Dale Horvath

Dale Horvath is a main character and a survivor of the outbreak in AMC's The Walking Dead. During the initial outbreak, Dale saved Andrea and Amy, eventually finding a camp of survivors.

Overview
Dale's age, calm experience, and RV provide the nucleus around which the small community of survivors formed. He is shown to be honest, reasonable and protective. He is sometimes profound, and is the elder of the group, though is also rather feisty, not afraid to speak his mind and call others out for mistakes in judgment. He attempts to serve as "the moral compass" of the group.

Over time he, Andrea, and Amy form their own little family unit and he finds spending time with them has helped bring him back to life in a way he never anticipated, as it gives him somebody he can attempt to control. Dale is a fairly self-sufficient man, and ever watchful of the changing dynamics among the survivor community.

Location Unknown
Dale was married to a woman named Irma for years. Early in their marriage, they had attempted to have a baby, but it ultimately miscarried, which led them to not try again. At some point later, she had developed cancer. Despite Dale bringing her to several doctors, she had already accepted the disease and her eventual death, much to his dismay. Once he retired from his job, he planned to take his wife traveling with him across the country in a new RV he bought, but she died before that could happen.

Her death brought him into a great depression and he found himself not caring about anyone around him. He decided to take his RV and do the trip alone. When the outbreak began, he first encountered Andrea and Amy in distress, and the three of them soon joined up with Shane's group and settled in a quarry on the outskirts of Atlanta. He cared increasingly for Andrea and Amy during their stay at the camp-site, and used his RV as a type of "command post" for the group.

Death
Dale is patrolling around the farm at night when he stumbles across a partially devoured cow. After hearing something behind him, Dale turns around and is ambushed by a walker that had freed itself from the swamp, after Carl had provoked it earlier that day.
 * Killed By
 * Carl Grimes (Indirectly Caused)
 * Zombie (Caused)

Although he is able to prevent himself from being bitten, the walker rips open Dale's stomach. Daryl, hearing Dale's cries for help, comes to his rescue and kills the walker. The rest of the group reaches the dying Dale, bleeding from his wounds. Rick demands that they move Dale to the house to operate on him, but Hershel informs him that he would be unable to save Dale in his critical condition.
 * Daryl Dixon (Out of Mercy)

Rick lifts his gun and points it at Dale's head in an attempt to put him out of his misery, but can not bring himself to do so. Instead, Daryl takes Rick's gun, points it at Dale and says, "Sorry, brother," before shooting him.

Killed Victims
This list shows the victims Dale has killed:
 * Numerous counts of zombies

Relationships
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Andrea
Dale and Andrea seemed to have a good relationship. In the episode "Pretty Much Dead Already," Dale acted like Andrea's father, and telling her he doesn't want her with Shane. It was also said that Dale took Andrea and Amy in when the two were on their road trip to Atlanta when the outbreak began. At the end of Season 1 in the CDC, as the building is about to explode, he tries to convince Andrea not to commit suicide along with Jacqui and Dr. Jenner, explaining that she gave him a reason to live after his wife died and that without her, he would be lost. She refuses to leave, so he sits down by her side, ready and willing to die with her. Andrea decides to leave with Dale with only seconds to spare before the building explodes. It is later revealed that she resented Dale for forcing her to leave, as she didn't want his blood on her hands. Throughout the majority of Season 2 she does not forgive him for what he did, until "Judge, Jury, Executioner" where she sides with Dale in his fight to keep Randall alive, thus showing that she had forgiven him. Andrea was in tears when the group found Dale dying and was devastated by his death as was shown when she and Glenn reflected on him whilst trying to fix the RV.
 * "Too bad. You don't get to do that, to... to come into somebody's life, make them care, and then just check out."
 * —Dale persuading Andrea not to go through with killing herself at the CDC[src]

Amy
When Amy and Andrea were on their road trip they were surrounded by walkers with only Andrea's pistol, Dale came and saved them. After the incident at the CDC it is shown that Dale and Andrea had a strong relationship which became strained. Amy probably had the same sort of relationship as Andrea before she died. Dale mentions to Andrea, the she and Amy were the first things he cared about since his wife died. This shows that Dale was very sad after Amy's death and also showed that Andrea and Amy were the people he cared most for in the group.
 * "You are so weird."
 * —Amy to Dale[src]

