The Walking Dead Season 2 DVD Review

Starring: Andrew Lincoln, Jon Bernthal, Scott Wilson, Sarah Wayne Callies, Laurie Holden, Norman Reedus, Jeffrey DeMunn

Running Time: 585 minutes

Certificate: 18

Extras: Featurettes, Deleted Scenes, Character Profiles

THE WALKING DEAD exploded onto screens in 2010 with great promise. A weekly zombie show? That could cover all the emotions and situations 100-minute long films could never fully explore. It was fronted by Frank Darabont and starred our very own Andrew Lincoln, but at only 6 episodes in length it simply left the audience wanting more.

Almost as soon as the second season began, the show had its detractors. Many criticised the majority of the season being set on a farm, and the amount of screen time dedicated to an uninteresting love triangle between the main stars. It certainly takes its time building up to the action, but this is precisely why the show works. There are hundreds of zombie films you can watch for endless action and horror, but what THE WALKING DEAD realises is that with well structured characters, each death can have a mighty impact.

As already stated, this season mostly takes place on a farm. It becomes a sanctuary for the survivors of Season One and a place for them to finally gain some perspective on their situation. The first half sees them searching for the missing girl, Sophia, and the second half sees the gradual disintegration of the group as Shane becomes more unstable. The beauty of this show is the characters. This really is a drama, in which the living are the heroes and villains. Sometimes one character can change from one to the other within just a few episodes. As such, it’s harder to rally against the zombies: they are simply mindless, and mostly used to instigate ferocious action scenes.

For this season, Norman Reedus as Daryl is a highlight. He takes on the task of finding Sophia with such a passion it opens him up and takes him from the shadow of his brother, even though the memories still haunt him. However, the best character remains Shane. He does the right thing, but for all the wrong reasons. Unfortunately, the writers tend to try and paint him as just villainous rather than give us a balanced portrayal. It should be left for the audience to decide on who they support in a situation like this, we don’t need to be forced.

With so many characters, there are those that let the series down. Although Dale as the group’s conscience works for the most part, with him trying to keep as much humanity as possible, he becomes almost psychic at times and just seems to know stuff. T-Dog is kept in the background to such a degree that it becomes a running joke. Whenever he has a line it’s a sudden reminder he is part of the show. He’s the Where’s Wally? of THE WALKING DEAD universe.

This season can be slow, but when the action hits, it’s exciting and tense to such a degree that it towers over its zombie-themed brethren. The effects are still shocking at times, and it’s good to see slow shuffling zombies rotting before your eyes. They may be shufflin’ without Bodyrockers being anywhere near the house, but they are a huge threat and clearly believe in strength in numbers. Overall this is a strong season, but the series is still finding its footing, which can lead to some lacklustre moments. Judging by the Season Three trailer and the inclusion of ‘The Governor’, THE WALKING DEAD is about to give us what everyone wants: strong stories centred on complex characters, and lots of horror and action.

Extras: The Season Two set is filled with some brilliant extras. The feauturettes really do open up the world of THE WALKING DEAD in great detail, covering everything from music to make-up. You get to see some very detailed deconstructions of scenes such as ‘The Well’ scene, as well as the writer of the comics, Robert Kirkman, discussing the differences between screen and panel. The deleted scenes range in quality, but the first one is fantastic. It’s a very lengthy season opener that was cut that sees the survivors return to the hospital they visited in season one. It adds to the relationships and goes someway to enhancing Daryl’s obsession at finding Sophia, as well as some hints at what we can expect in Season Three.

  THE WALKING DEAD SEASON 2 is released on DVD and Blu-ray 27th August 2012.