When the words Walking Dead come out of someone’s mouth, many assume the false accusation of the AMC tv show being about zombies, guts and killing. There are indeed zombies (known as walkers), guts and killing but if you take the time to dig underneath all the guts there is reasoning and psychological ideas behind every scene.

The show follows a group of survivors trying to find a safe heaven after the world has somewhat come to an end after a disease turned into a zombie apocalypse. However, there is a much bigger concern that the survivors must face. After the first 3 seasons, the group could easily defend themselves against walkers; even kids were able to defend themselves. More than anything the group struggled with living in a world where there was no meaning. The leader of the group (Rick) at one point, even talks about how the “Walking Dead” doesn’t represent the “Walkers” but themselves in that they will become the walking dead if they lose sight of what is important.

The past season of the Walking Dead more than ever gives viewers an in-depth idea of  what it is like to be put into an environment where there are no enforcements, there is no government; there is only each other. When Rick’s group finds Alexandria (safe heaven where walls are protecting a small community of people), the community had already started trying to rebuild a system. Deanna, who was ahead of Alexandria (everyone followed her and her husband), was trying to create a system of government to where Alexandria could be the place where you could live and not just survive. With Rick’s group having been out on their own and having to survive, being welcomed into a place where they could actually try to live was not necessarily as easy as it sounds. This is shown through the next few episodes when Rick’s group somewhat loses it out of fear that the people of Alexandria don’t understand that the world that they live in is not the same.

Alexandria, not three days later, came tumbling down after a building collapsed on one of the walls, allowing the walkers into the known safe heaven. With the walls just coming down, there is much concern about what is next for the Alexandrian’s and Rick’s group. The show leaves off on a cliffhanger showing viewers the fear and anxiety that an innocent kid feels after being thrown into an environment where nothing is at it seems.

From watching the show, there is a greater fear of what happens to the people more than there is regarding the walkers. The Walkers are realistically creepy, but the not knowing of a character’s moral compass, the innocence of death, and the unknown suspense of who lives and who survives is what keeps viewers like me on their toes.

The Walking Dead returns February 14th on AMC.