Body Language of “The Governor” in The Walking Dead Television Series
Christopher Philip
Images courtesy of AMC
While fictional television and movie dramas offer little by way of empirical study, they do help us visualize body language and nonverbal communication.
I found one such character in The Walking Dead series to help illustrate the rise and fall of a man above any other. While many of the characters display their internal and external struggles prominently, few have provided one as rich as the fall then rise of “The Governor,” portrayed by actor David Morrisey.
As I detailed in an earlier article on Breaking Bad’s Heisenberg, actors and directors will choose nonverbal cues to show the audience what is ‘rattling around’ inside the braincase of the characters.
While in Breaking Bad, Walter White-turned-Heisenberg runs a more or less straight line from ordinary man to super-villain, “The Governor” turned “Brian” and then back again in The Walking Dead, follows, at least to the viewers, a much more step decline followed by a quick rebound (I’ll spare as many specific details as possible to avoid any spoilers).
When first introduced, the megalomaniac has his ‘shit together’- he calls the shots, people obey him, and his community is thriving. This is shown in the level of care he puts into his grooming and attire. Also his mannerisms are controlled, calm, and effective.
Flashing forward in the series, we see him at a new low. He is disheveled, his clothing is sullied, his hair is uncoiffed, his beard is unkempt and gnarled, and his body language is defeated. He lumbers and stumbles, he shoves away “biters” or haphazardly sidesteps them rather than enthusiastically forcing their demise. As he progresses through his environment, he is noticeably lacking in direction and purpose.
Without question, he is physically and mentally destitute.
His nonverbals suggest that he has succumbed to the forces around him and is submitting – he has been defeated by nature, man, and circumstances.
Throughout the next scenes, his renascence is sudden and dramatic. His beard is shaven, his body becomes more erect, and he begins to take action.
Suddenly, and with newfound purpose, he appears wearing his classic black attire (Where did he find them?) and he thrusts himself to the forefront. It is clear that with the help of nothing other than his own actions driven by his internal spirit he wishes to reclaim leadership.
From The Governor’s initial status achieved in Woodbury, to his fall and subsequent renascence, his body language, attire and demeanor, all neatly suit his underlying mental state.
It has often been said that the first thing to go during depression is personal hygiene. People stop caring about how they are perceived by others either because they can’t find the motivation to actually perform personal grooming tasks, or they find the tasks to be senseless given what they desire from life – which isn’t much. When a person wonders if they’re better off dead, their appearance takes a back seat due to their mental health.
How we appear to others, including how we dress, groom, and carry our bodies, provides signals to others about how we feel about ourselves and about our prospects in the world.
Maintaining good personal hygiene and avoiding self-neglect, even when suffering negative life events, can help embody the kind of positive mental state we desire while staving off more serious outcomes. Our appearance can help ground us. It can help us maintain our status and demonstrate a will to fight against the world.
While depression and mental disorders are severe cases, basic hygiene neglect can contribute to lower status and cause oneself to perceive less control over the outcomes one experiences in life.
One should always strive to suit the outcomes one desires with congruent nonverbal communication.
If you want to feel well, one should dress “the part.”
A desirable role in life should be appropriately matched by the clothing on your back, a stiff spine, and a resilient expression.
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Images courtesy of AMC: http://www.amctv.com/