The Walking Dead - Season Two (1 Viewer)

[joshEH]

I guess it's not my call, but I would assume some would rather not know who the robed figure was until the show tells them.
Yes, Adam, I almost wet myself over that scene. I didn't even know that introduction was bring made.

Agreed, but if you'd never read the comic book and then watched the live talk show immediately afterward (as probably lots of folks did), they pretty much spoiler-broke the entire character-reveal during it.
Was just reading that Robert Kirkman and artist Charlie Adlard will be debuting "Michonne's Story" in next week's issue of Playboy, meant to segue way into next season's episodes with her backstory. (Finally, a time when I can actually say "it's for the articles.")
Gotta say, Michonne's entrance was great. Makes me want to see the show just jump ahead a few years, and show all the insane ways people have begun to cope with the zombies. Sort of how the first Mad Max film looks like a plausible near-future, and then Road Warrior shows up, all kinds of unhinged.

 

[ScottH]

Seeing all that water definitely got me thinking, couldn't water be a safehaven? There's gotta be some islands out there that aren't infected yet. Of course if they're not self-sufficient islands then all of the people are probably dead or about to be from starvation.

 

[Greg_S_H]

We'll have to agree to disagree on that one because I couldn't disagree more.    Even putting aside the fact that he should have told them, I thought it was just completely unrealistic that he didn't. After hearing what the scientist told him, one of the first things any person would do is tell at least someone.  Even if it was in a sort of nonchalant way.  Like, "Hey,you won't believe what that quack just told me."

It makes sense to me. Until Shang went down, he wasn't sure. Plus, he's right that it does nothing but freak people out about something they can't change.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

We'll have to agree to disagree on that one because I couldn't disagree more.   Even putting aside the fact that he should have told them, I thought it was just completely unrealistic that he didn't. After hearing what the scientist told him, one of the first things any person would do is tell at least someone.  Even if it was in a sort of nonchalant way.  Like, "Hey, you won't believe what that quack just told me."

I think it's one of those things where who you are feeds into how you react to it. I tend to keep my own counsel on a lot of stuff, and I see Rick in the same way in that aspect. He's decent enough, and perhaps arrogant enough, to take the whole burden all on himself.

Agreed, but if you'd never read the comic book and then watched the live talk show immediately afterward (as probably lots of folks did), they pretty much spoiler-broke the entire character-reveal during it.

I 100 percent agree with Greg in principle, and was careful not to reveal it, but since they've already cast the actress and we've got seven months until the third season premiere, getting spoiled is probably inevitable.

Seeing all that water definitely got me thinking, couldn't water be a safehaven? There's gotta be some islands out there that aren't infected yet. Of course if they're not self-sufficient islands then all of the people are probably dead or about to be from starvation.

I was thinking the same thing watching "Alcatraz". If I were living in the Bay Area when all hell broke loose, I'd be hopping on the first ferry out. The only problem in that case is supplies. San Francisco would be at least as overrun as Atlanta, which means you're either traveling a long way by boat for each supply run, or you're walking straight into hell regularly.

 

[Greg_S_H]

I 100 percent agree with Greg in principle, and was careful not to reveal it, but since they've already cast the actress and we've got seven months until the third season premiere, getting spoiled is probably inevitable.

Anecdotal, but I've read all but the last Harry Potter books and have managed to know zero of what happens in The Deathly Hallows, even with two major motion pictures.

 

[joshEH]

As someone who owns and rides motorcycles...Daryl, for God's sake, get rid of that horrible-handling piece-of-shit Harley. I know it's Merle's, and you want to remember your bro, but given the state of affairs in the world now, a motorcycle isn't the best choice for getting around, especially if there's a whole herd of walkers standing in the road.
If you want to keep the bike so bad, get a truck and haul it around. Sorry, but watching him try and maneuver that thing around the zombies with Carol sitting on the back...I was just waiting for a walker to stick an arm out and knock them off the bike.
Also, I know it's been mentioned, but Hershel's hilarious shotgun -- I counted something like 14 shots, and one of them was an absurd impossible double-tap. You couldn't fit that many shells into a shotgun-drum.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

That's impressive!:tu:

 

[Greg_S_H]

If you're referring to my post, thanks. The trade off is having to put up with the bugs and cold, living under this rock.

 

[joshEH]

I desperately want to see a spinoff series with T-Dog abandoning the group to make his way "to the coast." Has he been harboring this secret urge to leave the group all season?
What does he envision is waiting for him there? Was it always his plan to trick Lori into coming with him?
I'm also glad that Carl got to burn some stuff, so he can complete the serial-killer Criterion trilogy of torturing animals (zombie stuck in the mud), lighting fires, and, I assume, pissing himself to sleep.

