Dale Sweeney

Dale Sweeney is a reporter and the protagonist in the episode "Mournin' Mess".

Early Life

Dale Sweeney is a down-on-his-luck reporter. He is also an alcoholic and compulsive womanizer, because of his careless attitude and alcoholism, he was failing at his job and paying his bills.

It is implied that he was once a top reporter until his vices and addictions got the better of him.

Bio

Dale wakes up with his latest one night stand and realizes that his electricity was turned off and his alarm didn't go off. He is late to the Grateful Homeless Outcasts and Unwanted Layaway Society's press conference at their new cemetery, he kicks the woman out and heads off. At the cemetery he runs into his rival Climsky, who was sent in as his substitute and he remarks that Dale is losing his touch. Climsky enters a porta potty and Dale locks him in with his comb. The chairmen of the Grateful Homeless Society Copard introduces the young and attractive spokeswoman Jess Gilchrist to take questions, whom Dale immediately notices. Dale asks Jess aren't the Grateful Homeless Society better off spending their money trying to help the living instead of the dead and she responds that there are already other charities and organizations that do that. in the background Roebuck is helping himself to shrimp at the buffet table.

Back in the office, Sweeney is fired by his boss, Elaine Tillman, who is tired of his constant tardiness and irresponsibility and is thrown out. Sweeney returns home with bottle in hand and is ambushed by Roebuck, the homeless man being accused of the recent homeless murders. Roebuck wants Sweeney's help in clearing his name by writing a article and tells him to hang around the cemetery after sunset. Then he will reveal everything about the Grateful Homeless Society, stating there is a conspiracy with city officials involved. Thinking that this lead will help him get his job back, Sweeney agrees.

The next morning, he heads to the cemetery as instructed by Roebuck and is sidetracked by Jess Gilchrist and uses his press credentials to get her back to his apartment. He seduces her and attempts to get her to talk about the Grateful Homeless Society, while recording with a tape recorder. She catches him in the act, breaks the tape and angrily leaves. Later that night, Sweeney goes to meet Roebuck in the alley and finds him fatally injured, before he can say anything important, he dies.

Sweeney heads back to his home and learns that he has been evicted from his apartment. With little money left, he decides to buy some some alcohol and falls asleep outside in the streets and is rained on, Sweeney tries to get his job back, but Elaine ridicules him and threatens to have security remove him. Sweeney learns she hired his rival Climsky in his stead. She orders Climsky to write a report on Roebuck's funeral at the Grateful Homeless Cemetery, invigorated and motivated to get his job back, Sweeney heads to the cemetery to investigate and redeem himself...

Dale goes to the cemetery at night and waits like Roebuck told him to. After waiting for a few hours, he is surprised by the dirt mound on Roebuck's grave sinking. Digging the ground, he find a door and tries to open it and he falls through. He finds himself in a underground cavern with coffins and bones everywhere. He hears someone opening and door and tries to escape from the doorway he fell through but can't reach it. He climbs into a nearby coffin and discovers Robert's mutilated corpse and screams, alerting his pursuers. They discover him and carry the coffin away with Sweeney screaming inside it.

When he opens the coffin, he finds himself on a fancy dinner table in a dining room full of paintings of historical figures with scarred lips, pointed ears and sharp teeth. At the end of the room, Copard welcomes Sweeney and reveals the true identity of the homeless killer and the organization G.H.O.U.L.S. and that they are in fact ghouls. More ghouls enter the room and Copard comments on how it has been so long since they had fresh meat.

Fate

Horrified, Dale attempts to escape and is stopped by Climsky, who reveals himself to be a ghoul. Climsky tears off one of Dale's ears and dips it in sauce and Copard licks it at it and they begin laughing. Injured, he sees Jess walk in and calls out for her to help, but she reveals to be a ghoul herself and devours him face first.

Behind the Scenes

• He was portrayed by actor Steven Weber, best known for the sitcom Wings and the Vietnam film Hamburger Hill.
• In the original ending from the comic, Sweeney's fate was unknown. The story ended with him being shown the truth about G.H.O.U.L.S; there was very little indication whether or not he was killed and devoured by them, managed to somehow escape, or joined them in exchange for his life. In the TV adaptation, his fate is shown; having his ear ripped off and eaten, and then being devoured off-screen.