Shane Walsh (TV Series)


 * For the comic book character, see Shane Walsh.

Shane Walsh is Rick Grimes' partner and best friend since high school. He harbors feelings for Lori, Rick's wife.

Overview
Shane is Rick Grimes' partner in the King County Sheriff's Department and best friend since high school. When the apocalypse occurred (with Rick in a coma) Shane helped save Lori and Carl by fleeing with them toward Atlanta.

King County, Georgia
All that is known about Shane's past is that before the zombie outbreak, Shane worked as a deputy police officer for the King County Sheriff's Department. He along with Rick Grimes, lived in King County, Georgia where he was the partner, and best friend, of Rick, as well as a friend of the rest of the Grimes family. Throughout his life Shane was never married, and had instead stayed a womanizer and has had multiple flings - including the high school women's athletics teacher. He played football and was number 22 on the school's team, which he is reminded of by the necklace he wears. He also once stole the principal's car.

Days Gone Bye
Shane was in a relationship with Lori before Rick came back, as well as a surrogate father to Carl, he looked after both of them and made decisions that suited their best interest.

Guts
Shane is seen having a sexual relationship with Lori at the beginning of the episode and is reminded of her husband Rick, but she continues to believe that he is dead as Shane told her and continues her relationship with Shane. Later, Shane is seen again, teaching Carl how to tie knots and rope and continues to be the leader of the survivor group.

Tell It to the Frogs
When Rick showed up among a group of survivors returning from Atlanta, Lori seethed at Shane and warned him away from her family. "You think I'm not happy Rick's alive?" Shane asks. "Why would you be?" she responds. "You are the one that told me that he died." Indeed, Shane was the last to see Rick in the hospital, but left the building believing Rick was dead. He is tortured by his responsibility in leaving him there. But, as he tells Lori, "I had y'all to think about." Still, his feelings for Lori persist.

Vatos
Among the group of survivors, Shane had become the de facto leader. When Rick returned, Shane's influence lessened, causing tension between the partners. Their friction came to a head following a walker attack on the camp. Shane blamed Rick for not being there (Rick had returned to Atlanta to retrieve a Bag of guns) and disagreed with him on the next course of action: Rick believed the group should head to the CDC in Atlanta for protection; Shane thought Fort Benning, an Army base a hundred miles away, was a safer bet. {C}When Shane challenged Rick on the matter, Rick responded that Shane would feel differently if he had a family to protect. "I kept them safe," Shane snapped. "Looked out for them like they were my own." Soon after, a sound drew Rick away. Shane aimed his shotgun at Rick’s back, but came to his senses before pulling the trigger. He laughs it off until he discovers that Dale had been watching the entire time, giving the all ready uneasy relationship between the two more tension(later touched on in season 2).

Wildfire
Following the attack on the Atlanta camp, the group had begun to dig holes for their deceased group members. While digging the holes, Rick, Lori and Shane discuss how to deal with Andrea over the issue of Amy’s death and reanimation. Shane stated that she was infected, and needed to be treated like any other zombie. Rick attempted to approach Andrea, however, she pulled a gun on him stating that she knew how the safety works, forcing Rick to back off.

Shane and Rick had an argument over whose fault the attack on the camp truly was. During this argument, Jacqui revealed to the group that Jim had been bitten. Shane and Rick head into the nearby woods to scout out the area. After disagreeing where the group should go after leaving camp, Shane watched as Rick wandered off to search alone further off. In a state of impaired judgment, Shane raised his shotgun and took aim at Rick’s unsuspecting back. Shane holds his aim for several seconds then lowers his weapon. This indiscretion was witnessed by Dale, who had been watching out of a mistrust of Shane. Shane, played it off as nothing, stating that "they should start wearing reflective vests such as the kind used by forklift drivers". Dale however did not believe him, but kept it to himself. They all returned to camp. Strangely enough, Shane starts to agree with Rick (despite some minor objections), which shocks both Rick and Lori. They all decide to leave camp and head for the Center for Disease Control, where they attempt to locate a cure.

TS-19
Shane eventually backed Rick's plan to go to the CDC. Their first night at the facility, Shane drunkenly professed his love to Lori and tried to kiss her, and she scratched his face and neck. When Rick questioned Shane about the injuries the next day, Shane said he did it to himself in his sleep. "Not like me at all," he said, eyeing Lori.

