MovieChat Forums > 28 Weeks Later (2007) Discussion > Don's actions at the beginning

Don's actions at the beginning

posted 8 years ago by E_nineteen
12 replies | jump to latest

I'd be interested to hear what people thought of Don's actions at the beginning of the film. I think it's rare in a movie that they show the whole 'every man for himself' attitude that comes in situations where characters are facing extreme methods for survival. I'm talking, of course, about the fact Don essentially deserted his wife and made a break for it.

On the one hand, this is realistic - Don wanted to survive, and he wouldn't have done had he tried to help his wife. A mixture of panic, the fight-or-flight response and adrenaline kept him moving and ultimately saved his life. That is probably how many people would act in the same scenario, as unsympathetic as it made us feel.

On the other hand, here's a dumb anecdote that confused me a little. I did an interactive theatre experience in London that was actually based on 28 Days Later, and there were times where it felt very real, where it felt like the infected were about to attack you and you had to run for your life. In those weird, panicky moments, I was more than happy to push past strangers to get as far away as possible from the danger, but I was conscious that my friend was with me and I guess some kind of automatic response awoke and I wanted to make sure she was safe - I was always turning back to pull her forward with me. It was only fleeting, these moments, considering I quickly remembered I was an interactive theatre and wasn't in actual danger, but I found it interesting how there may be some ingrained response in us to look after people we care about when we feel threatened.

So in that way, it seemed a little unrealistic that Don would abandon the wife he loved so much to save his own skin.

What do you reckon?

[–] willd2 8 years ago

Totally reasonable

[–] mvitale24 8 years ago

It was realistic in the sense that the one thing you failed to mention in your post was cowardice. It's one thing to be so afraid you only think to save yourself and it's quite another to leave a loved one behind to just save yourself.

What he did wasn't so much only self-preservation. In his mind, he was perfectly happy to sacrifice her life for his, if it gave him time to get away. And there's no two ways to look at that other than outright cowardice.

The way you reacted to that theatre experience is the way most people would. Run for your life and as far from danger as possible but always taking a moment to make sure the one you're with is safe as well. Some have the frame of mind to extend that concern to complete strangers, willing to give their own lives, without a moment's hesitation, to help someone in need that's right in front of them. So when a loved one is at stake, the natural instinct is to be protective, even if it is futile. One would rather die trying to save someone they care about than just run away and leave them to face a certain death alone.

What Don did was to sacrifice his wife in order to save himself. He might have at least tried to save her and then run when he realized it was futile but he didn't even do that. He ran when he realized that he could because she would be the focus of the attack and he could escape and that's plain cowardice.

[–] Good_Citizen 8 years ago

I wouldn't risk my life for any woman on the planet. You are a wuss.

[–] arvid00013 8 years ago

Don get's unreasonably crapped upon, though it might be that we Don through Don's eyes. He sees himself as cowardly

When the blonde turned, Don was the one who put her down, and saved the guy that gave the blonde grief, Jacob. Don didn't simply book it.

Instead, he told everyone to go, and turned to fight the next infected.

The group had an escape plan that involved escaping through the barn and eventually to the boat. That's why the old couple have that argument in the barn, with the husband saying "Go with Jacob." The old husband dies holding the door. He willingly sacrificed himself. His wife becomes semi frozen and doesn't get up the ladder far enough. Jacob tries to hoist her up but the infected are too fast.

Meanwhile, Don's wife chases the kid up the stairs. That wasn't the mistake that doomed her or the kid. It was when the kid decided to hide and she kept looking for him. Don asked her to come with him instead of searching for the boy.

Don and his wife have a duty to survive and reunite with their children. Their children are likely 99.9% certain both of their parents are dead.

The wife decided to put the lone child ahead of herself, her husband, and her reuniting with her kids.

Had his wife gone with the group, she might have been able to save both the old women and Jacob. Had she left when husband asked her, she could have likely saved Jacob

Jacob almost had the boat untied, he needed to finish and start the boat. A second person could have greatly sped that up. Don came close to saving Jacob, but the infected were too hot on his tail.

Don's wife could have saved at least a second adult had she let the kid kill himself.

