I agree; I think the danger for Shane (or someone like him) would be the slippery slope - you kill a guy and get away with it. One wall of the old law-abiding society falls. What stops him from doing whatever he wants, whenever he wants to do it now? People have speculated on the Motley Crew just staying on the farm regardless of what Herschel wants - who would stop them now? The Rule of Law is over, and Shane seems to be one of the first people to get that.
Then you should be able to easily destroy our arguments, right? What’s the alternative that provides the greater utilitarian benefit?
Then why did he offer himself up first to be the one who covered them while Otis ran? Is that the act of a selfish asshole?
Also, the idea that he’s trying to scheme his way back to banging Lori, and doesn’t just, you know, care for the kid who was basically his adopted child, who he constantly provided safety for in extreme circumstances, is pretty cynical.
That’s something for the show to explore certainly, but we shouldn’t comdemn Shane before he actually, you know, does something bad. He’s been abrasive but his actions so far have been in the interest of the group.
I suspect he will go down a negative path simply because they’re obviously making him out to be the bad guy. In fact, in fiction, the rational guy who’s willing to make the reasoned, distasteful decisions over the protests of the emotional but irrational people is usually painted as the bad guy, so from here on out I’m sure Shane will eventually start raping puppies.
Speaking of which, and this is my first thought on the subject, but I noticed that Shane has stopped wearing his uniform, or any semblance of his former profession, while Rick clings to the accouterments of his law enforcement. I wonder if this goes back to how Rick is willing to do things (“corralling” the zombies instead of shooting them, for instance) in the interest of maintaining a semi-normal societal structure.
Dale knows auto repair, for one thing. It’s not been established that any of the other characters have that skill.
Good point.
For the record, I don’t think Shane is a savage, and I don’t disagree with his actions so far (except the attempted rape). I would be disappointed if they take the easy way out and just turn him into a one-note villain; they’ve obviously done a good job so far of making his character’s actions and flaws debatable. 
I honestly believe 85% of Shane’s bravado is for Lori’s benefit. I can imagine the wheels turning in his head. Just through my filter, it seems as though all of their conversations are Lori defending Rick’s actions even though she doesn’t always agree with them. i can see him chipping away at her defenses, and she’s been arguing enough with Rick for there to be some wiggle room there.
And they were at a farm that they thought was safe and intended to stay at until Dale spilled the beans about zombie barn and I doubt Shane is that concerned about a mechanic since he was prepared to leave the group earlier without one.
Dale had been teaching Glenn mechanics too. I’m betting the farmers knew a thing or two about mechanics as well. No proof but I’ve never met a farmer that didn’t have some skills in this area. They have to use and maintain big vehicles and it was a small town. Maybe they couldn’t rebuild an engine but the type of repairs Dale would have the equipment to pull off, I bet they could do something like that.
In any case, Dale’s skills are useful to the group, but not critical to Shane’s survival, whereas Dale’s dislike of Shane and willingness to try to alienate the group against him is a very real threat to Shane’s survival. If Shane were purely a selfish cut-throat savage, it would absolutely be in his best interest to have Dale dissapear into the woods.
Remember his speech to Andrea as well. He knows what he did was right logically but emotionally he can’t put it out of his mind. He’s far from one note right now.
I missed the rape bit. I started watching this season and I haven’t gotten that far in season one yet so I don’t know how bad that paints him but it can’t be good. I do know I disliked Shane from the first episode I saw and he’s becoming less unlikable as the season rolls on.
First of all, I’m not trying to destroy anyone’s arguments, but simply stating my own opinion. As evidenced by this thread, the people who feel Shane is acting beyond what should be done are in the minority and I wanted to add my voice to theirs. And as I said, come WWZ, it’s those people I’d prefer to be in cahoots with. Obviously, your mileage varies.
As to Shane offering himself up first? I have a theory on that due to this guy I used to know. See, he was (is) one of the most reprehensible people I’ve ever met but you wouldn’t know that if you’d only seen him operate without much further inspection into his motives. So a difficult situation would come up and, bam, right off the bat he’d offer to do the right thing. However, he knew how to play the odds and because he was a good study of human nature, he’d be able to predict you’d feel too guilty to let him go ahead and instead, he’d be off the hook.