When Dr. Jenner eventually locks the survivors in the facility during the final hour of a self-destruct count down, some of them listened to the man's reasoning, while others decided to take more drastic action. Shane, in the latter category along with Daryl Dixon, attempted threatening Jenner. In a moment of blind rage, fear and frustration, Shane aims his shotgun at the doctors head before demanding him to let them go. As the doctor refuses to comply, Shane begins to lose it. Even at the protests of Rick and Lori who know that they all would definitely die if he shot Jenner. Before the delusional man can pull the trigger, Rick attempts to stop him and the two friends fight for the shotgun. Rick manipulates the shotgun into hitting Shane before taking him down with a punch.

With Jenner's life momentarily spared, Rick is able to talk him out of deciding when they should die and allow them to escape. As a result, Jenner releases the doors before warning them that the main floor had sealed shut upon their arrival and would they would be facing indestructable glass. Shane, Lori, Rick, Daryl and those who choose to leave do so while Jenner and some others remain to see their fate through to the end.

With minutes to escape, Shane remains vigilant in their escaping. He goes as far as to shoot out the glass but to no effect. Carol mentions she may have something that could help to which Shane says would probably be useless. Once again, the former leader of the Atlanta survivors is wrong as Carol presents a grenade that Rick had left in his pocket the day he arrived at camp.

Rick pulls the pin and drops the explosive by the window, destroying an entire window, thus allowing them to escape to their vehicles. After the explosion, Shane drives the jeep along with the convoy into an unknown and dangerous future.

What Lies Ahead
Still envious of Rick and Lori, Shane decides to split away from the group. He agrees to stay at least until they find Sophia, and helps with the search. Shane stays with Rick and Carl as they go seperate ways from the others. Shane also witnesses Carl get shot by Otis and is just as stunned as Rick and just as worried.

Bloodletting
Shane drags Otis along as they run to Hershel Greene's farm, to get Carl medical help. Shane comforts Rick as Rick is distraught over Carl. Later, Shane volunteers to go out in Rick's place to find Carl proper supplies for his surgery to get the fragments of the bullet out. Otis also goes, saying he shot Carl and should be responsible for saving him as well. Otis and Shane find the FEMA shelter near the high school overrun with walkers. They create a distraction to retrieve supplies from a nearby trailer, but are discovered as they exit, and are forced to seek refuge insdie the high school as walkers storm their location.

Save the Last One
Shane and Otis sprint through the hallways with numerous walkers in hot pursuit, and are forced to seek refuge on top of a set of retracted bleachers in the gymnasium. With not enough ammo to deal with the walkers outright, they devise an escape plan. The two split up and Shane injurs his ankle when he drops from the window of the gymnasium. Outside and limping, Shane grows desperate as walkers begin to corner him, but gets help from Otis. Flashing forward, a solemn Shane returns to the farm just in time with the medical supplies without Otis. He mentions that Otis acted heroically, saving his life. Everyone praises him, including Lori, telling Shane to stay. Shane washes up, and sees a bloody cut on his scalp and shoulder, evidence of some kind of struggle. Staring in the mirror, Shane flashes back. Otis and Shane are outside with the medical supplies continuing to run, pursued by walkers. Shane, believing that the walkers will eventually overtake them both, which effectively dooms Carl, elects to shoot Otis with his last bullet to cover his escape. As Otis drops to the pavement, a brutal fight ensues as Shane tries to strip Otis of his weapons and supplies. Walkers close in and Shane limps away as Otis screams in terror and pain while the walkers rip him apart.



Back in the real time, Shane shaves his head to disguise the evidence of his betrayal and struggle with Otis. He stares stoically at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, horrific events from earlier flashing back in his mind with vivid detail. Shane seems to show little remorse for his actions, believing he made the right choice in an impossible situation.

Cherokee Rose
Shane soon finds himself in an awkward position when he is asked to speak on behalf of Otis at his funeral, as he was the last one to see him alive. With Patricia's sorrowful, tear-filled eyes fixated on him, Shane conjures up a heroic tale of Otis saying "We gotta save the boy," and intentionally putting himself in harm's way for the greater good. Shane's tale, of course, contrasts with the fact that Otis had not willingly given himself up, but instead was betrayed and left for dead. {C}Later, Shane participates in the operation to retrieve the 'swimmer' from the bottom of a well, which goes awry when the walker disintegrates under its own weight, contaminating the well. Shane also continues tutoring Andrea on firearms.

