After The Walking Dead Mid-Season Finale, Why Every Decision Shane Makes Is Right

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After The Walking Dead Mid-Season Finale, Why Every Decision Shane Makes Is Right

Date: Nov 29, 2011 | Author: Josh Tyler | Category: Sci-Fi

The Walking Dead season finale ended with everyone coming down on Shane Walsh, the survivalist deputy who thinks the group is headed for trouble if they don’t find a way to adjust to their new post-apocalyptic world. It’s something that’s been building ever since Rick joined the group and took over leadership from Shane back in Season 1. Almost everyone it seems, is on Rick’s side, and odds are they’ll be even more on his side after the events at the end of the mid-season 2 finale. Except, well, they’re wrong. Shane is right. Shane is right about everything. Every single decision Shane has made, pushed for, or even thought about on The Walking Dead has been absolutely right. And since it’s those same decisions that have him on the outs with our group of surviving heroes, I think someone needs to stand up and give him credit. Shane’s right. Shane’s always right.

Here’s a logical explanation of why his most controversial decisions have been the right move, each and every time.

WARNING: Spoilers for The Walking Dead follow. Don’t read if you haven’t already watched the mid-season 2 finale…

Shane Ditched Rick At The Hospital After The Zombie Outbreak
This is one of the earliest decisions Shane took flack for, in season one. His best friend Rick was unconscious in the hospital after the start of the zombie outbreak. Rather than stay with Rick while the world fell apart around them, Shane decided he had no choice but to abandon his ailing friend, choosing instead to try and get Rick’s family to safety. This is such an obviously correct decision it’s hard to imagine why anyone would even question it. The alternative was for Shane to sit there by Rick’s bedside until they were both eaten. Shane had no reason to believe Rick would ever come out of his coma, and even though Rick eventually did, it wasn’t until weeks later. Had Shane waited around, he’d have been dead and odds are, so would have been Rick’s wife and kid.

Shane Slept With Rick’s Wife
It happened while Rick was in the hospital, deep in a coma. Except, well since the whole world had been ripped apart by zombies, Shane assumed that Rick was dead. Actually it was more than assumption, under the circumstances it was a certainty. They had every reason to be absolutely certain that Rick had been eaten by zombies. Weeks passed and things became hopeless. Two people came together and tried to find a way to comfort each other, expecting that they too would be dead at any minute, and never suspecting that Rick was alive or that they were committing infidelity. The fact that Shane and Lori haven’t done anything together since finding out that Rick was alive says all that needs to be said here. They did nothing wrong, and though Lori feels guilty about it, at least Rick was smart enough to recognize their unintentional adultery for what it really is. Shane comforted Lori when she needed it most. Rick should thank him.

Shane Wants Everyone To Stop Running Off On Hopeless Rescue Missions
It started with Rick’s ridiculous decision to go back into walker infested Atlanta after Daryl’s lowlife, murderous, racist, drug-dealer brother (who might have tried to kill them even if they’d found him). That resulted in a zombie attack which got half their group killed, while Rick failed in his rescue. Shane tried to talk him out of it, no one listened. Rick’s obsession with throwing their lives away in hopeless rescue missions continued after the disappearance of the group’s little girl mascot Sofia. Shane was willing to look for Sofia early on, but as the days and weeks wore on he seemed to be the only person in camp willing to face facts: Sofia is dead. Rick continues to push for the search and Shane continues to argue against it. The group thinks Shane’s cruel and unfeeling but the truth is this: Sofia is dead and every second they spend looking for her increases the chances that one of them will end up too. Shane’s proven right when Daryl falls off a cliff and barely makes it back in one piece, yet still most of the group refuses to face reality. Shane’s good at facing reality, and living in the real world is the only way to survive a zombie apocalypse.

Shane Considered Murdering Rick In The Woods
Shane and Rick are best friends, but there was a moment out in the woods when Shane pointed his rifle at Rick’s back and considered shooting him. Dale saw this and now has Shane pigeonholed as some kind of monster, but I’m not sure shooting Rick wasn’t the right move. Shane’s made it clear that he doesn’t think Rick’s soft-hearted moralizing has any place in this eat or be eaten post-apocalyptic world. He believes that Rick’s leadership is going to get them all killed, and has in fact already gotten some of them well and truly dead. He’s right. Rick’s been making bad decisions. Daryl, by far their best hunter and protector, almost ended up dead because of Rick’s insistence on searching for a little girl who was definitely dead. Rick went back for a violent, racist drug addict who tried to kill one of their crew, and in the process endangered is family and got others killed. Rick’s decisions are leading them into trouble. Shooting Rick might have been the right move. Besides, the fact that Shane stayed his hand ought to count for something.

Shane Murdered Otis
While on the run from a horde of zombies Shane and man of size Otis are injured and about to be eaten. Shane decides to shoot Otis and feed him to the walkers as a distraction, buying the time he needs to escape. Is he a murderer? I guess, but I’d say that hard decision also makes him a hero. It’s not as if Shane wanted to kill Otis. In fact before he did so, Shane offered to hang back and try to hold the zombies off himself, while Otis went on. Otis refused, which meant that the only real alternative to Shane’s decision to kill him and use his fatty corpse as a zombie distraction was for both of them to end up dead. Worse, if they both end up dead then so too does Carl, who wouldn’t have survived without the vital equipment Shane brought back to save him. Shane is and always will be willing to give his life to save others, but he wasn’t willing to give his life in an empty gesture, when sacrificing someone else’s life could save not only himself, but his best friend’s son. Killing Otis was the only choice that made any sense.

Shane Wants Those Zombies Out Of The Barn
Throughout season 2 Rick has been obsessed with placating deluded farm owner Herschel. In fact, he’s so intent on kowtowing that he’s willing to let Herschel treat walkers as though they’re still living flesh and blood, he’ll even put up with keeping a collection of them locked up in a barn. Shane sees the danger instantly, and recognizes that coddling Herschel won’t make things any better. As long as those zombies are in the barn none of them is safe and as long as Herschel’s in denial about what’s really happening out there in the world, that seemingly idyllic farm is nothing but a death trap. Dale all but accuses Shane of being a monster and the group insists on supporting Rick, but Shane is once again the only person on The Walking Dead who seems to see the truth. In the end he forces them all to face reality by simply letting the walkers out of the barn, but will his friends finally wake up and see how right he’s been… or will they call him a psychopath and cast him out?

Shane’s the only reason any of these people are still alive. It’s about time someone else on The Walking Dead woke up, looked around, and realized they’re in the middle of a zombie apocalypse.

