 Originally Posted by Tricky
Damn, Shanes an arse! Otis didnt deserve that, its clear the cracks are getting ever wider in Shanes sanity too! Great episode, I'm just getting really sick of the commercials on FX, its like the shows barely been on 2 minutes before the next 5 long minute ad break, its really breaking the immersion for me I'd watch online but I dont like sitting at my desk to watch TV programmes, and I cant hook my PC up to a TV!
Seemingly it's just us two Brits who watch it on FX! All the other Brits download it, the cheeky gits. 
It seems that on FXUK, we get a solid 15 minutes, then adverts, then 7 or 8 minutes, then adverts, then another 7 or 8 minutes, then the final ad break, then however long is left of the episode (which is about 42 minutes without advert breaks).
...
Anyway - the episode itself - well, I had already guessed that Shane would shoot Otis and use him as bait while he made his escape ... why did I come to this conclusion days before seeing the episode? Because of some random comment by some idiotic prat somewhere on the web (can't remember where now, but certainly not here on HPOTD where everyone is being very good and respectful about spoilers) ... anyway, it was some topic of discussion type thing that went something like this "So what do you guys think of Shane's actions?" ... well considering the context of episode two, with just him and Otis at the school surrounded by zombies and they need to get back, it's pretty fucking obvious that his action was shooting Otis. *sigh* So yeah, that surprise was spoiled by one random comment somewhere out there on the internet that I'd read before I'd even realised I had read it ... but regardless of it being spoiled by some twirp that doesn't think hard enough, the actual twist in the episode was a great one.
It certainly makes Otis a far more important character than he ever was in the comics - heck, 2x02 made him infiinitely more important, but his death makes him all the more important. I think this is going to prove to be a great avenue for plot development, as well as character development for Shane ... I think it was after Shane was killed in the very first trade paperback (as has been mentioned many times by Kirkman, so I can't see that info as being a spoiler to anyone on here) that Rick really started having to tread into unknown territory where terrible decisions (no choice being ideal) had to be made ... so it's interesting that perhaps it's Shane who has to do that first, and then once we inevitably lose Shane it'll be Rick's turn - although you can see the seeds of the sorts of decisions Rick will have to make being sewn.
The look on Dale's face, this apparent shot of Rick's gun - all these sorts of things are going to make for some excellent character conflict - particularly in bringing these two groups together ... so from the get-go, the relationship of the two groups is based on a horrific near-fatal accident, and then betrayal possibly tinged with revenge and/or selfish intent.
The way I took it from the episode, Shane did it from simply practical means - the geeks were going to gain on them eventually, he needed a distraction to slip away, and Otis was that distraction. It's these sort of awful decisions - where people are pushed to brutal extremes - that make the comics so great in my view (I just got myself volumes 7 and 8 of the trade paperbacks ... been meaning to catch up on them a bit for a while). So I think he viewed it in purely brutal practical means - in an almost 'animal kingdom' way, where there is no such thing as personal conscience.
I think it's interesting to note that Shane doesn't "stay" when Lori tells him to. He's clearly ashamed of his actions, and utterly haunted by how far he's allowed himself to go.
Zombie wise - some excellent stuff - I really felt that they were surrounded and fucked from all angles. That added to Shane and Otis' desperation - everywhere they turned, they were being tracked down - and being injured, lugging heavy gear, you're going to get more and more exhausted until you can barely move. The geeks don't get tired, they keep coming at a steady pace and eventually they'll catch you - and that point was coming very soon - so Shane made that astonishing decision. Wow - they really played that moment, huh?
I'd say that Shane shaves his head to try and 'cover up' the bit of hair that's been yanked out (I don't think you could hide that by a comb over ) - but also I think he does it out of emotional reasons. He clearly sees that he has gone somewhere he never thought he'd go - he's trying to remove the vision of what he used to be - he doesn't want to be reminded of his old self. Since the zombie apocalypse began he's done awful things and seen awful things, and now he's crossed a line that you'd never cross in normal circumstances - hence shaving his head.
One nitpick - I think they need to be a bit stricter on their zombie extras when it comes to speed ... the Hinzman Hobble is sometimes being stretched a tad here and there in the odd shot, but only by some of the zombies, not all of them. So they need to be a bit more consistent with the speed of the hobble.
Rick didn't have much to do this episode, but it wasn't his episode - it was Shanes - but we did get some time with Glenn too, as he's not been in much of the first two episodes.
I also hope they wrap up this Sophia thing soon too - we didn't see her in that clip, but perhaps she's off camera in the house sleeping or something, because I can't imagine they'd all be hanging around doing that when a girl is still out there missing. So whether she's dead or alive, we don't know, but I'd hope that they find her in episode four.
Finally - the zombie hanging by it's neck was awesome - the legs having been eaten away was a gleefully gruesome touch.  It's also good how they paired Andrea and Dale together - the former is in a confused emotional state, the latter is in purely practical harsh reality mode, and I think Andrea learns something from that ... but as I've said before, hopefully we'll see a softer side to Daryl when he finally gets the chance to pause for a moment without looking over his shoulder.
As for episode four, I wonder if we'll get to see
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