 

[Bryan^H]

Looks like season 3 is going to mirror the comic book series quite a bit. It's one thing I don't dig. I was loving the fact that the show was starting to become its own entity. But now, well dammit I practically know everything on the horizon so obviously my interest will decline.
I'll continue to watch it, but as someone wiser than me once said
"Been there, done that".

 

[Brook K]

They definitely delivered on Michonne, so happy they didn't mess with it too much. Was so excited I yelled out loud. The prison reveal was great too. This was back to the quality of the 1st season for me, and gives me much hope for season 3. This season had gone so far off the rails I was worried they weren't even going to do the prison. I can only hope that S3 punches aren't pulled the way they were with Shane's death.
First time I watched Talking Dead and glad I did. I learned I've been mispronouncing Michonne's name this whole time. I thought the explanation for Rick withholding "the Secret" was plausible.
I just wished they'd off'd Carol. Can't stand the character. Your suggestions for T-Dog are hilarious Josh.

 

[Tony J Case]

Enjoyed the finale, although it was frustrating at times.  I don't understand why Lori was so upset Rick killed Shane.  And I really don't understand why Rick withheld that information about everyone carrying the "virus".  There was absolutely no reason to other than for the writers to get some cheap drama out of it.

No kidding. Why is everyone getting so mad at Rick? Holding back that information isn't a big deal, its not like they could do anything about it - and hell, he didn't even know if the information was right in the first place! For all he knew Dr McBatshit was an order of fries short of a happy meal!
The other problem I had with the episode? Why did all of the women suddenly get all Lady Macbeth? Maggie is trying to convince Glenn to abandon everyone, Carol is whispering power plays in Darryl's ear, and Lori decides to mourn her rapist and get mad at her husband for killing him - despite urging him to do so a few days previous.
Those couple of quibbles aside, I thought it was a kick ass episode.

 

[Lucia Duran]

Where to even begin....
Probably the best episode of S2! I enjoyed every minute of this show and even had to go back and rewatch it. From the opening sequence of the zombies following the helicopter out to the highway and then on to the farm. That beautiful barn burning scene...man it was awesome! Best scene of the night...Michonne!!!! I seriously was not expecting her at all and when they showed her, I jumped up and yelled with joy! That was perfect!
As for the Lori/Shane/Rick situation... she most certainly goaded Rick into killing Shane. The fact that she got all pissy with him once he confessed what happened just proves what a whack job she is. I hope her baby dies inside her, turns and eats her from the inside out! I cannot stand her! I'd honestly rather keep Carol around then Lori. Carol is nothing but a whiny space waster in my opinion. I was really sad that Andrea was left behind, but I soon realized that she was going to be okay just because she is so bad ass!
I don't think Rick was wrong for NOT telling the group about the virus. It would make no difference. His little " this is no longer a democracy" speech has me thinking we will be seeing a phone in his future...lol.....one can only hope! I love Rick's character, but I do think he is going to be losing it very soon. His son is certainly on the "Shane" path. I think it is inevitable that Carl will go off and do some pretty crazy things... he has been through too much for that NOT to happen.
I am a Daryl fan forever! That man could go batshit crazy and I would follow him til the end. I don't know what it is about him, but he has "cool" down to an art.
Seeing the prison at the end...to beautiul for words! LOL!

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

If you're referring to my post, thanks. The trade off is having to put up with the bugs and cold, living under this rock.

Hee! When I bought Deathly Hallows (the day it came out) I considered wearing ear plugs on the trip to the book store. I basically went off the grid until I'd finished it.

I desperately want to see a spinoff series with T-Dog abandoning the group to make his way "to the coast." Has he been harboring this secret urge to leave the group all season?
What does he envision is waiting for him there? Was it always his plan to trick Lori into coming with him?

I have this vision of T-Dawg on a beach along Tybee Island or somewhere pinned down between the Atlantic ocean and an oncoming wall of zombies.
And I definitely don't think Lori was part of the plan. He said basically the same thing to Dale when they were waiting on the highway back when Sophia was still thought to be alive. I think he just has more trouble than most suppressing his survival instinct to do what's more. The difference is that, unlike Shane, he ultimately does do that -- and is ultimately happy he did.
Speaking of Sophia, I'm wondering if it was Michonne that had holed up in that abandoned house Daryl had found signs of someone recently living in when he was hunting for Sophia. After all, someone had to eat that can of tuna or whatever.

Looks like season 3 is going to mirror the comic book series quite a bit. It's one thing I don't dig. I was loving the fact that the show was starting to become its own entity. But now, well dammit I practically know everything on the horizon so obviously my interest will decline.

The show has always said that it will stick to the broad outlines of the comic, but will continue to color outside the lines fairly frequently. After all, Hershel's farm was in the comic, but my understanding is that what went down on the farm was quite different. My guess is that the same thing will apply to the prison. We know where there going, but it's still a pretty open question what happens when they get there, at least on the particulars.