Comments

http://www.facebook.com/people/Chris-Morgan/659838133 Chris Morgan

Nice arguement. It’s refreshing to see someone defending Shane for once. I really hope they don’t kill off his character (which almost certainly seems to be where they’re heading), as he’s far too interesting to watch and adds a great dynamic to the group. That and Jon Berenthal plays him brilliantly.
- Mixedupdragonfly
  
  I agree I do like Shanes character but unfortunately in the comics he dies. So unless they slaughter the comic to script like True Blood then he is a goner!!! And will it be a suprise who does it!!
Limbsanddreams

I really do believe that Shane and Otis could have made it together. There seemed to be time and distance for them to escape. The time it took for Shane to pry otis’s struggling hands off of him would have been enough time to make it to the car. I will give him credit about the barn of walkers though. They could have been stuck there for a long time without the barn resolution.
- JT
  
  Maybe you believe Shane and Otis could have made it, but neither Shane nor Otis seemed to believe it. They were both done. Neither could go on anymore and the zombies were clearly gaining. It seemed like a pretty clear case of one or both had to die. The needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few… or the one.
  
  Shane TRIED to sacrifice himself first and Otis wouldn’t let him. That’s a really pivotal part of what happened there.
  - Hobotastic
    
    Well, fundamentally it comes down to what the point of living is if you’re giving up on everything else. I mean sure, maybe crippling Otis as a distraction was the right idea to save Shane and Carl, but if the fundamental decision making process is based on what’s best for the group, keeping both Shane AND Otis out of danger by not sending them into a deathtrap for meds for Carl was the right choice. Both Shane AND Otis have more useful skills to the group than the little boy does. Was that the wrong decision from the get-go?
http://www.exohive.com/ Adam

I am glad other people also felt the first half of the season was going slow. The “Look for Sophia” burned me out after about 2 episodes. But the mid-season finale has helped bring me back on-board.

None of this would have happened if they all had just upgraded to a brand-new RV rather than drive that old piece of junk around. It is the middle of the apocalypse after all.
- JT
  
  Great point about the RV, that’s been bugging me too. There are thousands of cars lying around with the keys in them. They can literally drive anything they want. Why are they wasting time with this heap of junk RV?
  - Man_of_Size
    
    Agreed. The group’s attachment to the old RV is maddening.
Scott

This is great discussion – thanks for posting it.

The main reason I believe you’re wrong overall: there’s
living and there’s surviving. If survival is the only reason to live for (no
standards, etc), then no abomination is beyond you. This may be valued in video
games, but what if you’re with your girlfriend/father/sister/best friend in the real world?
Aren’t there circumstances in which you would die for them? Exactly. You’re
human after all.

It was a “certainty” he was dead? Please look up the word
certainty; when you do, you will go back and put it in parentheses. It made it easier to believe he was dead when Shane wanted his wife – let’s not fool ourselves. Gray area all around, but far from certain.

That Rick forgave them like he did – and understood it –
makes him the better man hands down.

I’ll admit, I also get impatient with some of Rick’s
decisions – which in hindsight (which is 20/20) sometimes look horrendous – I’ll
roll with it because 1) it’s probably what a better man than I would do and 2)
if he didn’t, there’d be a lot less drama in the show.

Now Shane has just gotta go. With this new persona that’s
crystallized, he just doesn’t belong with others. Why hang with a guy who will shoot you the moment you get a cough? (slight exaggeration, but you will sleep with one eye open) Maybe he’d travel with what’s her name for sex, but more likely he’s be a lone wolf. I don’t care if he thinks it’s his
kid Rick’s wife is carrying – his new “f*** em all” attitude means he should be on his
own if they’re going to be true to his character.

Oh, and re: shooting Otis? “The needs of the many…”
- JT
  
  The thing you’re missing is that Shane IS trying to do more than just survive. If he was just surviving he never would have volunteered to risk his life to go get the equipment they needed to survive. The thing that makes Shane different is that he recognizes and accepts what the world around them is, and the others don’t. They aren’t living in reality.
  - DadOnArrival
    
    I think Shane only put himself at risk to save Carl because he wants to be with Lori. It’s his motivation behind everything seemingly selfless that he’s done. He was even going to leave the group until Lori asked him to stay.
  - CM
    
    Shane is not making rational choices. Why would a rational person agree with risking 2 men to TRY to save Rick’s son? He takes selfish decisions, but that doesn’t that he is being rational.
    Sacrifying Otis when both of them should’ve never gone there in the first place. Very rational, yeah. And it’s very convenient to say that killing Otis was his only option. He could have said: “GTFO or i’ll shoot you, Otis”. You think Otis wouldn’t go?Besides, he doesn’t care about the others, Shane only cares about his own objectives (take care of Lori and Carl). Unless you are one of those being protected by him (Lori and Carl), he’s not the kind of person you’d like to have in your group for a long period of time.And in the long run it’s bad for him, because it’s safer to stay in a group than stay alone, so again you can’t say that he is being rational.ps.: sorry for any mistake, non-native speaker here
http://www.facebook.com/dalehoppert Dale Hoppert

Shane didn’t kill Otis. He shot him in the leg. Zombies killed him. Which was an effed-up thing to do. It’s not a show about survival… it’s a show about humanity and what it takes to make us abandon it. Shane is a cautionary tale. Shane is a metaphor for the war on terrorism.
- JT
  
  Not correct. He turned around and shot him in the chest and kept going. What you think for some reason he wanted Otis to suffer? No. The thing is, Zombies like fresh meat and Otis would be a better distraction if he’s alive. If you’re going to kill the guy, it has to count for something, otherwise it would be IMMORAL to do it. His sacrifice has to matter. Shane made it matter.
  - Anonymous
    
    He shot him in the leg with his last bullet.
Gavin_liam_logan_1

You;’re wrong about Shane pointing the gun at Rick– that occurred in season one.

Otherwise, good points… except of course, that Shane has lost all morality, and it IS a morality tale. I’m with Dale– I’d rather die who I am than live as a shady, self-serving, post-apocalyptic prick.
- JT
  
  If you’d rather die who you are than do what it takes to survive, then put a gun to your head and be done with it, rather than dragging everyone else around you down as well. THAT’s morality.
  
  Endangering your wife and child so you can uphold a set of basically meaningless principles which will get everyone you care about killed is not, in my opinion, a moral decision.
  
  Right now the number one priority of anyone in the Walking Dead’s world should be survival of the human race. That’s a moral thing to do, fighting to save the entire race.
  - Ajstrike
    
    Exactly. The same rules of society do not apply anymore. Humans first instinct is survival. And survival of the fittest is the law of the jungle. And that’s where they are now. Mankind has to struggle once more to claim its place as the rulers of earth. I like this show. The weak must be culled from the strong.
Scott

Fair enough, JT, Shane has done some heroic things, but I still think he’s several degrees more animal than he needs to be. Loses his shit way too often. A couple lines from Kipling apply to this whole discussion: “If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs…” “…If you can walk with the crowd and keep your virtue…”
- JT
  
  He’s definitely not perfect. However I think his current edgy mental state is more a result of his frustration to get the people around him to see what they need to do to survive. He’s frustrated because he CARES about these people and he doesn’t want them to end up dead. And it’s making him a little nuts, because he knows they aren’t going to last long if they keep this current behavior up. If he didn’t care, he’d have left a long time ago.
http://www.facebook.com/dave.graham1 Dave Graham

Shane might be making good short term decisions, but he’s making bad long term decisions. At some point, you will find a safe point to rest and defend. What then? Who would really trust Shane if he’s willing to kill his best friend?

