The Walking Dead: Season 2, episode 11, ‘JUDGE, JURY, AND EXECUTIONER‘ is an AMC,  critically acclaimed original series based on the popular comic book series written by Robert Kirkman. The Walking Dead series from AMC created by three-time Oscar nominee® Frank Darabont and stars Andrew Lincoln, Jon Bernthal, Sara Wayne Callies, Laurie Holden, Dale Horvath, Steven Yeun, IronE Singleton, Norman Reedus, and Melissa Suzanne McBride. The series is about a police officer named Rick Grimes (Lincoln) who leads a group of survivors in a world overrun by zombies. In this episode, Dale confronts Shane about Randall’s fate; and a whole lotta other shit!

Okay. I am not going to bitch too much about tonight’s episode because after 18 Miles Out I thought that nothing could stop Shane for meeting an early departure from the show, however, producers decided to give us one more mind boggling twist to ponder–and what a game changer that was. Warning – Spoilers below.

If at first you don’t succeed…who gives a damn?

Dale (Jeffrey Demunn) spent the majority of the episode trying to convince each of the survivors to consider not shooting Randall. But I knew something was up because this episode spent a considerable amount of time focusing on Dale’s inability to reason with anyone.

The whole damn episode was nothing but back and forth bickering about what to do with Randall–Daryl torturing him in the beginning of the episode wondering who and where the rest of his group was; how armed they were; and if they knew anything about the farm. When it was all said and done, Randall admitted that he was part of a 30+ entourage who are armed to the tee. Killing him would have been the best and only option. Want to guess what bullshit got in the way. You guessed it:  Dale’s.

The group discussed the hazards of keeping someone like Randall on the farm–he will have to be fed, kept hydrated, kept clean, and quiet. It’s getting cold on the farm, the last thing they need is another mouth to feed. “But what about our humanity?” Dale would consistently preach and for a moment there, it might have worked. This was the most annoying aspect of tonight’s show. Everyone crowing around, trying to decide the faith of an interloper. When the obvious was clear. He needed to die before he wound up getting away, and warning the rest of his friends. Sounds reasonable, right?

Carl. The other white meat. 

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Children have no place in a zombie apocalypse. Well in this show anyway, just too damn distracting. Carl (Chandler Riggs) is always going around, minding everyone else business, wandering into potentially Walker filled woods without a care in the world. It seems that no one is ever watching where this kid has run off to! Well tonight, not only did he steal a gun off of Daryl motorcycle, he found a stuck-in-the-mud Walker in the woods and teased it so much it got loose and grabbed him! Unfortunately he got away–I was hoping that he had got eaten. Cruel, I know.

Now we got a loose kid and a loose Walker and no one’s paying attention because they are too busy discussing what to do with Randall. What a waste of time. On top of that, Hershel who was once this hard-ass ‘my way, or the highway,’ pretty much rolled over in this episode and leaving all his thoughts with Rick. Even giving Glenn an old watch, telling him that he is alright with him being with his daughter and poor Dale, when he tried to get Hershel to at least talk some sense into Rick about letting Randall live, he did not want to have anything to do with it. Finally, he is beginning to see things for what they are–crazy.

Did not see this one coming…Damn.

After everything is said and done, I did not see this death coming. Sure Dale was one pain in the ass, but no one predicted that he would die and so soon! Now if you are a fan of The Walking Dead books and comics, you know that Dale is one of the primary characters in the series. The only moral rock and consistent voice of reason throughout. No one predicted that this was going to happen. He put up a decent fight. But zombies do not fight fair. While Dale held it off from biting him, he just ripped at his stomach and disemboweled poor Dale. This was all because of Carl wandering off and stirring up that Walker in the mud.

I have to say that I am shocked…not sure if I am truly disappointed that Dale is no longer with us series wise, however, I do commend the series for taking a more unpredictable path to the show. Even though Dale was an annoying voice of reason for the group, he served as the last ‘civility’ in a world without a judicial system. Sad to see Dale go and yet, glad to see him go.

It may have been for the greater good.

Question: Were you disappointed about tonight’s episode? Were you as shocked as I was to see Dale die in this episode? Leave your answers in the comment section below.

Check out a scene from next week’s The Walking Dead ”Better Angles” from AMC.

Image source: AMC