Zombie Podcast, July 2012
This is my second visit to the long-running podcast, now in its thirty-second
episode. Each episode is broken up into parts, that appear at regular intervals - a testament, perhaps, to the hard-working
cast and crew, who have now graduated to giving occasional live performances.
I will not spoil potential listeners' pleasure by disclosing the plot - suffice to
say that it raises important themes about group identity as a form of protection against danger and/or the unexpected. However
writer/director KC Wayland reminds us about how fragile that identity actually is, especially in a zombified world where no
one can distinguish between a 'real' human being and a zombie. This story in particular uses that theme to explore questions
of gender: exactly how are men and women expected to behave, and how do the characters either conform to or subvert our expectations?
Wayland offers us no answers, but invites us to reflect through the sf form.
Coming back to We're Alive is like visiting an old friend and suddenly realizing
that the friend has a lot more to say about important issues. Keep going!