The series brings up a good question, what are the rules of society that make us human, and what parts of being human make us animals? Mere survival is great, but Shane goes overboard. He’s willing to whatever needs to be done to survive even if it means killing innocent people to survive.

Rick does the right thing by trying to find a safe harbor for the group and find a safe haven for his wife, son, and future child. What kind of brainless moron is Shane to throw all that out the window?

Yeah, the zombies in the barn needed to go. Herschel was deluded into thinking they could be saved, but what would you do if you were Rick? Would you go crazy as Shane did or do what Rick did?
- JT
  
  What makes you think Shane’s against finding a safe harbor? The thing is that Shane recognizes the farm is NOT safe as long as there are zombies there and Rick is so desperate to find a quiet place to hang out he can’t face facts.
  
  Rick says he wants to find a safe harbor, but his solution is to strand them all in a place where there’s a ticking time bomb full of hungry, murderous zombies nearby who could get out and kill them all at any moment… and they aren’t allowed to have any guns.
  
  That’s not safe. Rick is the one thinking short term here.
  - NP
    
    By killing the walker inside the barn, that ensured that the group would no longer have long term shelter in the farm. Although I understand Shane’s mentality behind his actions – that doesn’t change that fact, that Lori’s future child is deprived of a safe haven for the survivors.
http://www.facebook.com/dave.graham1 Dave Graham

If the tv series follow the comics, we’ll meet someone who shows us an example of Shane’s world view gone to the extreme. Super creepy.
http://www.facebook.com/shelley.colvin1 Garnet Lynne

I want someone like Shane to be on my side in a zombie melee, Just because he boinked the other guys wife means nothing in the post-apocalyptic world. You just move on, he found comfort in the bleach blondes fury. Let’s face it the rules change when you have to survive, the strongest and the smartest will make it. I would’ve killed the old man and taken the farm right away, he’s frickin’ nuts that old man. Zombies are people too?
- http://1opinionatedwoman.blogspot.com/ Marsha S. Haneiph
  
  That’s the rub. There’s no such thing as Shane being on anybody’s side. He’s a survivor and in his mind, everybody else is just zombie bait…and I mean everybody.
Gale_winters

I don’t know what the “right” decisions are because I have never found myself in the middle of a zombie apocalypse…but I will say this much: if Shane is anything more than talk, he would have shot Sophia himself. Instead, he showed that he is good at talking tough and taking down hordes of unknown zombies…but quite incapable of knowing how to act when it is someone from their own crew. Rick, for all of his faults, steps up when an adult needs to take over.

Anyone could have done what Shane did at the barn. Was it the right thing to do? Maybe…but it’s his hesitation with Sophia that makes him a hypocrite, and less of a badass than he would like everyone (including himself) to think he is.

And let’s not forget: Rick never asked anyone to accompany him to go get Merle from the roof of that Atlanta building – those people made their own mind to accompany him. The resulting attack on the camp is no more Rick’s fault than a gust of wind hitting wind chimes and altering the horde.

Yeah, Shane would be good to have in a fight…but as a leader? He’s not making the hard calls, he’s making the easy ones. He does what he does for himself, and the needs of others come secondary – if not tertiary – to his own.
- JT
  
  Try to look at the situation logically and put yourself in other people’s shoes. Just because you haven’t been in that situation doesn’t mean you cant understand it and try to look at it from their perspective.
  
  If Rick runs off and people follow him into a situation which will cause harm, then he has a responsibility to turn around and bring those people back.
  
  If Shane was only doing things for himself, he’d have left. He has stayed.
  
  If Shane was only doing things for himself, he’d have never run off into that zombie infested school. He went to save someone else.
  
  You don’t know if Shane would have shot Sofia. Rick stepped in front of him. Had Rick not stepped in front of him, Shane probably would have shot her. Rick stepping in front of Shane and doing it himself was basically Rick saying “you’re right, I was wrong”.
  
  The easy call for Shane to make would be to just go with the flow like everyone else. Then no one would be mad at him and he’d just be sailing along like all the rest. Even easier call would have been to leave, which he considered, and then discarded because he fucking cares about the people there.
  
  You’re reading things into him which aren’t supported by his actions on the show.
  - Gale_winters
    
    You could very well be right…and on the surface, Shane does a LOT of things right. I just get a very uneasy feeling about him. He stayed because Lori wanted him to, because he still seems to think that they have a shot together; I think he saved Carl because it would get him the love of the woman he wanted.
    
    I’ll be totally honest with you: I hope you’re right and I’m wrong, because I very much want to like his character.
    
    And if we’re talking about a zombie apocalypse from the point of view of a utilitarian, let’s be fair – the only person really and truly responsible for the life of someone is that same person – they have to be ok with the danger they put themselves into, and realize what the consequences of failure actually are…Rick, by those standards by which Shane’s supporters view the dead world, would be blameless in anyone’s death but his own.
    - Man_of_Size
      
      Thanks for pointing out one of the biggest flaws with the “Shane is right about eveything argument,” namely, Shane is thinking with his dick a lot of the time. True, he hasn’t banged Lori since Rick came back, but it’s pretty clear he stil wants to. Sure, he “stayed his hand” when he was thinking about shooting Rick, but I think that’s mostly because Dale showed up when he did (I’d have to go back and watch that episode to be sure). He got the medical supplies for Carl partly because he loves Carl, but mostly because Carl is Lori’s son.
      
      As someone else pointed out, Shane wants to take Rick’s place, on every level. He’s got a serious case of “Single White Police Officer” going on.
  - TheJohnP
    
    Shane had PLENTY of time to shoot Sophia and he hesitated. With as fast and furious as he was shooting every other walker that got out of the barn, Rick would never have had time to step in front of Shane. He yelled at Andrea at hesitating when he was teaching her to shoot and that’s exactly what he did when Sophia appeared.
    Shane wants to be Rick sooooo bad. He wants his life and his family. The fact that Shane knows he can never be Rick or like Rick is what is driving him to a polar worldview.
    
    I’m going with Gale_winters on this one.
    - Anthony
      
      I don’t think Shane hesitated at all. If he was hesitating on whether or not to shoot Sophia, he would have had his weapon drawn and aimed at her, contemplating on if he should shoot her or not. Instead, Shane just stood there, shocked and surprised along with everyone else that was there from seeing Sophia as a zombie. Had Sophia gotten closer to Shane, I’m sure he would have shot her, but RIck decided to step in front of them all and admit that he was wrong.
      - TheJohnP
        
        I don’t think Rick shooting Sophia was admitting he was wrong about the walkers in the barn. Rather I think Rick took responsibility for failing to protect her. She went missing under his watch and he wasn’t going to stop until she was found. When it turned out that she became a walker, he felt responsible for that and it was up to him to shoot her and let her finally die.
      - SThompson
        
        Not only did Rick take responsibility for Sophia, he was the only one willing to do anything. Although I believe it is in Daryls character to do so as well, but I think he was too busy making sure Carol didn’t do something stupid.
      - Anthony
        
        Hmm, I do like that explanation better, makes more sense. I still don’t think Shane hesitated. He could have done more for sure though.
      - Man_of_Size
        
        Agreed. Rick shot Sophia to spare anyone else in the group from having to do it. When Sophia stepped out of the barn, it brought home to the group that they were cold-bloodedly (and correctly, but still cold-bloodedly) gunning down walkers that Hershel and the others on the farm still regarded on some level as people. The coldness of that came home to them when Sophia appeared, and they were ashamed. Including Shane.
        
