SHANE!

HERE BE SPOILERS! (Seriously, if you are not caught up on The Walking Dead, you may want to stop reading...NOW!)

I started reading the comic book The Walking Dead when the first tpb collection came out. The zombie genre had just recently risen from the grave, and had yet to saturate the market. (At this point, I fear being bored to death more than I fear the zombie apocalypse.) TWD was fresh; masterfully crafted by Robert Kirkman. And the first trade collection ended with one of my favorite scenes in the series, the death of Shane.
For those of you who have watched the show, but not read the comic, remember the scene in season one, when Shane had Rick in his crosshairs, out in the woods, and Dale came along and, well, nothing really happened? In the comic (issue #5 or #6, I believe.), at that Rick in the crosshairs moment...BLAM! Carl pops Shane right in the head.

I was SO hoping to see that scene in season one of the TV show. It is simply bold story telling, and would have said to me that AMC was willing to take chances. (I have taken to calling that kind of scene a "Joss Whedon moment." That dude will kill ANYONE.) Let me be clear, I didn't want Shane dead, I just wanted him to be killed. Does that make sense?
But now? Well, now I'm glad that Shane is still around. He is, hands down, the best character on the show. (Not to be confused with the best PERSON on the show.) Shane is complex, conflicted and confused. He loves Rick like a brother, but he also loves Lori and Carl (and the baby he believes is his) like, well, not a sister and a nephew. He wants to keep the group alive, but Lori and Carl come first.
Let's get this next bit out of the way. The one TRULY bad thing that Shane has done was the attempted rape of Lori. It was a reprehensible act, for which there is no excuse. For this alone, Shane should be punished. But, the show has moved on, and so shall we.
Some people I know feel that the sacrifice of Otis was a selfserving act, on Shane's part. I have to disagree. I like to think that if theirs were the only lives in the balance, Shane would have kept fighting for the both of them. BUT, Carl's life was on the line, and, as already stated, Shane's love for Carl trumps just about anything. If Shane hadn't done what he did, Otis, Carl, and Shane would all be dead. Shane is making some tough calls, and living with the results.
I do agree with Andrea, that he could tone it down a bit. The massacre at the barn was a rash, dangerous act. The smart thing to do, if you wanted to kill all the zombies in the barn, would have been to pick them off from the loft, not let them loose. Shane is a hothead, no doubt. Perhaps he's a bit stressed.
I do think that Shane should quash his amorous feelings for Lori. Rick is back. Period. There is nothing wrong with caring for them, but he needs to move on. (Oh. I do think that Shane did the right thing, lying to Lori, to get her back to the farm. Frankly, I think she was an idiot for leaving the way she did.)
Did I mention complexity?
I would still LOVE to see Carl kill Shane; that would be a great TV moment. But, I am glad that Shane has been around, giving us a wonderful character to both cheer for and grumble about.
Now, about that Daryl guy...

Oops. I almost forgot about Randy. I can certainly see the sense in killing him; Shane isn't completely wrong there. Even if Randy is honest in his current assertion that he wouldn't lead his group to the farm, it's possible that, if he were returned to his crew, he may eventually come to believe that a life on the road is too much, and that the farm is a better option. I can't wait to see what OUR crew decides to do.