That said, I think Shane knew that about Otis going in. He could offer to be the one to stay behind for the simple fact he knew Otis wouldn’t take him up on. Otis being too guilty over the Carl thing, after all. No real threat that he’d have to back up his offer at all.
Last, like I said, why save Carl anyway? Also, if you can’t trust those that you are going to bat for, what’s the purpose in being in the group to begin with if you aren’t trustworthy in return? You’re just a user out for yourself and really no good to a community as a net positive.
Eh, he couldn’t just off Dale then. One, he’d just asked Glenn where he went. Two, he doesn’t really see him as a threat. Three, he figured if Dale had already put two and two together, others probably aren’t far behind. Besides, if two many people turn up missing / zombie chow when Shane is involved, he’ll be outed for all he’s done sooner rather than later.
Just smart thinking, if you have Shane’s attitude.
Actually, to the extent there is anything to this, it’s the other way around. Shane continues to wear the Police ball cap, but Rick, at least during the last episode, was out of law-enforcement wear, having donned a black button-up shirt and given his hat to Carl.
Only Dale saw Shane line Rick up in his sights when they were in the woods. The whole Dale-has-put-two-and-two-together bit is a big stretch to begin with. Remove Dale’s exclusive knowledge of the incident in the woods and there’s no realistic chnace of anyone else figuring anything out.
It’s a good theory but only Shane and Otis were there. There wasn’t anyone to buy his act honorably for if he was just going to kill the only one there with him. I had thought about this but honestly, it doesn’t fit the scenario at all.
I don’t get the part about Carl though? Carl is untrustworthy? How? He’s just a kid. Plus, Shane hasn’t really taken any stand on trustworthiness. You’re painting Shane as a sociopath since sociopaths would indeed take that position. Shane hasn’t and you’re only associating him with that because you once knew a guy who was or am I missing something?
If Shane is a sociopath, then acting for Otis makes zero sense and if he isn’t, then abandoning Carl because he’s untrustworthy makes no sense either. Assuming that he isn’t a sociopath and he cares about Carl is the only thing that seems to be consistent with his actions.
That reminds me - Dale indicated that he knew Shane killed Otis in this episode, didn’t he? How’d he figure that one out?
If it was Rick’s gun, that could be easily explained away.
He asked Glenn and he couldn’t find him. He looked. Doesn’t sound odd at all. He believes that Dale is jealous over Andrea not that he cares about Otis. No reason to think others will put two and two together since there’s no reason for anyone else to be trying to.
All I can come up with is he took what he knew about Shane sighting up Rick in the woods and from that developed a generla suspsicion. When Shane returned without Otis, after they were “down to pistols,” he ran with his original suspicion. Maybe he was throwing it out there to see if it stuck. Like I said upthread, I think it’s a reach. It reminds me of some of the stuff Ned Stark would figure out in Game of Thrones or that Dexter is able to put together in his eponymous show.
I gotta love the Dope (and I mean that sincerely), where a thread on a TV show about the zombie apocalypse evolves into a polite debate on ethics and morality.
They haven’t been locking it. IIRC they even put a sign up telling other survivors something like “Door’s unlocked, please take only what you need.” :smack: Which is incredibly stupid. It doesn’t look zombies have the dexterity or intelligance to open that type of door, even if it was unlocked. Maybe one could luck out and open it after hours of blindly clawing at it, but it wouldn’t close it.
I think their “need” to eat is just left over instinct from when they were alive; they aren’t actually digesting anything. If that’s the case then what happens to what they eat? Are their intestines still active enough to push material through the system and expel it undigested? If it just sits in their stomachs and rots then eventually their abdomens will explode.
Why is it incredibly stupid? Obviously they fled the situation so they can’t be harmed if someone does take what they need from what they left behind. It might be unnecessary but I’m not seeing the stupid.
The zombie also may have come in through the back door which may have been open. We’ve never seen the back of the store. Who knows?