28 Weeks Later: Was he wrong?
I know the "28" movies aren't technically zombies, but I like to group them into the genre. I was just watching 28 Weeks Later and there was a situation that really made me think. Right at the beginning, the main character, Don, and his wife and other companions are shown surviving in a boarded up house when suddenly they are attacked and the infected break in. The scene that I'm wondering about is the scene in the bedroom when his wife is on one side trying to save a child and Don is on the other side (presumably in a bathroom because there is a door) and suddenly an infected comes in. It first goes after Don, but he closes the door quickly and it then goes after his wife and the kid. Don then runs out to escape, even though there was time to save his wife and the kid.
My question for all of you is: Was Don wrong or right to do that? The movie seems to make him look like a coward for not fighting to save his wife, but neither of them were armed so his fight would most likely end up in the death of him, his wife, and the child. Also, had he been able to kill the one infected and save his wife from that ONE, it would likely have caused them to miss the escape boat and they would have all died anyway. I do think it's a little bit cowardly the way he just fed his own wife to them, but it was human instinct to be scared and self preserve. What are you thoughts on this?
My question for all of you is: Was Don wrong or right to do that? The movie seems to make him look like a coward for not fighting to save his wife, but neither of them were armed so his fight would most likely end up in the death of him, his wife, and the child. Also, had he been able to kill the one infected and save his wife from that ONE, it would likely have caused them to miss the escape boat and they would have all died anyway. I do think it's a little bit cowardly the way he just fed his own wife to them, but it was human instinct to be scared and self preserve. What are you thoughts on this?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Adam Miller on -
If that was MY wife and child i would have tried to rip that thing's head off or found something in the room to fight it with or simply try to slow it down long enough for them to escape. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if i deserted my family when there was even a remote chance i could have saved them, even if it had cost me my life.
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Permalink Reply by Dario on
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Well first off, his name was Don, not John.
I can't totally blame him for chickening out, though I can blame him for being an asshole about it later and just not admitting that he abandoned his wife out of fear.
But I don't agree concerning the alternatives. There clearly were things he could have done, because, as you saw, Alice did manage to escape despite the abandonment. He could have certainly done something to save Alice.
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Permalink Reply by Wags on -
Sorry about that, I thought they were saying John; fixed it.
I suppose she escaped in the sense that she was still alive, but she did not escape being bitten. The only reason she was still alive was because she was immune, and Don had no way of knowing that.
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Permalink Reply by Liam on -
from our point of view it looks like he did the right thing, out numbered, with no chance of survival.
But if it was me and the whole situation was going to shit then i wouldn't care if there was one or 101 zeds id still try to protect mywife and kid.
it's instinct
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Well technically so is the response to flee from danger. It depends on the individual person concerning which one prevails or not.
At any rate.....this scene was absolutely epic. Talk about catharsis!
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Permalink Reply by Wags on
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I agree with you guys, I personally couldn't live with myself if I had abandoned my wife.
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And the asshole lived with it fairly comfortably too, until she showed up alive! MOFO was upset that she was found! I hate Don.
The actor who played him was phenomenal though, as was the actress who played Alice.
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on -
Yes, he was wrong. While I understand the need for self preservation, it was his wife he abandoned. He broke his marriage vows then and there.
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Permalink Reply by Diomedes on -
There is no right or wrong in this matter- it is simply a matter of choice. What means more to you- saving yourself or safeguarding your family? And though it is noble to stay and protect one's family, remember that self-preservation is a very powerful instinct.
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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This is why we have things like vows and formal rules, training, and so on. So that one's own personal feelings of self preservation don't stop one from doing what is right.
To say there is no right or wrong in a situation where a man vowed to cherish and protect his wife, and then later denies those vows in a fit of self-preservation is to excuse the weasle. While I understand his terror and flight, it is still wrong. Sometimes doing the right thing means going against your own personal feelings of safety, comfort, and even survival.
Here is a question: could you live with yourself knowing you abandoned the person you claimed to love and cherish?
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Permalink Reply by Wags on
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True, but his wife was not the only family he had. They had 2 children as well, but I didn't see any evidence that would suggest he was thinking about them when he made his decision.
As for me, I wouldn't be able to live with myself, and definitely couldn't live as comfortably as he did. I would probably have to try and save her even if it meant probable death for all of us.
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Permalink Reply by Diomedes on
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I don't extend my argument of 'there is no right or wrong' into the vows of marriage- that is a different matter. Though my own parents never made a vow to protect each other, they did vow to love and cherish each other... but we're splitting hairs here. It is honorable to protect anyone who is in need, if they be family or not. But in this scenario, one cannot condemn a man for taking the road of self-preservation. There is no guarantee that the man could have even protected those in need. But ultimately, that is the choice of the person who faces that situation, and we must not be so fast to judge a man as a coward for making his decision. It is, after all, the selfish actions of man that make the selfless actions of the few so admirable.
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