Shane Walsh
Dale and Shane seemingly had a working relationship before Rick joined the group outside Atlanta in "Tell it to the Frogs." Between that episode and "Wildfire" the two had very little interaction though Dale seemed to respect Shane as the temporary leader of the group. However, Dale's attitude changed when he caught Shane aiming his shotgun at an unaware and helpless Rick, after which Dale thought of Shane as an unstable threat to the group. It was Dale that figured out that Shane had killed Otis in "Save the Last One." In "Secrets" Dale suggested that Shane leave the group and later in the same conversation Shane threatened to kill Dale when the older man revealed that knew what had happened to Otis. After this the two men were at odds on almost every issue, most notably on what to do with Randall. Dale's voice of civilized reason often acted as a foil for Shane's increasingly unstable, survivalist attitude. Shane appeared to be shocked and shown some sadness at seeing Dale in a dying state and would later join Daryl, Andrea and T-Dog on a run to vent their anger and sadness by killing and beating numerous walkers.
 * "I know what kind of man you are."
 * —Dale to Shane[src]

Glenn Rhee
Glenn and Dale were very close friends, especially after the group left Jim behind in "Wildfire". Glenn goes to Dale for advice frequently, often on how to deal with Maggie's seemingly inconsistent attitude towards the younger man. Glenn reveals the level of trust he had in Dale when he revealed both Lori and Maggie's secrets to him in "Secrets". Glenn saw Dale as a mentor type figure. After Dale's death Glenn breaks down when Andrea tells him that "[Dale] was proud of you..." and that "...[Dale] knew how much we (The Group) cared for him."
 * "I let him down."
 * —Glenn to Andrea following Dale's death[src]

In "The Distance", when the group's RV breaks down, Glenn remembers Dale and what Dale taught him.

In "No Way Out" Glenn acknowledges Dale being an importance in his life, along with Andrea and Tyresse to Enid.

Jim
Jim and Dale seemed to be friends as they were often seen fixing the RV together. As Jim was dying, Dale thanked him for fighting for the group's survival. Their relationship was not explored more before Jim's death.
 * "Thanks for... for fightin' for us."
 * —Dale to Jim before he turns[src]

T-Dog
Dale seemed to have a good friendship with T-Dog. When T-Dog cut his arm on the highway and became delirious, he confided in Dale about them being the weakest members of the group. Dale is later asked by T-Dog not to tell anyone about the conversation they had, Dale assures him that he never planned to, showing a great level of trust between the two. T-Dog most likely was devastated by Dale's sudden death.
 * "You can't be serious. Am I missing something? Those two cowboys have done all right by us and if I'm not mistaken that redneck went out of his way to save your ass more than once."
 * —Dale to T-Dog[src]

Morales
Dale and Morales seem to be good friends, especially when Morales arrives at the camp of Guts and Dale is very happy for him that he has survived, even when Dale tells the story on his watch in Vatos.
 * "You are a welcome sight."
 * —Dale to Morales when he returns from Atlanta[src]

Rick Grimes
Rick and Dale didn't interact much until late into Season 2 when Rick, along with Hershel and Glenn, brought Randall after Dave and Tony's group attacked Rick, Glenn, and Hershel in "Triggerfinger". Rick along with Shane decided it was best that Randall be killed, claiming that Randall could be a threat. Dale disagreed with Rick about wanting to kill Randall and that it was sending Carl a wrong message on how to deal with problems in "Judge, Jury, Executioner". Later on inside Hershel's house Rick and Dale argued along with the group of what to do with Randall. It was then decided that Randall needed to die. Later on in the night, Rick was ready to kill Randall but Carl was watching and told Rick to kill him. Rick changed his mind but shortly after Dale was attacked by the swamp walker that Carl had seen earlier in the day and ran away from. The walker ripped Dale open, beyond the point of saving him. Rick begged Hershel to perform surgery in the field, but when Hershel said that he could not, Rick sobbed. When Rick could not bring himself to kill Dale so he wouldn't suffer, Daryl took his gun to put Dale out of his misery.
 * "Dale could... could get under your skin. He sure got under mine, because he wasn't afraid to say exactly what he thought, how he felt. That kind of honesty is rare and brave. Whenever I'd make a decision, I'd look at Dale. He'd be looking back at me with that look he had. We've all seen it one time or another. I couldn't always read him, but he could read us. He saw people for who they were. He knew things about us... the truth who we really are. In the end, he was talking about losing our humanity. He said this group was broken. The best way to honor him is to unbreak it. Set aside our differences and pull together, stop feeling sorry for ourselves and take control of our lives... our safety... our future. We're not broken. We're gonna prove him wrong. From now on... we're gonna do it his way. That is how we honor Dale."
 * —Rick talking about Dale at his funeral[src]

