In the midst of a zombie apocalypse what is the worst thing you’ll face? The zombies themselves? Finding and maintaining food and shelter? Keeping your sanity? Or is it wondering if every “live person” you meet (if you meet any at all) will somehow threaten your already precarious existence?
I’m pretty sure what the order would be if my entire world were completely overrun with flesh-eating zombie monsters. However, in the world of The Walking Dead, it seems once many of those more pressing issues are no longer a major concern, like food, shelter, and fending off zombies, it’s okay to spend copious time lamenting what should be done with a single interloper and possible threat to Hershel’s Impenetrable Farm and Retirement Community.
We open this episode with said interloper, Randall, held captive in the former zombie barn with Daryl playing Elliot Stabler from the sex crimes unit. After a few minutes watching Elliot Daryl’s hockey game with Randall’s face followed by some expert jabbing of a knife into his fresh leg suture, we find out that Randall was traveling with a 30-person group of heavily armed men and women. Or women started out in the group, whether or not they remained seems a little unclear after Randall drops the bomb that the group of men he traveled with came across a lone man and his teenage daughters and the subsequent rapes that occurred following this discovery, which he claims to have no part in. However, for the amount of information pouring out of stupid Randall, he knew exactly what happened, so if he didn’t take part, he certainly stood by and watched — which is exactly what Daryl’s face says as it curls up in a look of abject disgust regarding Randall, now begging for his life.
So a decision will have to be made.
Daryl brings the information back to the group. This begins “Moral Debate 96” in a world where the zombies are probably down at the town tavern having a beer and reminiscing about the days when there were just whole groups of humans hunkered down in places they could easily get to.
It seemed pretty obvious that the majority of the group decided then and there that the best course of action would be to get rid of bothersome Randall. In doing so they would remove a potential threat, safeguard their utopia, and not have to worry about him getting loose and finding his group of rapey, gun-toting jackals, or looking too closely at the womenfolk on the farm. Okay. Done deal. We can recognize that in a civilization that’s only held together by the tinniest of threads, and the realization that the other humans in your world may not be the Kumbaya sort — you do what you have to do to survive. By Randall’s own admission, the group he was running with, as evidenced by the Grimes Group’s first encounter, was not the sort of group that pondered the fate of perceived threats at length. They would not hesitate to act as their own judge and jury. Largely, this is what the Grimes group seems to understand with the exception of Dale. Of course, Dale.
Dale incredulously spouts, “You’re gonna kill him?” Well, yes, Dale. As of right now he’s being held against his will, he’s been beaten by Daryl, he knows that the group doesn’t trust him, and knows that you’re all seriously thinking about killing him. Factually, he’s an enemy now more than ever. The time for deciding what to do with him has come and gone. This is all just window dressing. The decision seems pretty clear now. Any debate should’ve been had after he was patched up by Hershel. Now, he’s just a liability. However, none of the Grimes group makes this argument. They all stand around kicking dirt and looking uncertain, WHICH IS JUST STUPID!
For some god-awful reason it’s decided that they’ll all think about it for a few more hours during which Dale will make a Santorum Robocall to every member of the voting party and advocate for his point of view on the matter. Fabulous.
Now, Dale’s character, who I named Judgy McJudgerNag in an earlier recap, seems to have slowly dissolved into that character who elicits a groan whenever they appear onscreen. You just know as soon as he appears, affixed firmly to his feet will be a soapbox and a hearty helping of “gripe” and “angst.” And perhaps that would be okay if there were more action in the whole show so he would truthfully stand out as the moral compass of the group as they make one quick decision after another giving him a real purpose, kind of like “The Preacher” from beloved series Firefly.
However, as Dale pleads his case to most every person on the farm, the annoying factor is just ratcheted up more and more. He seemed more like the doddering, uncomfortable zealot in a mall parking lot spouting whatever the newest in political rhetoric du jour calls for regardless of his audience. What he kept finding is that by and large no one cared. No one really cared about the fate of Randall. No, of course not! Not when they can drink lemonade and hang out in a tent, make plans for the winter, and wrangle the livestock i.e. what has become daily life on Hershel’s farm, and for the Grimes Group – Hershel’s field hands. No one cares about Randall! It’s pretty much accepted that he’s an outsider. Hershel says he doesn’t want to know about it. Shane tells him that he’ll agree to whatever is decided, but if Randall stays and hurts someone, it’ll be on Dale’s hands. Daryl tells Dale not to head shrink him, and really is more concerned with keeping an emotional distance from the forever beleaguered group. (Daryl and I are BFFs in my head.) He even knows Shane killed Otis, and still, to Dale’s epic shock, he doesn’t really care. You see, everyone BUT DALE, has accepted that bad things happen in a world where bad things are the norm. He’s also not presenting any real alternatives, or strategy on what a spared Randall could bring the group in assets. He’s just beating everyone with a morality stick. Which, yeah, Dale. No 1 Curr.
