The RARE Perfect TV Show Character: Shane Walsh | The Walking Dead
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.ย. 2024
- Shane Walsh of Seasons 1 & 2 of AMC's The Walking Dead was not around for a long time, but he was around long enough to cement himself as some of the best television writing for a single character I've seen in my studies. Rick Grimes Vs Shane Walsh was the turn of a new era in TV, which propelled the Walking Dead to the top of the charts for half a decade after.
This video got more views than I thought it would, I didn't mention this because many of my current viewers already know this. But I currently have thyroid cancer, this video was because I have surgery next week to remove it and I just wanted to talk about something that comforted me, which is TWD. My surgeon said I may not have a voice for a while after, so I'm going to try and make a video on Shane's character arc next, explaining it in detail before my surgery next Wednesday, hopefully even today. But I will try and rewatch the walking dead as I recover to refresh my brain on the show.
Ngl this show has quite a few perfect character arcs. Negan, Daryl, Gabriel, Eugene, Lee. Shane is definitely the best though, the most fascinating.
Definitely I’ve been sayin for awhile one thing this show got right through and through was character development. Damn near every character yu see gets an arc or mini arc. Just great development all around
That's the big difference between TWD and most shows with a large cast, most of the time, the supporting characters get no love in term of characters arcs. Shows like Lost and Game of Thrones are multi protagonist, unlike TWD which was single protagonist with Rick until he left, hence why we got a soft reboot and time skip after he left. If the show was multi protagonist, we could have continued on right after Rick left like we do every other death. Back the point lol, not many single protagonist shows give that time to other characters and since now th shows are 8-10 episode seasons, no other show will have the time to dedicate to characters like TWD did with 16 episode seasons starting in season 3.
As a couple of people pointed out, I forgot that Rick killed two dudes in the bar in episode 8 of season 2. I forgot about that scene. I just went and looked it up, and while he did kill them, it seems pure self-defense, Rick didn't want to kill them, it wasn't until the dude went for the gun that Rick (like his cop days) had to protect those around him and neutralize the threat. However, during the Shane death scene, Rick mentions he knew what Shane's plan was and that Rick allowed Shane to led him into the woods alone, even though Rick does one more attempt to talk Shane down, it is hinted that Rick had already decided to kill Shane before Shane even pulled the gun. Does that make sense at all? Rick 100% knew he was pointing himself in a situation that was gonna be him or Shane dying and had several opportunities to not get them to turn back or prevent it from happening.
I love that episode. The title Nebraska. “Thats why they’re called fly over states.” 😂
Shane is the "no turning back" point for Rick. He can kill those guys in the bar and if the apocalypse ends tomorrow, he can return to his normal, happy life. Once Shane dies, he can NEVER return to his old life, it is PERMANENTLY warped/shaped/altered. There are REAL consequences now. A punishment that can NEVER be reversed.
That's what makes early TWD interesting, we see the characters hesitate/struggle to adapt because they are reluctant to face a reality where they can't turn back. They deny the possibility of a permanent change for as long as possible. But inevitably, as the apocalypse goes on, the resistance to change becomes more and more of a struggle, until it is inevitable.
For Andrea, it is when her sister died. For Carol, it's when Sophia walked out of the barn (which is interesting because this is after Ed and after Sophia went missing). These moments are the apocalypse taking away the semblance of normalcy that these characters could cling onto up to this point. But now that they have lost these parts of their lives, even if the apocalypse ended tomorrow and they can return back to their old homes, jobs, society, relationships, etc. it would never be the same, because of what has already been permanently taken away.
What separates Rick's bar kill from his Shane kill is the fact we already know Rick is 'okay' with killing, to some extent. We KNOW he can be pushed to do it. The literal opening scene before the opening scene is him killing a walker girl, so we know he's willing to kill undead people, which he does consistently throughout the show (including the Bicycle girl walker from episode 1) but more importantly, the actual opening scene pits Rick up, willingly, against armed criminals. Rick is willing to kill them. WE OPEN WITH THIS!!!! So the bar scene isn't unknown or unexplored territory for us. It isn't a shock that Rick is willing to go this far when pushed, because seeing that is how the character was INTRODUCED to us in the first place!
heyyy props dude, getting your doctorate is no easy feat. I'm proud of you Jake, keep rockin
I am so proud of how far you have come Jake! Congrats. I've been watching you since the beginning.
