‘The Walking Dead’ Fans Will Never Forget Shane

Can you believe the iconic AMC franchise, The Walking Dead, is celebrating its 10th anniversary? It seems like just yesterday Sheriff Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) was waking up from a coma and entering an utter hellscape where zombies overran the world. We’ve come so far since then, traveling from Georgia to Virginia, with Rick, his band of survivors, and the friends he gained and lost along the way. While many transitory characters have impacted The Walking Dead, the one whose absence is felt the most is Shane Walsh (Jon Bernthal). Though, he was only on the show for two seasons, Shane made a lasting impact on fans and most importantly, on Rick Grimes.

Shane always had one motivation: to keep his people alive. To do that, he had to be cunning, strong, and, most of all, ruthless. Ruthless, but with a purpose. From the beginning, Shane lied to Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) and Carl (Chandler Riggs) that he for certain knew that his longtime friend Rick had died in the hospital. He said what he needed to say to protect Lori and Carl and get them to leave the hospital that he thought was a death trap. He got them to safety outside Atlanta and soon formed a camp with other survivors to defend themselves together. Shane was a born leader, but always came second when Rick was around. It’s no wonder that he bore some resentment—resentment he himself wasn’t totally aware of.

After starting a romance with Lori, Shane found what eluded most people in the pre-Apocalypse: happiness. A womanizer in the before times, Shane fell in love and was ready to become a father to Carl and help him become a man in a strange new world. When Rick comes back, Shane is happy, but shattered. His new life is gone in an instant. Carl will no longer depend on him, Lori will no longer love him and Rick will take control of this new group of survivors. When it is revealed that Lori is pregnant, Shane knows for certain that child is his. However, Rick will raise the child like his own. Wouldn’t that be enough to drive anyone a little crazy?

This is the only family Shane has. It’s no wonder he could sacrifice Otis to get medicine for Carl after he was shot in the woods. It’s no wonder he could kill Hershel’s zombified friends and other friends to protect the group. It’s no wonder he could cruelly kill Randall (Michael Zegen) to protect the farm the group intended to stay on. Shane makes the hard choices that Rick can’t until Shane forces his hand.

The final confrontation between Rick and Shane in the Season 2 episode “Better Angels” is as good as television gets. As Shane turns on Rick, determined to kill him and assume control of the group and Rick’s family, he says: “I thought you weren’t the good guy anymore. Ain’t that what you said? Even right here, right now, you ain’t gonna fight for them? I’m a better father than you, Rick. I’m better for Lori than you, man. It’s because I’m a better man than you, Rick.”

It is when he hears those words that Rick Grimes 2.0 is born. Rick understands that he can no longer be a passive leader, husband and father. He cannot afford to show mercy any longer. He has to use his wits to outsmart Shane, to make him think that his kindness still makes him weak, and convince him to drop his guard so he can make the killing blow, a knife straight into Shane’s heart.

Shane’s hardening of Rick and showing him the brutality it takes to survive in the new world was a gift. Without Shane’s influence, how else could Rick have found the inner strength to defeat the Governor, the Wolves, the Saviors and the many other villains he’s faced? It might seem strange that a character like Shane, who only lasted 2 seasons on the show, could be responsible for the transition of our hero Rick Grimes into a full-blown badass, but it’s true. In Season 9 episode, “What Comes After,” Rick Grimes is badly wounded after falling off a horse and onto some jagged debris. As he hallucinates, the person he sees is Shane, sitting in the passenger seat of their old police car. Pretty soon, the two are laughing and sharing burgers and fries like old times.

As Shane and Rick joke about how Rick has to get back to Shane’s family, Shane says: “I know you’re an asshole. I like to take credit for that, actually, Rick, when I think about it. I’m sure others did influence you, but I’d like to take full credit.” Ultimately, Rick sees Shane as a teacher and a friend, someone who unwittingly molded him into a man who could survive and lead others in the zombie Apocalypse. It’s a vision of Shane telling him to harness the “rage” and “hatred” he feels that enables Rick to kill Joe of the Claimers and Gareth of Terminus to survive. Sharp metal rubble, a gut wound and a zombie hoard are no match for Rick Grimes 2.0, thanks to lasting influence of his old buddy Shane.

As the journey of Rick Grimes continues, he’ll always carry a part of Shane with him.

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