So, what do you think of the 2nd series so far? **SPOILERS WITHIN**

[Neil]

I'd have to say, although the hunt for Sophia seemed to have dragged on, and the episoded are definately very 'talky,' it's been very good.

I'd be more than happy if the second half of the series was at this quality! But just with less looking for lost people :)

Bring on February!


PLEASE DO NOT POST SPOILERS ABOUT NEXT SEASON WITHOUT SPOILER TAGS/WARNINGS!

[MinionZombie]

Agreed - spiffing run of episodes.

While the Sophia hunt did drag on for too long (or too long without leads that really felt solid enough) ... I think we needed to have some sort of far more substantial 'we have almost found her' leads to keep that hunt fresh. However, it did culminate in one of the best sequences of this first half of season two - wowsers!

Now, the talkiness, I think they just need to tweak the pacing of the episodes in some instances - a lot of chit-chat stuff (that's very much needed, and in many ways excellent) which lacks in some cases the 'end of part one/two/three' "dun dun dun" moment, if you will, that would help provide a little more propulsion to the episode before the big end-of-episode sequence happens. Now, a good example of a well paced episode would be the one with Daryl in the woods (2x05, if memory serves) - it had a nice run of peaks & troughs, action, tension etc. An example of the pacing being a little off would be 2x07 - the payoff was fantastic, but the first three parts of the episode did lack a certain drive. It was all interesting character stuff, but it was a little odd watching it ... I was kind of thinking "when's the big drama going to happen?" - however, as we all know, it exploded at the end of the episode. Wonderfully done, but I think 2x07 needed a bit of a tweak earlier on in the episode to provide a touch more propulsion to the quieter/talkier moments - a bit more tension, like.

But yeah - a great series of episodes - 2x03's twist with Shane and Otis was a brilliant one (it's just a shame that it was spoiled for me completely by some berk elsewhere on the internet who posted a comment along the lines of 'what did you think of what Shane did?' - which, if you're aware of the context of 2x02's ending, is patently bloomin' obvious!).

Gore wise - some excellent work from KNB - the RV zombie in 2x01 was the best zombie look (and performance) of the entire season (with 'Zophia' coming a close second, I think) ... also, the two zeds that Daryl takes out in the woods was excellent, the half-decapitated drug store zombie, the really gross and bloated zombie in the well (when it split in half and poured its guts everywhere I reeled in joy/revulsion). Yeah - some excellent moments from KNB!

I do wonder what (if anything) will come of the footage that wasn't used from the original episode one (apparently episodes one and two were combined into the 2x01 that we know and love) ... although considering Rick would be wearing his cop uniform, I doubt it could even be used ... perhaps a flashback? Hmmm ... hopefully we'll at least see that stuff on the DVD/Blu-Ray (speaking of which - I'm still pissed us Brits don't have the Special Edition of Season 1 on our shores).

Bring on February indeed!

[Legion2213]

Spent way too much time on the farm and hunting for Sophia...but it's still the only zombiegeddon TV series known to man so I will continue to cut it some slack when it's a bit under par..anyway, when this season has been good, it has been very good indeed.

My main and biggest complaint of this season is the sheer waste of ammo or lack of explaination as to why they can just blaze through so much. One minute, Otis and Shane are down to a bullet each, a day or two later, people are pissing rounds away down the new shooting range. Even an off-hand comment about finding a stash would have gone a long way to righting it in my view

Bottom line is that this show is very enjoyable, even when it isn't playing it's best game, if it disappoints in places, it's only because we have seen what this show can deliver when it's on form...still hoping for a bit more in the second half of the season though.

Oh, Daryl and Shane seem to have been given the most character growth for me the last several episodes, we've seen a lot of changes with them both, I'm holding judgement on Glen, we'll see if he develops a bit more in the second half of the season after his chat with cowgirl Magie.

Edit: Febuary seems a long way off all of a sudden...:(

[krisvds]

They do take their sweet time moving the plot along don't they? What took 7 episodes could have been told in three or four without really compromising on the human drama. In fact I would be happier with a leaner second season that was half as long but would move forward a bit faster. The overall soapy feel of the series can sometimes really kill all tension. These characters at times feel way too cosy in their world.
Still, as most have stated, when it delivers, boy does it deliver. When it's at its bleakest, most depressing the series comes closest to the tone of the books.

[bassman]

I've enjoyed the hell out of it. Along with some others, I still maintain that this is easily the best zombie related effort since 1985.

As for the final half of the season? A fellow member on another forum posted this picture from the promo reel that reveals a (Proceed at your own risk)

*BIG SPOILER*
spoilerific return of a character.:
Episode 101:http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111102235833/walkingdead/images/thumb/0/09/Morgan-K.U.jpg/250px-Morgan-K.U.jpg

Episode 209(or anywhere in the second half): http://i39.tinypic.com/ief3fl.png

It could just be wishful thinking, but the skin and clothing make it certainly appear to be the return of Morgan. If so, i'm a happy camper.

