The Walking Dead, Season 2.

[GuineaPig]

What should totally happen: the entire group dies at the end of season two.  Or makes it to Bermuda or something.

Then, Vince Gilligan and the entire creative staff from Breaking Bad takes over the show.  Bam!  Greatness in two easy steps.

[TempusVox]

Having read about 35 of the 80 some issues, I know "loosely" what happens next. 

Being that you have read the 'original' story....are you satisfied with how the series has been or has it bothered you however they have deviated from the novel? I consider myself lucky that I haven't read any of the graphic novel and my only familiarity with 'The Walking Dead' is what I've seen on AMC. There have been some others I know in different forums that are very dissatisfied with how the series depicts the novel. Just curious as to how you see it and how you feel.

It's pretty refreshing actually. I mean if it were exactly like the book, I don't think I'd watch it for long. Just someone elses interpretaion of what had already been visually presented would make me lose interest rather quickly I think. The fact that it's not exactly the same is really cool. I mean, I can identify some parts, but I still don't know what's exactly next, so it stays fresh that way for sure. I just really hope that the set-ups don't drag out too muh. What would be ideal I think would be for the newtowrk to say "We goofed!"; beg Darabont back, and raise the budget. Don't think that'll happen though.

[Ravenheart]

It's pretty refreshing actually. I mean if it were exactly like the book, I don't think I'd watch it for long. Just someone elses interpretaion of what had already been visually presented would make me lose interest rather quickly I think. The fact that it's not exactly the same is really cool.

Yeah, I think treating it as a separate entity from the graphic novels is the proper way to watch the show.

[fadetoblackdude7]

Just watched the 3rd episode. Shane's a cock.

[Zantera]

Just watched the 3rd episode. Shane's a cock.

That pretty much.

[gmillerdrake]

Just watched the 3rd episode. Shane's a cock.

     I absolutely disagree. My mother and I argued about Shane's actions this morning. She couldn't believe he'd do someting like that, especially after Otis wouldn't leave Shane behind. I said I would have. Given that you love and care for a small child....he NEEDS that equipment to have a chance to live.....the world as you knew it as far as law and order are non existant.....I think I would have done the same thing. In that world they live in they have to approach every day much like the soldiers of WWII did, you are already dead...it's just a matter of time when it is finalized.
 Sadly, it's nothing but survival of the fittest and Shane did what he had to do to survive and help Carl live. It came as a shock that he did it, but the reasons he did it make perfect sense to me. You can see though by his actions and the 'thoughts' he has that it wasn't something he is proud of or that he is soon to forget. That is really going to mess with him for a while.

[Dimitrius]

Just watched the 3rd episode. Shane's a cock.

Sadly, it's nothing but survival of the fittest and Shane did what he had to do to survive and help Carl live. It came as a shock that he did it, but the reasons he did it make perfect sense to me. You can see though by his actions and the 'thoughts' he has that it wasn't something he is proud of or that he is soon to forget. That is really going to mess with him for a while.

All of this! Shane's really just a sharp contrast of Rick. He's willing to make the tough choices. If Rick were in place of Shane in the school, he would've done everything to bring Otis back even if it meant Carl dying because of it. Shane, as dark and as surprising as it was, probably saved Carl's live because of what he did.

[gmillerdrake]

Shane's really just a sharp contrast of Rick. He's willing to make the tough choices. If Rick were in place of Shane in the school, he would've done everything to bring Otis back even if it meant Carl dying because of it. Shane, as dark and as surprising as it was, probably saved Carl's live because of what he did.

Nice point! Even though it seems so obvious now that you said it I never really looked at Shane and Ricks characters like that but it sure looks like that is the case. Makes me wonder now if there was an affair between Lori and Shane before Rick was in an accident....that the scene where she revealed to her friend that she wished her husband would yell and fight a bit and not be so sensible wasn't an admission of sorts that she would rather be with the 'contrast' of Rick. Or maybe that is just what attracted her to Shane after the accident. Wonder if they will address or reveal the beginning of that romance or not.
 But that observation about Shane is right on...Rick definately takes the 'Boy Scout' approach...which is not nescessarily a bad thing, but there are times when you need to take the Navy Seal approach as well and Shane seems to know how to do that.

