Shane's NOT a sociopath,
A sociopath wouldn't have a flashback to his "evil act" in kneecapping and savagely beating Otis as he gazed in the mirror. A sociopath wouldn't have had a genuine emotional reaction of any kind about what happened, and a sociopath CERTAINLY WOULDN'T have hesitated and been uncomfortable with speaking at Otis's funeral and describing Otis's last moments when asked. By definition, a sociopath is one who FEELS no difference between "good" and "evil" acts. Shane was obviously hesitant to speak of Otis, and when he did he placed Otis's memory above his own achievements. Some might say that's just him camouflaging what he did to Otis, but if that was the case there were plenty of ways he could've painted Otis as other than a hero and still not be seemingly responsible for Otis's death. The most obvious that comes to mind is simply saying Otis couldn't keep up and stay ahead of the Walker horde during a long-distance pursuit. Even Rick saw Otis huffing, puffing, sweating like a waterfall and strawberry red on the run to Herschel's house when Rick was carrying Carl. When Otis dropping back began to slow his run down, Rick interrogated Otis for directions to the farm house and ran on ahead. So there would've been no reason to suspect Shane if he'd said Otis just couldn't keep up the relentless pace required to reach the truck ahead of the Walkers while both men were injured. To a sociopath, either account would have served his self-centered purpose of dodging culpability for Otis's death, but Shane chose to paint Otis as a hero. Why? He recognized Otis's wife needed to believe her husband's death had meaning, and he outright said "If any death ever had meaning, it was his (Otis's). He saved me and Carl both (paraphrasing that last part)." A sociopath wouldn't have intuitively recognized what Otis's wife needed to believe. Yes, a sociopath might have said something somewhat comforting to "maintain his cover" but the emotional nuances of what Otis's widow was going through wouldn't be something a sociopath could or would have recognized, and those emotional nuances wouldn't choke up a sociopath (even if it was all about him).
Shane has serious problems, but a sociopath he is not. Homicidal under the right circumstances? Absolutely. Prioritizing himself before individuals he has little to no connection or emotional investment in? Definitely.
I also agree that what Shane did concerning the Walkers in the barn and the pair on the catch-poles was an inevitable result of Rick's failure to meaningfully address the ongoing danger posed by that old barn. There was that great scene before all the handing out of guns, breaching of the barn and shooting went down. Shane got up close and personal with the barn. Seeing what he could see of the number and size of the Walkers in the barn through a gap in its slats, and comprehensively testing the barn's security measures in a hands-on manner. Shane was genuinely seeking information about the barn's condition, and therefore how serious or potentially imminent the dangers posed by the Walkers inside really is. If you watch closely, Shane's ENTIRE DEMEANOR changes when the barn doors bulge outward several inches with only a portion of the Walkers he (Shane) could see through that gap in the slats pushing against the barn doors from the inside.
Can anyone here honestly say they wouldn't be up in arms about having to sleep less than a hundred yards from that EXTREMELY weathered barn? After having gone through the terrifying attack at their previous camp?
Shane's reactions were understandable, if nothing else. First, he waits to see what Rick is going to do about Glenn's announcement concerning the Walkers in the barn. When Rick says he's going to go talk to Herschel about the issue, Shane waits for Rick's return passively. When Rick returns, Shane (very understandably) wants to know the result of Rick's conversation with Herschel. Despite receiving a very ambiguous answer from Rick, Shane still demonstrates his willingness to follow Rick's lead as he then asks Rick "So, what now?" Rick's intentions were good, but he basically left Shane hanging there without much of an answer. Then Rick goes off with Herschel, without saying anything to anyone in the group concerning where he's going or what he's doing.
It's after all this that Lori and Shane have that ugly and seriously f**k'd up conversation about the paternity of her baby on the way. Only in the wake of that mess does Shane finally decide to act independently of Rick. Which is when he discovers the hyper-control-freak move Dale has pulled with the guns and ammo. Again I say, after retrieving said guns, Shane does nothing more than arm the group and talk about the ongoing danger of the Walkers in the barn "a stone's throw from where they sleep."
It's only after witnessing Rick taking actions that UNEQUIVOCALLY declare where Rick stands on the danger of the Walkers in the barn that Shane forces the issue. Obviously the majority of the group didn't think his little anatomical show and tell on the nature of the Undead via firearm was unacceptable. Nor did we hear anyone but Rick and maybe Lori or Herschel's people vocalize an objection to his actions in breaching the barn. As many others have pointed out, but for Shane forcing the issue here, more injuries and/or fatalities could've been caused by the continuation of the doomed search for Sophia.
Was what Shane did tactless and undiplomatic? Sure. Was it wrong and/or "crazy" that he did so? I don't believe so. If a person believes a potentially imminent threat to their life and the lives of others exist, and every alternative save taking action directly has been blocked, what's immoral about taking a definitively final course of action to neutralize that threat? It wouldn't have even been unreasonable position to believe the Walkers in the barn might very well have been released in an uncontrolled manner by the obviously imminent attempt to add more Walkers to said barn.
So, what exactly was unstable or dysfunctional about Shane's reactions under those circumstances? Keeping in mind I'm NOT saying his chosen course was the IDEAL response, just not crazy and/or irrational.
As always, differing opinions and points-of-view are more than welcome.
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Originally Posted by Neil
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