[Legion2213]

I've enjoyed the hell out of it. Along with some others, I still maintain that this is easily the best zombie related effort since 1985.

Between "The Walking Dead" and "The Dead" (movie) it's been a quality year for zombie stuff.

[shootemindehead]

Been very good so far. I have a few complaints, but it's nothing that wasn't there in Series 1.

At times it can feel like there's nothing to worry about and the lack of zombies in this zombie apocalypse can be a bit annoying. But when they do show up, they are usually excellent. Loved the RV zombie and the well zombie and enjoyed the gory scenes for what they were. Also enjoyed how the series has treated their characters too, this time around. They didn't add any more useless eaters, like T bloody Dog and whatever the hell that black woman was called and they progressed Otis and Sophia in a totally different direction, providing good moments with their reveals, even if the "in the barn" moment was sort of signalled before it happened.

Overall, my only damning complaint is the fact that I have to flippin wait around for two bleedin months to see the rest of the show.

As the AWESOM-O 4000 would say..."Lame!"

[AcesandEights]

As for the final half of the season? A fellow member on another forum posted this picture from the promo reel that reveals a...

Already more than I wanted to know :|

MOD: I've amended his thread. Apologies on his behalf! I swear we're going to start dishing out warnings/bans soon if people can't post nicely!

[Neil]

I've enjoyed the hell out of it...

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE BE CONSIDERATE WITH SPOILERS! I've amended your post!

[bassman]

I had it in spoiler tags?!?

[AcesandEights]

Yeah. Same here. Whats going on? Are you mods sure you haven't got some specialmode switched on?

No.

I can't speak for Neil, but I believe he was referencing the description of the picture that was not in the spoiler tags, which has been removed. I considered it borderline when I read it, as it was both a plot reveal and had a fair amount of specificity (the options dwindle pretty quickly when you think about what was originally posted), just more information than I cared to see. It's not a surprise that someone else felt similarly.

I get that at other forums, especially official forums or general social media sites, it becomes a case of lets outdo each other with leaked info and then it almost seems like that leaked info is common knowledge, but it's not to those of us trying to avoid those sorts of details. Sometimes what is considered a spoiler is going to come down to personal opinion or may even be revealed later on in the lead up to an episode via commercials, but in the meantime I think plot points and/or twists from leaked info need to be considered as spoilers.

[Neil]

I had it in spoiler tags?!?

I edited your post to move the sentence BEFORE (outside) the spoiler tag, to inside the SPOILER tag. For myself (and some others) this is a definate spoiler:-

"spoilerific return of a character," in reality probably only mean probably one of two different characters... So now we know to expect this, which is a real shame...
If in doubt SPOILER it please.

Anyway, enough SPOILER discussion :) I've removed some of the discussion about this matter to keep the thread on topic :)

[Ragnarr]

[from the Little Rascals]

SPANKY: "Don't drink the milk!"

OL' CAP: "Why?"

SPANKY: "IT'S SPOILED!!!"

My main criticism of TWD season 2 is that they are firing their weapons way way too much. Where are they getting all this ammunition they seem to have? Why isn't the 'no gun noise because it will attract walkers' rule still in effect?

[kidgloves]

My main criticism of TWD season 2 is that they are firing their weapons way way too much. Where are they getting all this ammunition they seem to have? Why isn't the 'no gun noise because it will attract walkers' rule still in effect?

Shane said in ep 103 that he had over 700 rounds. They gave some away to Morales but not many. Rick also gave guns to the Vatos but they were from his bag.

[babomb]

They do take their sweet time moving the plot along don't they? What took 7 episodes could have been told in three or four without really compromising on the human drama. In fact I would be happier with a leaner second season that was half as long but would move forward a bit faster. The overall soapy feel of the series can sometimes really kill all tension. These characters at times feel way too cosy in their world.
Still, as most have stated, when it delivers, boy does it deliver. When it's at its bleakest, most depressing the series comes closest to the tone of the books. I'll 2nd that emotion. Pretty much the same way I feel about it. I'd just add that I'd like to see alot more of the burnt out world. I'm seriously burnt out on the whole farm setting!! Big time. It has nothing to keep me interested. I need more situations similar to Shane and Otis raiding the school for supplies or Shane and Andrea at the housing development. Those are the shining moments IMO. I was pretty unimpressed with the mid-season finale. The ending scene was decent, but it was short.
This is a zombie apocalypse for gods sake! So let's freakin see it already. I can handle the drama, I know it's central to the entire premise of the show. But it isn't why I'm watching the show. I think they're gonna start losing viewers though if that's all they're gonna be focusing on. They need to pick up the pace, and start giving us more than the same old love triangle and searches for missing people.

