This. I think it was nothing more than to get the audience to hate Randall even more. Specifically mentioning the young girls and how cute they were? We wanted to be holding the gun ourselves.
Whole episode reeked of sloppiness.

 

Totally agree well made point.
The huge flaw in the writing is that the group, desperately small, knowing that there is a dangerous larger group somewhere near did not attempt to seduce Randal into becoming one of them or even do the obvious like try to get exact details of the numbers, gender distribution and age ranges of the group. They did not try to get info on who leads who dissents who may be very dangerous and who may be a potential friend or even the location of the group or its weaponry. Even if they had let him go they still should have done all this. Even if they intended to kill they should have done as much to get the info out of him. Lets face it (apart from some of women who did the daily work) most of the original group have done nothing else worth doing for quiet a while.

 

The problems the writers are facing I suppose, is if they give the characters (and thus also the audience) this information, then the show looses "suspence" or something.
If they are too well armed, too well defended, too smart about their survival, then they would have to step up the zombies to pose a threat to the group.

Atleast this would be IMHO, its the same reason I never liked Superman as a hero, he's just too awesome, and they have to bend and stretch the plot in weird ways to make the stories even half make sense.

 

See, and people thought Dale was actually dead. He just moved on to the WalkingDead forums...:zombies_lol:j/k

 

I have to admit I'm a little disturbed by all this sheer (and, as I see it) undeserved hatred for Randall. I didn't expect to see that when I came upon this forum a couple days ago.

I especially don't understand the outrage at what Randall said to Carl. I mean, Whats not to get?? Hes a bloody 19-20 year old KID trying to say or do whatever he can to SAVE HIS LIFE!!! The balls of some guys! Ha!

I still believe after ALL they've done to him- he could STILL forgive and could STILL be an asset. But, doubtful thats gonna happen or that we will ever get to find out if it COULD have.

Numbers, at this point in the game, is what they NEED. Two more hands, two more eyes. Only one more mouth(to feed). Seems like simple math to me.

 

What he told Daryl, that he didn't participate when his friends did what they did to that family? You know the writers were insinuating that he did participate, yes?

 

Aside from the reasons already listed, it could also be a young man facing the very real possibility that he is going to be killed feeling compelled to unburden himself of something horrible he witnessed or participated in and feels guilty over.
People say the strangest crap when under extreme stress, especially when dealing with prolonged stress. To be honest, EVERYONE should be suffering PTSD of some form and severity.

Personally, I think it was just a clunky plot device.

 

I was wondering why he mentioned that too. Possibly, as others have stated, he was just trying to admit he had done bad things just to stop the torture. But, if he were a good guy, why wouldn't he sing his heart out to Daryl and everyone else from the beginning? Tell them everything! If you really are a local give Rick's group specific details about their whereabouts. Why not expose the bad guys to the good guys if you're a good guy? Why hide it? Why let it get to torture in the first place? If he truly was not like the guys he was with, why so much trouble telling Rick's group the truth about them?

 

I believe the reason is rather simple, the writers make him do it.

 

You may be very right on that. With some of the choices they have made, it wouldn't surprise me.

 

No, I don't "know" that- and neither does anyone else.

I don't KNOW that he didn't do it anymore than you KNOW he did. If you have some kind of amazing insight into what the writers are insinuating or are some kind of clairvoyant- kudos to you.

Aside from that- there are LOTS of things the writers COULD BE "insinuating."

That the group he was with was indeed bad.
That the group took him in but that witnessing a cruel gang rape stands out in his mind because it was so horrific and that he FINDS it horrific BECAUSE as he said, "he is not like them."
The writers could also be "insinuating" a rape never even occured. The writers could be making some sort of comment on the many unverifiable and often times FALSE things that fly out of the mouths of people being tortured.

Hell, the could've been "insinuating" that he was FORCED to participate- and I won't make a judgement on that either. If put in this unimaginable position, its impossible to say the lengths any of us would go to in order to SURVIVE. And, staying with your group means SURVIVAL.

But, I do NOT believe that, HAD Randall in fact, BEEN A WILLING PARTICIPANT that he'd have ever uttered the word "rape" to his tormentor. No matter what he was thinking- I am fairly certain every any adult (or child who knowa what it IS, for that matter) realizes that, in this country at least- RAPE IS GENERALLY FROWNED UPON and therefore, its best not to incriminate oneself when being beaten and shackled. Not intentionally at least. And, Randall's "confession" seemed pretty deliberate to me.

 

No need for clairvoyance. I can smell bad plot device from a mile away. The writers wanted us to dislike Randall. From the first time we meet him straight on through to his describing just how 'cute' those girls are. On top of that Rick has shown an eye for bad people. He knew what kind of people the two were coming into the bar as soon as he saw them.
Randall is bad and Rick should have put a bullet in his head when he had the chance.
Can't believe I am agreeing with Shane.

 

Desperate people do desperate things.

 

I disagree. He's riding Merl's bike around the walker apocalypse, and I do believe that is Merl's bike club colors he's wearing. He's not crying and wailing, but he misses his abusive big bro just the same.

 

Guilty people have a psychological need to confess. Especially if it is too someone they think will commiserate with them.

 

I think if he truly believed Daryl woulda given him a high five for raping a couple girls in front of their dad, his confession would've sounded much different - he maintained from the beginning he didn't participate. It didn't seem to me like he thought he'd get a pat on the back vs. a punch in the face.

Guilty people -in my experience- confess to their Priest, a friend, their DOG, hell even thin air; but not to the person who is beating them to a bloody pulp.

When Randall was driving the car he could've tried to push Rick's ass right out- he didn't. If he planned to or wanted to run back to his group- that would've been the time to do it.

As far as the writers "wanting" the audience to hate Randall? Yeah, maybe some. And others who empathized with him. And others still, who don't particularly care one way or the other. MUCH LIKE THE GROUP ON THE SHOW.

I think the writers knew the audience would splinter on their opinion of Randall and it looks like they did a pretty good job.

*side note* I was born and raised in WV- known a LOT of rednecks. Never knew any I'd figure for rapists. This guy is a native Georgian. Just like Daryl. Listen to his accent. Sure, he may not look as backwoods but that just means he is a "domesticated redneck." When you live with a lot of rednecks they don't seem all that different from everyone else around you.

 

This is Dead on...if the group had taken him in, they would have been fine...by fearing the worst (following Shane's lead), they have made him trust his old group more. But it looks like he runs away in the next episode, seems hard to believe he would even make it back to his group.

 

Randall couldn't push Rick from the car while driving. Rick duck taped his neck to the head rest of the car seat.

 

Actually he had duct tape around his neck and around head rest - and not too securely I might add.
He helped them escape, no matter what. The kid doesn't deserve to die for trying to survive. Everyones willing to indict him with no evidence that he has done anything to deserve it.

Now personally, when his leg was shish-kebobbed I thought they should've just shot him in the head. In reality- with an injury that severe he would have bled to death before they ever got back. If they were going to kill him the time was then. That was a total screw up on Rick's part- and for what??

 

True...But he could have driven the car just a little too close to the bus and smeared Rick all along the side, or slam him into the herd of zombies.