        They all knew what needed to be done at that point…kill Sophia…but no one wanted to do it. Rick stepped forward and killed her so that no one else would have to bear the moral burden of doing that. INHO, that’s a leader.
      - Valinvancouver
        
        I think Shane definitely hesitated. The whole point of Sofia’s coming out of the barn was to push the group, including Shane, into seeing the zombies from a more humane perspective. It was such a powerful moment because it highlighted just how much of their humanity they had lost in in their fight to survive. In a flash, amid the shock and grief of seeing the zombified Sofia, I think they may have also felt empathy for Hershel and his family, as they could now relate to the fact that walkers might mean something to someone, as well as remorse for slaughtering them wholesale out of fear. Not to say it wasn’t the right thing to do, but I think Shane was way out of line to force the group to act in the way it did.
      - JT
        
        I think he did exactly what the group needed. Those walkers could not stay in the barn, treating walkers like people was a sure way to get them all killed, and by letting them out like that he woke them all the heck up to the reality of their situation, got them to recognize that walkers are NOT people.
      - JT
        
        I do find it sort of hilarious that people are so eager to hate Shane that half of the posters here hate him because he’s an inhuman monster, and then the others, like you attack him for being too soft.
        
        I mean, you can’t have it both ways, right?
    - http://www.facebook.com/people/Ryan-Arthur-Vann/573273996 Ryan Arthur Vann
      
      Nobody wants to be sick Rick the child killer, trust that. The guy is a nutcase, and the only reason he has a leadership position is that he is surrounded by a bunch of lunatics. It’s the mad leading the mad.
  - tottman
    
    Talk about reading things into him which aren’t supported by the show! If he really cared about the group he would have climbed into the loft and shot them safely from there rather than opening the doors, putting everyone in danger, and forcing them to his way of thinking.
    
    And again you’re reading into Rick things which aren’t supported by the show. By stepping up and shooting Sofia, Rick’s saying it’s his responsibility she didn’t make it back safely and his responsibility to put her down.
    
    Shane’s great at the abstract “survival”, but when it comes to putting Sofia down in front of witnesses, he lacked the courage to accept the consequences of his actions.
    
    Don’t get me wrong, Shane’s a great character and I hope he’s around for a long, long time, but he’s all about Shane.
    - JT
      
      Do you really think Shane would not have shot Sofia if Rick hadn’t stepped in front of him? Honestly?
      
      Or are you simply taking issue with the fact that he didn’t shoot her fast enough?
      
      If so, why don’t you have a problem with Rick sitting on the ground weeping like a baby while everyone else in the group shot the rest of the walkers?
  - http://www.facebook.com/people/Ryan-Arthur-Vann/573273996 Ryan Arthur Vann
    
    Rick stepping in front of Shane and doing it himself was basically Rick saying “you’re right, I was wrong”.
    
    I like that argument. It actually makes sense with the framing of that scene. At one point Shane makes a stylized shot to the head of the Zombie that Rick has in the snare pole, and makes a sneering almost challenging look, as if to say “your turn partner!” Obliging with perhaps the most difficult, emotionally, kill was Rick taking up the challenge in typical Rick fashion (always the hero).
- Anonymous
  
  actually I don’t fully agree here. The END of this episode was VERY enlightening to the characters. I think right here SHANE realized he was going a little over the edged and back AWAY from that edge a little.
  
  I also think RICK realized he was not close enough to that edge that he needs balance and “manned up” and did his duty as leader of this group. I think right their in that instance when x-sofia walked out of the barn both of those characters grew IMMENSELY.
  
  We shall see if the writers also believe this and what they decide to do about it in a few months
- http://www.facebook.com/people/Ryan-Arthur-Vann/573273996 Ryan Arthur Vann
  
  The shooting of Sophia by Rick is more evidence of his psychosis and outright evil. He doesn’t take part in killing any of the zombies in the barn, but then walks straight up to zombie Sophia and kills it. Really? The one shot he takes is of the little girl. What a deranged individual.
Wilock

Man, here’s hoping I don’t get stuck with you in a post-apocolyptic, zombie-riddled world. I have no doubt you’d survive…at the cost of everyone else. This is called sociopathy, my friend. And, most people get that…except other sociopaths, that is. Your way of thinking would just end up with everyone as individuals because no one would trust each other, hence everyone would get picked off in the long run. So, no, Shane is a self-serving dick, Shane is toxic to the group, and Shane should go off on his own if he doesn’t like how things are currently being done. Although, I do find his character interesting because he demonstrates the absolute worst of humanity.
- JT
  
  I love how Shane making hard decisions which save other people’s lives somehow translates into him killing everyone so he can survive in your eyes.
  
  You’re not watching the same show I am.
  - http://twitter.com/rubydynamite Ruby Dynamite
    
    When Shane was giving Andrea her lessons on shooting a gun, he kept talking about the ‘switch’. He basically admitted to ‘switching’ himself into a sociopathic state in order to do what he feels he has to do.
    
    That? Is not someone that I would trust or want to lead me, even in a zombie apocalypse.
    
    Also, can we please NOT forget the way he attacked Lori at the end of season one? The guy is an insecure headcase and has been since then. It’s not about him going mad because people aren’t doing what they need to in order to protect themselves. That attack on Lori came before Otis, before Sophia, before letting Herschel’s walkers out of the barn.
    
    It did, however, come after Rick joined up with the rest of them.
    
    I think that Shane feels threatened by Rick and I absolutely agree with another poster above who said that Shane wants everything Rick has – he wants his wife, wants his kid, wants to be the one everyone looks up to and trusts. I’m with Dale, though: Shane’s a craven, wild dog who was just looking for an excuse to let his batshit out of the closet and the zombie apocalypse was exactly what he needed.
    
    Some people are monsters underneath and imo, Shane is such a monster. Granted, yes, his choices are helping this group to survive, but that’s basically a happy side-effect.
    
    I’m with Rick. And Nietzsche: “He who fights monsters should see to it that he himself does not become a monster.” It didn’t take all that much for Shane to start exhibiting dodgy behavior and he’s only gotten worse since the start of season 2. Him shaving his head wasn’t just some random scene they wanted to stick in there – it was significant and lingered upon for a reason: it was showing his transformation from trustworthy law-giver and protector to ruthless warrior. Granted, the warrior might get shit done, but I’d bet dollars to Krispy Kremes that he’ll wind up shooting himself in the head before Rick will: because when you feel like you can (and should) be able to do whatever you have to in order to get something done, you will do unspeakable things that will cause severe dissonance with your social conditioning. Even if you are, as Shane was, a police officer who had in fact shot people in the course of his job.
    
