Walking Dead and Dale? *Contains Spoilers*

The funny thing about Dale was that I liked him. I saw him as the voice of wisdom and calm control. Something that is in dire short supply especially considering the end-times scenario that's being played out in The Walking Dead. But I also understand where you're coming from. When society is turned on its head, all the rules go out the window and you're left making some decisions and doing things you've never though possible. There's a time and place for debate; and there's also a time when you just need to pull the trigger. Do I feel Rick should have shot Randall? Not at all. Once you go down that path, it just gets easier the next time around. Soon enough, you're turning on each other. Now the two guys back at the bar? Absolutely. They were just too dangerous to the group's survival to be left alive.

One thing I really enjoy about the show is the dialogue it can produce. There is a lot of material there that people can debate on. How exactly would society degenerate during an apocalyptic crisis? Probably something similar to this show.

I do agree with you about the farm. They've spent way too much time there. Having spent 10 years on and off working on commercial sets, I do understand why producers decided to keep things localized. It's a closed set. No real need to do excessive redressing, pull permits to shut down streets, find additional locations to film, placate local businesses and families when you're filming in their neighborhood. Buy yea, time to move on.

As for predictions, I have no idea. I long thought Shane should've been zombie-bait. He's too much of a loose cannon. He's going to get somebody hurt or killed.

 

See, while I find Rick's conscience to be somewhat of a hindrance to the group, I also think it is a strength as well, since he wants to do what needs to be done, but he clearly also doesnt want to lose his humanity either. Something, I might add, that Daryl really has seemed to have gotten in touch with in the 2nd season. It started out being about finding Merle for him, but he really did become part of the group. You see how hard Sophia's death hit him, especially considering the effort, not just physical but emotional as well, he put into searching for her. Daryl has become part of the group while Shane has really pulled away from it. I do agree about Laurie tho, I was happy to see Andrea lay it out for her & put her in her place. It really appalled Laurie that Shane had lied to her about Rick being back & fine when he went out loookig for her. It never entered her head that she was being self-centred & in the wrong about going out to get Rick, she smashed up the car & almost got devoured by Walkers, yet Shane was in the wrong for lying to her. It didnt seem to occur to her at all that perhaps she was the problem in that whole thing. Im still waiting for Merle to show up again tho. As for Dale, I liked him a bit, since he was sort of a voice of wisdom & experience, altho I will agree that he could be quite a bit on a high moral horse at times as well. Im looking forward to seeing how things progress!

 

gah! I'm so upset about what happened to Dale!!!

of course my reaction is somewhat jaded by having read all of the awesome comic series. Everyone is acting lame compared to how they did in the series and that loser shane is still alive. on top of which Dale never gets to develop his relationship with Andrea (which was one of the more endearing aspects of nearly 80 issues of the book) nor does he get to die in the awesome way that he does in the comics. plus Jeffrey Demunn is so awesome. When i saw the show was in development by Frank Darabont, I turned to my buddy and said "I'll bet you anything Jeffrey Demunn is Dale"

as for this season I'm mostly liking it, but they need to move the heck on from the farm. They've cast someone to play the governor so they are at least headed for some very fertile territory next season

 

I also really like the various moral/ethical issues that they weave into the apocalyptic setting of the show. In particular the episode from a couple of weeks ago dealing with suicide actually helped me get through some really dark/depressed thoughts I have been dealing with. While I've never seriously considered suicide an option, the whole idea of needing to "cross a line" to remember where it is and re-finding a "reason to live" definitely resonated with me. In my case I guess it was just crossing the line by having dark thoughts that was enough to get me to begin the rebound. The show is a lot deeper than I think a lot of people give it credit for.

As far as the other recent developments on the show, I actually was kind of sad that Dale died since he symbolized a lot of the ideals of humanity that the group had left. And even if you were annoyed by Dale, you have to admit that his death was a pretty horrible one to have his stomach clawed out. At least Daryl provided him a merciful end to the pain though. In regards to Carl, it is interesting for the writers to explore how a kid growing up in that type of environment would react. However, his antics in the last episode had me yelling at the TV (especially the fact that his actions with the zombie in the bog indirectly led to Dale's death!). And with Shane, something tells me he'll be meeting his end soon too after almost killing Rick and his possessive bullshit around Laurie and Carl. And while the idea of them putting Randal to death kind of bothered me, I don't trust the bastard either. They should have left him on the damn fence he was impaled on. I think all the time they've spent on the farm will be sharply juxtaposed with whatever situation/setting they end up in at the end of this season. The relative insulation from the zombies they've experienced at the farm is probably going to come crashing down. I can't wait!

 

Just finished watching that episode. Very samurai-esque, that fight scene between Shane and Rick. All it needed was snow and it could have been Kill Bill all over again. I'm kind of happy with the way that all played out. It seemed to be the only way that situation could have played out. Also, I hereby nominate Laurie for worst mother-of-the-year. Damned woman can't keep keep track of her own son. I started to like Carl, but not so much this season. Especially the last few episodes. A bit unfair I know. Especially given the situation they're all in. Still don't like the brat.

The last scene makes things very interesting. It seems that whatever caused the zombie outbreak is either mutating or coming out of a dormant phase. I wonder if it'll pass on to animals now. Zombie Bambie. Zambie!

