The Walking Dead

[BatmAngelus]

Anyone else watching this series?  So far, I'd say Season 2 has been much better in developing the characters and has been making the right changes from the comic.  Shane is definitely more interesting in the show than in the comic and the latest episode, in dealing with Lori, was far more dramatic than what I remember in the comics.

[Paul (ral)]

I haven't read the comics but I am enjoying the show - however I am finding this second season is dragging a little...just find the girl already! 

Other than that - great show.

[BatmAngelus]

however I am finding this second season is dragging a little...just find the girl already!

Seriously, this is probably the most annoying thing about this season.  I was surprised by the end of the first episode that they hadn't found her.  Then surprised that she was still missing in episode 2....and now, we've had episode 6 and she's still missing.  It's gotten old.

There better be a big payoff here.

[phantom stranger]

Just started watching it recently. It's the first show I've been hooked on since The X-Files.

My problem with this season isn't so much the slow pace as it is the cliche subplots and dialogue. What I loved about the first season was how unpredictable it was. But having your characters sleep with each other is as predictable as TV gets.

This season is longer than the first so I'm hoping things pick up soon. But given the fact that there were budget cuts and a staff shake-up after the first season aired, I'm not too optimistic.

[BatmAngelus]

(SPOILERS ON THE MID-SEASON FINALE)

I watched the latest episode last night and honestly, the ending wasn't nearly as shocking as it was hyped up to be for me.  Part of it is 'cause I had read the comic- I knew the barn would open up and there'd be a slaughter soon.  I wasn't sure how they'd do it, but I was looking forward to seeing their take. 

While the final minutes of this were really well-shot with an appropriate musical score, it was flat for me, writing-wise. 

First off, the plot issue that Hershel's wife and stepson were in the barn was poorly handled, in my opinion.  The reveal was so casual and matter-of-fact in the previous episode, as opposed to the big one in the comic.
In this episode, there was absolutely no reaction or indication of which zombies were the wife and stepson before they were killed by Shane and the gang.  Contrast that with the comic in which Hershel himself comes to realize his mistake when it's too late and shoots down his zombified children.

Which brings me to another issue- in the comic, there was at least some character development through Hershel in the barn scene.  In this episode, there wasn't much character change from anyone at all (it seems like Rick shooting Sophia was supposed to be one, but it didn't feel that way to me).  It felt like Hershel just gave up and watched everything happen.

Then there's Sophia.  This whole "missing child" story arc will probably go down as one of the most needlessly drawn-out plots in the series.   She had been gone for so many days and episodes that I was pretty sure she'd end up as a walker.  When she turned out that way, I thought, "Prediction fulfilled."  It honestly would've been more shocking if she had turned up alive (though obviously hard to believe). 

Not to mention that Sophia didn't make much of an impression, character-wise, when she was alive or have much of a relationship with the main characters, so her fate just didn't resonate much emotion for me other than the fact that she was a young girl.

While the zombie scenes are still intense and the effects and make-up are top-notch, I think the writing on the show needs work for it to keep going and match up with AMC's other shows, especially the powerhouse Breaking Bad.

[The Joker]

All I can say is, ... I anxiously await Feb. 

[phantom stranger]

All I can say is, ... I anxiously await Feb. 

All I can say is...I anxiously hope there is a big payoff to this season. Preferably, before the season finale.

[thecolorsblend]

I gave up on this horrid TV show the episode before they finally found that Darwin Award-winning little girl. It breaks away WAY too much from the comics, both in terms of plot and in terms of character. That pilot episode had SO much promise but so little has been realized. I'll stick with the comics. I hate to be one of those "the book is better" a-holes... but, hey, the book really is better.