[fadetoblackdude7]

But Otis was moving faster than Shane.....they both could've gotten away somehow.

[Dimitrius]

Otis was fat, fat people die in zombie things.

[gmillerdrake]

But Otis was moving faster than Shane.....they both could've gotten away somehow.

I was getting the impression that even though they appeared to be 'ahead' of that particular 'herd', those walkers were just coming from every which way...hence negating all leads or apparent advantage they had. I may be wrong in that but that was the sense I had.
   I'm wondering since Shane attempted to 'give up' earlier due to his injured ankle, that if in that moment he knew there was no way he could even keep up with Otis at that time...leading him not only to make the decision to shoot Otis just to get the supplies to Carl but also to preserve his own life? One never really knows what they'd do in moments like that, and maybe he just made the decision to mame Otis and leave him as a distraction just to assure he'd live, and save Carl.
 Whatever the reason....he's never going to be the same. His behavior is already a bit odd. I'm sure once a day or two has passed he will seem 'normal' but there has to be some sort of great internal struggle or judgment going on there....unless he is just a cold blooded heartless bastard in which case he just shot Otis to save himself and Carls' lifesaving equipment just happened to be a bonus. I haven't seen evidence thus far that is the case...he seems to have some sort of 'caring' emotion, but who knows what living in a world like that day after day will do to a person.

[fadetoblackdude7]

Yeah......I knew Shane seemed bothered or upset by something in the very beginning.

[Omega]

Just watched the 3rd episode. Shane's a cock.

     I absolutely disagree. My mother and I argued about Shane's actions this morning. She couldn't believe he'd do someting like that, especially after Otis wouldn't leave Shane behind. I said I would have. Given that you love and care for a small child....he NEEDS that equipment to have a chance to live.....the world as you knew it as far as law and order are non existant.....I think I would have done the same thing. In that world they live in they have to approach every day much like the soldiers of WWII did, you are already dead...it's just a matter of time when it is finalized.
 Sadly, it's nothing but survival of the fittest and Shane did what he had to do to survive and help Carl live. It came as a shock that he did it, but the reasons he did it make perfect sense to me. You can see though by his actions and the 'thoughts' he has that it wasn't something he is proud of or that he is soon to forget. That is really going to mess with him for a while.

That's not the way I interpreted it.

I saw Shane's action as simple revenge for shooting Carl. No benefit would arise from shooting Otis. In fact, doing so would only risk having them both die off and not deliver the supplies to Carl. Shane merely shot Otis for accidentally shooting Carl. In other words: Shane is a douchecookie.

[fadetoblackdude7]

Just watched the 3rd episode. Shane's a cock.

     I absolutely disagree. My mother and I argued about Shane's actions this morning. She couldn't believe he'd do someting like that, especially after Otis wouldn't leave Shane behind. I said I would have. Given that you love and care for a small child....he NEEDS that equipment to have a chance to live.....the world as you knew it as far as law and order are non existant.....I think I would have done the same thing. In that world they live in they have to approach every day much like the soldiers of WWII did, you are already dead...it's just a matter of time when it is finalized.
 Sadly, it's nothing but survival of the fittest and Shane did what he had to do to survive and help Carl live. It came as a shock that he did it, but the reasons he did it make perfect sense to me. You can see though by his actions and the 'thoughts' he has that it wasn't something he is proud of or that he is soon to forget. That is really going to mess with him for a while.

That's not the way I interpreted it.

I saw Shane's action as simple revenge for shooting Carl. No benefit would arise from shooting Otis. In fact, doing so would only risk having them both die off and not deliver the supplies to Carl. Shane merely shot Otis for accidentally shooting Carl. In other words: Shane is a douchecookie.