[Mr.G]

My only issue is that outside of the herd episode, it's been too safe for everyone. I'd prefer more atmosphere of being trapped which I felt in the original trilogy and Shaun...

But if that's my only concern, I'll be a happy consumer!

[Thorn]

I really have enjoyed it, I can not think of anything I would overly want to change. Pacing does not bother me, though I understand the idea that giving more leads in the hunt for Sophia to make it seem like they were closing in would have made it much more tantalizing. You need those sort of high and low points to keep the drama interesting... so yeah that could have been improved on.

The show really has not let me down too much even going back to season one, the whole CDC thing aside which I personally didn't care for.

I also have to agree, best zombie offerings since the the original trilogy.

[MinionZombie]

Every zombie kill from 2x01 through 2x07:

gWgHU3HW3lg

[Legion2213]

We need a drooling smiley...

[ProfessorChaos]

Every zombie kill from 2x01 through 2x07:

gWgHU3HW3lg

thanks for posting that, man. and to think that there's some out there who say this show doesn't deliver on zombie action....

[babomb]

They sure did expend alot of damn ammo to put down those barn walkers!! Alot of body shots that amount to wasted rounds.

[Wyldwraith]

About the ammo situation,
There have been a few comments by a couple of characters since the Big Bag O' Guns was retrieved that seemed to indicate they were talking about a HUGE amount of ammunition. If you think about it, as badly hit as Rick's home town was (So far gone the military were EXECUTING non-ambulatory patients? That's pretty conclusively indicative of the proverbial excrement having hit the fan some time ago.) it's quite possible that next to none of the other deputies from Rick & Shane's county survived. Even if they did, between the ones who didn't think of it, the ones who thought of it but decided not to risk it, and the ones who tried to make it to the station but either had to turn back or were killed en route, out of a comparatively small Sheriff's Department Rick could feasibly have been the ONLY ONE to make it to the station with the idea of stripping it bare of everything useful looter-style mindset.

If that proved to be the case, even an Andy Griffith/Mayberry-small Sheriff's Department would likely have several thousand rounds of each commonly used caliber. Why? Civil Service contracts. Buying in bulk of anything always drives the price-per-item down, so it makes even more sense for a small county Sheriff's Dept. to buy boxes of ammo in bulk than a larger/better-funded county.

Speculation aside, every time someone has picked the Big Bag O' Guns up off a flat surface, it's seemed like they're lifting something a lot heavier than your average carry-on sized luggage. While a goodly portion of that weight is no doubt the numerous guns packed into said bag, boxes of ammunition can be quite compact. Since Daryl's complaint to Rick when leaving the Vatos was about the guns Rick gave away and not ammunition given away, there's another piece of (admittedly thin) circumstancial evidence that they started out with a very large amount of ammo. Which makes sense if you think about the circumstances under which Rick packed the bag of guns & ammo. He was about to set off in search of his wife and son while traversing God-only-knows how much Walker-infested territory between him and his objective.

Rick can only feasibly use so many guns, but since he couldn't know how long it might take him to find Lori & Carl, and DEFINITELY couldn't know when he might have another opportunity to stock up on ammo (the condition of the hospital and the neighborhood streets would've been a pretty blatant clue that looting is a factor in what happened while he was still unconscious),....there's no reason to believe Rick wouldn't have just packing bricks of ammo into that bag until it was stuffed. I've consistently tried to find an angle where you can pause a frame on the digital cable and get a look at the gun-bag's interior, but to no avail.

I agree that popping off rounds like they have been is wasteful and reckless, but we can't know as viewers HOW wasteful and/or reckless their carefree use of ammo is without first knowing what kind of supply we're talking about.

Also agree that the "Walker Firing Squad" at the barn was a damned disgrace in terms of near-point-blank range torso shots by people who damn well know better. If you noticed, the worst offenders are easily T-Dog and Glenn (what a surprise, eh?)...Daryl seemed to be the only one with a shotgun firing judiciously. Glenn and T-Dog were as close to Spray-and-Pray as one can get with semiautomatics, and that's just sad. It doesn't take a marksman to hit something bowling-ball sized that's moving on a steady trajectory and slower than human walking speed at under 20 feet. I would've rather seen more near-misses slamming into the barn doors at zombie head-level than that barrage of torso-shots.

Thoughts?

[MinionZombie]

After the shooting range target practice they all did a few episodes prior, it was interesting to have the barn shootout there as essentially a practical, moving target practice for the rest of them - you deal with the barn, but you also deal with getting some of the others some target practice.