They definitely delivered on Michonne, so happy they didn't mess with it too much. Was so excited I yelled out loud.

While I don't know what the deal is with the armless, jawless pet walkers, having a sword actually makes a lot of sense. You never have to worry about running out of ammo with a nice melee weapon.

This was back to the quality of the 1st season for me, and gives me much hope for season 3. This season had gone so far off the rails I was worried they weren't even going to do the prison. I can only hope that S3 punches aren't pulled the way they were with Shane's death.

It's been an interesting season from a writing standpoint. The last few episodes fully under Glen Mazzara definitely had a different feel. There are pluses and minuses to the approaches of both showrunners.
Frank Darabont's tenure had better writing and characterization in my opinion. The story flowed from the characters, rather than the characters being manipulated to serve the demands of the story. With the exception of Sophia running off, there weren't an of the major headscratcher moments that have become too common in the last few episodes. On the other hand, the pacing was almost mind-numbingly slow without enough payoff.
Glen Mazzara's tenure feels more like conventional television. As heavily arced as the show still is, each episode feels like an episode rather than another chunk of an ongoing, very long movie. Moments like Dale's death happen because the show's looking for an emotional punch, rather than evolving naturally. The dialog doesn't have the same grace to it. On the other hand, the pacing is far more engaging and the tone is much grittier. You feel the desperation in a way you didn't even in the first season, except when Rick got trapped in the tank. He's burning through story faster, which makes each episode more of an edge-of-your-seat affair.

No kidding. Why is everyone getting so mad at Rick?

One of my favorite parts of the episode was the culmination of everyone taking Rick for granted. All season long, everybody shits on him behind his back when he falls short while treating his successes as if they're to be expected. In the tension of being trapped outside without shelter on the side of the road, the sniping finally got to the point where it carried on with Rick in earshot. And after swallowing shit from ever since Sophia ran off, he finally said turned around and basically said, "Nut up or shut up. You think you can do better? Feel free to hit the road and take your chances. But if you're going to look to me for the all the answers, you're going to do what I say and you're going to shut the fuck up about it." I thought it very telling that the one person who has consistently nutted up all series, Daryl, is the one person who's never had anything bad to say about Rick. He's seen a lot of disappointing alpha males over the years, and he knows a good one when he sees one. Rick's always treated him with respect and he's going to return the favor.

Where to even begin....
That beautiful barn burning scene...man it was awesome!

On "Talking Dead", Mazzara said they were shooting the zombie scenes in the barns when an AD or someone noticed one of the beams was about to go. As they were resetting the shot with all of zombies safely out of the range, one of the camera operators noticed the barn was about to go and setup the camera and got the shot of the barn roof collapsing. It wasn't planned, but it intercut beautifully with Hershel's last stand before running off with Rick and Carl.

 

[joshEH]

Best line of the night went to Daryl: "I could tell it was an Asian driving." THAT'S the white-supremacist Daryl we all know and love.
Second-best line actually went to Hershel, of all people: "Jesus promised us the resurrection of the dead. I just...I thought he had something a little different in mind."

 

[TravisR]

Best line of the night went to Daryl: "I could tell it was an Asian driving." THAT'S the white-supremacist Daryl we all know and love.

I liked "I ain't got all night" when he pulled up on his motorcycle and saved Carol. That was pure Han Solo cool badass guy.

 

[Dave Scarpa]

I'm about up to issue #30 of the comic series and am wondering how they will adapt this portion of the comic, the stuff in the Prison, and with the Governer is very Dark and Graphic, I wonder if they will go this far? The Chatracters in the comic are much more Dire than the ones on TV.

 

[Greg_S_H]

I just wonder how patient those who said, "Get off the damn farm!" will be for the prison. It was the setting for about four years worth of comics (but just months in character time). Even I was sick of the place.

 

[JonZ]

^ With 16 episodes, maybe we'll see the prison storyline wrap up in 1 season. Dale, Sophia,Otis.. some of the characters who occupied time in that storyline are gone. There is no Tyreese.
I'm sure theyre not oblivious to the complaints about the show this season.

 

[TravisR]

If they change locations every season, they'll be ahead of the comics by the end of S4 or maybe S5. Not that that stops them from deciding to do their own thing but I don't know if they want to deviate THAT far from the comics.
Potential TV show spoilers and comic book spoilers

Spoiler

After the prison, they're on the road for awhile but the reality of producing a believable post apocalyptic world on a TV budget means that it won't take long until they end up in the community. A good chunk of viewers complained about the farm being boring and they were at the prison for a long time in the comics but I think the community is the slowest point in the near 100 issue run of the book. That's not to say it's bad but if people complain about the farm or the prison, they'll be asleep for the community season.