CliqueClackThe Walking Dead: The sainthood of Merle Dixon
Why are so many willing to forgive Merle Dixon for his transgressions? He was an asshole through and through. You don’t reward behavior like that, you call it out for what it is.
If you haven’t seen “This Sorrowful Life,” the latest episode of The Walking Dead, you are hereby duly informed: There will be spoilers. (Truth be told, though: Unless you’ve sequestered yourself from everything The Walking Dead, it’s a little difficult not to know what took place in the chapter.)
I’m going to detail information on Merle Dixon, loose canon and elder brother of Daryl Dixon, touch on the last few episodes and recount items specifically from the penultimate episode of season 3.
From the beginning of the first season, it was understood the Dixon Brothers were not only shared a close familial blood bond but were continually forced apart by not only their circumstances but by their decisions as well. And, unfortunately, to the bitter end for one of them.
Yes … redneck Merle finally met his end. It was to the general understanding — and in many cases the general approval — of many who watch that it was inevitable this would happen. But there is an overall consensus blowing on the breeze Merle actually redeemed himself of his evil mannerisms at the last, redeemed himself from being a complete asshole to everyone he encountered, pleaded with or otherwise came across. Did he? In point of fact, did he really make recompense? I say no. He didn’t even come close … not by a long shot.
Let’s look at the evidence:
Merle forever capitalized on his circumstances. Whether it was to get himself out of a bind, take control of a situation or just because it was Merle being Merle, there wasn’t any thought of do goodery in the man. It was always selfish, always self-serving, usually of his own volition and, many a time, on a whim. From the very start, he took control. Remember his speech on the rooftop in “Guts” at the start of season 1? His introduction to us was that of a pompous ass in the episode. Fast forward to his reintroduction at the prison in helping out with the walker seige, right there when Rick was being overrun by walkers, the Dixon boys miraculously appearing out of thin air. That was Merle at his groveling best (without any grovel whatsoever) doing his best to show he was a valuable commodity in his own way, his own form of humility (such that it was) to ingratiate himself back into the fold. His torture of Glenn back at Woodbury? Nothing more than “a showcase of his wares” as a means to better himself in The Governor’s eyes. There has never (yes … I used the word “never”) been a position he’s been in where he hasn’t used it to his advantage — whether it’s to his benefit or in outright defiance. That’s just Merle.
But Merle let Michonne go, proof he had a change of heart. Yeah … a little light switch turning on the modicum of goodness inside Merle with that gesture. Right? Nope. There’s no such thing as a little light switch in the human body that turns things on and turns things off, folks. Let’s get serious: The only reason Merle cut Michonne loose was to rid himself of her continuous yapping. He tired of her attempt at trying to get to the heart of his dark side, to see if there was any goodness left within. Nothing more. What? You think his leaning over her and opening the door was a gallant, chivalrous gesture? You’re dreaming. That was his way of telling her to get the hell out of the car and hit the road. Pulling away from her, I’m convinced he heaved a sigh of relief knowing she wasn’t sitting beside him mouthing off.
Merle convinced himself he was the one who got the dirty work done. To everyone else, Merle was delusional. If not right away, this was something everyone who came in contact with him realized sooner or later. No one ever told him he had to pull the trigger or take care of business or kowtow to anyone as a personal lapdog. That was something he worked himself into a lather about all by his lonesome. I told you … delusion. When you think the whole world is out to get you, when you’ve convinced yourself of that, nothing is going to sway you otherwise. And that line of thinking made Merle ever dangerous. If you think differently about the man, if you believe there was anything other than vehemence inside his rotten core, you’re delusional yourself. He was sick from the inside out for a long, long time. You could hear it in the way he spoke, you could see it plain as day in his demeanor.
Merle claimed time and again he did what he did with his little brother in mind, but it never was. Egoistic, narrow-minded and self-centered — all things Merle exemplified to anyone who would listen — does not lend well to compassion for others. He used Daryl the same way he used anyone else. The difference was he liked spewing there was that paternal bond, forever tying him to his little brother. And it was no more evident than when he was trying to convince Daryl of such. How lovely of him.
In the end, it was all about Merle having an agenda. And that’s all it was. It was his singular need to off The Governor for throwing him out with the garbage (so to speak) when he pitted him against Daryl in the make-shift arena during the mid-season finale “Made To Suffer.”
So … there’s plenty of evidence right there for you to consider. Still want to canonize Merle because he bared his soul at the very last in letting Michonne off the hook and trying to take care of The Governor?
