Judge, Jury, Executioner

"**Judge, Jury, Executioner**"
"Judge, Jury, Executioner"
The Walking Dead episode
	Daryl prepares to kill Dale out of mercy.
Episode no.	Season 2; Episode 11
Directed by	Greg Nicotero
Written by	Angela Kang
Original air date	March 4, 2012
Guest appearances
	IronE Singleton as Theodore "T-Dog" Douglas; Lauren Cohan as Maggie Greene; Emily Kinney as Beth Greene; Michael Zegen as Randall Culver; Scott Wilson as Hershel Greene; Jane McNeill as Patricia; James Allen McCune as Jimmy;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "18 Miles Out"	Next →; "Better Angels"
	The Walking Dead season 2
	List of episodes

"Judge, Jury, Executioner" is the eleventh episode of the second season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series The Walking Dead. It originally aired on AMC in the United States on March 4, 2012. In this episode, Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his group opt to execute Randall (Michael Zegen), much to the frustration of Dale Horvath (Jeffrey DeMunn). Dale fears that the group is losing their humanity, which prompts him to persuade some of the group members to protest against the consensus. Meanwhile, Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs) behaves recklessly and carelessly, going as far as to steal Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus)'s gun and harass a walker, which will ultimately initiate grave consequences for the group.

"Judge, Jury, Executioner" was directed by Greg Nicotero and written by Angela Kang. It explores themes of declining morality and humanity during a catastrophic event.

The episode features the death of Dale, who was severely injured during an attack by a walker. It also marks changes in the character development of Carl, who evolves into a desensitized character who loses his naivete to the world around him. "Judge, Jury, Executioner" features recurring appearances from several actors and actresses including Lauren Cohan (Maggie Greene), Emily Kinney (Beth Greene), Scott Wilson (Hershel Greene), Michael Zegen (Randall Culver) and IronE Singleton (T-Dog).

Commentators praised DeMunn’s performance, and cited the character development and concluding scene as episode highlights. Upon airing, "Judge, Jury, Executioner" attained 6.771 million viewers and a 3.5 rating in the 18-49 demographic, according to Nielsen ratings. It became the highest-rated cable telecast of the day, as well as the highest-rated cable program of the week.

This episode marks the final appearance of Jeffrey DeMunn (Dale Horvath).