Dammit! Poor Dale.
This episode had a philosophical debate about if the group should take it into their own hands to kill off another human being. The human being in this case is limping Randall, who is being kept prisoner inside the barn until they decide what to do with him. A man who for the viewers like myself, find it rather easy to understand the wanting to kill him. He was part of a trio of men that tried to kill Rick, Herschel, and Glenn. He's part of a group of (according to him) of 30 men that have committed horrible crimes. In fact, he tells Daryl while being interrogated of one incident that had to do with the torturing and rape of a family that those men committed. Knowing everything we know as viewers and the fact that he was the one that knew about Herschel's barn and knew Maggie from school, why would we trust him to remain and even become an asset to the group?!
But Dale is different. He's always been kind of the moral compass of this group. He's the one never afraid of bring up what he believes happened or his theories and even though his holier-than-thou act could wear a little bit, he was always a good human being. So when the sad ending came to his character at the end of the episode, it hit hard. Not just that but he was ripped apart. He wasn't even bitten! Ripped apart! Beyond the point of being able to be saved. And the worst thing about it? This death did not need to happen. This was indirectly, Carl's fault.
This episode 11 of season 2 was directed by Greg Nicotero, who has a long history in genre movies doing FX and more. This looks like his sixth episode directed so far. No fancy camerawork here. Just the bare tacks. This was written by Angela Kang, who had written one other episode in the first season. If she was looking for a strong sendoff for Dale, she did well by him. Even though his debating began to be more and more desperate and even tiring as the episode wore on, it turned out to be a fat acting portion for Jeffrey DeMunn. It also worked if Angela Kang was looking to turn another Grimes family member into the list of most hated characters on the show.
Carl, Carl, Carl. The kid first almost gets into it with Randall at the barn. Randall is pleading with Carl and the kid approaches to do who knows what. Until Shane stops him and sends him off. He then goes and takes Daryl's gun from his satchel and goes off by the stream and finds a walker stuck in the mud and leaves. He begins toying withe walker and even gets close enough gun in hand to possibly shoot it. But he falls once the walker twists enough in the mud to loosen himself. He barely gets away with his life but this walker gets loose. The same walker that at the end of the episode kills Dale. Dammit! Oh, and Carl also walks into the barn during the culminating part of what was to become Randall's death.
Now, I may be in the minority but I don't hate the kid. For once, he was given something to do besides just looking innocent or laying on a bed almost dying. He's a little kid. He is going to do stupid things. There's no other kid around. His mom and dad are too preoccupied with Shane and the baby coming up and everything else related to a walker-apocalypse. I could see him getting into all types of trouble. The one thing I don't understand is why he is running off on his own so much after Sophia's death. Lori should be keeping closer watch. What else can she being with her time? There's no internet, no Xbox, no cable. You should be keeping closer watch, Lori. And the boy wandering off into the barn during the execution of Randall. The execution that never happened. Whether Rick would actually go through with it was becoming highly doubtful and then Carl just walks in and says to his dad, "do it." Of course Rick wasn't going to do it now. What I found interesting was the look by Lori when she hugged Rick after this went down. Could it be possible she sent Carl over so the execution would be interrupted and avoid Rick becoming a stone cold killer? I don't know.
Another detail here was the return of the awesomeness that is Daryl. He opens the episode torturing Randall and in the end of the episode, he had Randall strung up while playing with a knife, sharpening it...made me believe that he was about to do the deed himself. Until, the entire tragic scene with Dale happened. Greg Nicotero speaking on "Talking Dead" confessed to this himself, that that's what they were trying to imply.
Not that I believe this but I read a few comments by people comparing Randall to possibly Ben Linus on "Lost". Fans of "Lost" around the second season will understand this mention. Something to keep an eye on.
Dale Horvath, rest in peace.
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