i don't think that in their situation killing people the most cruel way is practical or even smart. i mean, if they don't get their head shot, those dead people become undead, ya? so, gut them and stomp their brains out, asap. no need to put oneself at further risk.
I loved that scene! Agree, would have loved to see the look on Joe's face...but the blood squirting out was cool. They deserve what they got...after all, Joe told Rick after they were done beating Daryl to death, they were going to rape Michonne, then Carl, and then kill Rick. This group of marauders wasn't going to show them any mercy...glad Rick didn't show them any either!
In TWD world, definitely they deserved to die. But adding cruelty to their punishment does not seem something a reasonable person would do. Killing them as characters seem reasonable enough and is reasonable enough to satisfy the human need for retribution. But torturing them seems overly irrational and inhuman. .
wow thanks for the replies guys. youve all just changed my view on this!
Personally, I think Harley deserved a more interesting death than just getting shot. I don't know, I thought he was the coolest out of the group, if you can call a group of bandits "cool". Maybe it's the Mosin Nagant he has. It would have been cool if Michonne picked it up and stabbed him with it like the way he stabbed the walker in a previous episode.
Very late reply here, but I felt I should respond.
You have to take into consideration that these weren't just some guys who were trying to rob them or anything and then leave. These were people who randomly come across Rick and his group and are about to KILL Rick's "brother," RAPE his female companion, and, perhaps most important of all, MOLEST HIS SON. I'm not a parent but I felt Rick's anger was justified since his son WAS ABOUT TO BE MOLESTED... and take into consideration that HIS WIFE IS DEAD and HIS BABY IS ALSO, AS FAR AS HE IS AWARE, DEAD. Carl is all he has left in terms of family -- add that to the simple fact that he is his son and suddenly Rick's anger is, hopefully, somewhat understandable. Personally I'd be a bit concerned if someone was about to RAPE YOUR FREAKING CHILD and you were just like "Here's a bullet to the head. Oh I'm all better now. Now that I shot you in the head I am no longer bothered by the fact that YOU FAT FREAKING PIG were about to MOLEST MY SON."
In all, I don't think Rick was in a state of mind to see any reason or logic. In that situation you're not going do something to someone and/or kill him or her and then be like, "Oop, I have reached my quota for torture. I may no longer inflict any more pain to these people who were about to rape and kill us all, for that would be unreasonable of me."