The Walking Dead: Season 2 is the critically acclaimed original series from AMC, based on the successful comic book series, written by Robert Kirkman. The Walking Dead series from AMC was created by three-time Oscar nominee Frank Darabont and stars Andrew Lincoln, Jon Bernthal, Sara Wayne Callies, Laurie Holden, Dale Horvath, Steven Yeun, IronE Singleton, Norman Reedus, and Melissa Suzanne McBride. The series is about a police officer named Rick Grimes (Lincoln) who leads a group of survivors in a world overrun by zombies. *Spoilers Below*

Thinking back on the first season of The Walking Dead and still trying to shake the memory of witnessing a young zombie get her brains splattered on the highway—on through to the explosive season ending at the CDC in Atlanta, the survivors are back—with less for numbers, reminiscent on a life long past—without zombies and so much death. Season 1 was powerful, although a tad inconsistent in the beginning, whereas, season 2 started out fiercely with a 90-minute premiere episode that did not disappoint.

The story continues from where it left off  after the CDC explosion: Rick (Lincoln) opens with a monologue—an update on where he will be guiding the survivors next. If you remember in the very last episode of last season, the Dr. Edwin Jenner (Noah Emmerich), whispered something in Ricks ear at the end there. He started to mentioned it during his monologue, then completely blew it off and wound up not saying it because “it did not matter anyway.” Pretty sure we will soon find out just what the doctor said perhaps later in the season.

The goal here is to get to Fort Benning. On the road to their destination, the survivors are barricaded by a maze of cars filled with corpses—and no sooner are they forced to stop because the RV busted a pipe, as a herd of Walkers “invade.” Everyone had to duck under the abandoned cars until the dead hobbled by. In an effort to reach her mother, Sophia (Madison Lintz) got the attention of two of the walkers, and in an effort to escape, wound up missing after two Walkers forced her from the car she was hiding under. Rick immediately takes off behind them in pursuit. So instead of re-grouping and heading back to the RV and on the road to Fort Benning, the crew is out trying to find Sophia.  No worries though, there is plenty drama  to keep you occupied.  Andrea (Holden) annoyingly blames Dale (Jeffrey DeMunn) for her still being alive as he stopped her from killing herself back at the CDC when Dr. Jenner gave them the option to ‘blow up’ with the building—all the while Lori and her former lover, Shane, argue about their brief relationship.

The show featured a “zombie dissection” and a “zombie church massacre.”  For balance, Rick then has a moment with Jesus—this was an annoying moment in the show, teeming with irony, where the religious concept here wasn’t needed and featuring “the church” in the middle of a zombie apocalypse? Blasphemous? Maybe not, but totally unnecessary. What is necessary? More Daryl (Norman Reedus). Even though Daryl was not a character in the comic, he is a vital addition to the team. He facilitates that rush of adrenaline—bringing that “survivor’s edge” that the other characters don’t seem to have. He is the show’s ultimate bad-ass wielding a crossbow. Too bad Glenn (Yeun) and T-dog (Irone Singleton) didn’t get much screen time in the premiere. No worries here as well, we have all season to see more of them.

The ending was indeed a surprise; just when you think all is right again in the world, for a moment—the mood quickly changed and immediately you are reminded that you are watching a survival horror series. Hope here is minimal. The series maintains its complexity—understand, these people are trying to survive the zombie apocalypse —so the intimate moments of peace that they briefly enjoy serves to cement the series’s realism. The violence is paced and a-plenty. Successful content believability.

There’s excellent character development and just the right amount of drama between Lori (Callies) and Shane (Bernthal). Their one-time affair lingers in-between the zombie skull cracking and kill shots, with Rick still none the wiser—for now. The premiere utilized every second of the 90-minute episode, and it didn’t feel at all rushed. It set a perfect balance between the conflicts between the characters and the looming tension that at any moment, Walkers will come out and attack. You stay on your guard. What’s also enjoyable about the show is its constant gore factor. Beautifully raw and grizzled—with delicious, necessary violence. Finally a television series I enjoy watching.

Source: The Walking Dead – AMC