TV Series Review: THE WALKING DEAD – Season 2 (2011)

One of the best shows to come out in recent times has been THE WALKING DEAD. The only 6 episodes of Season 1 were so amazing, that we were all waiting with baited breath for a full compliment of Season 2. Sad to say it didn’t have the same effect as Season 1.

Season 2 sees the troupe of Zombie Apocalypse survivors take refuge in a Farm, untouched by the carnage. From having to save themselves and meeting new friends and eventually finding out the truth about the Zombie infestation in the World… Season 2 touches upon a LOT of interesting subjects and has the characters deal with a variety of issues.

However, the pacing, plot points and some inconsistency in continuity kind of ruin this Season 2. Number 1 complaint: everyone seems to be just standing around and talking. Sure, that was present in Season 1 as well, however, it seems to be ALL that they do. Some character motivations and psychology are just plain, said out loud by the character themselves. “I’m sad… therefore self destructive.” WTF? That’s character development?

I think they’re hiding… can you tell?

The plot moves very slowly in certain parts, while breezing through things in other parts. The whole ‘missing girl’ angle was dragged on a lot longer than necessary, however effective it was when it reached its conclusion. Norman Reedus’ Darryl character had the best characterization and sub plot this entire season. He was one character who was done brilliantly. The rest… eh.

THE WALKING DEAD lost a lot of its magic from Season 1, as this Season seemed, inconsistent at best. The conflicts and supporting characters just seemed irrelevant. A lot of it felt like it was crammed in there, for the sake of layering and diversity. Characters didn’t grow or develop, they sort of just did 180’s into whatever they needed to be in that moment. It’s almost as if the writer’s had double the time to tell the story, but didn’t know how to do it.

Despite these flaws, Season 2 still had some awesome reveals and killer tension. It was a mediocre Season of THE WALKING DEAD, however, still better than other shows at their best. The downfall of Shane is what probably stands out this Season. Shane is awesome for so many reasons. Being the black sheep of the group, he’s the asshole who has to say / do the things everyone else is thinking, but are unable to due to still trying to hold onto their humanity in this crazy times.

tortured soul… poor guy

THE WALKING DEAD is still interesting enough to watch and be invested in as a continuing TV Series. It’s the only Zombie show on TV, and it’s only because of high expectations that we knit pick the small things. However, it the writing doesn’t improve from Season 3, then, being unique will not save it from cancellation.

Get The Entire Season 2 Blu ray