Dale served a purpose. With the exception of that stupid gun-theft stunt, he pretty much served as Rick’s conscience ... and the conscience of several others (Glenn, Andrea, T-Dog, Lori).
Just there to give another opinion that contrasts to Daryl, Rick and Shane, I guess.
It’ll be interesting to see if some of the group follows Shane into insanity with Dale gone. Or if Rick loses his mind without that little voice on his shoulder nagging him at every turn. Shane is the devil on one of Rick’s shoulders, Dale was the angel on the other.
Daryl seems to be the only one that knows what he’s doing, and can still keep his sanity.
SnakeDoc
I loved Dale. He’s no Alan Alda.....keeping guns away from Deputy Stab-You-In-The-Back isn’t being a pacifist wimp. Too bad Shane didn’t get it.
True. Dale served an important role in the story. They'll probably get along without him, though. Somebody else will play that role of conscience to other characters.
Now this week a really annoying and obnoxious character is (apparently) dead, and it's more of a blow to the story. What would they have done without him? I'm not sure the show will be the same without that guy.
Next week is the finale, I think, so you can look forward to them adding more characters next season.