The Walking Dead: Season 2

I've never read the graphic novels, but this TV show has me hooked! Season one set up a terrifying world, with more gore and action than season two, but the first set of episodes of season two contain a relative calm that contrasts well with the violence that the group has been faced with daily since the zombie "epidemic" began. The show may be in a lull in terms of action/fighting/slaughter, but it maintains the fear within this lull through the scene at the school and the occasional walker, and is improving character development and the growing friction between members of the group when they are not fighting for their lives all the time. Although Herschel's place appears to be a safe haven, the world outside is extremely dangerous and this security can't last while so many walkers are still out there. This backdrop is maintained through the differing opinons of Shane and Rick, and the whole idea of a new baby coming into a world so devastated with horror.Since a big theme in season two so far is whether to stay or go, the "security" of Herschel's farm is a good contrast to the constant danger in the city. I am frustrated, however, that no one in the group has discussed with Herschel and his family the findings of the scientist at the research center. As a veteranarian, Herschel ought to understand that if all of the brain is dead aside from activity in the brain stem, that he is not getting his wife and step-son back as people. The personality, the emotions, speech and memory centers--the stuff that makes a person human is dead and decaying. I find it interesting that he considers zombification an illness, but it's a brain destroying illness, and it gives pause to think about it compared to other brain illnesses. For example, if a person in a non-zombie controlled world was to get a very bad brain illness in which their whole brain would decay away except for their lower brain and brain stem, would they want to live this way? I would guess that many people would say, "Pull the plug," especially knowing that they would also become bloodthirsty killers and try to eat their loved ones if they didn't. If Herschel was informed about the scientific experiments that were done before the CFC shut down, might think differently, being a scientist himself. However, the way they have done the plot allows Herschel to firmly add a new way of thinking about the zombies, and I enjoy the new depth this brings to the whole idea.I am intrigued by what the added characterization is bringing out in the group. I think Rick, Lori, Glenn, Carl, Carol, Andrea and T-Dog are building on the previous characterization from series 1 and so far don't see much change from them. However, Daryl, Shane, Dale, and Herschel are being explored and changing very much in the first section of season 2.DARYL: Daryl is definitely getting more likable, caring, and showing innate intelligence that was not always clear before and distinguishes him from his brother significantly. It was interesting how Daryl kept himself going while injured with hallucinations of abuse and taunting. It made me wonder how much he really misses his brother and family, and whether he could use the end of his previous life with that abuse to make himself a better person. His knowledge of the Cherokee Rose, his kindness to Carol, and the fact that he twice saved T-Dog's life, despite being raised racist and T-Dog being responsible for his brother's death, is an important signal that there is more to him than the the hick tough guy he showed at first. He almost dies finding a doll. He brings Carol out to the rose and explains it to her. He actually apologizes for calling Carol a bitch. This man is now able to explore parts of himself that had been forced inside in his old life.SHANE: I feel that Shane is getting a raw deal in his characterization overall in season 2 so far. He is portrayed as becoming more and more out of control, murderous, and selfish and there is overshadowing that he may kill Rick to get Lori back. I don't think this is fair as he obviously cares a lot for Rick, Lori, and Carl. Think of his support of Rick when Carl was shot and Rick was in shock, particularly the scene in which he holds Rick's face to his and talks sense into him about keeping it together for his boy. This scene between the two men is extremely moving and appears to be legitimate emotion on Shane's part. Carl looks up to Shane, and although Lori is in denial of it, he is a great father figure to Carl, especially when Rick seems too busy leading to spend much time with his son, and was a big support to Lori in the beginning. It takes two to have an affair, and I think Lori is being unfair having so much anger towards Shane when she does owe her life to him and as far as I can tell from the scenes at the hospital, I believe that Shane thought Rick had no chance. Shane risked his own safety when tried to help barricade Rick's room as best he could before he had to leave to save himself and Rick's family. I think the anger Shane shows is expected when Lori goes from loving him to hating him, and I will be disappointed if Shane becomes the "bad guy" in the show, suggested by the fact that he shot Otis, his dark secret that Dale throws at