It was a great season for zombie fans and an even BETTER season for farm enthusiasts. Yes, Season 2 was often slow, very often dull, sometimes confounding. However, what it lacked in the beginning paid off big time in the end, as the last 5 episodes were a mad dash to inevitable disaster.
Rick. B+
Rick was forced by his friends and by fate to do a lot of horrible things this season. If there was a dirty job to be done, like taking out the trash, or killing a little girl or stabbing his best friend, it fell to Rick to carry out the task. Does anyone thank him? No. Everyone just complains and second guesses him, even the dumb old ladies who don’t know what it takes to stay alive in Zombieland. (Carol.) Here’s hoping that next season, Rick finally takes charge and stops caring about what every idiotic glorified extra that has leeched onto him thinks about.
Highlight: Blowing away the two hoodlums in the saloon.
Lowlight: Getting the dizzies from donating blood to Carl.
Shane. A-
Shane had a clearly defined arc this season, even if it was a tad inconsistent and unstable. Then again, part of Shane’s villainous charm is his inconsistency and unstable…ness. I don’t know if it was a conscious decision to make him like a force of nature, but it worked. He was a true animal: he charged into sensitive situations like a rhino, he planned sinister schemes like a snake, he pounced on unsuspecting prey like a tiger. Until, that is, he got shot in the head like a zombie.
Highlight: Shooting Otis and watching his soul disappear with his hair.
Lowlight: Empowering Andrea to be even more annoying.
Lori. D+
Oh, Lori. She’s the poster child for all the problems The Walking Dead faces in Season 3. She’s indecisive, weak, stupid, prone to acting without thinking, selfish, and lacks a shred of self-awareness. Simply put, she’s poorly written. Her lowlight is the most shockingly low on this page. I’ll cut her some slack because she’s carrying Shane Jr but jeez lady. I know swollen ankles hurt but just calm down.
Highlight: Voluntarily confessing her sins to Rick.
Lowlight: Getting in a car accident on a deserted road.
Daryl. A
I like how Daryl was still unstoppable badass zombie killing machine, while simultaneously . Nobody wanted to find Sophia more than Daryl, and nobody failed harder. Watching Daryl attempt to process his disapointment and spirtual ennui with his tiny redneck brain was a great way to flesh out his character.
Highlight: Besides EVERYTHING? Taking the gun from Rick to kill Dale himself.
Lowlight: Pouting in his tent after Sophia’s death.
Herschel. A+
If we’re talking about character arcs here, there is none I thoroughly enjoyed more than Herschel’s. I was frustrated with him at the beginning, he was as stiff as his starchy white suspenders, protective of his undead family and cold to Rick’s pleas for help. When he finally had to face reality, however, he turned to a stone cold bad ass. Did you see how he worked that shotgun in the finale? I mean, JESUS.
Highlight: Firing infinite shotgun rounds into infinite zombies on his front lawn, of course.
Lowlight: Reading the Bible during a leisurely lunch.
Carl. C+
If there is any comic relief on this show, it’s Carl. Unfortunately it’s not intentional. The kid wanders aimlessly around the apocalypse with no supervision and has gotten into more trouble than you would think is humanly possible. Here’s the deal for season three, Carl: stick with your mom and try not to do anything so stupid it makes 9 million viewers throw their remotes in anger.
Highlight: Telling his father to kill an outsider.
Lowlight: Hazing a Mud Zombie and getting Dale killed in the process.
Dale. B+
I was shocked and truly saddened to see Dale go, even if his last few episodes had made him a little shrill. It was as if he was on a Republican on a screaming Fox News talking head show and he just kept sticking to the same talking points: “I somehow know Shane is evil,” “we can’t lose our humanity” etc etc. He was one of the sharpest character and so well acted and he will be missed.
Highlight: Pressing his forehead up to the barrel of the gun in his final moments.
Lowlight: Somehow being supernaturally aware of Shane killing Otis.
T-Dog. F
I don’t want to say The Walking Dead is racist but…they are pretty much ignoring one of the coolest characters they’ve got. Please, The Walking Dead, flesh him out. I would trade every scene of Andrea for thirty seconds of T-Dog talking about where he came from or who he is. You can’t just pretend he isn’t there – he’s not a doorman! T-Dog gets an F because he has the potential to be Daryl’s cool jive talking sidekick. But he’s been benched in favor of more scenes of Carl’s unspeakable idiocy.
Highlight: “Aw, hell no!”
Lowlight: His mysterious absence from episodes 4 through 11.
Andrea. B+
If you read my regular episode reviews, you might be shocked – SHOCKED – by this B+. I admit that I’m harsh on Andrea, but it’s mostly because of her acting. Let’s step away from her tone-deaf acting choices and look at what Andrea accomplished in Season 2: she rejected Dale’s paternal instincts, stood up for herself, and became a survivor. I may not like her but goddamn it, I respect her.
Highlight: Having the courage to reach over and just cold grab Shane’s junk. We all thought about it. She had the guts to do it.
Lowlight: When she talks. Also when she fucking shot Daryl.
Carol. B-
From a character stand point, Carol suffered the most from Season 2 being split into two halves. She went from poignant, grief stricken center to glorified extra with fewer lines than T-Dog. T-DOG. Oh, but then in the finale, she suddenly decides Rick is evil. GREAT.
Highlight: Her shredding the flowers that were once a symbol of hope for her daughter.
Lowlight: Getting demoted to T-Dog level “featured extra” in the second half of Season 2.
Glenn. B+
Out of all the miserable goons on this show, Glenn seems like the only one I’d want to have a beer with a sake with. He’s a laid back guy with a good head on his shoulders who consistently goes out of his way to risk his life for the good of others. Case in point: he almost got eaten alive trying to get Lori her PRECIOUS birth control. Dear Glenn, please grow a little back bone next season, stand up for yourself to Maggie. Tame the donut, respect the eggroll.
Highlight: Getting laid.
Lowlight: Getting cockblocked by a barn full of zombies.
Maggie. B-
Maggie is a strong, likeable female character. I hope she gets more screen time and doesn’t completely turn into a quivering mess, as she did briefly in the season finale. She does seem to be scaring away Glenn by moving too fast for him, but more power to her! She knows what she wants and she’s taking it.
Highlight: Finally realizing her life long Asian fetish.
Lowlight: Standing up for Herschel’s idiotic beliefs/Zombie Barn O’ Fun.
Sophia. A-
Yes, we all spent the first few episodes of the season frustrated beyond all belief with Sophia’s disappearing act. She gets an A here for the symbolism she took on. I don’t know if there was a better scene all season than Zombie Sophia staggering out of the barn, blinking at the sun. For that scene alone, she gets an A.
Highlight: Getting turned into zombie.
Lowlight: Running away from the stream when Rick TOLD YOU TO STAY PUT.
Jimmy. F
Like, T-Dog, here is a character who had some actual potential, and it was completely wasted. Even his violent zombie death was unforgettable. I mourned more for Dale’s RV.
Highlight: His death.
Lowlight: His life.
