Walking Dead: Shane vs. Rick

Hello All Zombie Lurkers and Watchers!

I think more than the sick mixture of thrill-anticipation-fear of a hungry zombie shambling in from an un-noticed corner and devouring one of our favourite characters, its the descent into the lows of madness and the heights of your everyday heroism, which really keeps me hooked onto the show. This despite the fact that the 2nd season has felt ponderously slow for me at times, compared to the 1st season.

This will not be a review of the episodes, since they have been done ad-nauseum all over the net. These are my thoughts on the characters, their mental descent or ascent as the everyday hum-drum-ness of living in a zombie apocalypse sets in, and predictions on what direction the rest of the 2nd season could take.

*Note Spoilers Ahead. Don't Read Further If You Have Not Seen Season 2*

1.) Rick-Lori-Shane

At the end of episode 2.7, we saw Shane completely lose control over his inhibitions and sanity and he is increasingly losing control over any internal social code or moral conventions that he used to have. By now it is obvious that in the decades long relationship between Rick and Shane, Rick had always been the more stable one, the all around good guy, the guy most comfortable with adhering to rules and social codes and norms, the guy stamping down his own desires for the greater good. On the other hand, Shane has always been the rebellious one, the one trying to break the rules and blaze his own way, and have full control over his own life at any cost, and to HELL with society!

In the comforts of civilization, Shane's real nature has been locked up like a caged beast, waiting to come out at the slight loosening of the dead-bolt on the cage. Which most fortunately for Shane now has, through this zombie apocalypse.

It also seems that Rick was Shane's much idolized mentor and Shane tried to fashion himself like Rick, in order to lock up his real nature and better fit into polite society (something which Rick has done so effortlessly in the past). After all if one is to have any sense of belonging in the societal structure, then they are required to adhere to society's rules and not just go off and do whatever they please. Therefore, Shane loved Rick's wife and son and emotionally invested to turn himself into another Rick, or in other words a conventional man in society (when everyone believed Rick was dead).

I would reckon that Shane even followed Rick into a policing career, alongside Rick, to further fit into society's expectation of a man having a steady job and income through a respected career.

While we do not know much of the characters' lives per-apocalypse, I wonder why Shane never married or even had a steady girlfriend? Granted that we have an idea of Shane being a womanizer, owing to his really good looks (I confess, I prefer bad boy Shane Walsh over the good boy Rick Grimes! How many of you ladies are with me???), but he does have the capacity of being in a committed, monogamous relationship, as seen by his relationship with Lori. So was it just a simple he-never-met-anyone-good-enough to marry? Or he was content on being single and having fun? Or did he idolize Rick and then his wife Lori SO much and viewed them as the perfect examples of people who fit in society, that he sub-consciously wanted to be someone just like Rick and wanted a wife just like Lori, if not Lori herself?

Shane shirt open, sweaty, beastly!

I guess Shane sub-consciously knew the capacity he had within him to turn into a wild, amoral, beast with killer instincts, and perhaps this had frightened him, back in the more civilized times? That is why he dedicated himself to allowing Rick to be his best friend and guide, investing himself emotionally within Rick's family unit and becoming like Rick. But when Rick reunited with his family in the survivor camp outside of Atlanta (in Season 1), Shane not only lost the surrogate wife and son/family that he dearly loved (Lori and Carl), he also lost his chance at redemption and for being able to live comfortably like a morally upright, mentally stable, family man; just like his idol Rick. I feel that it was this loss at this inner power struggle between his id and his super-ego, something which he may have been struggling with his whole life, it was this loss that Shane felt more keenly as time went along.

I was re-watching Season 1 and it was eerie to see how much more gentler with others and compliant Shane was in Season 1, compared to the nearly homicidal maniac that he is now becoming in Season 2! Good Job to the writers, actors and directors for bringing this out.

2.) Rick being a Real Man

A pre-apocalpyse Shane would have seen Rick as, forgive me... Da Maaan! But in the mid-season finale we saw that Shane is now viewing himself as again please forgive me....Da Maaan! Shane is now seeing himself as having what it takes to make the tough decisions based on primal and basic physical needs, such as the need for safety and not becoming food for the zombies. He no longer gives a damn for morality, building trusting relationships and good-will with others (such as Rick agreeing to Herschel's rules to be able to stay in the farm). As far as Shane is concerned, those things have no place in this new world of just day to day survival in a jungle-like environment; therefore, what he use to see as Rick's strength, he now sees Rick being a good guy as Rick's greatest weakness.