    So yeah, living in a moral way might be considered a waste of time from a survival standpoint, but Shane is sinking faster and faster into madness not because people aren’t listening to him, but because he’s listening to his own ID and survival instinct too much to be able to justify it to himself AS a man of the law, anymore. He might be telling himself he’s doing what he has to in order to survive, but he still feels guilty – he feels like a coward and a monster – and by forcing the situation with the walkers in the barn, he’s trying to force the others to be like him, because he doesn’t want to have to carry that guilt alone. By making the rest of them shoot the walkers Herschel was protecting, he’s making them complicit and just as guilty as he is — because even though they were walkers, they were protected by Herschel, so they technically occupy the same emotional space as Otis did — and that helps to ease the burden of shame and guilt he feels. That won’t last long, though, and his sanity’s only going to become more and more frayed the longer things go on and I wouldn’t be surprised if he tried to hurt Lori again in the second half of the season, especially considering the ubercreepy insistence he has that he wants to be with her and wants to act as a dad to Carl, even though Rick is his real father and is very much alive, still (just look at the way he kept pushing Lori and insisting that the baby she’s carrying is his).
    
    The decisions Shane’s making might be right, but they’re only right if you’re a lion or a tiger or a serial killer with no conscience or concerns about what’s right and wrong. That’s not who any of these people are.
    - Ashley
      
      THANK you for pointing out that Shane tried to RAPE Lori. He has made some good decisions, but the man has a monster inside of him.
      - Ajstrike
        
        I hate rapists. But that has nothing to do with protecting the group from the dangers of the zombie apocalypse. In fact, the way Lori dealt with Shane, after Rick showed up was awfully harsh. She’s a filthy liar. And maybe if she had come and told Rick off the bat, or stayed with Shane. Things may be different. But Lori like most power hungry women. Will go for where there is power. If Rick hasn’t come back she would still be screwing Shane. Also, why didnt she tell Rick what Shane tried to do, if she didnt have have some sick psychotic connection to him?
- Ajstrike
  
  Right… So Shane should have not sacrificed Otis and most likely let them both die and Carl. By my count one life for two is better odds.
mattrpav

Shane and Hershel are the two ends of the spectrum. Rick is the fulcrum ad everyone else slides somewhere along the line. Dale is the wise wizard who lacks the ability to directly influence any real outcome, but instead focuses on individuals struggling with man v self conflicts. He’s Gandolf, Obi-wan, etc.

The show is very good at getting the subtle correct. Like Shane offering Otis to stay back first. Shane shooting the zombies coming out of the barn three times in the chest to show Hershel how it is. Hershel is a vet, and his science-side cant deny what he saw there. He can’t chalk the whole thing up to Shane going crazy. Rick killing Sofia re-asserts himself as tr leader
Anonymous

I can agree with most of this except for when Shane pointed the gun at Rick. If I’m not mistake Lori had recently told Shane he should leave her alone because her husband was back. Shane wanted to kill Rick because he wanted to take his place in his family and be with Lori, not because he thought Rick would get them hurt. He may think that, but that wasn’t his primary motivation for shooting Rick in the back, which he would have done had dale not been there. I know the comics and show are different, but in the comic at that point Shane straight up tells Rick every thing was great before he came back and he needs to go so Shane can take his place on his family.
Anonymous

I think if I were involved in a zombie apocalypse, I would favor an 80-20 mix of Shane-to-Rick.

Given that they’re currently in the early stages of the crisis, his survivalist-at-the-expense-of-civility approach is appropriate. This is the time where a risk-reward analysis has to be made before EVERY decision, and it has to be a bit cold-blooded. At the same time, you need to maintain some humanity for the sake of the group (which, in theory, helps increase the odds of your own survival).

From the moment Herschel began talking about making Rick and company leave the farm, my response was simple: you try diplomacy first, and if it doesn’t work you kill Herschel and his sympathizers to protect your pack. I thought Shane was fairly reserved in his approach to that situation, and instead opted to pull the blinders off the old coot by executing his zombie family in front of his face.

Where Shane’s value will diminish and Rick’s will increase is after the initial crisis has passed, and it’s time to reestablish a local society. Shane will be lost to his newly-feral nature, more than likely, and will be of little value in reconstructing the social mores from pre-apocalyptic life. Rick, on the other hand, while a bit too soft for apocalyptic survival, has the tools to reintroduce modern civility and humanity back in to a group that will likely be devolved in to a pack of hunter-gatherers.
Oabandit1

You are wrong that Rick and the group went back to Atlanta on a useless rescue mission to save a drug dealing racist. Daryl wanted to rescue Merle, Rick wanted the bag full of guns and ammo; which came in rather handy. Anyway, it isn’t Rick that Shane should be watching out for…it’s Carl (hint hint)
Flfhasiofas

Going into Atlanta was the right move, not to save Daryl but to get that big bag of guns he had left behind.
http://profiles.google.com/gridneo Jay …

The way they spun it, Shane killed the only guy who knew where Sophia was, and was reponsible for rounding up the walkers for Herschel’s crew. Granted it was a decision that seemed great at the time, it actually resulted in days/weeks of searching for Sophia, and all they had to do was explain the situation to Otis and/or not sacrifice him. Otis’ story is definitely different from the comic, but I actually liked how his story played out.
Casey Reeves

THANK YOU. I’ve been CONSTANTLY defending Shane as not only the most real character on the show, but the best decision maker and the #1 guy you want around. ALL of his decisions have been about first and foremost his own survival and his loved ones’ survival. In an apocalyptic setting devoid of all civilization, that is absolutely the mindset that you want your protector to have.

While we’re on the Walking Dead, is there a good female character on the show? Maggie redeemed herself a little by standing up to bible-thumper Herschel, but can we just go ahead and kill off Lori, Andrea, and Carol? And where’s Morgan? Come on.
- JT
  
  Great post.
Rob

Intresting comments we’ll remember to shoot you in the leg and leage you as zombie chow so the rest of us can get away…I expect you to accept it smiling as it’s the right thing to do in your opinion
- JT
  
  Heck no I won’t be smiling, but I’ll die knowing that at least my sacrifice will save others, rather than have everyone get killed.
Anonymous

if your in a sociopathic world you NEED a little with of socipathic behaviour to survive. You can not be Mr Good Guy in this world. you WILL DIE. but you also need to not lose your humanity otherwise whats the point of surviving? the trick is balance.