him telling him he is a dangerous man. However, logically, he wouldn't have made it back alive with the necessary supplies to save Carl's life if he hadn't shot Otis, and he is trained as a cop to know what to do in situations like this. Also, half of the group seemed to want to kill Otis for shooting Carl in the first place. I don't think Shane is perfect--he flies off the handle too much and is on the offensive pretty much all the time. However, he has done a lot of good for the group, leading them to safety in the first place, and has to control tons of emotion and joy lost and gained when Rick came back. He is a trained policeman, used to using firearms as a way to resolve conflict, and is bound to have mixed emotions with all that has happened between him, Lori, Carl, and Rick. To Lori, he has gone from appreciated hero to deceptive creep, and this is all due to the return of his best friend, whom he would have done anything for, but through his relationship with Lori, he will never again have the same kind of friendship with Rick and has in a way, lost him again. I was touched by the look of joy on his face when he learned about Lori's pregnancy and his care for Carl is extremely obvious and not creepy at all. I hope they are not going to turn Shane evil on us.DALE: Dale is showing more of his fatherly instinct to Andrea, although she is not appreciative of it and that seems to hurt him more than it should. He always seems strong and kind, almost to the point of irritation, but it is getting over the top now now, verging towards becoming a weakness. What do we know about him besides that he is a "nice guy" and he lost his family? People turn to him for help with their problems, and he seems to think about things slowly and in a larger context than the present. I like him and agree with his peaceful ideas in general, but I also think he is becoming more fragile this season. He shouldn't have taken the guns and tried to bury them in swampland--whether he believes in them or not, the guns are an essential way to take down walkers from far away and half of the group risked their lives going back to the city to retrieve them. Herschel is on the fence about letting them stay anyway; getting rid of the guns is a rash idea that seems to stem from his protective feelings for Andrea and not wanting her spending more time than necessary with Shane. This goes against my perception of Dale from season 1--season 1 Dale would have discussed the guns more with the group--why is he trying to make decisions on his own, based seemingly on Andrea and her rejection of him as a parental figure and friend? He is making rash decision based on emotions in the same way that he criticizes Shane for doing. When he went to the woods, I didn't realize he had the guns but thought he was going to take his own life. Dale is confusing, and changing from what he was, and I liked what he was.HERSCHEL: I already discussed my interest in Herschel's way of viewing zombification as an illness that could have a cure. I thought he had a solid, respectable character until the last episode before the break (aka, when they find Sophia). He appears to be a smart man; a man who saves lives and cares about people he knows whether or not they have become zombies. I try not to apply frightening television to my own life, but I think I would be with Herschel on keeping my family alive as zombies. It goes along with his apparently caring personality. What doesn't make sense is that he is so opposed to the group staying on, aside from the fact that they could draw more zombies, however, episode 7 brings out a major secret as far as Herschel. The discussion with his daughter hints at a perhaps less than kind Herschel in the past, but the main slap is Sophia. Here are a group of people, risking everything daily to try to find her, and all along she is in the barn. As it is Herschel and his grandson (I think) who seem to be the people who put the walkers into the barn, I just don't believe that he didn't think of saying, "Wait, we picked up a little girl of that description in the past few days. She's a walker now and in our barn." What does that say about him? I know he doesn't want to have more people on his farm and wants to try to ride out the "plague" with his family close and safe and hopefully find a cure. But to allow the group to risk their lives and Carol to continue her hope when he has very recently put Sofia in with the zombies in the barn, show that there is a side to Herschel that is completely different. I am waiting to see what happens after the break and who in the farm family knew about Sofia.Overall, season 2 is keeping my attention as much as, if not more than season 1. If you have missed it, you can purchase both season 1 and season 2, so far, and I would recommend it. This show has something for the action-lover and for the emotional watcher, while also showing solid characterization and great acting. Each episode unravels more of the plot and characters, and there has not been an episode this season so far that I have come away from thinking just, "that was okay," because each episode has something in it that is thought provoking and hooks you, waiting for the next installment! Watch it--it's worth your time.

