The Walking Dead: How Easy Street Provides A Major Continuity Error
After the third episode of The Walking Dead this season, fans coudn't get 'Easy Street' out of their heads. The happy-go-lucky tune was repeatedly used to torture Daryl during his time in Sanctuary, and it became utterly infuriating as it played again and again.
'Easy Street' was perfect for this moment in the show, but did it cause an error in the show's timeline?
Let's think about it for a second. The Walking Dead aired its first episode in 2010, so many assume that's when the zombie outbreak began. However, when investigating the technology used in The Walking Dead and Fear The Walking Dead, that isn't exactly the case.
There isn't a set start date for the events of the series, but the cars and tech used on-screen indicate that society fell apart somewhere between 2010-2013. That much is clear.
The song 'Easy Street', recorded by The Collapsable Hearts Club, was officially released on iTunes on November 4, 2016 - Long after the apocalypse takes place.
Now, you may argue that this is just a song, and its use on a show doesn't effect the people on camera. That can sometimes be true, but not in this case.
Musical effects for television don't always effect the characters you see. Think about it - Rick doesn't hear the ominous score blaring behind him as he walks through the woods. This is the reason why it wasn't a big deal to use a new Hozier song after the group raided Negan's satellite station. Those things occur outside of a character's life, as a part of a television production.
'East Street' however, was an integral part of Daryl and Dwight's story. Daryl heard every lyric, as Dwight played it to torture him. It wasn't like they were playing some 80s track, while the audience heard something different.
The show just used a song that hadn't been recorded yet.
That's kind of like seeing Carl drive a 2017 Mustang, or Dwight watching Westworld instead of Who's The Boss. It doesn't quite fit.
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The only way this works on a logical level is the creative team's use of an altered universe. They've already stated that the zombie genre was never a thing in the world of The Walking Dead, so they've established an altered reality from what we know.
With that, the writers can claim that 'Easy Street' had been recorded prior to the onset of the walker outbreak.
They can make it work, but it's quite the stretch.
MORE WALKING DEAD:
Andrew Lincoln's Epic Reaction To Season 7 Finale / Episodes 7x09-7x011 Are Extended / Violent Takes Were Removed From Midseason Finale / Negan Featured in #162 Preview / Who Will Be The Next Major Death? / AMC Stock Takes Hit With TWD Ratings Drops / Spoilers: How Will Season 7 End? / Lennie James Confirms Major Betrayal / Season 7B Director List
The Walking Dead returns for the rest of its seventh season on February 12 at 9 p.m. ET on AMC. Fear the Walking Dead's third season does not yet have a premiere date but with The Walking Dead finale set for April 2, expectations for Fear's return are set for April 9. For complete coverage and insider info all season long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter.
