I Watch 'Em So You Don't Have To

THE WALKING DEAD: CHARACTERS WE LOVE AND HATE

Dale Horvath (Jeffrey DeMunn)

Every group needs a negotiator, a moral compass, a giver of advice even when you never ask for it. That person is/was Dale (we're gonna miss you buddy).

When you think of Dale you think of an endless supply of fishing hats, an old RV that's constantly breaking down, and a disapproving gaze for everything you do. But we loved it.


Dale, although being the oldest in the group was no shirker. He worked hard, kept vigil for the Walkers just like the others, protected people when he could, lectured the others constantly, and was the cool head, the common sense, the man who still believed the world to be a normal, civilized place. He wasn't subtle. He wasn't above saying things he believed even if it was unpopular with everyone.


In Season One he and his RV are a constant and comforting presence. He is in everyone's business, but almost like he's trying to be a father, a guiding source. He takes care of who he can, mourns those they lose, and honestly feels for the entire group (except Shane - he even told him he knew exactly what kind of man he was).

In Season Two he seems to become worn, tired by the constant tension and dissention in the group. When they are at the farm, he realizes that he is being listened to less and less and his frustration and weariness becomes very apparent. 

When the group wants to kill a young tough they captured so that he cannot give away their location, he argues passionately for mercy, the idea of killing a person 'just in case' crumbles what's left of his even demeanor and he becomes despondent when despite his pleads they decide to kill the kid anyway. 

He wanders off that night, feeling done in - which becomes permanent when a wandering Walker rips him up. The group finds him, destroys the Walker and since it's obvious that he will not survive, Daryl sorrowfully shoots him in the head. There have been lots of Dale memes (actually, for almost every member you can find a meme somewhere) and he was a popular character. He will be keenly missed.

Jeffrey DeMunn is a character actor that I could probably do another page about, he's been everywhere, done everything. You recognize him instantly in anything he appears whether it's on stage, television or the movies. He's been nominated and won many awards for his work.

And, like Jon Berenthal (Shane) who also died in Season Two, he has been cast to work on the new television series LA Noir. May both of them continue on and keep busy.