SHANE! PART II

SPOILERS!!!

I take it all back.

Ok, not all, but dude went nuts and got what he deserved. I still would have prefered seeing Carl do the deed to LIVE Shane, as opposed to UNDEAD Shane.

And that's all I have to say about that.

It's Sally Time!

The snow is melting, birds are singing in the yard, and the breeze carries the sounds of screams and a chainsaw. Spring is on the way, and Chainsaw Sally is bringing the heat.
Episode 6 of The Chainsaw Sally Show Season 2: Season Of The Bitch has just gone live (dropped? I don't fucking know), and I felt that now was the time to pour my guts out, play with them a bit, put them back in, and then write about Sally.
Quick recap: Chainsaw Sally is the creation of JimmyO and April Monique Burril. First she was an internet hostess. Then, the subject of a low budget film. Next came the internet show and the special "It's Groundhog Day, Chainsaw Sally." Now, the intenet show is back for season two, which is bigger and better than ever.
I'm a fan of gore, low budget films, gore, snappy dialogue, gore, hot women, gore, and, uhm, gore. Chainsaw Sally has all of this, and more.
I could go on and on about the great writing, the fun (and scary) characters, the addition of JimmyO (as the frightening Angel Eyes) and Debbie Rochon (as Blondie. SO talented and beautiful) to the cast, or the death of...well..I don't want to give that one away. But what I really want to talk about is my favorite aspect of the show: the relationship between Sally and her brother Ruby (played with demented glee by Azman Toy).
The greatest sibling pair since Cain and Abel, Sally and Ruby are more fun than a barrel of piranhas and monkeys. I'm getting choked up, just thinking about the love that these two have for each other. (Or it could be a little hooker skin, stuck in my throat.) April and Azman bring these two to vivid, crazy life; the loving, frustrated mother/sister and the man-child, who rebels, while still clinging to the only family he has really known.
I could easily watch an entire episode with just the Sally and Ruby puttering around the house, talking about their day, discussing what to have for dinner, what movie to watch, hell, anything. I still laugh, every time I think of Sally asking, in that exasperated tone, "Was your dick with you all day?" (I may think about that more than is healthy, but it's so damn funny!)
The role of Ruby was originated by Alec Joseph, but Azman has taken the part and made it his own. He's a cute little fucker, who exudes a demented innocence. You can't help but feel bad for him, when Sally goes into lecture mode, even if he deserves the frying pan to the head that is on it's way. And I don't think that Sally takes any joy out of wielding that frying pan, and the contusions she creates are filled with equal parts blood and love.

I want to thank JimmyO, April, and Azman for bringing these great characters to life, and bringing a little warmth to these last cold days of winter. (Okay, it hasn't been that cold, but you know what I mean.)
So, go to Chainsawsallyshow.com and check out the show. Come for the blood (and boobs), but stay for the love.

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.