 

yeah I really enjoyed this week's episode...except I was sorta hoping for randall to survive..

I of course will be very cautious about comic spoilers..and is why i said things the way I did. for christmas my Sister, who'd only seen the show received the boardgame based on the comic (yes theres a boardgame based on the show too and its much worse) she really enjoyed it, but in the many plays we had during the week I visited I let little things spill...I also convinced her to read the comics...(which everyone should ) and she was a little mad about some of the spoilers I'd given.

I promise to be careful with that stuff

AS for Shane dying? yay, finally! what I loved about it, is that it echoes how it happens at the end of the very first arc of the comics. Shane is out with Rick, and draws down on him...only to get shot in the head by Carl (and no he wasn't a zombie)

 

I'm very sad Dale died, he was the conscience of the group

 

Andrea will be just fine. She has Michonne. NOTHING gets past Michonne.

 

[Spoiler ahead]

They're no longer following the comic with Dale's premature death (I kinda liked the way he died in the comic and his survival in the comic did eventually reveal another important aspect of the nature of the zombie virus). Now some other poor soul has to take over that role. I wonder who.

It's actually a good thing that they took some liberty with the plot so that comic fans have something to look forward to. However, I think the changes weren't for the better.

I didn't really like the comic to begin with and now the series is even worse than the comic. I think I might stop watching it.

 

Yes! I completely agree with what you said about Lori!! She was complaining this whole entire time about how he needed to do something about Shane and now she's all pissy that he actually did something:dry: I hope they kill her off....

Finally, Rick put everyone in their place. Seriously, they can't shut their mouths about Rick's leadership and yet they do nothing to make things better. I didn't like Rick as much before as he was too noble but he's growing on me now. I'm curious as to how much he's going to change next season after killing his best friend. Definitely a much darker and a much more interesting Rick.

I'm so glad they didn't kill off Andrea. She's such a kick ass female character! I don't know who this Michonne is but she seems awesome. Don't know what she's doing with two zombies attached to her arms but I guess I'll find out next season how that works...

Did everyone notice how every single shot made was a headshot? I mean, really? The head is the hardest place to shoot but I'll cut Walking Dead some slack. Awesome last couple of episodes. Psyched for next season :icon_bigg

 

Dale sucked. That actor did a terrible job, first of all, and he was just super annoying about everything. Obviously this young attractive woman isn't into you dude, get over it. No one respected him because he didn't command any kind of respect. He didn't provide anyone with anything other than fixing the engine, and since he died, they learned how to do that on their own.

I hate Rick too. The actor isn't very good, and the character is a TERRIBLE leader. He inspires nothing but fear in everyone. Every difficult situation they come to, he just freaks out and gets all "I'm a Man! I have to take care of my wife and kid because it's my manly duty" but in that stupid batman-esque voice. Constantly yelling. Why can't anyone on this show have a simple discussion and do their own thing? I know they have to work together, but that doesn't mean they have to put all of their cards in only one person.

Andrea is getting cooler, and Daryl is pobably the most realistic about it. And he's smart because he uses a cross bow, which is silent and just as effective as a bullet, not to mention that he can save ammunition and reuse arrows.

There are a lot of parts of this show that they are really not doing well. The comics are written really well and are compelling on their own in the pace that they are using. The show does too many things just for the ratings and not enough things to make an actual good story.

 

Along with the perfect headshots, how many cartridges did Hershel's shotgun carry? The guy was seemingly blasting away almost the entire time without reloading.

That was a good finale with tantalizing cliffhangers for next season. Thankfully we only have to wait until the fall! I haven't read the comics, but it seems like the hooded person that saved Andrea must be from the prison they showed at the end (at least in the after-show program they said it is a prison). I wonder if that's where Randal and the guys Rick shot at the bar are from? Based on Randal saying that his people were a rough group, that would make sense for a prison setting. I wonder if Merle is going to appear there too? I'm also still hoping to see the father and son again from the pilot episode that helped Rick (I really like the actor who played that father, who I had seen on "Jericho" when that show was on a few years ago). I wonder if any gay characters will appear on the show? Also, it was interesting to see the character change in Rick. It will be cool to see how he reacts upon encountering the new group of people at the prison. Something tells me he won't be calling the shots there.

Also, I have to say that the hooded character at the end really struck me as resembling "the guy" mascot that the band Disturbed uses on its album covers. Pretty kick-ass way to make an entrance and save Andrea regardless. I hope Andrea and Daryl survive throughout the show...they are definitely my favorites on the Walking Dead.:dead:

 

I had to avoid this thread before I watched that last episode. and I'm glad I did yay Michonne has shown up, if people are wondering about her 2 chained zombies

SPOILERS FROM COMIC
Michonne has been carrying around zombies of her ex-lovers(with arms removed for safety reasons) as deterrent smell-wise like Rick and Glenn did in the first season to get out of Atlanta

a nice action packed episode that sets up next season getting to the prison, easily the best part of the comic series. I very much can't wait. I've also got to echo other sentiments that Lorie is becoming just way too annoying. I really hope Rick starts to be actual Rick next season....though he is starting to show some promise