Lori Grimes
Lori and Dale were part of the original Atlanta group, and had a good relationship. In "Secrets," Dale tries to encourage Lori about her pregnancy, sharing a story about his late wife's miscarriage. Their talk helped convince her not to end her pregnancy. Dale was also extremely concerned about Shane's mental state and his role in Otis' death, and told Lori his suspicions, helping start a chain of events that led to Shane's death. Lori was shocked and saddened by Dale's death.
 * "This place is going to Hell."
 * —Dale to Lori[src]

Carl Grimes
Dale and Carl are good friends during their stay at the Atlanta Camp. On several occasions, Dale helps to look after Carl for Rick and Lori, and cares for his well-being, even giving him advice on numerous occasions. Carl was remorseful and saddened for indirectly causing Dale's death, and tells Shane that Dale would still alive and with them had he not ran away from the walker that killed Dale. In Welcome To The Tombs, it is revealed that Carl still remembers his involvement in Dale's death and is still remorseful.
 * "Dale. It's my fault that he died. I saw that walker. I was gonna shoot it. When he was stuck in the mud. I was-- I was throwing rocks at him and stuff. But I was gonna do it-- shoot in right in the head. And it-- got free, came after me, and I ran away. If I had killed it, Dale would still be here."
 * —Carl to Shane regarding Dale[src]

Carol Peletier
Carol and Dale are good friends and look after each other during their stay at the Atlanta Camp. The two are shown to care for each other, and work together during their daily chores at the camp. Dale shows concern for Carol due to her being unable to defend herself from walkers, and protects her whenever he can. When Sophia goes missing, Dale assists Carol in finding her. At the highway, Dale tells Carol that he is willing to stay behind to wait for Sophia, to which Carol is grateful towards him for. Dale is saddened and sorry for Carol when Sophia's fate is revealed, and constantly looks after her. When Dale is disemboweled by a walker, Carol is saddened of his death.
 * "If the RV is staying, I am too."
 * —Dale offering to stay at the highway to wait for Sophia[src]

Sophia Peletier
Dale seemed to care a lot about Sophia. After the disappearance of Sophia, Dale remained on the highway with the others along with her mother and seemed very concerned about her safety and clearly believed she was still alive and wanted her found.
 * "Imagine if you applied your tracking skills to finding Sophia."
 * —Dale to Shane while in the swamps[src]

Daryl Dixon
Dale and Daryl initially didn't get along well during their time in Atlanta and the campsite, but as time goes on they have established a good friendship. When the group wanted Randall dead, Dale approached Daryl, and asked Daryl where he stands. Daryl asks if Carol sent him but Dale explains that it's not only her that's concerned about him, or his new role in the group. Daryl said that the group was already broken and that he was better off by himself. Dale asks Daryl to stand with him anyway, but Daryl won't because he believes his opinion won't matter and he knows that Rick only listens to Shane. He also mentions about how Shane killed Otis and how he didn't believe Shane's story because he came back with a dead man's gun, this leaves Dale shocked that Daryl seems disinterested at the fact Shane is a killer. When Dale was attacked by a walker, Daryl runs to the scene and saves him by killing the walker. Unfortunately, the walker had already ripped open Dale's stomach. Daryl calls for help and tries to comfort Dale in his last moments. When Hershel said that Dale couldn't be saved, a depressed Daryl takes Rick's gun and shoots Dale in the head to end his suffering.
 * "Sorry, brother..."
 * —Daryl to Dale before he mercifully kills him.[src]

