From hero to villain, Shane's time on the series was both entertaining and crucial in redefining the character of Rick. Essentially driven crazy by his love for Lori and belief that his best friend didn't have what it took to survive, Shane's decision to lure Rick out and end his life still feels as much an attempt to take his place as it does an effort to goad Rick into killing him instead. Jon Bernthal elevated every scene he was present in, finding ways to humanise Shane through simple expressions even as the show itself continued to dehumanise him. Between putting an unwitting Rick in his gun sights during season 1, attempting to drunkenly force himself on Lori at the CDC and sacrificing Otis at the high school, though, Shane's trajectory as an antagonist who would need to be dealt with was clear. In many ways, Shane coloured - and continues to colour - Rick's own character, with their public conflicts and knowledge of the truth behind the former's death also having shaped how the group saw Rick headed into the third season. To that end, Shane was undeniably one of the series' most engaging and important antagonists.
Writer, film enthusiast, part-time gamer and watcher of (mostly) good television located on the fringe of Los Angeles, who now has his own website at www.highdefgeoff.com!
