‘The Walking Dead’ Retro Recap: ‘Judge, Jury, Executioner’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Something that we all believe is paramount to the human condition and a healthy and happy life… is growth. Because we collectively know and understand that without it, we go nowhere in life, and we learn little and we even find ourselves emotionally stunted without it. Which is why we work to get out there and live life to the fullest, so we can experience moments that help us to grow and change into something more. But what is fascinating about this particular mantra and collective understanding, is that we often see growth through rose colored glasses when in fact… it is actually a painful and powerful process. One that is genuinely forged through tough moments. Because we cannot grow without being challenged and we cannot figure out who we are and we what we stand for, without the gravity of strife or the power of pain.
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For those elements give us a clarity we will rarely experience in life and well, the tougher side to growth, is top of mind today because it served as the focal theme of the next episode of The Walking Dead. A feat that ‘Judge, Jury, Executioner’ accomplished, by putting the group at quite the crossroads. Because once it was discovered that Randall’s group was heavily armed and nearby and eager to divide and conquer any property and people, they encountered, Rick began to ponder upon potentially putting Randall down to keep the group safe. An idea that quickly caught on with just about everyone in the group, considering the losses and dangers they’d recently suffered and endured. But Dale remained the only outlier on the matter, to the point where he asked Rick for time to convince the others to perhaps change their vote on the matter. A request that Rick granted and one that became quite futile in nature.

Because the fear was real in the group and they were eager to have some semblance of safety and if that meant that Randall died to achieve that, so be it. Which is a decision that allowed for Dale to open up like never before and truly question what the group stood for and what its future looked like and while at first at seemed as though they were indeed headed down a dark path regardless of his words, a powerful and poignant and painful moment, changed their course. Because mere moments before Rick pulled the trigger and ended Randall’s life… Carl stepped into the picture and shocked his father. For he encouraged this execution and seeing his son indulge in a blood lust… made Rick realize that Dale was right. That the group had to do better and change course before they became no better than Randall’s death and destruction squad. But before Rick could celebrate coming to understand a better way and his own personal growth… more dark tragedy befell the group.

For dearest Dale was wandering out in the darkness and trying to reconcile a future where he was surrounded by people giving into their cruelest desires and while he was out and about… he encountered quite the sight. For the living dead struck and consumed one of Hershel’s cows and once that voracious walker was done with the cow, it turned its rotten sight toward another fresh meal… Dale. Which brought about a heartbreaking moment, one that saw Dale be ripped open by one of the greatest threats to this intrepid group and just like that… another member of their ranks was lost to the horrors of the land of the dead. And while his death was devastating and heartbreaking in that moment, Dale did not die in vain. For his passing would help to cement what Rick learned with the rest of the group and that powerful lesson and their growth would guide them to be a force of good in this world for years to come. 

In the end, this was simply a powerful episode through and through. One that held nothing back in its exploration as to how our lowest and darkest moments are how we grow, and it also deserves credit for revealing an extremely important reality to the viewers. In that, this world is quite dangerous and not every character is safe from its ravages. Which was as bold a statement back then as it is now, since series regulars usually exit a show on their own terms instead of the story’s and well, the show definitely lived up to that statement in the years to follow and even the episode following this one. For clearly Shane was beyond reproach over Rick’s decision to let Randall live another day and that anger would bring about quite the stunning moment in season two’s penultimate tale, and it is a showdown for the ages between two best friends that will take the center stage in our next Retro Recap of this stunning series. Until then.

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