The Walking Dead season 2 shambles out its latest entry with its eleventh episode “Judge, Jury, Executioner,” but how does it hold up to the comic book continuity? The tensions rise as Dale tries to convince people not to execute Randall (Michael Zegen), while Carl gets into trouble outside of the camp. So what’s next for The Walking Dead? As AMC’s incarnation weaves in and out of storylines from the books and adds its own original characters . and its own developments, we’ve compiled an in-depth guide for fans of the comic as well as AMC’s The Walking Dead to enjoy. Check it out, and let us know your opinions of The Walking Dead‘s “Judge, Jury, Executioner” in the comments below!
TORTURING THE OTHERS
AMC: In search of information on Randall (Michael Zegen)’s supposed other band of survivors, Daryl (and later Shane) handle the boy rather roughly to coax out the necessary information about the possible threat to Hershel’s farm.
THE COMICS: The comic never specifically resorted to torture in order to learn from ambassadors to other groups of survivors, but the character arc does bear resemblance to a current story within the comics of a man named Paul, who faces captivity before Rick and the other survivors can evaluate his intentions.
SPEAKING OF WHICH, THE ‘OTHERS’
AMC: Randall lightly describes his group of survivors, alluding to the fact that despite the presence of women and children within the 30-some odd survivors, there are those who maintain savage ways enough to rape women while the men close to them watch.
THE COMICS: The AMC characters have yet to truly encounter this other band of survivors, but it seems their behavior is positioned to resemble that of the Woodbury people, who were mostly civil, but could easily be coaxed into unthinkable violence.
Additionally, as user “Trekker1701” pointed out, comic character Abraham Ford had his wife and daughter raped by savage members of his group, while his young son was forced to watch. The incident somewhat broke Abraham, who brutally murdered their attackers to the point his own family was more afraid of him than anyone, and fled before being eaten themselves by walkers. AMC’s Randall did mention that no one killed the father from his story, might this be an early allusion to Abraham’s eventual appearance on the series?
WHAT TO DO WITH RANDALL
AMC: After abandoning the plan to leave Randall some “18 Miles Out,” Rick decides to enlist the other members of the group in deciding what to do with their captive man.
THE COMICS: Though Randall has no comic counterpart, the discussion of what to do with Randall does resemble the discourse of what to do with Thomas, the prison inmate with an incurable murder streak. Equally unwilling to plot out some kind of uncertain rehabilitation, the group ultimately chooses to hang the murderer under a “you kill, you die” banner.
DALE’S FEELINGS ON THE MATTER
AMC: Though the group remains mostly passive on the subject of killing Randall, Dale vehemently objects to the taking of human life, to the point where he petitions Rick for a day to change the other members of the group’s minds.
THE COMICS: If we’re to keep with the idea of comparing Randall to the murderous Thomas, comic Dale had no objection to killing someone of threatening intent, particularly under Rick’s directive of “you kill, you die.”
ANDREA DID WHAT, NOW?
AMC: In his effort to convince Andrea of the fault in killing Randall, Dale hearkens back to Andrea’s pre-zombie apocalypse occupation of being a civil rights lawyer, that she might see the lack of ethics in committing murder.
THE COMICS: Somewhat younger than her AMC counterpart, Andrea did make mention of her past occupation as a law clerk. It stands to reason that if given time enough to age toward her live-action counterpart, Andrea might have graduated to being a full-fledged lawyer
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SHANE’S POWER PLAY
AMC: While Andrea guards Randall, Shane muses with her on the idea that both Rick and Hershel might have to be incapacitated, and Shane posed as the official leader of the group in order for everyone to survive.
THE COMICS: Shane never made any direct power plays in the comic, especially not with anyone’s help, though he was threatened enough by Rick’s leadership to break down and attempt killing the man. As far as AMC goes, we might have to wait another week or so for that scene…
CARL’S PRISONER CURIOSITY
AMC: Disobeying the wishes of both Shane and his father, Carl sneaks into the shed for a quick conversation with Randall, who attempts to sway the young boy into setting him free in exchange for protection of his family.