Meanwhile, little jackass, Carl, is becoming a bit of a problem. When he’s not sassing adults and calling them idiots, he’s sneaking into places where he shouldn’t be. He snuck into Randall’s holding cell to intimidate(?), study(?), mock(?) him with his father’s Sheriff’s hat perched firmly on his head. That is, until Shane finds him and calls him on it in a well acted display by Jon Bernthal yet again. We sensed the restrained emotion Shane has when it comes to Carl. He tells him to “Stop trying to get himself killed.” A very good bit of advice, that Carl does nothing to heed as next we see him traipsing along on his lonesome. He finds Daryl’s motorcycle and a gun in his satchel which he takes (This kid!) He then comes upon a creek bed (How big is Hershel’s farm?) where he sees a Walker stuck in the mud. With a gleeful look in his eye that’s reminiscent of a boy pulling the wings off a fly, he starts throwing rocks at the thing in a show of misguided bravado. Since this doesn’t seem to harm the walker, Carl then decides to get a closer look, but now he’s waving the gun in the thing’s face. He’s just out of reach as the walker snaps and lunges for him arms flailing wildly, one foot becoming less and less stuck in that mud. As Carl dances ever closer, the walker strikes out suddenly and knocks both the gun and the boy to the ground. Yeah, now you’ve done it, Carl. The walker is able to pull himself out of the mud and is now grasping for the boy. Carl, now scared, is able to get away, but he leaves the gun. (Didn’t you think or hoped the zombie would pick it up…after he chomped on stupid Carl first?)
Sunset is upon the farm so now it’s time for Dale to tally his electoral votes for the group, and he finds no one’s voted with him. He is a man standing alone. Even Glenn, who could once be counted on to look to Dale for direction, is with Shane and Rick on this one. You see, he now has a woman to protect. (I’m not discussing that ridiculous exchange between Glenn and Hershel regarding the pocket watch that was so out of place, poorly written, and awkward that it was laughable.) Again, to a mostly deaf audience Dale rails on about not judging Randall for things he hasn’t done, for being guilty by association, and for just being a young, stupid kid (who you have tied up in the barn and are plotting to kill…remember that). Andrea, who we find out is a civil rights lawyer, wavers and decides that Dale is right, but she is the only one. T-Dawg wants to know where they’ll put the body, and Rick and Shane are mostly trying to figure out if a hanging or a shooting would be more efficient. What we realize in Dale’s last speech is that Dale is really just scared of the new world in which they all live; one without set rules, or laws, and governed by gut instinct. That is a world Dale has a problem with, and doesn’t want to be a part of, but nonetheless the one that now exists. The decision is made that Randall will die execution style.
Randall is led farther into the barn and asked for his last words as Rick positions the gun to his head. He’s told Lori that he should be the one who does it, because he’s the leader, and well, because he’s tired of not being seen as the one who does the hard stuff. Shane and Daryl look on skeptically, as they should. Randall is pleading for his life, and then, of course, Carl shows up all excited and says to Rick, “Do it, Dad! Do it!” Which naturally means that Rick can’t do it, because that would make him a monster, and his son a little crazed fiend. Sheesh. Somebody needs to put a bell around Carl’s neck or something.
Daryl takes Randall back to his cell, and Rick mumbles some garbled nonsense to Lori about Randall being safe for…now. Whatever.
Dale, who stomped off in a huff, not wanting any part of AMC’s The Killing wandered far away from the barn, and came upon a moaning cow. Well, a moaning cow with its stomach torn open and dying. Just as Dale realizes what made that kind of injury he turns and becomes victim to the stalest horror movie trope EVAR! “Oh, No! It’s a zombie!” One who’s curiously so stealthy Dale has no time to react. Dale puts up a good fight, well, in that the zombie doesn’t bite his face, but he does some rather feisty work on Dale’s stomach and innards. Yes, this is a walker that likes the tripe apparently.
Everyone runs to find both Dale and the Walker. Daryl stabs the thing in the head (Zombie Kills: 1). Carl realizes this is the one that he taunted earlier and runs to his mommy. (Why is he even there?!) Hershel comes over and deems Dale a goner. The only humane thing would be to put him out of his misery. Rick attempts, but of course, can’t. So Daryl, ye of doing all the dirty work, puts the gun to Dale’s head, who raises his head in agreement to his immediate end, and with Daryl’s remorseful but purposeful, “Sorry, brother” thusly ends Dale.
Anyone sorry to see Dale go? Ok. I didn’t think so. What do you think? Was this episode an exercise in futility (Seems like it a bit), or was it a good exposition on morality and humanity which is just as much a part of this show as the zombies themselves? (Please, enough.)
Let’s discuss in the comments.