BOTH rick and SHANE were going unbalanced in opposite directions. I think this incident in one single moment at the end of this episode RESTORED balance and I think it did so wonderfully. I think we will see a slightly less edgy shane and a slightly more edgy rick. Just as it should be.
Who_90

these comments are every bit as interesting as the page. we all find ourselves wondering what if it came to the zombie apocalypse, I say we better be prepared instead of having to deal with moral issues haha
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=668095832 Tront On

How about you explain how after Rick came from a coma Shane refuses to stop hitting on his wife? Straight dick move there. If Shane knows so much and makes such good decisions, he should leave and save himself. No one there wants him there anyway and he just broke the rule of his host.

He may be the best at killing people but he may have just lost them their only safe haven.
- JT
  
  It’s not an on off switch man, he’s human.
http://twitter.com/funnyandspicy funnyandspicy

I still think I’d choose Team Rick. Shane would shoot me in the leg if “he was slowing me down” just to make sure he got away.http://goo.gl/9AAjP
Anonymous

Okay, you’re wrong (IMO) on so many levels & I’ll
respond one by one:

Shane Ditched Rick At The Hospital After The Zombie Outbreak

You’re right & wrong on this one. If Shane had stayed he
most likely would have drawn the attention of a walker at some point, but Shane
knew Rick was alive when he left. How do we know? Shane put a hospital bed in
front of the door in order to keep a walker from just pushing on the door to
get in.

Shane Slept With Rick’s Wife

I don’t have too much a problem with this. Shane obviously
assumed that his bed blockade would fail if enough walkers wanted into Rick’s
room & would have consumed him immediately after. Lori thought her husband
was dead.

Shane Wants Everyone To Stop Running Off On Hopeless Rescue
Missions

Some very important points to make here.

One, if you think a group will last long knowing that the
minute someone is late or missing the rest of the group will abandon them,
you’re just flat out wrong. The only way a group sticks together is through
trust & loyalty.

Two, morals are what you do when no one is looking and Shane
has shown he is no better than the walkers they are trying to survive. Dale
said it best “At least I know when the world went to shit, I didn’t go
there with it.” or something to that effect.

Three, Shane is the reason that search didn’t end sooner.
Shooting Otis, who knew about Sofia being the barn, has unforeseen
consequences. I guess he didn’t think long term enough. Four, if Shane was
making great decisions, I’d argue this, Otis knew weapons & was an EMT,
skills that are extremely valuable in a post-apocalyptic situation. More
valuable than a little boy.

Shane Considered Murdering Rick In The Woods

So shooting the Husband of your ex-lover is right? WTF on
that one sir. Rick’s “soft-hearted moralizing” is exactly what a
leader in that situation needs to have. That leadership gives hope & shows
that everyone in the group is responsible for everyone. If you want lord of the
flies, well then your group won’t last long.

Rick takes responsibility for those in the group. He went
back to get Meryl only because he wanted those guns. Firearms & Ammo would
be priceless in that world & without the extra firepower just how well do
you think the attack at the camp would have gone? Yes they lost people, but how
worse would it have been without having a whole group armed to the teeth.

Shane Murdered Otis

Firstly, I’ve rewatched & rewatched this scene, the
Walkers were NOT gaining on them at all. There wasn’t even a reason to shoot at
the walkers while they were getting away. Look at the amount of time Shane had
to wrestle with Otis to get the supplies away from him. The streets were
littered with vehicles; why not check one to see if it will start? Still it
takes away from the fact that nothing indicated they wouldn’t make it to their
car. They also could have dropped the supplies & picked them up after they
made it to the vehicle. So many options available here. Lastly, Otis saved
Shane at least TWICE before Shane turned on him. Shane is the ultimate a-hole
& I hope karma is a bullet with his name on it soon.

Shane Wants Those Zombies Out Of The Barn

Right & wrong on this one.

I agreed with Shane showing Hershel that the Walkers
couldn’t be saved. Shooting the walker that Hershel had in the sling made
sense. Hershel could see the damage & Shane was in control of that
situation had the Walker come loose. However, opening the barn when he had no
idea of the exact number of Walkers in that was idiotic. What would he have
done if several of the weapons jammed? What would he have done if there were
more walkers than ammo in there? That was a reckless move & sure as hell
wouldn’t want to leader like that. You said it yourself that Diplomacy comes
first. What you fail to realize is that in anything Diplomacy is slow, very
slow.

Shane isn’t the reason they are alive, they’re alive because
they’re working as a group to survive & LIVE together. Shane has done a lot
to undermine that.
Anonymous

Okay, you’re wrong (IMO) on so many levels & I’ll respond one by one:

Shane Ditched Rick At The Hospital After The Zombie Outbreak
You’re right & wrong on this one. If Shane had stayed he most likely would have drawn the attention of a walker at some point, but Shane knew Rick was alive when he left. How do we know? Shane put a hospital bed in front of the door in order to keep a walker from just pushing on the door to get in.

Shane Slept With Rick’s Wife
I don’t have too much a problem with this. Shane obviously assumed that his bed blockade would fail if enough walkers wanted into Rick’s room & would have consumed him immediately after. Lori thought her husband was dead.

Shane Wants Everyone To Stop Running Off On Hopeless Rescue Missions
Some very important points to make here.
One, if you think a group will last long knowing that the minute someone is late or missing the rest of the group will abandon them, you’re just flat out wrong. The only way a group sticks together is through trust & loyalty.
Two, morals are what you do when no one is looking and Shane has shown he is no better than the walkers they are trying to survive. Dale said it best “At least I know when the world went to shit, I didn’t go there with it.” or something to that effect.
Three, Shane is the reason that search didn’t end sooner. Shooting Otis, who knew about Sofia being the barn, has unforeseen consequences. I guess he didn’t think long term enough. Four, if Shane was making great decisions, I’d argue this, Otis knew weapons & was an EMT, skills that are extremely valuable in a post-apocalyptic situation. More valuable than a little boy.

Shane Considered Murdering Rick In The Woods
So shooting the Husband of your ex-lover is right? WTF on that one sir. Rick’s “soft-hearted moralizing” is exactly what a leader in that situation needs to have. That leadership gives hope & shows that everyone in the group is responsible for everyone. If you want lord of the flies, well then your group won’t last long.
Rick takes responsibility for those in the group. He went back to get Meryl only because he wanted those guns. Firearms & Ammo would be priceless in that world & without the extra firepower just how well do you think the attack at the camp would have gone? Yes they lost people, but how worse would it have been without having a whole group armed to the teeth.

Shane Murdered Otis
Firstly, I’ve rewatched & rewatched this scene, the Walkers were NOT gaining on them at all. There wasn’t even a reason to shoot at the walkers while they were getting away. Look at the amount of time Shane had to wrestle with Otis to get the supplies away from him. The streets were littered with vehicles; why not check one to see if it will start? Still it takes away from the fact that nothing indicated they wouldn’t make it to their car. They also could have dropped the supplies & picked them up after they made it to the vehicle. So many options available here. Lastly, Otis saved Shane at least TWICE before Shane turned on him. Shane is the ultimate a-hole & I hope karma is a bullet with his name on it soon.