News Flash: He didn’t bare his soul at all. He only bared his teeth. Defiantly.
11 Comments on “The Walking Dead: The sainthood of Merle Dixon”
Now I would agree with you, BUT, there’s quite a few things you didn’t mention. In the battle where he was putted against Daryl, if he truly did just be the opportunist you indeed say he was and was the egoist he was and that he never cared for Daryl then him basically screwing the governor instead of proving his loyalty completely to the governor gets rid of your opportunist theory. Second, he didn’t kill Daryl, meaning that this “paternal bond and that’s it” thing they share is another moot point made by you, then why save his baby brother if he never cared about him? Try again sir. Now with michonne, another theory, he did what he did to her knowing he can possibly prove himself to the rest of the group and save them, now, him letting michonne go, light switch or not that theory has become useless too because that light switch came on when fighting his brother. Him letting michonne go just basically showed a lighter side of Merle, Merle going to do what he did was again a way for him to prove himself to the group. He wanted to belong and to try his best, he just died in the process, and he knew it, in the end he did it to thin the herd to help the group, or did it to protect his brother knowing that the only good fighters the group had were his brother and Rick. I rest my case, in the end sir it seems like you just watched the first season and the last 4 episodes of this season, not a very thought out article, I now say good day.
Merle was loyal to The Governor to a degree. So long as it benefited him. You saw that several times earlier this season.
Pitted against Daryl, he had it in the back of his mind to save his skin. If he could do so while making him look good in The Governor’s eyes and look out for his brother? All the better. (Which we all knew he would try and do because there’s that “paternity thing.”)
Regarding Michonne: Possibly … but the fact Rick had a change of heart regarding Michonne resulted in his knowing Merle took matters into his own hands once again, proving his self-serving nature and devil-may-care attitude. Yes, that could have been a lighter side of him letting Michonne walk, but I truly believe he didn’t give a crap about her and she was getting on his nerves. Like I said: Merle had an agenda and he didn’t need her anymore. That agenda necessitated him being alone to try and accomplish his goal. He had enough to worry about without keeping watch over Michonne to boot.
I waxed about all of last season, Ted. The reviews are there for you to peruse.
Merle pointed out that the group’s planned actions with Michonne were no more cold blooded than what he’s been guilty of in the past, and he had a great point. It was evident that deep down inside Merle wanted to redeem himself and be accepted in the group, but pride and ego always stood in his way. This was his final coup de grace, and it seems like he felt he may not make it back himself. Tell me what he had to gain from letting Michonne go and his attempted assasination on the Governor? Simply stroking his ego or secretly wanting redemption? You sound just about as much of an a-hole as Merle was, with the way this article reads.
Yes … he did mention the duality of the group’s and his plans. But I’ll additionally point out he confessed to Rick he didn’t know what he was doing when he did things. That was a major point reveal to his character.
I further agree with you he wanted to “come clean” if not for his pride and ego. They always, always, always got in the way. That was his nature. His ego told him he could go after – and get – The Governor. He almost fulfilled that desire, that final “screw everyone, I’ll prove I can do it.”
What did he gain by letting Michonne go? See my response to Ted above
I thought one of the most interesting aspects of Merle was that you never knew what to expect out of him. Merle knew what his place was going to be if he stayed with the group. He knew he was destined to be “the bad guy”. People using him to do the things that had to be done, for people who didn’t have the stomach to do it themselves (referring to Rick) and for people who despised him and treated him like the devil, even though he may have deserved it.
When I saw the scene of him drinking in the car, blarring the music, with the crowd of walkers, I was wondering what thoughts were going through his head. He had to know, whatever he was going to do, that he wouldn’t survive. He knew the govenor wouldn’t hold up his end of the bargain and would double cross Rick.
Rick should have come clean about the deal and used Merle’s military training, along with any fire power the group had and planned an ambush, with Michonne as the bait, as a willing accomplice. But… then again, maybe I’m biased and giving Merle too much credit. He was/is the best character in the show…
I am interested to see who Daryl will hold responsible for his brother’s death? The guv, the man who shot him? Rick, for getting Merle involved in the plot? Or Merle himself, for going off on his own?
While I loved Merle’s character on the show, in the same breath I can call him an ass. Because that’s exactly what he was throughout. I dig Daryl equally for different reasons, mainly because he has a fire similar to his brother’s … but on a different level all together.
Next episode should be revealing on several levels and I hope to get answers to those same questions, Jeff.
