In The Walking Dead Season 9, the AMC series revamped the style of the opening credits to signal new beginnings for the survivors as they worked toward rebuilding society and defeating enemies who get in their way. But in the first eight seasons, the opening credits meant something quite different. The credits had a neutral, brownish aesthetic that moved through different images of the environment, taking inspiration from the show's characters. Not every shot was pulled straight from the show. One of the few that was referred was the birth of the series' earliest human villain.
One of the last images in the credits sequence was of a walker strolling through a field all by themselves. The scene is pulled straight from Season 2, Episode 10, "18 Miles Out," when Rick Grimes and Shane Walsh drive past the walker on the road. The image itself became iconic among The Walking Dead community, being dubbed as the "lone walker." The scene was also a reminder of how The Walking Dead achieved television excellence in its earliest seasons, perfectly executing a cinematic spirit with a simplistic approach. The lone walker remains one of the highest points in The Walking Dead's technical achievements, but also acts as a metaphor for the moment Shane knew his relationship with Rick was destroyed.
The Lone Walker Represented Shane's Detachment From the Group
The corrosion of Rick and Shane's friendship was a dispute that burned slowly in The Walking Dead Seasons 1 and 2. The two men grew up together and eventually worked alongside one another as sheriff's deputies, but their differing outlooks on the apocalypse drove them apart. Rick was still holding onto his humanity and wanted to see the best in people as the world crumbled around him, whereas Shane was determined to skip past dealing with moral dilemmas to survive.
It wasn't as if either man was entirely wrong, but Shane's approach, as Andrea Harrison put it, "left much to be desired." Shane was cynically pragmatic and cold to the touch. He hurt people to get his own way and constantly butted heads with Rick over the group's next step. Shane saw Rick as too emotional to lead and protect Lori and Carl, but in reality, jealousy was rotting away at Shane's core.
On the drive home, they pass a walker dressed in a business suit wandering aimlessly all alone in the field. Shane looks upon the walker with curiosity, but soon enough, goes back to his own thoughts. At that moment, Shane saw a reflection of himself; he was truly alone in this world because he believed everyone was clinging to the past, and only he was looking toward the future. No matter how much Rick thinks Shane is redeemable, Shane is too caught up in his own ideals. But it doesn't hurt any less for him to know that Rick will never agree with him on the way forward.
The Lone Walker Scene's Song Reveals More About Shane's Mental State
"Civilian" is easily applicable to Shane's situation in Season 2. Shane and Rick have always been polar opposites since childhood, with Shane being the bold womanizer and Rick the collected student. The two would've had differences in opinion on how to lead the group, but it would've never been as hostile if Shane didn't have an obsession with Lori and Carl. His love for Rick's family wasn't endearing; it was creepy and disturbing. Shane's superficial and sentimental desire was to get Rick out of the picture completely to have Lori and Carl as his own, ultimately driving a wedge in his relationship with Rick.
The lone walker scene is the most Shane has shown of his humanity. He realizes that he dug the hole he's in, but his greatest fault is that he refuses to try to climb out of it. At this point, he's not thinking that he needs to do right by Rick by leaving Lori and Carl alone, and letting other people make decisions for themselves. Shane still has a bone to pick with Rick, because he can't let go of the past, even if his life depends on it. Unlike Rick, he doesn't have a family to keep him grounded. But it's Shane's own fault that he has nobody.
The Lone Walker Signaled a Changing Point in the Apocalypse
The lone walker is often associated with Shane's antagonistic arc, but it also represents a more literal threat in Season 2. Up until this point, walkers rarely ventured into the countryside. They mainly stayed in the city due to a high population, thus more food for walkers to eat. The mass bombing in Atlanta also created thousands, if not millions, of more walkers in the metropolitan area. Eventually, walkers migrate out of populous areas if there's a new smell or sound that attracts them elsewhere.
The Greene family and their guests were largely under the impression that because the farm was in a rural, isolated area, then walkers would hardly be a threat. The lone walker heading in the same direction as Rick and Shane should've been the first sign that the farm wouldn't be safe for long, and sure enough, it wasn't. A herd of walkers had followed a helicopter outside Atlanta and, in time, were lured to the farm by a gunshot.
