The Walking Dead Season 2: Episode 11: Judge, Jury And Executioner

Just a warning to everyone reading: this is a pivotal episode with a shocking ending, so if you haven't yet seen it, go watch it and then come back. You've been warned.

BIG HONKIN' SPOILERS BELOW!!!

Wow, now that was a shocking ending! In the comic book Dale died a couple of years ago, but I didn't think TV Dale would put down so soon.Now who's gonna be the moral center and voice of reason of the group?

I knew something was up at the end when Rick decided not to shoot Randall and Andrea said, "I'll go tell Dale." Something about the way she said it told me this was Dale's last show.

Jeffrey Demunn, the actor who plays (or I guess, played) Dale, has been in many of producer Frank Darabont's films. Darabont was unceremoniously dumped from the show by AMC last year. Some fans are speculating that Dale's demise may be related to Darabont's firing. Who knows. I don't work at AMC.

• According to Dale, Andrea used to be a civil liberties lawyer. Really? That's probably the last profession I would have guessed. She must not have been very passionate about her job. I would think a civil liberty lawyer would be a bit more compassionate and on the liberal side. Andrea seems to have no problem picking up a gun and shooting anything that comes near the camp. She's even been siding with Shane and conspiring with him to overthrow Rick as leader. In fact it's not until the very last minute she tentatively agrees with Dale to not kill Randall. Not the typical attitudes I'd expect from someone in her profession. I guess the end of the world probably changes your priorities.

• I never noticed the "SS" symbol on Darryl's chopper before.Interesting.

This has absolutely nothing to do with the show, but I've always wondered why motorcycle gangs often sport swastikas and other Nazi symbols on their clothing and bikes. Do they do it to shock the general public? Do they agree with the Nazi's views on racial purity? If so, it's a misguided admiration. The Nazis were a highly organized and disciplined force- a far cry from the chaos and anarchy of bikers. Plus there's no way true German Nazis would have tolerated a fringe group like a motorcycle gang. I just don't get the connection.

• Shane was quite restrained in this episode. In fact he was very nearly a voice of reason. I guess Rick's "talk" with him last week settled him down. I don't see it lasting long though.

• Lori managed not to annoy me this week. That means she'll be twice as annoying next week.

• I liked the scene between Glenn and Herschel. Unfortunately on this show, scenes like this generally occur shortly before a character's demise. I don't see much of a future for poor Herschel though.

Plus if Herschel's gone, that'll leave Maggie free to join Team Rick and run off with Glenn, just like in the comic.

• I would have pegged "Herschel Greene" as a Jewish name rahter  than Irish.

• When Carl found the zombie stuck in the mud and started playing around with it, I was going to nominate him for the Stupid Character of the Week award. But as I thought about it some more I realized it's exactly the type of thing a kid would do. Kids are fascinated by dead and gross things. What kid wouldn't play with a zombie if he ever found one? So kudos to the writers for depicting Carl as a realistic kid.

The writers did a good job of handling Carl in this episode. He's starting to show the early signs of becoming a cold and twisted little psychopath, which is probably what would happen to a kid growing up in a world like this. The adults still have the memory of civilization to keep them in check, but for Carl, this insane, lawless life is all he knows.

• During the voting scene T-Dog showed up to remind us all that he exists. I honest to god forgot he was on the show. It's plain to see that the writers have absolutely no idea what to do with this character. He's got potential, as witnessed by several nice scenes he had with Dale early on in the season. Too bad he's being wasted.

• In the comic Dale's last name was Horvath. I don't think it's ever been mentioned on the show. If it has I don't remember it.

For the curious, Comic Dale had quite a different fate from TV Dale. After the group began living in an abandoned prison for a time, Dale was bitten in the leg by a zombie. Rick amputated Dale's leg to save his life. Later Dale and Andrea hooked up, but Dale had trouble believing she could ever love an old man like him. During a later attack Dale was bitten once again by a zombie and secretly left the group so as not to cause them harm when he died and became one of the undead. He was captured by a group of cannibalistic humans who removed his remaining leg and ate it. Dale found the fact that the cannibals were eating his tainted flesh to be darkly humorous. The cannibals returned Dale to the group as a warning to them. Dale eventually died in Andrea';s arms. She then shot him in the head before he could turn and come back.

• I think this is the first time we've been shown that a zombie's hands are just as dangerous as its teeth.

• Last week Mopey Blionde Girl said she didn't see any point in living in this zombie filled world. She said no matter how hard they fought to survive, ultimately they were going to end up dying. Dale's death probably isn't going to help convince her she was wrong...

• OK, so far most of my predictions about this show have been spectacularly wrong, but that doesn't stop me from making them. 

So here's my new theory: during Daryl's "interrogation," Randall reveals he's from a group of 30 guys with heavy artillery. He also speaks of seeing members of the group raping a couple of teenage girls and forcing their father to watch. These are not nice people. So what if their leader is... Merle Dixon? 

At first I thought Merle would return as the TV version of the Governor. With the recent news that actor David Morrissey is being cast in the role next season, that theory was out. So how else could they have Merle return?

I believe he'll return as the leader of this outlaw group. I have a bad feeling Merle will find the farm and it's gonna be a massacre. Merle's got a bone to pick with Rick. And he's probably not going to be happy with the way they've treated Randall. And Daryl will have to decide whose side he's on: Team Rick or his brother's.

There's only two episodes left in the season, so we'll find out if I'm right soon.