Just about to say that! He seems like the grudge-holding type.

[Dimitrius]

I saw Shane's action as simple revenge for shooting Carl. No benefit would arise from shooting Otis.

Really? Because the hordes of zombie wouldn't stop to eat the wounded Otis, right?

[Omega]

I saw Shane's action as simple revenge for shooting Carl. No benefit would arise from shooting Otis.

Really? Because the hordes of zombie wouldn't stop to eat the wounded Otis, right?

They were pretty near the car. They get in quick, the zombies try to break windows, step on gas, no more zombies on windows, home, give Carl the medicines, etc, done.

[gmillerdrake]

I saw Shane's action as simple revenge for shooting Carl. No benefit would arise from shooting Otis.

Really? Because the hordes of zombie wouldn't stop to eat the wounded Otis, right?

They were pretty near the car. They get in quick, the zombies try to break windows, step on gas, no more zombies on windows, home, give Carl the medicines, etc, done.

Did they ever show the car or how near they were? The only vehicle that was in the picture of Shane leaving Otis was a broken down school bus. They never gave a clear indication that they were close to the truck, just a scen where Otis says something like "it's across the next street" or something like that.
  I wouldn't doubt that the fact Otis shot Carl made it a bit 'easier' for Shane to wound him letting the walkers focus on Otis and eat him...thus allowing Shane to escape. But I didn't interpret that scene as anything other than...we aren't going to make it 'unless' some extreme measures are taken. Better one of us make it than none so Shane made the choice to 'feed' the walkers and make his get away.

[Dimitrius]

I saw Shane's action as simple revenge for shooting Carl. No benefit would arise from shooting Otis.

Really? Because the hordes of zombie wouldn't stop to eat the wounded Otis, right?

They were pretty near the car. They get in quick, the zombies try to break windows, step on gas, no more zombies on windows, home, give Carl the medicines, etc, done.

Did they ever show the car or how near they were? The only vehicle that was in the picture of Shane leaving Otis was a broken down school bus. They never gave a clear indication that they were close to the truck, just a scen where Otis says something like "it's across the next street" or something like that.

I was just about to ask this.

[Zantera]

To be fair, I think Shane's action is one of those situations that.. when people see it on TV, they are like "Man he is such a cock", but if it were to happen to themselves in real life, they would most likely do it themselves.

There's another good example of that, in the movie "28 weeks later", where (without spoiling too much), Robert Carlyle does something similar in the beginning.
Honestly, I think it's a good move, because it shows humans real nature.

[Phoenix87x]

That ending was incredible. Totally took me by surprise.

I really think there's a dark edge to Shane which we really haven't gotten to fully experience yet. Like in the woods in Season 1 where he puts the crosshairs on Rick. From that point on, I was expecting him to go down a darker route.

Also Its kinda breaking my suspension of disbelief for the farmhouse to have both full power and running water and for them to just chill on the porch at night like there wasn't a zombie apocalypse at all. I grew on Night of the living dead, so I'm used to farm houses being over run by the zombie masses, but regardless I am still digging this show.

[7StringedBeast]

One thing to note about Shane.  He shot Otis in the leg.  He knew Otis would live through that, yet get eaten.  He coulda easily shot Otis right in the head and then run off.  I think Shane kinda wanted Otis to suffer a bit.  I think he shot him to escape and get the supplies to Carl because it became obvious he had to stop the zombie rushing them.  The best way to do that was have someone get eaten.  Shane has nothing left to lose except for Carl, Lori, and even Rick, even though sometimes he doesn't act that way.  So I think he did shoot Otis to secure his own escape.

I think the straight malice comes when he shot him in the leg instead of the head.

[Dimitrius]

I think the shot in the leg was just done by the writers so they could add a little extra tension when Shane is fighting him off to get the supplies and had nothing to do with malice, but that's just me.

