TWD 2x11 "Judge, Jury, Executioner" episode discussion... **SPOILERS WITHIN**

[Neil]

You would kill someone for a crime they might very well commit huh? Lethal force the only patently obvious way to deal with possible threats? wow. I'm not even going to argue against that. Not as black and white as that is it? The argument is the young lad may well cause a group of 30 men to invade the farm by force, probably resulting in the death (& rape) of numerous of the group. Do you risk it?

[AcesandEights]

You would kill someone for a crime they might very well commit huh? Lethal force the only patently obvious way to deal with possible threats? wow. I'm not even going to argue against that. Yeah, it's not an easy situation the group is in. My problem with killing the guy outright is due to not just a moral factor, but a tactical one. Once you exhaust the Randall option by killing him, you've painted yourself into a corner. So it's not just callous, but short-sighted. So continue that logic to its logical conclusion. The group should keep Randall chained up in a barn for the rest of his natural life? And this is better than a quick bullet? How? This is a strawman. I haven't seen anyone say anything that would indicate literally or implicitly keeping Randall a prisoner for the rest of his life. I assume, like myself, most people saying he should be kept a prisoner are looking for better options and more information to unfold. The group should be looking outward for a decision, instead of just inward soul-searching. They're operating pretty much in the blind and once they kill this kid there's no taking it back. Keeping him under lock and key till they have a better idea of the situation (for example, whether this other group has settled into the area, is actively looking for 'our' group of survivors or has apparently moved on). The group has the means to keep Randall prisoner for a few weeks and the manpower used to keep an eye on him and his holding area can double for part of the watch the farm needs to have kept up around the clock. That said, it's a tv show, so yeah...no matter what the characters do there'll be a dramatic complication.

[Thorn]

Not as black and white as that is it? The argument is the young lad may well cause a group of 30 men to invade the farm by force, probably resulting in the death (& rape) of numerous of the group. Do you risk it? You really can't in my opinion, the kid at the end of the day will need support to get by he seems really mentally unbalanced and not trustworthy. I base that off his stabbing of the zombie head over and over as a serial killer might or someone with extreme anger issues. After the threat was over. Now sure we would all hate the zombie, but that sort of thing is usually out of scope in that scenario.Then his approaching of a child to try and win him over, desperate sure but anyone who would do that is someone you keep an eye on. His story with Shane, and the unknown factors. Does he really know Maggie or did he and his group kil land rape someone who knew Maggie that they may have seen on the run to town with Glenn... Let's say you let him go, he finds his way back to the group... even if he wasn't a bad guy before he might have developed a hatred of Rick and company by how he was treated or need to use that as leverage to get back into the group, or further cement his place in it. Either way the guy to me represents a high risk and when you are talking about your survival and that of your group you can not be too careful. There are enough question marks here at this point that in my mind make it a situation where the guy has to die.

[AcesandEights]

You really can't in my opinion, the kid at the end of the day will need support to get by he seems really mentally unbalanced and not trustworthy. I base that off his stabbing of the zombie head over and over as a serial killer might or someone with extreme anger issues. That is arguing from a viewer standpoint, based on information the survivors don't have. Not saying that's wrong, just that some of us are not approaching the question in that way. If I was taking bets on what was right based on the narrative flow or what I know of the whole story line, my opinion on whether to murder Randall would probably be different.

[Neil]

You really can't in my opinion, the kid at the end of the day will need support to get by he seems really mentally unbalanced and not trustworthy. I base that off his stabbing of the zombie head over and over as a serial killer might or someone with extreme anger issues. After the threat was over. Now sure we would all hate the zombie, but that sort of thing is usually out of scope in that scenario.Then his approaching of a child to try and win him over, desperate sure but anyone who would do that is someone you keep an eye on. His story with Shane, and the unknown factors. Does he really know Maggie or did he and his group kil land rape someone who knew Maggie that they may have seen on the run to town with Glenn... Let's say you let him go, he finds his way back to the group... even if he wasn't a bad guy before he might have developed a hatred of Rick and company by how he was treated or need to use that as leverage to get back into the group, or further cement his place in it. Either way the guy to me represents a high risk and when you are talking about your survival and that of your group you can not be too careful. There are enough question marks here at this point that in my mind make it a situation where the guy has to die. I think I agree... However, I think it's a shame there is a good chance though this is just a normal kid, who's fallen in with the wrong group for the sole reason of the alternatives could be death (ie: In that group he's well protected. Alone he's not)...