[AcesandEights]

Also agree that the "Walker Firing Squad" at the barn was a damned disgrace in terms of near-point-blank range torso shots by people who damn well know better. If you noticed, the worst offenders are easily T-Dog and Glenn (what a surprise, eh?)...Daryl seemed to be the only one with a shotgun firing judiciously. Glenn and T-Dog were as close to Spray-and-Pray as one can get with semiautomatics, and that's just sad. It doesn't take a marksman to hit something bowling-ball sized that's moving on a steady trajectory and slower than human walking speed at under 20 feet. I would've rather seen more near-misses slamming into the barn doors at zombie head-level than that barrage of torso-shots.

Thoughts?

I disagree. These are supposed to be real, believable people, most of whom have little firearms experience, facing down a decent crowd of the undead. There were two cops and a super-redneck there, who probably shouldn't even be as effective as they are often portrayed. Everyone else should have been scared so shitless that they couldn't remember the basics. I'd much rather this than all of the group having their switches flipped and turned into professional head shot plunking assassins like Andrea after an afternoon of target practice.

Nah, the waste of the ammunition in that case needs to be laid at the feet of Shane, who had a Roger-moment, acted crazy and put everyone in danger (which is fine from a character perspective) by forcing a confrontation at a time and by methods other than the group's choosing.

[rongravy]

They sure did expend alot of damn ammo to put down those barn walkers!! Alot of body shots that amount to wasted rounds.
I tried to keep count but quit somewhere after 30. Shameful.

There were two cops and a super-redneck there, who probably shouldn't even be as effective as they are often portrayed.
Ha, most the rednecks I know are crack shots, including me own dear pappy. You might think they're dumb, but they sure can work on cars and hunt like a mofo.

[AcesandEights]

Ha, most the rednecks I know are crack shots, including me own dear pappy. You might think they're dumb, but they sure can work on cars and hunt like a mofo.

Nah, Daryl is just too never-miss, commando to be believable. He's country and fieldcraft savvy, not a former member of the spetsnaz. Generally speaking his performance has been way above par. I'd like to see him a little more damaged and numb to what's going on if he's going ot keep pulling the rambo antics.

[Thorn]

I love the guy but he is too super hero, action movie hero to me, he needs to be more human. I think they need to tone it done. OF COURSE it appeals especially to comic book fans, but I like the idea of him being more human. I think we are moving that way these days showing his mental issues, and his lashing out at Carrol. It shows his flaws, now he just needs to not be Peter rushing to the roof in the super hero ending of Dawn so much, and a bit more Roger making mistakes when he gets to geeked up.

[MinionZombie]

I think Daryl's plenty human - he just happens to be very skilled when it comes to survival and shooting arrows ... but he clearly has had a damaged childhood, and his time in the woods alone recently certainly did a number on him (ear necklace, anyone?) ... then add in his growing, but strained, relationship with Carol (which involved him stropping off when it seemed to him that she was giving up on ever finding Sophia, calling her a "stupid bitch" in the process), and I think Daryl's got plenty of everyday human in him. Some people have specific skills or talents - his happen to be crossbows and wilderness survival, and that's not exactly superhuman. :rockbrow:

[AcesandEights]

Some people have specific skills or talents - his happen to be crossbows and wilderness survival, and that's not exactly superhuman.
MZ, if it were just being good at crossbows and wilderness survival I wouldn't have a problem with it.


:rockbrow:
:rockbrow:

[DEAD BEAT]

I'd have to say, although the hunt for Sophia seemed to have dragged on, and the episoded are definately very 'talky,' it's been very good.

I'd be more than happy if the second half of the series was at this quality! But just with less looking for lost people :)

Bring on February!


PLEASE DO NOT POST SPOILERS ABOUT NEXT SEASON WITHOUT SPOILER TAGS/WARNINGS!


I just hope they don't stay @ that farm for too long, cause i'm gonna lose wood on that.

Part of the series charm is the destruction going on in the city....i know i'm not alone on this one!

[krisvds]

I just hope they don't stay @ that farm for too long, cause i'm gonna lose wood on that.

Part of the series charm is the destruction going on in the city....i know i'm not alone on this one!

You are not. It wouldn't surprise me if they stayed until the end of this season though. The real question is; why are they going to leave now that the barn is empty?

[bassman]

I just hope they don't stay @ that farm for too long, cause i'm gonna lose wood on that.

Part of the series charm is the destruction going on in the city....i know i'm not alone on this one!

Assuming they stick fairly close to the comics - We won't be seeing the city again. From here on out they stay at locations pretty much in the wild, but not Atlanta. There will be another (Northern) city WAY into the future, but I don't expect to see that until at least season five or six.

[DEAD BEAT]

Assuming they stick fairly close to the comics - We won't be seeing the city again. From here on out they stay at locations pretty much in the wild, but not Atlanta. There will be another (Northern) city WAY into the future, but I don't expect to see that until at least season five or six.

DAM! Lol

[fulci fan]

Is episode 7 the last episode of season two?

[AcesandEights]

Is episode 7 the last episode of season two?

No, they are doing a mid-season break till February...we're only halfway(ish).