Ah, Dale. How do people hate thee? Let us count the ways. For some the elder statesman was not only a staple of the original group of survivors in the show, but the very heart and soul of that group. Others would suggest that he was a nosy bugger who couldn't help but interfere in everyone's affairs, not matter how welcome his contributions were, which came to a fever pitch when he emotionally blackmailed Andrea out of killing herself. From that season one finale it was only downhill from there for the supposed moral compass who spent most of his time sh*t stirring, eavesdropping and generally making a nuisance of himself whilst the rest of the group were trying not to be devoured by flesh-eating undead hordes, with his gormless face only adding to the desire most of the audience felt to punch him. Very hard. So hard that, perhaps, he might tumble off the top of his ever-present RV and break his neck. Or at least to knock that stupid hat off of his head. Urgh, that hat. Dale was nothing more than a roadblock, a plot device the writers would employ every so often if things were going too swimmingly in the group. Or sometimes, paradoxically, when the warring factions were managing to built up to an interesting conflict, which is another moment that apparently called for a Hovarth special of spreading gossip and acting like he was the most important person in the group. A moral compass? Maybe. But in the world of The Walking Dead, when all past rules and laws have been thrown out, you don't need a moral compass. You need one of those pointy one you use to draw circles. And to stab Dale with it.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