When former showrunner Frank Darabont "left" THE WALKING DEAD before the start of the second season, I was extremely worried for its future. It seemed to be going in a very positive direction after only a few episodes in its first season, and much of that seemed to be Darabont's passion for the project as well as creator Robert Kirkman's desire to not slavishly adhere to his own source material. That was a surprising high point for the first season, since the comic itself is so amazingly good, and has several fans, that he would be more than willing to depart from his own material in order to keep audiences on their toes.It was even rumored that a major cast member was ready to walk off set since Darabont's leaving, but who it was was never confirmed, and it certainly didn't happen.But when the show came back for its first episode of the second season, it made a point of adhering to certain major plot points of the comic while keeping the relationships and characters fresh, and with Glen Mazzara as the new showrunner, it seemed like the show was going to keep going along with all of the forward momentum it had gained from the previous season. However, I had some concerns about the bonafides of Mazzara. He had been an Exec Producer on several disappointing TV series, like "Life", "Crash" and "HawthoRNe", but he was also an exec on one of the best cop shows ever, "The Shield". So, with any work on "The Shield" cancelling any of the poorer parts of his career out, it was looking like smooth scary sailing for this season.Now, it's worth pointing out that THE WALKING DEAD has easily become the most contentious piece of genre television since SyFy's reboot of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. If you look at the internet after an episode, it's aflutter with conversations proclaiming it either one of the worst shows ever or one of the best shows ever. It's also worth mentioning that neither side is right. When an episode of TWD is good, it ranks amongst some of the very best TV has to offer. Episodes like "Chupacabra" where Daryl is stranded in the wilderness, "Pretty Much Dead Already" when the group opens the barn, and "Better Angels" as Shane enacts some of his solutions to some of his problems are some of the best episodes of TV in recent memory. But further more, there is another group of viewers that sound off even more frequently than either other group: The "I'm Watching Because I Want It To Get Better" group. This is the group with the most complaints, and in my opinion, the ones with the most validity to their claims. They want the show to have tighter writing. They want the characters not to be glossed over. They don't want too many 'Red Shirts' on the show (referring of course to the old "Star Trek" and how the nameless characters existed merely to get killed in an episode). They want the show to keep moving. There are moments that I agree with all of these statements, but I'm seeing what the show is doing (or trying to do) and am much more willing to forgive the show's occasional plot hole or deus ex machina or the "This Character is About to Do Something REALLY Stupid" moments in favor of the work being done by the cast, crew and creative staff.However, it's far from perfect when plot and characters start to get bogged down from over-expository moments to a particular episode. Characters like Lori, Dale, Carol and ESPECIALLY T-Dog are essentially lost in the character arc shuffle despite the major things happen (Carol and Sophia, Lori and The Surprise, Dale and his staunch sense of humanity, and T-Dog and his... well... he did have that arm injury... yes, I'm essentially calling T-Dog a useless character bordering on being the "Token Black Stereotype"). However, when there are moments of their arcs moving forward, they do so with tremendous momentum.But even with Rick struggling to lead the group as a paragon of virtue, Andrea overcoming her personal demons and becoming a strong element to the group's assault force, Carl spending formative moments in the midst of far too many moral grey areas for a child to have to experience, the new character of Herschel and his staunch religious and moral beliefs and then having those beliefs shattered, and Glenn and his discovery of his more masculine side with the help of new character Maggie... this season belonged to one character: Shane. If there is a character that we can identify with the most AND the least, it's Shane. Here's a man willing to do anything to keep himself safe as well as the woman and child he loves. He also is willing to commit to an almost morally bankrupt existence so that he can do those things. Jon Bernthal proves to be the most versatile cast member for this season, and his arc is the most compelling. If Bernthal doesn't get an Emmy nod for his work on