It was a little strange that a large chunk of the cast was absent in the last episode. Maybe that's a common occurrence that I hadn't noticed before, or maybe it's a way to save some money since the show is going through budget cuts. The schism between Rick and Shane is reaching it's tipping point. I've got to think that the group is going to split in two. Hershel's group, Rick, Lori, Carl, Glen and Dale are interested in living in a normalish society and Shane, Andrea, Daryl, and T-Dawg are survivalists. Splitting the group would remove all the drama and tension so I'm sure I'm wrong (unless Shane kidnaps Lori and Carl or something), but I feel like that's the way it's headed.