[SFM] White Lie Ep3 Pt2 Thumbnail

((SPOILER WARNING))

I too was confused by Zoey's choice to kill off Rochelle's group at first.  I mean, killing Rochelle was understandable enough - she was a ruthless "every-survivor-for-themselves" type who never hesitated to leave people to die whenever the shit hit the fan.  But Louis and the Francis twins?  They weren't really guilty of anything.

Actually, they were.  They were guilty of following Rochelle.

At the end of Episode 2 Part 2, Rochelle agreed to leave Ellis behind - note how the camera then cuts to Rochelle, Louis and the Francis twins, reminding us they were originally their own group of 4 before joining Zoey's group.  They look at her in shock and disbelief....but they're not exactly arguing with her.

It happened again at the very end of Episode 2.  It was Rochelle's decision to leave Nick and Bill to their fates.  And Louis and the Francis twins obeyed.  Sure, they didn't like leaving them behind, but when the chips were down, they ultimately sided with Rochelle.  Louis even turned to the soldier and said "Sorry," as if the decision was out of his hands.  By that point it was clear that, when the chips are down, Louis and the Francis twins will side with Rochelle more often than not, however reluctantly they do it.  This made them as guilty as Rochelle in Zoey's eyes.  And don't forget - Rochelle's group was originally its own group before joining up with Zoey's group.  Despite traveling together as one big group, Zoey still saw Rochelle's group as being separate from her own.

Of course, even this explanation doesn't excuse Zoey's actions - which may well be the point.  This is a zombie apocalypse story, after all.  One of the most prevalent themes of the genre is ordinary people being pushed to extremes by extreme circumstances.  With civilization in ruins and no authority around to tell us right from wrong, we get to find out who we truly are - hero, villain, victim, or something else entirely.  And not everyone will like their true selves.  Kind people will discover they are actually cruel.  Brave people will discover they are actually cowards.

While the audience was shocked by Zoey's actions, I imagine none were more surprised than Zoey herself.  For good or for ill, it's much too easy to surprise yourself when the world comes to an end.