500 Loaves Of Dead: 'The Walking Dead' Showrunner Compares Rick Grimes To Bible Character

The Bible is pretty neat, there are magical gardens, plagues upon your enemies, and parting seas, however, what there is definitely none of is zombies. So, for #TheWalkingDead's showrunner #ScottGimple to start drawing comparisons between #AMC's apocalyptic #zombie show and the holy scripture may seem like a bit of an odd turn of events, however, in hindsight, it actually makes sense.

Over the past seven seasons, #AndrewLincoln's Rick Grimes has become a biblical leader of sorts. With his rusty sheriff's badge and ragged beard, he has become the de facto leader of the end of the world, dragging his people across the desert like Moses. Now, Gimple has said that he sees Rick as a character directly from the Old Testament, but no, it isn't Moses.

God created zombies.

Don't worry, TWD isn't doing a Kanye and equalling themselves to Jesus (and we already have one of him on the show). No, Rick's tireless drudgery across the apocalyptic wasteland has compared him to Job. Speaking about the way in which he has written Rick's story, Gimple said it was tough to make things so hard, knowing that he is punishing a good man:

“What Andy did tested my [desire] to keep torturing him because it was a horrible thing to see — the way he embodied the pain and even felt this pain was very raw. I’d be lying if I say it didn’t put me in a bit of a weird, existential place of me playing God and Andrew [Lincoln] playing Job.”

Wait, Scott Gimple is God?!?

The show is good, but I wouldn't go as far as tossing statements like that around.

Bible Stories

The Old Testament saw Job as one of God's most devoted followers, who would do anything he was commanded. Satan was unconvinced that one man could be so devoted, so God allowed Job to be tested — the only rule was that he wasn't allowed to be harmed physically. Time and again Job would still return to God and his faith. I guess in this analogy, the wire-bat swinging Negan would be Satan then, but we frequently see Rick get a pounding, so he isn't quite Job.

The show itself is full of biblical references and passages, not least from the religion-spouting Father Gabriel, while the new addition of The Kingdom and its dreadlocked overseer Ezekiel is one big Bible story in himself.

As for Lincoln, he said he was more than happy to endure the Testings of Rick, but he had only one demand:

“All through shooting the season, I kept telling Scott, ‘As long as you give me a 'Henry V'-St. Crispin’s Day speech at some point in the future, I’ll take it.’ So that will be coming. There’s your spoiler.”

At least we know one thing to expect in Season 8 (or the Season 7 finale). When comparing Rick to Job, you can actually see what Gimple means. By crafting the world of Rick Grimes, Gimple effectively decides what torment he will and won't put Rick through.

As the seventh season winds to a close, and we prepare for the "All Out War" storyline from the #comicbook, I'm pretty sure that Rick's turmoil is only just beginning. Losing your wife, nearly having your son raped, and being the show's punching bag are all in a day's work for ol' Grimey.