I honestly believe a majority of the fan base does agree that Shane killing Otis was a necessary evil, to save both himself and Carl. They might not like it, but it is what it is. I think a lot also agree with his other decisions, like clearing out the barn and thinking Sophia was a lost cause after 72 hours.

The problem was the writers set him out to be the "one everybody loves to hate." Quite frankly, he was made to be kind of a dick/asshole. That only made me like him more.

In the end we have to remember this forum is just a tiny spec of the fan base. Most of the people I met love Shane.

 

Well, Shane made the right decision. Carl would have died if he hadn't. Maybe it would have been better to shoot him in the head though? But the noise probably helped distract more walkers. I just don't like that he had to shoot a guy and leave him to be torn apart and eaten alive to save Carl.

 

This is a hardcore Shane hater forum.
Most people I know don't think like that and I'm on other forums where people actually share my point of view about Shane.
Also people miss that Shane offered to stay back so Otis could escape.

Another thing: Even the all holy Rick who is so much loved in this forum said in 18 Miles out "I would have done anything to save Carl. Anything". So he would have shot Otis too if he had to.

 

I liked Shane but killing Otis wasn't his only option.

They weren't trapped. The walkers weren't so close they had absolutely no chances ( he had the time to fight for the backpack, trying to free himself from Otis' grip etc and the zombies were still far away). Walkers can't run. If they kept a steady rhythm they both could have make it out of that hell. It's not television. It's a fact.

But Shane decided to further increase his own chances. It wasn't necessary. He made a choice. A choice we can understand but it definitely wasn't the only way to act.

 

I agree, I don't think it was his only option, but I don't necessarily blame him for making the decision either.

 

The thing about his decision is that it wasn't necessary. Rick could have just grabbed the bag from Otis and ran ahead of him. If the walkers caught up to Otis, because he was slower, then it would have given Shane the same advantage, because they'd still be occupied with eating Otis. But it also would have given Otis the chance to make it as well.

 

Precisely.

 

From the looks of it he didn't have to shoot Otis. If it was the ONLY option, ok then, sucks but that's the world...

Just... the way it looked... it's like that stupid Titanic thing where they say that dumb swimmer could've fit on the wood at the end.

Just looked like it didn't have to go down that way.

 

And then if Otis had lived, he would have come outside to take a leak while Bob was next to the tree crying, and Gareth's group wouldn't have dared attack Bob. Instead that episode would have ended with drunk Otis peeing all over the place and saying "What a party!! Am I right or am I right, Bob?"

 

You forget something: endurance/stamina(?).
Zombies can walk without resting, but Otis and Shane both were at there end. (Is this correct sentence...?)
Just a scene before Otis said "I need a break".

We dont know how far the car was away, but we can assume it was too far away for them to make it else where would be no reason for Shane to shoot Otis.

 

He was limping because of a broken ankle.

 

Right, they were both limping, but Otis was slower. So just running ahead of Otis would have given Shane the same advantage as making Otis immobile.

 

I need to watch that scene again cause I don't remember Otis limping.

I don't know whether it was a necessary decision or not. The writers did it just to advance Shane's story.

I believe the point of the OP was why everyone was so up in arms over what Shane did. I believe it's either A. Because they just hate the character to begin with, or B. He did something that back in S2 was considered horrible and no one else in the group would ever do.

But look how far we've come.

 

Yeah, Otis was limping from his jump off the bleachers, and Shane was limping because of his jump from the windows. Yeah, it wasn't a decision that should have us spitting out our fruit loops and almond milk, it was just a decision that I think could have been handled better. Handled in a way that would have given Otis a chance. I think Shane thought he was doing the right thing, but he didn't see the better option because it wasn't in the script

 

Lol ya. Sometimes I feel like the fandom is composed of all masochists or something. They come up with so many "what ifs" and drive themselves crazy without realizing it's just a show, with gods and goddesses called "writers" calling the shots.

 

I've had this argument so many times that I'm not going to go over all the reasons Shane was wrong for shooting Otis. So I'll just once again cover the main reason. If Shane truly wanted to save Carl he would've made sure Otis made it back safely. Why? Because Otis was an EMT, which actually made him one of the most valuable people in the group at the time. Not only because of his knowledge of medicine but because Herschel really could've used Otis. had Shane not killed Otis, Otis might've still been alive during the prison and maybe he'd been able to save Lori while Herschel was out of it with his leg. Shane did what he did to save his own ass and only his ass, and then used what happened to carl to justify it. If my boy or my best friend's boy who I loved like my own was dying you can be damn sure the EMT is making it back alive.

 

They both seemed to have found a renewed strenght while fighting, they could have used that to keep going? xD

No, seriously...

Maybe they were too far away from the car... or maybe not and it was just the fear, the fatigue, the stress and urgency of their situation that made Shane give up and focus on what in his eyes was the best (not the only one) option for him to came out from there alive as soon as possible.

What we do know is that at that point they had a good advantage from the walkers and they were both showing signs of exhaustion - especially Otis - but Shane, that injuried or not was physically more prepared and strong, could have intervened in another way like (as others already said) alleviate the weight the other man was carrying by taking Otis' backpack.

I'm pretty sure that having a group of walkers behind you can be an incentive to grit your teeth and endure the effort required to keep a sufficient speed until you reach a safe place (not necessarely the car). If not then, well, the one who fell first will help the other by offering a distraction - and it will be no one's fault.

At the end the beauty of Shane's character lies in the choices he made - try to justify them as inevitable or as his only options IMO undermine the strenght of his arc.

 

What Shane did was cruel, even if he were to shoot him in the head. I don't think it was right for him to decide that and it was pretty selfish, even considering the stakes and that he was doing it for Carl. And isn't it pretty hypocritical shooting someone to save your best friend's son and then banging his wife? Either way I loved Shane's character. I hated what he did but I just loved having him there. Maybe it was just Jon Bernthal's awesome acting but I do miss having him on the show.

 

All I'm gonna say is, if Shane had enough time to shoot Otis in the leg and fight him for the bags, they had enough time to clamber into the truck and leave.

To me, this was just another example of Shane's explosive/overreacting personality. They clearly weren't THAT close to the herd. They likely could have made it. But in his mind, it was do or die. And he was so rushed he didn't even think to shoot him in the head.