Hershel Greene
Dale and Hershel are usually seen talking with each other throughout Dale's stay at the farm. Due to their relative closeness in age, the two are usually seen talking about deciding what's best for both Dale and Hershel's group. At first Hershel doesn't seem to like Dale's stubborn attitude towards him about convincing him that the walkers are not people, but eventually, Hershel warms up to him. Their relationship got better after the barn massacre and Hershel's return from his alcoholic state. When Dale asked Hershel's opinion about executing Randall, he told Dale that he doesn't want to take any part of it and told him that they should just let Rick handle things from now on. When Dale's life cannot be saved, Hershel is saddened by it, and since then, tried his hardest to take on Dale's role as a Moral Compass for the group.
 * "With all due respect, you are cut off from the outside world here. But I've seen people that I cared about die and come back, and they're not people."
 * —Dale to Hershel talking about the undead kept in Hershel's barn[src]

Maggie Greene
Dale and Maggie were not shown interacting much but they clearly had a good relationship. Both showed mutual respect during their time at the farm and Dale was very grateful to her father who had allowed the group to stay on the farm and for saving Carl's life. During the judgment of Randall, Dale asked the opinion of Maggie who answered to keep him prisoner. When Dale died Maggie was clearly saddened like all the rest of the group.

Randall
Randall and Dale were never seen on screen together, but Dale disagreed with the choice of killing him, and pleaded with Rick to change his mind on executing him, or at least speak with Randall. After his sudden death, Rick and most of the group, excluding Shane were going to set him free to honor Dales last words. This however never happened as Shane killed Randall before he could be set free.
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Appearances
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Season 1

 * "Days Gone Bye"
 * "Guts"
 * "Tell It to the Frogs"
 * "Vatos"
 * "Wildfire"
 * "TS-19"

Season 2

 * "What Lies Ahead"
 * "Bloodletting"
 * "Save the Last One"
 * "Cherokee Rose"
 * "Chupacabra"
 * "Secrets"
 * "Pretty Much Dead Already"
 * "Nebraska"
 * "Triggerfinger"
 * "Judge, Jury, Executioner"

Season 9

 * "What Comes After" (Dream, Corpse)
 * }
 * }

Trivia

 * Prior to Dale's death, it was reported that a cast member wanted to leave the show and then had a change of heart after original showrunner Frank Darabont was fired. This cast member was later assumed to be Jeffrey DeMunn. It was later confirmed by Chandler Riggs and Darabont that DeMunn departed from The Walking Dead due to Darabont's firing, but neither made mention of DeMunn changing his mind.
 * Dale is one of only 3 main characters from the original Atlanta group to have never killed a living person, the others being Sophia Peletier and Lori Grimes.
 * Dale's death shows irony.
 * He comforts Andrea due to the fact that she feels bad for accidentally shooting and almost killing Daryl Dixon. He says "Besides, we've all wanted to shoot Daryl". Later on, when Dale gets mutilated by a walker, Daryl was the one to mercifully kill him by shooting him.
 * Dale was also Daryl's first human kill.
 * In the episode "The Distance" while the group is driving to Alexandria, their RV breaks down. Glenn Rhee then fixes the problem by replacing a dead battery; Abraham Ford asks how Glenn knows that, to which Glenn replies with a knowing smile. This, although not confirmed, could be a nod to the moments when Dale was teaching Glenn about how to fix the RV.
 * The final five episodes of season 5 ("Remember", "Forget", "Spend", "Try", "Conquer") are all references to Dale's campfire story from season 1: "I like what the father said to the son when he gave him a watch that had been handed down through generations. He said: 'I give you a mausoleum of all hope and desire which will fit your individual needs, no better than it did mine and my father before me. I give it to you not that you may remember time, but that you may forget it. For a moment, now and then, and not spend all of your breath trying to conquer it.'"
 * Dale's death has a coincidental poetic quality to it. He dies right after protesting the killing of Randall Culver, insisting that they should give him a fair shot like any civilized society would do. After his death, the group begins to shed any semblance of old norms and societal conditioning, committing more and more morally questionable acts. For the Atlanta group, Dale's death truly was the death of reason and civilization, much like what Dale lamented would happen.