When Rick kills those 2 guys in the bar, that is in self defense. Whereas when Rick murders Shane, he knows that Shane is trying to kill him even before they're both in the field and the show makes that really obvious when Rick is questioning Shane in the woods. So Rick killing those 2 guys in the bar was self defense whereas Rick killing Shane was a choice he decided to make. Rick knew he could have taken Shane back to the farm with him but as he said to Lori, he wanted Shane dead. It was dumb of Rick to intentionally allow himself to be put into position where he could have been killed by Shane but that was the case.
The irony is, in the end, Rick becomes Shane. Kill or be kill (post-Negan)
Rick is like Spider-Man and Shane goes from black suit Spider-Man to full on venom by the end of his arc. You watch him slowly go from more or less a protagonist to the antagonist.
For what it’s worth I don’t think Shane would have gone cannibal route. Its hard to say what the depth of his villainy would have been if he had lived longer in the show - I think he maybe would have gone similar to the claimers but perhaps a bit more moral.
I know he capped Otis to cover his own escape but it was a calculated move to ensure the least amount of people died in a lose - lose situation ( 1 instead of 3, Otis himself and Carl) but in general though he was a hot head I don’t think he would be the sort to attack anyone who he didn’t view as a threat unless he felt it was a “ them or me” type moment
Real quick, if you DO ever cover The Ones Who Live in the future, you should watch Michonne's final episode first, just for some context (could be good for a reaction too, but eh either way)
Really enjoyed this video man. Keep it up big man
Glad you enjoyed it
Shane definitely became delusional and unhealthily obsessed to the end of his life, he wasnt just adapted to the new world, he also went crazy when his trauma bond with Lori was being torn away.
We're talking about that in the next video. The arc of Shane fully explained.
He tried to get over her lol
Context to the point regarding Comic Book Carl and spoilers for non-comic readers.
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My understanding is that Kirkman had tinkered with the idea of killing Rick in front of Carl, which would've forced Carl to have to live with and be raised by the man that killed his father. I've also heard some whispers that Kirkman did so to drive home how dark the world they were entering would be. But, Kirkman did a LOT of things in the early comic issues strictly for shock value. So, take any of these explanations with a grain of salt as Kirkman is a wild card.
Shane is amazing one of my fav characters it’d be cool to see if he survived though
Welcome back man! Glad to see you are on the mend. Even though the screen writing space has blown up since you first stepped on, I still would say I learned more from your BB, GoT and TWD videos about the craft than all the other channels combined. Keep em coming!
Thanks! Will do!
I believe another character that could fit the criteria is a character named Himmal. From the anime Frieren Beyond Journeys End.
Holy SHIT. I was minutes into this video when I recognized your voice. I used to watch you YEARS ago. Like… it had to be you. But on a different channel I think, where you didn’t show your face. Please correct me if I’m wrong, this is blowing my mind. If it really is the same guy I was listening to back in 2018… wow. You’ve come a long long way.
It is that guy. Just like you I started watching this guys videos years ago.
I liked your video dude, you introduced me to a few ideas that I didn't think of yet. But also, at the same time I think that you need to watch the show again.
Cuz there were things you said that need to fact checked.
For example at 22:15
You said that Shane was Rick's very first to kill. Rick's first kill was two guys that he shot in a bar, a few episodes before he killed Shane.
Before Carl was bit, he was talking about making peace with Negan. (Sorry I just read the comments and saw that you addressed this. Nevermind)
I call bearded throat biting Rick “primal Rick”
Shane made the show what it was.
