Pretty bad assed episode, and a lost of one of the most important characters in the group is a massive blow to the minds of the viewers. Things like that, to me, show that the world they're in is "very real". The producers/writers mind-****** the audience when Rick saved Shane back at the fenced in place... Everything's alright guys! Shane's safe, Rick taught him a lesson.
Bzzzzzzzt! Wrong!
First Dale gets killed by something that's really a total accident... I agree with E about Carl just kind of doing what kids do. I had pellet guns at an early age, and was a trouble maker. He's a kid being a kid, but in a pretty screwed up world... Plus he maybe had a bad streak in him too... wanders off and things, does kind of the opposite of what he's told, bit of a backtalker... Needs a firm hand.
Dale, you're dealing with then... But then this week rolls around, and now a guy far more important in the greater story is gone, and by his best buddy, and then again by his buddy's kid. And it's not even the last show of the season!? Wow.
Again... I reinforce that they SHOULD have been doing this long ago... And I reiterate my earlier points that you HAVE to think medeival at this point. You have to look at the world around you, and see that some parts of you are exposed more often. Glenn's tustle with Randall zombie winds up leaving him very susceptible to a bite, but now if he'd had better weaponry and at least some very minimal forearm and hand protection.
The best weapons they could possibly make are shields... They're defensive and offensive, relatively easy to deal with/carry, and deadly efficient.
And that moat's looking like a good thought that they should've been working on quite some time ago, and didn't.
I'm still frustrated by the group, but Shane was off his rocker and a massive threat unto himself (too nuts to be leader, but not dumb enough to be controlled and used as a positive member of the group). He either had to go, or Rick did. Someone on Talking Dead said about there being two alpha males, and that's one too many, and that is a good point. I'm not sure Rick is the best choice as leader, as much as he's the only choice now that Shane is gone, and Shane was equally bad for different reasons.
It's an interesting show, and it's a shame it's coming to an end for another season. It's hard to go without it. I cannot really say I've ever felt this strong about a TV series... I liked Sopranoes, a lot, but that really was never the same as The Walking Dead. This is so masterfully done every week... It really is fantastic.