this season, it honestly won't make sense.Speaking of the cast, there are several who shine: Jeffrey DeMunn as the ever-watchful ever-wise Dale, Laurie Holden as the struggling-to-find-her-place Andrea, Steven Yeun as the occasionally-wisecracking and romantically-challenged Glenn, Andrew Lincoln as the constantly-conflicted Rick, but the other two strongest performances besides Bernthal are Scott Wilson as Herschel and Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon. Sadly, the weakest link to the cast is Sarah Wayne Callies as Lori. She didn't impress during her run on the show PRISON BREAK, and just seems too far out of her depth since most of her scenes are with other, better performances. Also sad are the criticisms of Chandler Riggs playing young Carl. He's actually not out of his depth here, and his character is that of a young boy who is trying to maintain some of his youthful nature despite the omnipresent death that looms around him in either physical or metaphysical form. He's reckless, impatient, irresponsible, and sometimes flat-out dumb. But surprisingly, most kids that age are like that, and I don't think that the character or the young actor deserves the criticism he gets.From a technical standpoint, the effects work on the show is flawless. Greg Nicotero, who also transitioned into directing during this season, has supervised all the VFX and makeup and has done so with an expert eye for detail, even if some of that detail is EXTREMELY gory. Other directors like Ernest Dickerson, who's directed several episodes of this show, as well as many other shows such as BURN NOTICE, DEXTER, TREME, and most especially THE WIRE (not arguably the greatest cop show ever to hit television), shows a great eye for striking visuals as well as being a very good actor's director, which was especially proven in his direction of the season finale, "Beside The Dying Fire". Other strong creative forces kept proving themselves time and again this season, such as writer/co-producer Evan Reilly, who came from another favorite show of mine, RESCUE ME, and Kirkman himself who did his share of heavy lifting in the writing and exec producing this season, despite being the writer of at least three monthly comic books as well.The only problem I have with the show consistently is the same problem I have with all action or genre-oriented entertainment: The unerring shootist or unlimited ammo UNLESS the moment requires them to run out of ammo, or miss to create tension or suspense. You see, characters walk around this show like Wild Bill Hickok in a John Woo film. Sure, there were moments when Shane and Rick taught the members of the group how to shoot, but BELIEVE ME, you still can't shoot a zombie in the head hanging out of a moving car no matter how many months you might have been practicing, and you can't fire 20-odd rounds of a 7-round shotgun. The only time the people miss or run out of ammo is when the story requires it, like reloading with a Walker creeping up behind you, or just grazing the skull of a fellow group member when if it had been a Walker, it would be a completely perfect headshot.The most common complaint I hear about this show is the lack of Walkers. That is one of those complaints that I dismiss entirely out of hand. You want constant zombie presence and constant zombie killing, watch the RESIDENT EVIL films. THE WALKING DEAD is not just a zombie show, much in the same way that BATTLESTAR GALACTICA wasn't just a space-battle show. The characters have to interact and grow, especially in an environment such as this where society no longer exists other than in their own memories. Morality is something that appears to be the relic of a bygone era, and this is a land that seems to be ruled strictly by Darwinian principles. Concepts of good and evil have become luxuries, and the new law is survival. Some members of this group believe that very strongly, and some are shouting to the heavens that there must be a better way to live other than just survival. The argument could honestly be made either way, and more often than not, those are the moments when the show can either be at its best or it can wither away any momentum it had. The show is already great, but finding a balance between words and deeds will be how the show will live or die, but there are far too many smart and talented people behind this program for that to happen. The show has only had 19 episodes. Young shows will have growing pains, but when I rewatched the season finale, there were too many things that showed even more promise for the new season.

En cuanto al producto, viene todo en perfectas condiciones y definitivamente es mejor que la versión de Zima además de que tiene mucho material extra interesante, lo malo es que no trae Slip Cover como se muestra en la imagen.