[7StringedBeast]

I think the shot in the leg was just done by the writers so they could add a little extra tension when Shane is fighting him off to get the supplies and had nothing to do with malice, but that's just me.

I don't think so.  Shane is not stupid enough to just carelessly make the mistake of shooting someone in the leg.  I think he wanted Otis to be alive when he was eaten.  Or perhaps he knew his screaming would attract all of the Zombies.

[MasterLomaxus]

I really think there's a dark edge to Shane which we really haven't gotten to fully experience yet. Like in the woods in Season 1 where he puts the crosshairs on Rick. From that point on, I was expecting him to go down a darker route.

Absolutely what I was thinking.  I just wonder if they will ever turn him so dark that people can't justify his actions.

[Fluffy Lothario]

Good episode.

From the way Shane was acting when he arrived back, I figured there was something going on, and my guess was that he had had some hand in Otis' death. It was still very well pulled off though.

[Zantera]

About the shot in the leg, I was thinking a bit about it, and.. if Shane had shot him in the head instead, maybe the walkers wouldn't have been so interested in him?
I mean, by shooting him in the leg, he was still alive and struggling, yelling and all that, if Shane would have killed him and continued to run, wouldn't Shane have been the more "interesting" target?

[TempusVox]

All interesting points and observations. I see Shane in an entirely different light. First *GRAPHIC NOVEL SPOILER ALERT* the character known as shane doesnt live past the first comic/epsiode. he's shot and killed by carl...)

I see Shane as really being the most potentially volatile character. I could foresee him hooking up someday with the handless Merle character from season 1 (wherever he is). Shane has already shone his hand that he has no moral code. Shane is the anti-Rick. Shane desires desperately to not just be LIKE Rick, but to BE Rick. Rick is everything that Shane is not. Yet, Shane tries to give the outward appearance that he is like him. The whole affair with Laurie...the love for Carl. Shane NEEDS to be like Rick, and even tries to convince himself that he is, but he knows deep down that he isn't and never will be, and it kills him inside. I think we'll begin to see more and more of his dark side coming through the cracks as time goes on.

Remember when he drew down on Rick in his gun sights? A crack in the facade. When he attacked Laurie at the CDC? A crack in the facade. The WAY he killed Otis? A MAJOR crack in the facade. What's interesting about Shanes character is while the others are struggling 100% to survive this new world dynamic, Shane spends most of his energy struggling with his own inner demons, and his wanton jealousy of the man he wants so desperately to be.  Further evidence of the strain this struggle causes him is his desire to leave the group behind.

The way he killed Otis speaks volumes. In this new world, EVERYONES reality is---you get bit even a little bit by a walker, you're through bookin'. Shane broke the only thread left holding him to humanity, because he made someone die the most ghoulsih and cruel way to die in this new world. If we had to list the causes of death in their world-- car accidents, cancer and heart disease are ALL behind being killed by zombies, and Shane forced a fellow human being to die that way. Even Rick couldn't live with the possibility that he forced Merle into such a potentially horrific demise that he risked his life and the lives of others to go back and try and save him. Shanes actions showed just how much off the"spool" his thread has unwound. 

[gmillerdrake]

All interesting points and observations. I see Shane in an entirely different light. First *GRAPHIC NOVEL SPOILER ALERT* the character known as shane doesnt live past the first comic/epsiode. he's shot and killed by carl...)

I see Shane as really being the most potentially volatile character. I could foresee him hooking up someday with the handless Merle character from season 1 (wherever he is). Shane has already shone his hand that he has no moral code. Shane is the anti-Rick. Shane desires desperately to not just be LIKE Rick, but to BE Rick. Rick is everything that Shane is not. Yet, Shane tries to give the outward appearance that he is like him. The whole affair with Laurie...the love for Carl. Shane NEEDS to be like Rick, and even tries to convince himself that he is, but he knows deep down that he isn't and never will be, and it kills him inside. I think we'll begin to see more and more of his dark side coming through the cracks as time goes on.

