The first season of The Walking Dead aired many years ago, but the characters introduced in the first season have a special place in the hearts of fans. Love them or hate them these characters established the tone of the series that would become a sensation.
One character that viewers' opinions are divided is Dale Horvath, played by Jeffrey DeMunn. The actor is well known for his roles in The Mist, The Green Mile, The Hitcher, The Majestic, and more.
Dale was introduced at the tale end of the pilot episode of The Walking Dead titled "Days Gone Bye." He and the other Atlanta group members are briefly seen when they hear Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) make a call out on a CB and they try to respond.
One of his significant contributions to the group was his 1973 D-27C Winnebago Chieftain RV. The vehicle provided transportation and shelter as well as served as storage and a defense against the walkers. The maintenance of the vehicle was provided by Dale and Glenn (Steven Yeun), which gave them time to bond and for Glenn to learn from the man who was older and more experienced in the world.
Throughout Dale's story in the series, he served as the moral compass for the group. Whether they agreed with him or not, he was often the voice of reason amidst the chaos of the situation.
Fans are divided on their opinions of Dale in The Walking Dead
Many Walking Dead viewers respected Dale and the part he played in Rick's group, believing he made a positive impact on others. There is another camp who thinks he is just a meddlesome old man.
Dale was instrumental during the initial outbreak when he saved Andrea (Laurie Holden) and Amy Harrison (Emma Bell). While this was an honorable move on his part, he later became over-involved in Andrea's life.
He suspected that Shane (Jon Bernthal) sacrificed Otis (Pruitt Taylor Vince) and kept a close eye on him after that. He was the first to bring attention to Shane's (Jon Bernthal) erratic behavior and tried to do something about it.
Dale tried to talk the group out of executing Randall, a prisoner at the farm stating, "Don't you see that if we do this, the people that we were, the world that we knew is dead? And this new world is ugly, it's harsh, it's survival of the fittest! And that's a world I don't want to live in."
He was also a man who held on to humanity despite the condition of the world. When the dead began to rise and attack the living, it didn't give people a license to forget what was true and correct. Dale stuck to his morals, while others allowed the lawlessness to provide them with an excuse to make choices they would never have before the outbreak.
No matter if you are pro-Dale or not, he was an interesting character who added a another layer to the story, at least for the first two seasons.
Dale was also featured in the comic book storyline, but his story was a bit different. Check out the "Who is Dale?" episode of I See Dead People.
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