Survival of the Fittest?

Thus, Shane believes that his real nature will see him survive for the long-term, be able to protect himself and protect those that he still cares about, such as Lori and Carl. Shane is now very keen on proving to himself that HE is the one that deserves the loyalty of the group and to be seen as the strong guy. He feels that Rick still holding onto the old world values will get Rick eaten and throw others into danger, something which Shane secretly hopes for, I bet.

Courtesy of RollingStones Magazine

But ironically, it was Rick who once again proved to Shane and to the group why his nature will still see him survive this new world and why the group should still put their faith in Rick, not Shane. What should have been Shane's moment of triumph, when he led the attack on the barn full of zombified Herschel family's friends and relatives, Rick, once again, stole his thunder in the closing moments of the mid-season finale. Its funny that for Shane to prove to himself and others that he is the real man, he had to shoot up a whole bunch of zombies and get all veins popping angry just like a steroid-charged WWE wrestler before a WWE match! But Rick, with his quiet and sad dignity, shot the single little girl zombie Sophia, and spared the group (especially Sophia's tragic mother, Carol) further trauma at seeing zombie Sophia feeding on a human.He did this for the group.

It seems to me that Shane only shot up those zombies to prove that he was a strong man; the ideal leader; the right protector for Lori, Carl and Lori's unborn baby. He cared less about the safety of the group and more about his own needs for glory and celebrating his new-found id. He scared and bullied others into following him. But, Rick with that single kill that mattered, showed that things like emotions; attachments; duty and loyalty, still matter in this new world. He felt responsible for Sophia getting lost in the woods in the first place; he led the planned group search for Sophia; and by killing the zombie Sophia, he apologized to Sophia for his failure and put his responsibility to rest. By doing that, Rick gained the viewer's trust and respect and also the trust and respect of the survivor group. 

Courtesy of ScreenRant.com

I feel that Rick will become more depressed, more unsure of himself, and maybe even more of a ruthless killer, doing whatever it takes to protect the group; as a result of beating himself up over failing to save Sophia. He could take on some of Shane's characteristics, ironically, as a result of failing in his capabilities! 

I bet that Shane losing his opportunity to prove his alpha-male characteristics, by hesitating to kill zombie Sophia, will see him becoming more jealous of Rick; will see Shane trying to further subvert Rick's natural authority within the group; and will see him becoming more reckless in showing off his tough-guy survivor skills. Watch out for more emotionally intense, adrenal charged, encounters between the zombies vs. survivors AND even survivors vs. survivors, led by Shane. 

3.) One for All, All for One. 

Courtesy of tvovermind.com

Shane and the pretentious trigger happy bimbo Andrea aside, the rest of the group really believe that there is safety in numbers, rather than believing that being a bad-ass=survival. The rest of the group, surprisingly Darryl even (I increasingly love Darryl), still want to hold onto their old human selves in this wild, survival of the fittest environment. The rest of the group seem to have realized (except for Shane & Andrea) that day to day survival isn't assured by simply being able to wield a gun (although gun-wielding is high up on useful skill sets in a zombie-ruled world), but it is assured by human, old-world qualities, such as relationship building; generosity; love; caring and sharing; trust and cooperation.

I mean how much more human and different will we be from zombies, if all we care about is physical survival, without giving one thought to the things which make us intelligent, higher beings and human? Shane is becoming just a walking being that only cares about his physical survival (with Andrea now following his philosophy), just like the zombies are! Just like the zombies who are insane and single-minded in their blood-lust, Shane too has become insane and single-minded in his need for survival and power! Its the other survivors: Dale, Darryl, Carol, Glen, Maggie, T-Dog, Rick, Carl, Lori, who have retained some measure of sanity and humanity and their old personalities, as a result of being emotionally supported within a group.

So definitely in the second half of the season and in the upcoming seasons, there are going to be open conflicts between Shane and all individual members of the group (there is already now a: Shane vs. Rick; Shane vs. Lori; Shane vs. Dale; Shane vs. Lori's bun in the oven). Shane is going to become increasingly isolated and a handful of members will decide to ally themselves with Shane, such as Andrea.