Great video. But Shane wasnt Ricks first human kill its those two guys in the bar
good video bro, thanks for ur effort making it, for me shane is a beast, in the good way, his mentality (in survival, not about lori and carl)is a boss, he knew soffia died in the firts day, he was strong af, if he liveed seasons ahead he would be a huge beast, he give rick de first breakpoint in the series, he was a menance, was a badass, what do u think?, keep the work my bro.
A great example of shadow character is Geto in Jujutsu Kaisen. It basically shows what can "big good guy" become after one really bad day
During your dive into the legend of Shane Walsh, did you find yourself scratching your head like he did?
Hmmm my head was pretty itchy, and I have cut my hair.... and I did have a strange urge to kill my best friend lol
Aye Black Kakashi lemme tell you sumn
Dude, you came back.
Congratulations on everything, and welcome back. I could be wrong, but would Koba from the planet of the apes movies you were reacting to be considered the shadow to Ceaser? They are both trying to protect their people, but due to their past experiences with humans they have polar opposite views. If I’m right I feel like it’s more noticeable in the third film, which you haven’t reacted to yet.
Wait, you RETIRED from writing?
Can you explain that more? What did I miss???
I talked about it some in my Netflix pitch video a few years ago, but long story short, behind the scenes Hollywood is toxic, backstabbing, and not worth it. I just like telling stories, those people want all the fame, money, accolades they can get, and they don't care if they ruin the story in the process, I had this happen to me firsthand. In the future, I will not be surprised if the next upcoming group of great screenwriters, pivot to book writing.
So Ricks first human kills were the bar guys
You are right, he did kill those guys in the bar. As I mentioned this was kinda spur of the moment video, and I haven't seen season 1-2 in about 4 years, so I forgot about that scene. I just went and looked it up, and while he did kill them, it seems pure self-defense, Rick didn't want to kill them, it wasn't until the dude went for the gun that Rick (like his cop days) had to protect those around him and neutralize the threat. However, during the Shane death scene, Rick mentions he knew what Shane's plan was and that Rick allowed Shane to led him into the woods alone, even though Rick does one more attempt to talk Shane down, it is hinted that Rick had already decided to kill Shane before Shane even pulled the gun. Does that make sense at all? It would have been better for me to say that Shane was Rick's first decisive kill.
carl’s transition between seasons 7 and 8 felt ‘very’ organic because rick’s transition between seasons 6, 7 and 8 felt very organic. he is his father’s son and just because you didn’t care for the development, doesn’t mean it wasn’t sound. matter of fact, you must’ve absolutely hated daryl’s development because the very act of having him accept asking 3 questions of survivors and recruitment leader status for their site, goes WAY beyond what his character used to be like. if you hate carl, you hate rick and daryl.
I haven't had a discussion about TWD in a while, I'm exited to talk about this with you Samantha! Also your name sounds very familiar, I believe I remember your comments on old TWD videos as well!
So where I will disagree with you here is that Carl was very ruthless towards Saviors the entirety of season 7, and after editing this video, I realized that Carl made the switch to peace PRIOR to being bit, not after like I said in the video. So essentially between appearances with no reasoning Carl went from being the first person to shoot a Savior in the season 7 finale to then explaining why they should be spared. There was no development for this change. Development would consistent of on screen moments, that require Carl to act or think differently than he did before that scene. That wasn't present at all.
And yes, I agree that Daryl is very inconsistent as well, but his role as sidekick comes with the territory.
Thanks for the comment!
22:17 wasnt ricks first kill those guys in the bar?
You are right, he did kill those guys in the bar. As I mentioned this was kinda spur of the moment video, and I haven't seen season 1-2 in about 4 years, so I forgot about that scene. I just went and looked it up, and while he did kill them, it seems pure self-defense, Rick didn't want to kill them, it wasn't until the dude went for the gun that Rick (like his cop days) had to protect those around him and neutralize the threat. However, during the Shane death scene, Rick mentions he knew what Shane's plan was and that Rick allowed Shane to led him into the woods alone, even though Rick does one more attempt to talk Shane down, it is hinted that Rick had already decided to kill Shane before Shane even pulled the gun. Does that make sense at all?