'Go get an education, learn to talk you first language, lerarn to spell countries names' nidii-76417

[–] allie_sleeps 8 years ago

I completely agree with you, I think Don is unfairly blamed. His wife sentences herself to death when she refuses to leave the boy, and is then outraged that Don won't sentence himself to death, as well. He tries multiple times to get her to come with him. If the boy was running alongside them then okay, he can come with, but I would not die searching for a stranger, even if he was a child.

Don did make a mistake in lying to his children, though, he should have just been honest. She became cornered by the infected, he could not save her, so he saved himself. He doesn't have to say he watched her die, she was as good as dead.

[–] al666940-3 8 years ago

100% agreed.

Except for one thing: The wife FORGAVE Don when he begged forgiveness and told him that she loved him, and they then kiss.

So either she's too far gone from PTSD to even comprehend what's happening (doubtful she could hold the conversation if so), or was sincere (most likely), or tricked Don into becoming infected, which makes no sense:
- She did NOT know she was an asymptomatic carrier (Rose Byrne tells this to her boss, not to her), for all she knew she was not infected (or would have never allowed her kids to hug her).
- Why infect the husband when she cannot escape him and thus would lead to a most horrific death by his hands?

And as for Don to have foolishly entered her room, he did not know either she was a carrier, and since he did have access (he didn't break in), why not?

[–] G_I_JOSH2003 8 years ago

We have a bingo! The mother is legitimately the plague the entire movie.

As you've said she decided to help the random child (who attracted the infected to the farm house in the first place) but putting disregard to the escape plan and to where her priorities were instead.

Furthermore, she was able to open/smash the window and jump out like Don did in the other room and try to run.

Her actions helped lead to the death of Jacob (as the poster mentioned already, due to the time delay)

And lets go further, if she wasn't an immunity case, she would be dead. Straight up. The kid she tried to save is dead.

She has the immunity but is a carrier and she knows it. She gets her revenge (which she doesn't deserve due to her stupidity) by essentially allowing Don to get infected. Which in turn causes the second outbreak.

At the end of the day Don wrongfully is labelled the villain when it's all the mother.

I watched this with my girlfriend last night. I was so amazingly happy to hear that she had the same opinion. She said that if she was in that situation she would have tried to help herself opposed to just standing around yelling for unreasonable actions.

[–] Filimon 8 years ago

Don leaving his wife was the best horror Movie decision ive seen. She was so irresponsible putting her husband in an impossible position. "Help us" when she did totally ignored his plea not to follow the boy. She deserved to die imo..she made that choice and should not expect to sacrifice himself as well.

[–] scorch429 8 years ago

It's simple fight or flight psychology. Some would stay and fight to save their loved one, some would flee to ensure their own survival. Either way, it makes sense.

[–] whoiamnow 8 years ago

This one is hard for me. Initially, I think Don is a coward. He abandons his wife and a helpless child. Were it my husband, my thinking is, "If you go, I go." But then I remember that he has children of his own. Maybe he wants to live for them. Some primal protective instinct kicks in that says to live for your children. That would explain his crazy drive to find his kids once he has turned.

(Go to a review site if you don't want spoilers. This is a DISCUSSION board.)

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] cassbtt 8 years ago

A lot of dignified, well thought out and to a large degree courteous discussion on this topic.

I have sympathy for Don. Especially to his courage at defending everybody when the infecteds first broke in the house. Taken to the end of the story, Tammy was positively mortified at having to shoot him, even though she had questions about his behaviour re: mom.

This ambiguity is one of the things that sets this story apart from the typical macho shoot-em-up zed-head story.

As to the OP's "interactive theatre experience", it reminds me of one of the sharpest shocks I've ever had in my life (over in about a second).

I was watching an ice hockey game with my best pal, right beside me, at rink-side seats at the boards near the blue line. A wicked hard shot was taken and it rebounded off the glass behind the net and ricocheted all around the glass as if it were coming right towards us, standing where the glass disappeared at the blue line.

Well, I froze, but my pal just freaked and in his rush to back up SHOVED me almost face-first toward the boards. I'm sure the puck missed me by several feet but I remember how I was ready to punch the guy out.

Then we both laughed about it for several minutes.

Stress makes you behave differently than you ever would, and that split second decision can stay with you forever.