If he was an opportunist why not use michonne like “he used all the others for his benefit”? Why go on a suicide mission alone? I mean look if he had no heart at all then when he say Daryl’s back from the abuse he suffered from his dad when they were kids and he wasn’t there then again him having no heart makes no sense. An ass he may be but look at the situation, if he didn’t do it for the group it was to protect his only family alive and that’s Daryl. He isn’t the devil or a cold blooded ass if he was like I said above, then why let his brother live (and I quote Merle this is prior to him knowing Rick would even come back, “follow my lead little brother”), the governor having seen him kill his brother, would’ve proved Merle’s loyalty so if he didn’t love his brother at all then why allow him to live? Now back to michonne, why even tell her at all that he’s an outcast or any sort of speech? Now you have seen the first season and even quoted Merle, he’s a man of action and would say something like that if he wanted to be an ass but he was too sincere. And like I mentioned in the opening, an egoist and opportunist (and ill quote you, “if he can do so while making himself look good in front of the governor”) an oppurtunist and egoist would’ve taken full advantage of using michonne for his “egoist” needs but he didn’t, he let her go to go on a suicide mission and lets keep in mind Merle lived at Woodbury for quite a while he knows what they’re capable of, he even said in the prison, “wel all be killed” so obviously with or without the group he knew he or the group was gonna die so therefore he more went to redeem himself prove himself and to help his little brother. I do respect your opinion and that’s fine I agree with some of your points absolutely but I don’t see a solid argument on the “egoist-oppurtunist” argument for Merle especially in his dying zombified moments, there’s no evidence, sorry.
I fail to see how anyone can seriously or intelligently question Merle’s bigoted, misogynistic, neolithic persona. Whether or not he was a down to the core a-hole, a product of his environment capable of eventual change like his brother, or some combination of the two is up for debate. However, the intent of the show and its creators is clear.
They wanted this to be a form of late redemption. From the “late bloomer” quote, to setting Michonne free, to taking the one action that he thought would prevent an all out war… the writers and producers tried to sell Merle as a changing (don’t think its fair – by a long shot – to say changed) man. That some folks bought into that and rallied behind him is of little surprise to me… it’s what we were conditioned and encouraged to think.
This should not be confused as me saying I think Merle is/was redeemed, anymore than a convicted killer on death row apologizing to the families of his/her victims would be. I do, however, think he did what he – in his warped mind – thought was right in the end; and I do think his vision and insight into “right” was improving. This is a zombie show that is, at its best, mildly about zombies and at all times about a voyage through the humanity of the survivors. This is no less true when it comes to Merle.
Should they hold a memorial service for him (other than for Darly’s benefit)… no. However, recognizing a subtle positive change in him isn’t such a bad thing, in my opinion. Merle is no saint, he’s can’t even reasonably be called a good man. But in his persona – as a microcosm of the world our survivors live in – seeing a glimpse of potential in a sea of darkness and despair seems ironically equivalent to the role of “hope” within Pandora’s box; and in that world… I’m not sure I can think of a more valuable commodity.
This is a farily poorly thought out artical, especially sense it doesn’t follow the line of thinking the makers of the show had. Rookery said Merle let Michonne go to shut her up, but I am pretty sure that was a joke if Merle was really gonna hand her over he Wouldn’t of let her go no matter what. Also what he did clearly shows he did it for his brother if he was really being self serving he wouldn’t of put himself in such a dangerous situation. If he was truly self serving he could of just drive away. Sorry but I don’t agree with this at all.
I’m not going to argue about if merle was an ass or not. He clearly was.
At the same time, it seems everyone IN the show, and those watching the show, fail to understand how much the world has changed. You have billions of zombies on you. My last thought would be to make myself seem like a nice guy, and act on morals and the convenience and feelings of other people. Just like my constant debate between others and myself as to who would have made a better leader/ should have died(RIck & Shane). Rick always thinks about others before himself or his kid. He acts on morals and rules that expired at with the rest of civilization. You do what you have to do to look out for yourself, too stay alive. You don’t, or should not have time to think “Is this person going tothink im Good Guy Greg?” who cares. If you dont do things to stay alivd, even if it means killing someone else for zombies to feats on, I say do it.
Just my opinion, take it as you will. They live in a different world. Rules change.
Two o’ clock in the morning baby,
I know it’s late, I know it’s late,
I’m dark and I like the night,
And I can make you feel alright,
I’ve been around for quite a while,
And I’ve learned how I can make you smile,
I know you won’t refuse,
You know I’m fast And loose, no remorse….
say what ya want about Merle…but the dude had good taste in music….Motorhead is pretty good “goin to war” music……