I honestly don’t think you understand the show and rick and Shane’s character arks, Rick doesn’t become the opposite of Shane, Shane was ahead of the curve, Rick grows to realise Shane was right he just took it to far under the guise of survival, whereas Rick eventually does do the things Shane would do but only when it truly comes to survival
.... I don't think you watched the video because I said all of what you just wrote in the video, and yes, they take opposite stances on most important decisions in the show. What is more opposite then "we should kill vs we will not kill" their entire moral compasses were opposite. All of their conflicts come from being on opposite stances on the same quesurin. Rick goes back for Glenn when he's kidnapped, Shane wounds a man and leaves him behind as bait.
Also, in the nicest way possible, since I don't understand their character arcs, can you tell me the 5 turning point moments that are what a character arc is created from and how Shane's actions during them compared to normal? A character arc isnt some vague thing that we say as just how a character progresses. A character arc follows a story arc's structure and has certain situations that a character must face for the audience to understand their growth or decline.
i think it's so funny how people are so insistent of shane being wrong and not prepared for the apocalypse are the same people who turn around and worship Murder Jacket Rick (not saying OP is saying this specifically). MJR is so popular it was the chosen outfit for his skin in fortnite, and we're not going to be delusional and say that there wasn't huge shane vibes coming off of him in his MJR era.
even if you'd argue there wasn't, he basically repeats the same speech shane did at the barn at alexandria. one could try to argue that the story was showing that rick was wrong and "losing it" but that's quite irrelevant to my main point. MJR was roughly S4-5 and there's 11 seasons of the show, and yet he's THE most popular form of rick that has withstood the test of time. whether right or wrong, MJR or "Shane-Rick" is the fan favorite.
Please react to the movie “Juice” starring Tupac! Great story if you haven’t already seen it. Or the movie Orphan!
What weed do u smoke I need some
Sorry bro, can't smoke weed when you're in your second year of a doctorate program with a 4.0GPA and working on research. Keep making clickbait shorts from stolen content bro, you'll make it one day! The way you add those captions are epic bro...
You retired in writing?
Here is a 30 minute video explaining the Netflix and Lionsgate pitch saga and why I "retired" or quit attempting to break into Hollywood, th-cam.com/video/s2Xh0tjKyE4/w-d-xo.html
Long story short if you don't have 30 mins, I had a project that a directing friend and I created that was garnering attention from a couple agencies, I got to work with people in Hollywood, including a producer from AMC's Into the Badlands.
The process was AWFUL, they stifled creativity, and were willing to make the story worse to "add" to the story that way they could attach their name. I resisted all changes, industry people were loving the outline, it made it to Lionsgate and Netflix, but prior to the Netflix meeting, I got so fed up with the agency team that was around us, that I withdrew and chose not to pitch the project. I don't regret that decision at all, I could not imagine if I had to actually write that series with those people as my producers, if I didn't quit mid project, it would have turned out awful since once I turn in the script, I have no creative control and they can make any changes they want.
My directing partner, attempted to give the pitch to Netflix and Lionsgate but since I was the one who created the story, he wasn't able to really dive into story, he mainly stayed on the plot, and Netflix passed because the creator of Chernobyl had a Netflix show coming out with a somewhat similar plot (which shows the idea was actually good since an Emmy winner was doing something similar).
I never had any interaction with those toxic people again (except my directing friend, him and I are still close and he is still pursuing Hollywood, and I help where I can), and I applied for my master's in marketing program soon after, and now I'm getting my doctorate. I love storytelling and screenwriting, but the industry is horrendous which is why its dying at such a fast rate.
I don't care about Hollywood, the fame, the people, or any of it. I don't know directors by name or style, or writers by just the name of a movie. I have a pure love for the art of screenwriting.
Great! It is very interesting to see your joint detailed reaction to the film Robocop 1987. This is a cool movie 🦾🤖🔥
Do you have any plans to do it?