Chupacabra
The survivors continue the search for Sophia, and Shane participates despite his still-ailing ankle and internal conflicts. During the episode, Save the Last One, the viewer gets to see Shane at his darkest moment so far in the entire series. In Chupacabra, Shane begins to display signs of his deteriorating moral values to fellow survivors when he disgrees with Rick about continuing the search for Sophia, arguing that Rick lacks the ability to make the right decisions when those decisions are also difficult. Shane opens a similar discussion with Lori, but receives little support as Lori is in support of her husband, saying that she and Carl are not his problem, nor his 'excuse.'

Secrets
Carl approaches Shane and asks him to teach him how to use guns. At first Lori is opposed but Rick convinces her to let Shane teach Carl and the others how to shoot. Most of the group does fairly well, and Andrea seems to excel. Shane gives her some private tutoring after the rest of the group head back to the farmhouse. Shane is an expert instructor, but in trying to distract Andrea as part of the lesson, he upsets her. They make up as part of an agreement that Shane is to take Andrea with him on a mission to investigate a lead on Sophia. The lead is a dead end, but turns out to be an opportunity for Shane to administer one final shooting lesson - a live exercise with walkers. Andrea struggles to find a groove at first, but transforms her fear into sheer determination, and the pair of them make the heads of all nearby walkers splatter their crimson contents onto the pavement. Exhilarated, Andrea makes a move on Shane on the ride back and the two have sex. Meanwhile back at camp, the secret of Shane and Lori is revealed to Rick, though it is not clear at this point if Shane or Rick is the father of Lori's baby. On returning, Shane is confronted by Dale who says "I know the kind of man you are." Dale furthermore tells Shane to leave the group for good. Bringing up the suspicious nature of Otis's death, as well as Shane's attempted "assassination" of Rick back in Wildfire. This resulted in Shane threatening Dale's life.

Pretty Much Dead Already
Shane insists having a guard watching the barn at all times until Rick can find a diplomatic solution, but his patience for diplomacy is quickly depleated. Rick and Shane argue at the barn and Shane has lost almost all confidence in Rick's decision-making abilities. Rick tells Shane that simply leaving the farm isn't an option, and that Lori is pregnant. After Rick leaves, Shane confronts Lori but she says that the baby will never be his, even if it is his biologically. Shane tells her that only he can protect her and Carl because Rick isn't cut out for this world. Shane walks away and is stopped by Carl. Carl tells him that they have to go after Sophia and that they have to stay at the farm. Shane agrees, but tells Carl they may have to fight for it. Lori calls to Carl to get him away from Shane. Immediately, Shane goes to the RV to gather guns only to find them missing. He deduces that Dale is responsible, and confronts him in the woods just before he can hide the weapons. Shane returns to the farm with weapons and begins rallying the troops in opposition of Hershel's harboring walkers. In the distance, Hershel is returning with the two captured walkers. The sight is enough to send the already seething Shane over the edge. To Hershel's horror, Shane repeatedly shoots one of the captured walkers to illustrate that it is not human. Spurred by Rick, Shane finishes the walker off with a bullet in the head point-blank. He then says that if they want to survive, they have to 'fight for it,' and furiously opens the barn doors. Shane and the other survivors masacre the walkers as they file out of the barn as a mortified Hershel looks on. The group is shocked as zombified-Sophia emerges from the barn, and Rick steps up to dispatch her.

Trivia

 * Shane's story up to Wildfire is pretty much the same throughout the TV series as it is in the comics. The only difference is he is alive at the end of the first season.
 * Shane is still a part of the group actively, though he does have some setbacks at the CDC (he becomes drunk and tries to convince Lori that she loves him, which ends in him being slashed by her nails and he gives up again)...even going as far as to almost kill a man until Rick knocks sense into him. Shane, along with the rest of the survivors (except Jacqui, as well as Jenner) escape the CDC before it explodes and leaves with the group...thus he returns in Season 2.
 * As the series progresses, Shane exhibits a more belligerent and aggressive personality similar to that of the comic version.

Killed Victims

 * Otis (Caused)
 * Louise Bush (Zombified)
 * Duncan (Zombified)
 * Mr. Fischer (Zombified)
 * Mrs. Fischer (Zombified)
 * Shawn Greene (Zombified)
 * Lacey Greene (Zombified)
 * Numerous counts of zombies.