lives after the apocalypse because they weren't stuck in Eastern Bay anymore.

The Mallers were not only happy to be out of Eastern Bay anymore. But for some time they were not only the anthagonists and evil spirits roaming the zombocalpysed world of We're Alive. They had a purpose. From the Kalani-backstory we have learned that the Mallers were very ambitious in kind of mapping the apocalpyse and understand the new world; and they also planned and prepared for a major assault against the zombies, which they did in the arena.

Besides these two major plans they also scavenged the hack out of LA, took as many people as slaves or minions as possible, and they prepared for leaving the place as soon as they learned about the colony, where they could take over. That was the moment, when the arc of the Mallers was ended, because after that the Mallers as a group got distroyed. Just theorizing: What, if there was never the revolution? I could easily envision an alternate WA-verse, where the Mallers were able to sustain the Colony, make it bigger and stronger, maybe even expand it. But it would be a dark place for all the slaves and minions who would have to succumb to the will of Durai and especially the wild emotions of Scratch.

Nevertheless: The main theme here is: purpose. The Mallers - as much as anyone else, who had no meaningful life before the zombocalypse - lived their (new) purpose. And they were able to express their understanding of survival in ways they never could have fathomed or imagined in a world before the zombocalypse with so many rules and regulations. That is as much true for the named Mallers as it is for all the red shirts.

edit:
And purpose is a theme for many other characters as well - as you have described and explained it already. But let me add a few more characters:
Pegs - the almost "useless" survivor right from the beginning. She filled in her role as the lead-farmer in the tower, which was not fulfilling though; but later in the colony - awesome. Besides that she was responsible for the sign of "We're Alive" attracting more survivors from the surrounding. Another purpose for her was to become Scratch's antithesis, and when the deathmatch of the two unfertile women was at the climax in Dunbar, her purpose was to impersonate the very good and warmth of humans in contrary to the mean and vile character of Scratch as well as to protect the life of Nicholas. This name is powerful, because it means the victory of the people. So, on kind of a meta-level Pegs not only won over Scratch and thus saved "victory to the people", she also saved - at least some of - the people when she became the pilot at the end of season #2. So, yes: Pegs had a purpose, although it did not show right from the beginning. This purpose was important for the complete story, but also important for teh character of Pegs, because she was accepted for what she did and how she contributed for the story of survival.

Tommy is another good example: A youth with digestion issues, who was characterized as useless by Kelly. He had a purpose, because he was able to show his skills and prove is use for the greater good and the community. So Tommy, allbeit a small story arc, is kind of similar to Datu. Both ended tragically, but both had their purpose, which was important for the complete story. But they lived their purpose as characters just as well.

Maybe this is not an official theme of We'Re Alive. But for all the main characters and main groups this is true. They were not only "just there"; each of them had their purposes and greater meaning. And purpose is something a human being wants to have in his small or not so small community.

(pardon my typing and spelling; I am so tired like you have no idea; and I just wanted to get my thoughts out there ... I hope I could at least somehow show what other theme I have recognized.)

/edit

Best wishes!
Liam