Season 2 is peak TWD

I know a lot of people will disagree with me but in my opinion, Season 2 is peak TWD. I still love most of the show, seasons 1 - 5 as a whole kick ass, but the farm era is really the best of the best. All 13 episodes are just pure bliss for me and because I really have nothing better to do, I sat down and figured out why.

• This whole season is about being on the cusp, straddling that line between hanging onto your humanity or putting survival above all else. It is endlessly fascinating to me and the fact that they took the time to show each character’s struggle and journey with this was amazing. The world of TWD was still in the process of changing at this stage. They were between the “before” and “after”.

• Walkers were still dangerous and the main threat. I know this couldn’t go on forever and it makes sense that the characters all adapt as the show goes on, they absolutely should have and it’s not a flaw that they did. But because the walkers were scary, that fear is palpable. That terror all the characters had against an enemy as broad and illogical as the dead made the horror aspect so good. I honestly don’t feel like TWD is a horror show past season 7. After Negan, things became way too uniform and predictable. But in season 2, you didn't know what to expect. The premiere episode, What Lies Ahead, where they’re on the highway and the herd comes through...that’s still one of the best walker encounters. I’ve seen it a billion times and still always catch myself holding my breath.

• Character development & interactions. The way those things are handled in this season is perfect and I really miss it later. We see characters pair up and interact that you wouldn’t immediately expect, like Glenn and Andrea, T-Dog, Lori, and Beth, Shane and Carol, Dale and Lori, etc. By season 4 or so, characters mostly branch off into their niche groups. Despite them being broken at times, the whole “family” thing is honestly more believable in season 2 than in season 5 because half of the characters have barely interacted at that point. And you still see little moments in these days like the characters preparing food, doing laundry, passing the time by reading, etc.

• Deaths mattered. This is something that annoys me a lot as the show goes on. Characters drop dead and you rarely if ever hear about them again, let alone see a funeral. But while on the farm, there are call backs to characters like Jim and Jacqui, and even though we as viewers don’t know Beth’s mom or brother, you see how their deaths (post mortem) have a ripple effect on their family. We only know Otis as the dude who shot Carl and yet his death is a big deal. Deciding whether or not to kill Randall who had even been shooting at Rick, Glenn, and Herschel isn’t taken lightly. When Dale gets bit and dies, you truly feel his loss throughout the entirety of the following episode.

These are the main components that made season 2 a perfect storm (again, just in my opinion). Let me know if you agree/disagree and feel free to add on!

Submitted September 13, 2021 at 12:01AM by the_queen_of_nada https://ift.tt/38Z5WmW