Shane Wants Those Zombies Out Of The Barn
Right & wrong on this one.
I agreed with Shane showing Hershel that the Walkers couldn’t be saved. Shooting the walker that Hershel had in the sling made sense. Hershel could see the damage & Shane was in control of that situation had the Walker come loose. However, opening the barn when he had no idea of the exact number of Walkers in that was idiotic. What would he have done if several of the weapons jammed? What would he have done if there were more walkers than ammo in there? That was a reckless move & sure as hell wouldn’t want to leader like that. You said it yourself that Diplomacy comes first. What you fail to realize is that in anything Diplomacy is slow, very slow.

Shane isn’t the reason they are alive, they’re alive because they’re working as a group to survive & LIVE together. Shane has done a lot to undermine that.
- Ashley
  
  I completely agree. Also, Shane should have had in mind that a massive shootout like that was going to make enough noise to draw in EVERY SINGLE WALKER for miles around. If you want to clear the barn, you might consider doing it quietly.
http://www.facebook.com/smegmclain Smeg McLain

1 for sure mistake in this article: shane didn’t kill otis before feeding him to the zombies. he shot him in the leg, then left him there to suffer through the zombie feeding. if you want to argue that “killing otis was the only choice”, then explain why disabling him, forcing him to experience the torture of being eaten alive was better than just killing him and leaving his lifeless body to be ripped open.
- JT
  
  Simple. Zombies like live flesh.
kitty kush

I hope they kill off his character. At least stay true to the plot of the book. I’m still pissed Sophia is dead. It’s like reading a whole new version of the story and i dont know if i really like it.
- Anthony
  
  I agree, as much as I like the drama he brings to the show, he does need to die by the season finale. I do wish they wouldn’t deviate from the comic so much. I understand the need to change things up, but they spent way too much time on this Sophia arc.
Swannblack

I would add this I believe the looks she gave indicate they had a affair before, THE ZOMBIES
MP

Annnnnd the time Shane tried to rape Lori in the CDC? Was that also the right decision?

Shane has done some good things, but he’s done them in the wrong way. Shane has also done some unspeakable things.
- http://www.facebook.com/grant.littman Grant Littman
  
  Finally someone brings up this point. I could argue on both sides of nearly every other point that’s been raised, but attempted rape is inexcusable.
  - Ajstrike
    
    But it also has nothing to do with the survival of the group. Which the author of this post is implying. Raping Lori wouldn’t have made Walkers inexplicably explode into the CDC and killing everyone.
http://francojtorres.com Franco J. Torres

I hope they leave the farm in the next episode.
- Anonymous
  
  Me too. I started the comics two nights ago and I’m already basically caught up to where the show is.
BloodGreen

Right isn’t always the best answer. Sometimes the best answer isn’t the right one. Sometimes we need to stretch, because the best solution needs to also be… good. Shane is effective at staying alive, but Rick recognizes the need to live for something. Survival v.s. principle.
Banzaimike

I agree with most of these points, but I can’t help but notice that the Shane Tried to Rape Lori incident is conveniently missing. And Shane almost killing Rick had as much to do with his jealous love for Lori as it did his concern for Rick’s decision making.
eliz99

I’m so glad someone finally recognizes this!! I’ve been Team Shane all along. Everyone that’s saying Shane is just “surviving” rather than “living” is totally wrong. He risks his life for the others when he has to (going to get the supplies for Carl, going out to look for Sophia), but the bottom line is he won’t do it for nothing.

Unlike Rick who will risk the lives of everyone to save the life of Merl, Shane has a more balance-test approach. He realizes that putting the entire group at risk to save one person isn’t worth it. Pre-Zombies, you go back for Merl .. you search for Sophia until you find her .. you let the idealistic Herschel do whatever. But, Post-Zombies, you have to save you and yours.

Shane isn’t just looking out for himself, he’s looking out for his family. Would you a stranger to save your family? Yeah, so would Shane.
Man_of_Size

One comment on Rick’s insistence on going back for Daryl’s brother. Since JT states that Daryl is by far the most capable hunter and protector for the group, does anybody think that Daryl would still be with the group if Rick HADN’T gone back for Merle? I think Daryl would have gone back on his own, possibly getting killed in the process, but definitely leaving the group.
Anonymous

Testify, Brother.
Anonymous

Opening the barn was not just showing the folks on the farm what the walkers really were, it was taking the right to decide their fate away from Hershel and his family, which Shane didn’t have the right to do. If he had just shot the one zombie repeatedly to show Hershel him how wrong he was, then said, “Look they’re not people…you can’t fix dead…we need to either put these things down or get the f**k out of here” I would have been with him.
- Anonymous
  
  Very true. Also, Shane doesn’t take action until he recognizes Carl distancing himself from him along with Lori. He did what he did so that it would look like someone was making a decision and for the safety of the camp, but it was all to try and impress Lori and Carl by attempting to show Rick as being in the wrong. In short, it was the result of an emotional outburst, not an attempt to make everyone “see reality”.
  - Ajstrike
    
    It is a bad move. But it’s an isolated that doesn’t affect the overall safety of the group. Te points the author made were points about keeping the group safe.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Ryan-Arthur-Vann/573273996 Ryan Arthur Vann

That is the general sentiment at my household. Shane is the only rational one, and everyone else is either just idiotic, naive, or insane.
Grey_Fox

Have you ever actually read the graphic novel the show is based on? Shane is a dick dude, obviously you have no idea. Trust me, though i do agree he makes the most sense….lets just say Rick…learns a few things along the way about….the show isn’t bad but it kind of panders to this “lets stick together” crap that producers directors seem to think would actually take place some of the characters don’t fit, the guy they got to play Dale is okay, the one that plays, is that fat black guy supposed to be “someone else” sorry I’m trying not to ruin it for you guys those of you who read the comic know who I’m talking about, I hope he isn’t because he hasn’t done anything except play the “Angry black guy” it’s been done.
- Anonymous
  
  A solid point, but like many things that are different from the comic, Shane’s and Rick’s mindsets are very different, almost flipped. RIck makes the point that having camp as close to Atlanta as they are isn’t safe and that they need to move, whereas Shane is perfectly content to sit there and hope that the government is still working somewhere and will fix everything.
Grey_Fox

By the way “Scott” well said.

Still though, morality is relative to the zeitgeist of the time, things that seem reprehensible in today’s society, would be commonplace in the world the Rick et al. live in. In truth, it’s all relative when you think about it. Our morals are significantly less steadfast than we are willing to admit. an abomination to one person may seen like the clear choice of action to another, and assuming all things are arbitrary, who am I or you say say that this or that is good or bad, benevolent or reprehensible.Let’s use black friday as an example, otherwise rational law abiding people are trampling and pepper spraying one another to get some guess shirt for 50% off, now think about that, all you did was lower the price on a otherwise unnecessary item, imagine what would happen in our actual infrastructure was to go down? I’ll tell you this, we wouldn’t be looking for little girls in forests that’s for damn sure…If I was to concede to any argument it would be this; people are neither inherently good nor evil.
- Dzynguy
  
  i would like to suggest a t-shirt (and just send me 20% of the profits if you use it !!). WWSD? (what would shane do?). you’re welcome.
DadOnArrival

You make a lot of solid points, however saying that Shane is right about Rick’s attitude towards the world of zombies is proven wrong, if somewhat belatedly, by Rick’s final action in the last episode. He was the only one who stood up and put down zombie Sophia while everyone else was lost in their memories of who this moster once had been. Shane talks a big game, but he couldn’t take that final step, and Rick did.

