Dale Horvath

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Dale Horvath is a character featured in the stories: *The Charming Dead*

**Dale Horvath** is a main character and a survivor of the outbreak in *The Charming 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.

## Pre-Apocalypse

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.

## Post-Apocalypse

### Season 1

#### Tell It To The Witches

When the other survivors return, he greets all of them back. He also introduces himself to Rick, Prue, Piper, Phoebe and Paige. Later that night, Rick and the sisters sit around the fire and tells their stories to the group and decide what to do about telling Daryl Dixon about his brother Merle Dixon. The next day, Dale strips Glenn Rhee's stolen car until he, along with others, find a walker eating a dead deer that wandered nearby the campsite. When Rick and Piper decide to go back to Atlanta for the Sheriff's Bag of Guns and Merle, Rick asks Dale for some tools, mainly a pair of bolt cutters to cut the chain and handcuffs to save Merle. Dale snivels about loaning out tools but then hands them over, he then continues to watch over the campsite on top of his RV.

#### Vatos

The next day he's on lookout duty and observes Andrea and Amy fishing on the lake. He then notices Jim strangely digging holes on the hillside. He decides to check up on Jim and offers him water, but Jim acts strange and refuses water, leaving Dale worried and confused. He returns to camp and alerts the other survivors about Jim's delirious behavior. Dale approaches Jim once again, with Shane, Lori, Phoebe, Prue, Paige and several others. Lori explains that his actions are scaring people and Shane tries to reason with Jim, in which he responds with hostility so Shane detains him. Phoebe also has a premonition of Amy being buried and confronts Jim, while also getting into an argument with her oldest sister, Prue. Later that evening, Dale finds Andrea and Prue in the RV looking for wrapping paper for Amy's and Phoebe's birthday gifts, in which he responds that he doesn't have any, but will try to look for something as a substitute. That night, during the fish feast, he enjoys the food and company of his friends.

When asked about his watch and how he is always winding it, he speaks of time and paraphrases a passage from William Faulkner's *The Sound and the Fury*.  Moments later, the camp is attacked by walkers and he helps defend the remaining survivors.

#### Wildfire

The morning after the attack, he helps some of the other men burn, chop up, or bury the dead. He and everyone else is at a crossroads when they learn that Jim has been bitten, and struggle to decide what has to be done with him. When they argue about granting the man's wish to be left to die, he notes specifically that this is what Jim wants and that his say is the only one that matters. He and the rest give their goodbyes to him and leave for the CDC.

#### TS-19

Dale and the rest of the group are admitted into the CDC by Dr. Edwin Jenner after going through a blood test to ensure none of them are infected. He is introduced to the luxuries the facility has to offer, including hot water and real beds. He enjoys dinner and wine with everyone. He later learns about TS-19 and Dr. Jenner's work, and the fall of the CDC's infrastructure. He asks Jenner about the countdown timer and Dr. Jenner reveals the purpose of the timer and shuts the control room's door. As the survivors finally get Edwin to open the door for their escape, he attempts to flee with Andrea, but she opts to remain behind. Dale manipulatively states that he is going to stay with her against Andrea's wishes after explaining that she doesn't get to make him care about her and just leave him. At the last minute Dale and Andrea run out of the CDC and take cover as it explodes.

### Season 2

#### What Lies Ahead

Dale and Andrea's friendship is put into question when Dale refuses to give Andrea the gun her father gave her in fear of her possibly repeating her suicidal intentions she attempted at the CDC building at the end of Season 1. Dale implies he saved her life, and after a snappy remark from Andrea he claims he would just like some gratitude from her. This stirs up angry feelings in Andrea and causes her to reveal to Dale that after Amy died, all she wanted to do was to stop living in the current apocalypse, and the only reason she decided to leave the building was because she did not want Dale's blood on her hands. She claims he "stole" her one escape from the supposed nightmare they are living, and that she was not his problem to worry about or take care of. This drives a deserved wedge between the two. Later while Rick, Prue, Shane, Glenn, and Daryl were away to find Sophia Peletier; Dale take the Book of Shadows. He is caught when Phoebe tells Piper and Paige that she can't find the Book. Dale says that he took it because after what Phoebe and Paige told him at the CDC, it would attract evil to the group and it was best if the Book gets destroyed. However, the sisters make Dale give the Book back and moments later three demons attack. Dale witnesses the sisters vanquish two of the demons, while the third escapes.

#### Bloodletting

There is a small confrontation with Dale and T-Dog where they watch over the RV while the group is looking for Sophia. During this time, T-Dog starts to get a fever and is delirious from the cut he suffered on his arm prompting him to feel as if him and Dale are the "odd men out" in the group because Dale is old and 'weak' while T-Dog is the "only black man". He explains to Dale how he feels and implies they should take the RV and leave together, Dale, being the rational man he is, suspects something is wrong with T-Dog and feels his forehead, realizing T-Dog has a severe fever, possibly due to infection, and attempts to take care of him. Just a little bit later, Dale and T-Dog are greeted by two survivors: Sheila Morris and her son D.J. Morris. They explain that they traveled from San Francisco to Atlanta in search for some friends. T-Dog asks Sheila if she knew Prue, Piper, Phoebe and Paige. She says that she does, and Dale allows them to stay with the group. He also asks Sheila if she had any knowledge in the medical field, but she said that she wasn't and only knew the basics.

#### Save The Charmed One

Dale does not appear physically in this episode-chapter. He only partakes in off-screen plots during this episode-chapter.

#### Cherokee Rose

Dale, Andrea, Daryl and Carol arrive at the farm are reunite with the rest of their group. Dale also helps with the well walker, saving T-Dog's life before he could drink the contaminated water.

## Killed Victims

This list shows the victims Dale has killed:

* Numerous counts of zombies.

## Appearances

The list below shows the episode-chapters that Dale has appeared in:

### The Charming Dead

#### Season 1

* Tell It To The Witches
* Vatos
* Wildfire
* TS-19

#### Season 2

* What Lies Ahead
* Bloodletting
* Cherokee Rose

## Trivia

* The final five episodes of season 5 of *TWD* ("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.'"*

 Note

* **All information is subject to change. As well as information will be added and removed.**