THE COMICS: Stealing away a visit with Randall once more resembles a current comic arc, in which Carl’s curiosity brought him to the captive Paul, who attempted to sway the boy toward believing his trustworthiness. Something tells us the idea’s been on Robert Kirkman’s mind…
RICK IN THE BARN
AMC: While Rick prepares a noose for the possibility of hanging Randall, Lori arrives to remind him of the increasingly cold nights and validity of the execution. While within the barn, Rick muses on the idea of the group moving in there for warmth, or potentially into Hershel’s home itself before turning to discussion of Randall’s possible murder.
THE COMICS: This scene somewhat resembles a conversation between Rick and Allen in the barn, after clearing out Hershel’s captive walkers, where again Rick pondered the idea of either moving into the barn or some of Hershel’s empty rooms.
CARL’S GONE COLD
AMC: Kneeling over Sophia’s grave, Carl listens to a few comforting words from Carol before retorting that Sophia couldn’t possibly be in heaven, and Carol was a fool for being so optimistic about her daughter.
THE COMICS: Much of the over-arching story of The Walking Dead belongs to Carl, and how both Rick and the world affect the young boy in the zombie apocalypse. While he was never quite so rude to Carol, Carl eventually grows into a very matter-of-fact and equally callous young man.
THAT CRAZY CAROL
AMC: Understandably upset by Carl’s insults, after Rick leaves to straighten out his boy Carol makes mention to Lori of the fact that she knows how the group avoids her, and even considers her crazy in the wake of Sophia’s death
THE COMICS: Carol and Lori shared a somewhat closer relationship within the comics, though Carol eventually gained awareness of how the other survivors viewed and judged her. She would repeat some of the very same words as her AMC counterpart, before…well, perhaps you’d best read for yourself.
HERSHEL’S TAKE
AMC: Though Dale does his best to reach him as a man of conviction, Hershel ultimately has no objection to Rick or the group’s plan to execute Randall, preferring that such a troublesome figure remain removed from his daughters no matter what the cost.
THE COMICS: Similarly, comic Hershel often deferred to Rick’s leadership, particularly when it came to the issue of hanging Thomas for his crimes. Though in that case, let’s say Hershel had a bit more motivation for wanting to keep dangerous men away from his children…
CARL’S IN TROUBLE, MUST BE SUNDAY
AMC: Disobeying both Shane and his father, Carl travels out on his own to the wood beyond the farm, and manages to encounter a walker otherwise trapped in the local sinkhole. Using Daryl’s gun, Carl attempts to line up a shot at the walker, but runs away in fear once the creature struggles enough to free itself from its foothold.
THE COMICS: Carl has faced down the walking dead now and again, but the AMC incident with Carl forced to fend for himself most directly resembles a brief comic arc in the aftermath of leaving behind the prison, where Rick’s injuries incapacitated him, and Carl was forced to provide for he and his father as well as take out a few walkers on his own, however difficult.
HERSHEL’S BLESSING
AMC: Apart from all the on-farm drama, Hershel takes a moment with Glenn to question his lineage, as well as bestow upon the young man a pocket-watch handed down throughout his family as a symbol of his blessing toward Glenn’s relationship with his daughter Maggie.
THE COMICS: Though outraged at first, comic Hershel would eventually come to embrace his daughter’s pairing with Glenn, and even openly support the boy in his initiative to propose to the girl. He never gave Glenn any specific memorabilia, but the endorsement of the ring was more than enough to signify his support.
LORI’S VIEW OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
AMC: Though she doesn’t quite condone the idea of execution or killing Randall, Lori agrees with Rick that it needs to be done in order to keep the group safe, and wouldn’t feel comfortable with Randall walking the farm free.
THE COMICS: Once again keeping with the idea of Randall invoking the same discussion as comic character Thomas, Lori completely balks at the idea of Rick deciding to execute someone for the sake of the group, but eventually relents that they have little other option. However, the problem never quite gets the point of that immediate decision.