The comics tell an epic story of one character’s (Rick’s) descent from the honest, upstanding sheriff to the shadow of his former self that he is forced to become in order to survive the realities of this grim new world. And while this show has displayed several nuances that distance it from what the comic story was, I believe this is the turning point for Rick in the show that will begin his descent. And the decisions will only get harder from here.
Anonymous

On some levels, I can sympathize with Shane. He’s made some hard decisions that seemed, to him, like the right thing to do at the time, and he’s certainly caught flack for those decisions.The thing with Otis for instance: I don’t think it was premeditated, and I don’t think it was something he wanted to do. In his mind, this was the only way to get back in time to save Carl, and as the audience, we know this to be true. In this regard, I can always see where Shane is coming from and understand his decisions, even if I don’t always agree with them. Because of this, however, I love that he’s being potrayed as an antagonist of sorts. In my opinion, the best antagonists are the ones that aren’t technically wrong.

In terms of the morality side of things, the primary difference between Shane and Rick is that Shane’s sense of morality has shifted to a more survivalistic point of view. However, while his desire to survive certainly plays a part in this, I think that the nature of all his decisions come back to Lori. It’s important to remember that all of the analyses in this article are in hindsight. Emotional detachment is much easier to achieve in hindsight or foresight than it is in the actual moment where a decision has to be made. All of the author’s arguments are sound, but I don’t think that Shane was thinking as logically in those situations as the author presents him to be. Whether his decisions were morally sound or not is an entirely different issue from the nature of why he did these things, i.e. Lori.
Anonymous

Also, one of Hershel’s lines in the midseason finale implies that bringing zombies to the barn used to be Otis’s job, so if Shane AND Otis had made it back, Otis would have been able to say something about finding a little girl walker, and the search for Sophia would have been called off much sooner. By the nature of the arguments in the article, this would have made Shane wrong. However, again, this is in hindsight, as there was no way Shane could have known about Otis finding Sophia, just like there was no way that Rick could have known that walkers would attack the camp by Atlanta while his group was gone.
- Ajstrike
  
  Shane was still right. His actions changed Herschel’s mind about walkers. That they were indeed dead. And not living.Nand dangerous. Herding them in there was psychotic. If Otis had come back, they would have found her and been forced off the barn by Herschel. They didnt need to be there anymore.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=731986182 Jasmine LuckyDragon Tirado

Thank you! ..also you forgot to mention…Shane is hot! lol
Dan Fil

YOU ARE SO RIGHT! THAT SHANE IS RIGHT! That’s what I love about the Walking dead. If they could push a little bit more about the fact that Shane is right even if it’s not the moral choice so that viewers would be a little bit more divised between the moral things to do and the right things to do. Right now, Shane’s behavior makes him the bad guy but if they could tame him down a little, it would be a good duality…unless of course they’re planning on having to clans going at war over what’s right and what’s moral to do and see who survives! I’m going with Shane!
Jim Van Cleave

Shane Is NOT always right for several reasons. 1. He is STILL trying to get in Lori’s pants even after Rick returns, 2. Rick going back to Atlanta does NOT result in getting the group attacked…it would have happened ANYWAYS (read the books), 3. Rick did not JUST go back for Daryl’s brother, but also for a HUGE bag of guns and ammo and the police radio to warn away the guy who saved his life and his son (or is it your argument that saving one’s life should always be repaid with betrayal??), 4. Rick wanted to search for Sophia until there was proof one way or the other. The search went on so long BECAUSE Shane shot Otis and no one could learn that he’d rounded her up and stuck her in the barn (Shane realizes this in his expression as Sophia stumbles from the barn!) and 5. Rick “kowtowed” to Herschell out of RESPECT…he gave them safe haven and medical care (3 times!) and it was HIS damn property!!!
The REASON no one follows Shane is that they know Rick will look after and fight for them. Shane has and will always look out for Shane and Shane alone. That’s great if he’s gonna drive off and go it alone, but, if **I** was in a group situation, i’d want Rick on my side! At least i’d know I wouldn’t get left or outright killed if my life became “inconvenient” like with Shane! Rick all the way! Screw Shane like he’s screwed so many others!
- Ajstrike
  
  Shane did not know Otis put her there because at that point. Herschel only told Rick at that point because they had to wrangle them. Shane’s mistake still resulted in them finding Sophia. Also if they found Sophia right away, Hershel may have forced them to leave right away. Herschel finally admitted to walkers not being human after seeing Shane fire several shots into the one he was wrangling. Forcing him to see the truth. In the end Shane was right. RIP.
Crushendo

Shane tried to rape Lori in the season 1 finale… Defend it.
- Ajstrike
  
  That’s had nothing to do with protecting the group. You can’t defend that. I’d like to think he would have succeeded had he REALLY wanted to.
Mamalapapuputey

The producers and writers really need to stick with the Original Storyline as depicted in the Source Material from the Graphic Novels. Those fans who follow they show and think it is good, just do not know what they are really missing. Shane should already be dead because Carl had to kill him. Sophia is still alive because she never got lost. Andrea will become a super sniper and a great asset to the group which is constantly changing.
Shane is a coward, manipulator and only as good as he needs to be, remember, he left Rick behind, when the proper thing would have been to put him out of any future misery.
[email protected]

To refute some of your arguments, you said Shane didn’t do anything with Lori after Rick came back–he actually tried to rape her at the CDC. Rick didn’t make Daryl search for Sophia, Daryl genuinely believed Sophia would be found and did get angry on several occasions when others suggested to end the search. And when Shane wanted to shoot Rick, I highly doubt he was thinking about keeping the group safe; it was for his own selfish reasons and jealousy/Lori issues (and how do you justify killing your best friend in Shane’s situation?! If you don’t like the leadership, leave the group or vote on the new leader if you have to). Personally, I think Daryl is the best leader; he knows how to survive but he’s still got his morals in check. Rick can be a pushover but Shane is an example of how disasters can change people for the worse.
Taer

You’re forgetting one major thing. After all his bluster and bravado, Shane is ultimately a coward who can’t make the hard decisions.
- Ajstrike
  
  Wait what? You mean like killing Randall? He wouldn’t want to kill Sopia. Because he’s not really a sociopath. I think Rick jumped the gun. He didnt even ask Sophia’s mother what she wanted to do. She was the last walker out. They could have restrained her little zombie behind and had her mother kill her. Much like it was between Andrea and her sister.

Giant Freakin Robot