Monday, November 28, 2011

AMC's The Walking Dead Season 2 Mid-Season Finale


This is the one picture that can truly explain the first half of Season 2 in AMC's The Walking Dead. After the group shoots all of the zombies that come out of Herschel Greene's (Scott Wilson) barn, I wondered "did I see his wife come out"? I knew there would be at least one more person to exit the barn and the secrets that Herschel and the family had been hiding from the group. What I did not expect was to see the one person that has brought the second season to life in the search for Sophia Peletier (Madison Lintz) as a zombie. I will be honest, I got the chills when we see her little feet and I knew it was her. This was the very moment that made me say I love this show more and more. Shane Walsh (Jon Bernthal) and the posse were able to shoot Herschel's family members and friends with no problems, but would they be able to kill little Sophia? 


Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) is the leader of the group even though Shane has been with the group from the beginning. We know that Shane has lost it a tad during this season, but you have to ask did he really lose control or is he only thinking of survival. Did Shane have to kill Otis (Pruitt Taylor Vince)? Afterall, Otis did shoot Carl (Chandler Riggs) when he was innocently looking at the deer. This was also  a great moment for The Walking Dead as a series in general. The world is a huge nightmare where most of civilization has died or become a zombie, but through all of this, we see a quiet, peaceful moment in Carl's eyes when he stares at the deer. 
 

 I have to think back at the first episode of this season and say what an incredible way to set the tone for this amazing show once again. Back to the question at hand though, is Shane a mad man? Has he lost it?
I can say that Shane hurt his leg pretty bad, so he was not able to run that fast, and Otis was not that fast as well. Survival of the fittest? 


 One thing I do know is that Otis admitted to shooting Carl by accident because he was on the hunt for the deer. Otis is the first to say I will help Shane and find the medical supplies that will be necessary to help Carl. Through all of this madness, we learn a little more about the secrets the group is hiding from each other. Herschel may be the one to save Carl's life, but was he a hero to make them stay outside and not welcome the group into his home. Maggie Greene (Lauren Cohan) struggles with her father to except the group into their home, but he stands his ground. 

They hold a secret in the barn and Herschel knows that Rick and the group could not ever except this. Herschel is a caring man, which is why he is there to help Carl. He cares so much that he believes that the zombies are still human and that there may be a cure for his family someday. He knows that humans may be the true threat to humanity, which is why he may not welcome them into his home.

Secrets are being kept throughout the whole second season of The Walking Dead. Lori Grimes (Sarah Wayne Callies) sends Glenn (Steven Yeun) on a mission with Maggie for supplies and something extra for herself. This leads Glenn and Maggie on a few adventures and a building of a relationship that becomes another secret for most, especially Herschel. Other secrets that are revealed are that Lori finds out she is pregnant, but whose baby is it, Shane's or Rick's? This answer will be revealed in the second half of the season next February. Lori finally reveals the biggest secret to Rick and tells him that she had been with Shane. Rick takes it surprisingly well, but I think he took it too well to be honest. Is this a secret hatred that Rick may reveal later on? Rick is definitely a strong person, but I am concerned he may lose it later on. 


Throughout this season, Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) becomes a very popular character because of how much he grows in this series. He may be the true hero that is on the hunt to find Sophia and bring closure with the loss of his brother, Merle (Michael Rooker).  Thanks to Daryl, he saves T-Dog's (IronE Singleton) life as well in the first episode. Thinking back to the first 25 minutes of the first episode is awesome because of the simple fact that the group stayed so quiet waiting for the "herd" to pass. It was a very intense scene! Is Merle really dead though? Was he able to escape his fate on the roof in Atlanta and cut off his hand? We may need some closure to know Merle's fate on that roof top. Daryl becomes a very likable person because he does show some emotion and we see how much he does care about trying to find Sophia throughout this season. 

Daryl's life is nearly short lived though and I did think he was a goner. I thought he was going to die in the woods when he was out on his own, but Merle helped him to survive, then came Andrea (Laurie Holden) holding and aiming the sniper rifle at what she thought was a "roamer". Andrea actually learns to control the gun who nearly lost her life in the first episode, but thanks to Dale (Jeffrey DeMunn) for handing her that screwdriver. We learn that Shane and Andrea have an intimate moment and Andrea seems to get what she wants. Dale is a big part of this team and he seems to be the one that the team trusts the most in holding secrets. Dale knows that Lori is pregnant, he knows that Shane had an affair with Lori, he knows that Glenn is with Maggie, he knows that Shane killed Otis, he knows that Herschel is hiding something big in the barn, and I think Dale is hiding the secret that he really cares for Andrea more than she knows. 


Wow, what an amazing first half of the second season in The Walking Dead! I missed a lot in between, but this is what I remember most in this incredible ride. Carl does survive the gun shot and he gains Rick's hat and even learns how to shoot a gun. I think we may even see him having to use it in the second half of the return in February. The main focus of course in this season was the disappearance of Sophia. She was finally found in last night's episode, but not in the way we wanted to see her. Who was going to be able to kill her? 


In the end, Rick does the deed. Was it something he really wanted to do? Was it necessary? Rick had to do it to show his true compassion for Sophia and her mother, Carol (Melissa Suzanne McBride). I really think Rick actually may have been the strongest to really be able to handle this task.

AMC's The Walking Dead is by far my favorite series on television today. I loved the first season and the second carried on very well without missing a beat. The series is well written and the shows are well directed with an amazing cast. I love the fact that it is not only about the zombies, but the struggles in how humans can survive in a world like this. I look forward to the second half of the season in February because I am very curious how Herschel will react to this horrific outcome of his family and friends. Is Shane going to go off in the deep end and go crazy on the group? How is Rick truly going to feel about Lori as she continues in the pregnancy? Who will the group encounter in their next adventures? Who are we going to lose next?





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