Oakwood home to “The Walking Dead”

Oakwood Hall, already home to freshman males, is examining a different type of zombie this year. The Oakwood lobby is now home to “Dissecting the Dead.”

"Dissecting the Dead” is a discussion group inspired by the popular AMC series “The Walking Dead” and the accompanying graphic novels written by Robert Kirkman.

The show, now in its fifth season, is a horror series about a sheriff’s deputy who wakes up from a coma and finds himself in a post-apocalyptic world that’s been taken over by flesh-eating zombies.

The discussion group, which began last semester, is the brainchild of associate professor of Christian education Dr. Matt Price.

The group is made up of about 10 regularly attending students, with a few stragglers every so often.

Each week, students start out by examining the episode from the previous Sunday, including a discussion on the deeper issues that weave in and out throughout the show. At the end of the night, Price opens up the floor for a question and answer session.

Price said he wanted to start the group as a way for students to be able to talk through their responses to the tough topics displayed in the show.

Sophomore Caleb Gibbs said that before he attended the discussion group, he “just watched week-to-week and had some casual discussions about the show with a few friends.”

Since joining, he now analyzes each episode, planning what he can bring up when the group meets.

“Dissecting the Dead” focuses on themes such as faith, family, loss, guilt and loneliness, but Price said they also cover the “mundane and just plain dumb questions.”

Some of those will include “what everything smells like in a world without deodorant and toothpaste, where they keep finding bullets for their guns, and what kind of barbeque sauce would complement a hamstring,” Price said.

Although the group is small, those who attend say it’s definitely worth their time.

“The group is fantastic,” Gibbs said. “Kevin Peterson and Matt Price do a great job discussing both the show and the ethics behind it all.”

Gibbs says that he thinks the ethics play a large part in making “The Walking Dead” such a popular franchise.

“Watching fictional characters make decisions and live life allows us to see different situations and think to ourselves ‘How would I react to something like that?’” Gibbs explains. “I think it forces us to put our faith and culture into perspective.”

You can join Price, Peterson and the rest of the group for “Dissecting the Dead” every Tuesday at 10 p.m. in Oakwood lobby.