Remember when he drew down on Rick in his gun sights? A crack in the facade. When he attacked Laurie at the CDC? A crack in the facade. The WAY he killed Otis? A MAJOR crack in the facade. What's interesting about Shanes character is while the others are struggling 100% to survive this new world dynamic, Shane spends most of his energy struggling with his own inner demons, and his wanton jealousy of the man he wants so desperately to be.  Further evidence of the strain this struggle causes him is his desire to leave the group behind.

The way he killed Otis speaks volumes. In this new world, EVERYONES reality is---you get bit even a little bit by a walker, you're through bookin'. Shane broke the only thread left holding him to humanity, because he made someone die the most ghoulsih and cruel way to die in this new world. If we had to list the causes of death in their world-- car accidents, cancer and heart disease are ALL behind being killed by zombies, and Shane forced a fellow human being to die that way. Even Rick couldn't live with the possibility that he forced Merle into such a potentially horrific demise that he risked his life and the lives of others to go back and try and save him. Shanes actions showed just how much off the"spool" his thread has unwound.

Awesome Post!
I was aware of your very tiny worded spoiler from the Graphic Novels....and that is what is so intriguing about his character now. There really is no 'boundary' that the writers/producers are limited to with Shane due to that fact. Very cool I think and as I said....nice post. 

[gmillerdrake]

I inadvertantly deleted the last episode and had a question about the 'story' Shane told Rick. If I remember correctly, he told Rick he and Otis were down to 5 rounds a piece and Otis said he would cover Shane. Did Shane say he gave Otis his gun to help Otis cover him? I'm only curious because, Shane utimately ripped Rick's gun from Otis...and I'm assuming he is going to give it back to Rick, which would leave a hole in his story on how he recovered Ricks gun. I am sure Rick would see that inconsistency if that is the case and perhaps confront Shane, which I imagine would lead to one of those scenes where Shane says nothing but gives Rick a 'look' or may even refer to Carl living or something like that.
  But I thought I recalled Shane admitting he gave Otis his gun.....but he has both guns now. Anyone remember?

[ResultsMayVary]

I did NOT see that twist at the end coming. This is going to be an interesting development for Shane for the next few episodes to see how his character reacts about lying about the Otis story.

[gmillerdrake]

I did NOT see that twist at the end coming. This is going to be an interesting development for Shane for the next few episodes to see how his character reacts about lying about the Otis story.

With this Otis 'situation' the fact that he has essentially 'lost' Lori and Carl....on top of just trying to survive in that type of world, I don't see how he rebounds or stays "normal". I'm wondering if he just loses it at some point and is killed by a member of the group, or the other aspect may be somewhere along the line he sacrifices himself for the group.
  Who knows, I'm glad to know that they've already picked up a full season 3 so the story/plot lines being developed now should have time to pan out.

[ResultsMayVary]

I did NOT see that twist at the end coming. This is going to be an interesting development for Shane for the next few episodes to see how his character reacts about lying about the Otis story.

With this Otis 'situation' the fact that he has essentially 'lost' Lori and Carl....on top of just trying to survive in that type of world, I don't see how he rebounds or stays "normal". I'm wondering if he just loses it at some point and is killed by a member of the group, or the other aspect may be somewhere along the line he sacrifices himself for the group.
  Who knows, I'm glad to know that they've already picked up a full season 3 so the story/plot lines being developed now should have time to pan out.

Exactly. That's why his character's development is going to crucial now. Because they basically have SO much time to work with now.

[Chino]

I'm so glad Lori is pregnant.

The guy getting ripped in half was AWESOME.

The asian getting laid was LAME.

[PuffyPat]

Question. How many people here have actually read the series? I keep seeing people that are like "I didn't see that coming," for things that happen in the books...

[Zook]

The asian getting laid was LAME.

Racist.