Top

Shane Walking Dead

March 12, 2012 by · Comments Off on Shane Walking Dead 

Shane Walking Dead, The inevitable has finally happened: Shane Walsh is dead. Double-dead, in fact.

In the latest episode of “The Walking Dead,” titled “Better Angels,” Jon Bernthal’s disgruntled ex-cop finally met his demise at the hands of old friend-turned-new foe Rick Grimes. After luring Rick out into a field in search of missing prisoner Randall — whom Shane had already killed — Shane turned his gun on Rick, ready to kill his former partner and inherit his “broken wife” and “weak boy” as his own family. Rick ultimately talked Shane down, but what looked to be a peace offering was a trick of its own: Grimes plunged a knife through Shane’s heart, killing him in seconds …

… and seconds later, Shane was back on his feet, a bloodthirsty zombie looking to finish the job. Thankfully for Rick, his son Carl arrived in the nick of time, gun in hand, to put a bullet through the undead Shane’s brain.

Shane’s death was always a foregone conclusion in the minds of fans. Rampant rumors of Bernthal’s “Walking Dead” exit aside, the character’s demise occurs in the sixth issue of Robert Kirkman’s comic book series, making his eventual death a virtual certainty from the time Bernthal’s casting was announced. But speaking with MTV News, “Walking Dead” show runner Glen Mazzara revealed that Shane’s death wasn’t always part of the plan.

“At one point, we considered not killing Shane,” Mazzara told MTV News. “But what’s important about this season is, Rick has to step forward. He has to assume leadership of the group and he has to confront Shane.”

With that in mind, there was only one way for the Rick/Shane confrontation to end. Though Shane is killed by young Carl in the comics, it was important to the “Walking Dead” writers that Rick be the one to pull the trigger — or bury the knife, as the case may be — on the show.

“Rick has to be the one to kill Shane. He needs to take control of the group,” Mazzara said. “That’s a huge loss for him, personally, for the group, but that’s what’s important about that: that it’s at Rick’s hand. We had considered doing it with a gun, but the knife was as personal as possible.”

Bottom