[LouCipherr]

Just throwing this out there as a "could be" but.... What do you want to bet we find out that this kid is actually the leader of his "group of 30 or so"?? That thought popped into my head and I figure I would put it out there. You just never know...

[Neil]

Just throwing this out there as a "could be" but.... What do you want to bet we find out that this kid is actually the leader of his "group of 30 or so"?? That thought popped into my head and I figure I would put it out there. You just never know... My guess is...   a certain handless brother is within that group ...but that would seem such a coincidence is would annoy me I think... But you never know, me might not even get to see that other group... Depends how this all plays out. A tangle with that other group would be a good reason to move on from the farm though I guess...

[LouCipherr]

I think you're probably right, Neil. I would not be surprised at all if you were dead on (pun intended) with that observation.

[SRP76]

How exactly would the group be safer by NOT killing this guy? Every single thing he has done has been shitbaggy. From his choice of friends to his attitude toward zombies. And yeah, "I just watched; I'm not like that", right. Bullshit, son. No reason to let Khardis' little brother here live.

[krisvds]

Not as black and white as that is it? The argument is the young lad may well cause a group of 30 men to invade the farm by force, probably resulting in the death (& rape) of numerous of the group. Do you risk it? But that's exactly my point; downright executing the guy is pretty final. Have to agree with basically everything Aces wrote. At the moment there are just to many 'mights' and 'coulds' to make that decision. And very little besides hunches and prejudice and dodgy psychology, not to mention the 'viewer standpoints' Aces talked about to make such a decision. Keep him in custody, see what you can find out, observe the guy,... That's hardly a black and white view. That's common sense. I really don't see keeping him locked up would cause an invasion any more or less than shooting him? These harsh judgments some here are talking about, well that is exactly the way of thinking that will have people within the group start plotting assassinaton attempts on one another before long. You know; let's kill Rick because I have a feeling his indecisiveness might get my loved ones killed and so on ...

[JDFP]

Just throwing this out there as a "could be" but.... What do you want to bet we find out that this kid is actually the leader of his "group of 30 or so"?? That thought popped into my head and I figure I would put it out there. You just never know... Wouldn't that just be a complete ripoff of "LOST" as opposed to a partial ripoff with the whole storyline they are doing now of the "Others" and them? I mean... this is basically a Henry Gale/Ben Linus situation we have here. j.p.

[krisvds]

Idd. I think it would be very 'TWD' if we never found out wether the kid was evil/had good intentions before he gets killed in a zombie attack/ executed by the group/ whatever ...

[LouCipherr]

Wouldn't that just be a complete ripoff of "LOST" as opposed to a partial ripoff with the whole storyline they are doing now of the "Others" and them? I mean... this is basically a Henry Gale/Ben Linus situation we have here. j.p. Your guess is as good as mine, I was never a fan of Lost and never watched it. Keep in mind though, there is no "originality" anymore for anything - it's all just what i like to call "uniquely derivative." Still, it seems feasible. I just wanted to throw that out there when the thought hit me because if I'm right and I didn't say something or put it out there, I don't want to be the one that says, "awww, man! that's exactly what I thought was going to happen!"

[AcesandEights]

Wouldn't that just be a complete ripoff of "LOST" as opposed to a partial ripoff with the whole storyline they are doing now of the "Others" and them? I mean... this is basically a Henry Gale/Ben Linus situation we have here. j.p. Seems/feels like an extrapolation of tropes, not just from one source.

[Thorn]

Seems/feels like an extrapolation of tropes, not just from one source. This. It does not feel as Lost-Esque to me as some are making it out at all.