THE GROUP DISCUSSION
AMC: At Dale’s request, the group all meets within Hershel’s house at sundown to discuss the fate of Randall in an organized, if somewhat uncertain debate. Of course, few beside Dale speak out against killing the boy, and some even attempt to remove themselves from the proceedings out of indifference.
THE COMICS: In the comics Rick was often deferred to as the leader, but making group decisions (especially in the case of an execution) wasn’t quite so simple. Most specifically after Rick went too far in assaulting Tyreese and finishing off Allen, Dale took a moment to inform Rick that he wasn’t to be seen as the leader anymore, but rather a committee of four men would make the crucial decisions for everyone else.
ANDREA COMES AROUND
AMC: Aww, ain’t that sweet? In spite of her earlier agreement with Shane, Dale’s impassioned speech about the state of the world they live in convinces Andrea that Randall deserves life, and the promise of a more humane solution from the group. Of course, no one else beside the two really give a sh*t, and the plan proceeds anyway.
THE COMICS: As fans of the book will note, Andrea and Dale maintained a relationship from the early issues, and would usually support one another. That said, the entire discussion bears resemblance to both the death of prison inmate Thomas, as well as Ben, one of the adopted twins under the care of Dale and Andrea. There, Ben killed his twin brother out of lack of understanding for how death works, and the group pondered putting the still-living son of Allen and Donna down for safety. Both Dale and Andrea balked at the idea, but soon found the matter taken out of their hands.
DALE’S DEATH
AMC: Dejected that the group ultimately elected to kill Randall, Dale goes for a walk on his own, and encounters a mutilated cow, before being surprised by the walker that did the deed. It knocks him down and Dale manages to prevent being bitten, though the creature tears a hole in his abdomen and ultimately inflicts a wound Hershel knows to be fatal. With no other option to ease his suffering, Rick steps up at first, but ultimately Daryl puts a bullet through Dale’s brain to end the man’s life
THE COMICS: Say WHAT?! AMC Dale’s death marks a huge point of divergence from the comic, where Dale lived through the prison, and even some time beyond. He did lose a leg to a walker at the prison, and the other to a band of cannibalistic hunters, but ultimately died in relative peace of a walker bite, Andrea by his side. With Dale dead, who might be next for AMC’s The Walking Dead?
What did you think of The Walking Dead season 2 episode 11, “Judge, Jury, Executioner?” Did we miss anything else from the comics you might have caught?
Let us know in the comments, and be sure to check back next week for our in-depth comic-to-TV comparison of episode 12, “Better Angels,” the second half of The Walking Dead season 2, and other coverage of this and your other favorite shows!
Want even more Walking Dead? Be sure to check out our in-depth-comparisons of the first ten episodes right here!
The Walking Dead 2.01 – “What Lies Ahead” Comic-to-TV Comparison
The Walking Dead 2.02 – “Bloodletting” Comic-to-TV Comparison
The Walking Dead 2.03 – “Save the Last One” Comic-to-TV Comparison
The Walking Dead 2.04 – “Cherokee Rose” Comic-to-TV Comparison
The Walking Dead 2.05 – “Chupacabra” Comic-to-TV Comparison
The Walking Dead 2.06 – “Secrets” Comic-to-TV Comparison
The Walking Dead 2.07 – “Pretty Much Dead Already” Comic-to-TV Comparison
The Walking Dead 2.08 – “Nebraska” Comic-to-TV Comparison
The Walking Dead 2.09 – “Triggerfinger” Comic-to-TV Comparison
The Walking Dead 2.10 – “18 Miles Out” Comic-to-TV-Comparison
I hope they hurry it the hell up, majority of S2 has been a snoozefest. so much for their promise of it being explosive and better than everything we've seen in S1
i agree. not only has it been a snoozefest, the character are annoying, startinfh with rick and ending with his carless son carl.
Randal made mention that his people raped women and made the men watch. This is very similar to what happened with Abraham's family, where while away on a scavenging mission, his wife and daughter were raped, and his son was forced to watch.
Good call! Added!