Anyone looking at these reviews, must already know the series, at this point, who doesn't?!?!?Simply put, after the first season, you start to realize that TWD has NOTHING to do with zombies, they are merely a part of a dynamic and threatening environment. This series is all about relationships and the human condition. It does not take long at all to really care about what happens to these characters. Amazingly enough, even after 5 seasons, the writers and producers of this series, still put out a show capable of keeping you right on the edge of your seat with shocking surprises, tender moments, down right tense moments and constant tests of morality. This series not only keeps it's fans but makes it impossible to walk away from it. My wife and friends all laughed at me when I started watching it, in a very short time, the couches got more crowded on Sunday nights and now it has become an "event" for every episode. I am sure that is not unique to this neighborhood.About the blu-rays themselves. Let's visit the oblivious. Excellent sound and picture, lots of extras to enjoy. It's not about the technical quality of the medium it's about the excellent quality of the story and characters.Owning your own copies is simply a must.

Ho scoperto la serie dopo aver giocato al gioco omonimo per iPad/iPhone, realizzato magistralmente da TellTale.E mi è piaciuta così tanto che ho anche comprato il fumetto da cui è tratta.La seconda serie conferma quello che già pensavo dopo aver visto la prima: la serie è eccellente, molto ben curata nei minimi dettagli, gli attori sono tutti bravi e la sceneggiatura di alta qualità.Non sono un'amante degli zombie, ma questa serie mi ha colpito perché è proprio la psicologia umana, nelle relazioni quotidiane, a essere esaminata. Gli zombie sono il pretesto per raccontare l'Uomo che all'improvviso si ritrova in un mondo a lui sconosciuto, diverso, inspiegabile, in cui è costretto a lottare per sopravvivere, a prendere scelte difficili, che mai avrebbe voluto prendere e che lo portano a essere diverso, a cambiare, a volte in peggio, a volte in meglio.Al centro delle vicende è quindi la debolezza umana. Anche l'amico più caro può diventare un problema da affrontare e il rapporto con l'estraneo assume tante sfaccettature a seconda di chi si relaziona, con chi e quando.La serie non segue le vicende del fumetto in ordine cronologico e alcuni personaggi non sono presenti nel fumetto, quindi chi l'avesse già letto, non si ritroverebbe a dire "ora succede questo, ora quello". Anche se in un'intervista, Kirkman, l'autore del fumetto, dichiara che prima o poi accade ciò che è accaduto o accadrà nel fumetto.Rispetto al fumetto ci sono delle differenze anche nella caratterizzazione dei personaggi, che non solo (e ovviamente) sono più profondi nella serie tv che nel fumetto, ma sono in parte diversi. Lascio a voi la scoperta.Che altro dire? Amerete questa serie, vi farà riflettere...

The second season of the Walking Dead comes to dvd. With all thirteen episodes and a few extras in a four disc set.The show is about a group of characters trying to survive when the world is overrun by Zombies. Although the first episode does begin with a scene designed to bring people up to speed and explain everything you might need to know about the characters and what's going on, you're probably still better off starting with season one.This is based on a long running comic. As those who have read that and who saw season one will know, it follows the comic in some ways but diverges from it greatly in others. Thus those familiar with the comic will never be quite sure what is going to happen, as some things will not play out the way the way they did in that.The season starts with Rick and his group of survivors headed out of the city and looking for somewhere safe. Circumstances force them to take refuge on a farm. Whilst they search for someone. But with tensions in the group getting greater, and with tensions between Rick's people and those on the farm, plus the likelihood of zombie attack whenever they least expect it, the place may turn out to be anything but a safe haven....The episodes are spread across the first three discs. With the extras on the fourth. The first episode runs for sixty minutes. The others for forty.This is a season that takes a while to get going, and does feel as if it has pacing issues at first. The first episode feels a little overlong at sixty minutes. And then not much drama happens in the next few. You can go a while without seeing a zombie. Also you recall that the comic did this storyline in less than six issues. And yet the show takes nearly a whole season on it.But - as per the writer's introduction to the first volume of the comic - this isn't meant to be a zombie action horror show. If you want that, you will be disappointed. It's meant to be a character drama first and foremost. About how Rick grows and changes as a person as a result of this horrifying new world, and the things that he has to do in order to survive.With the emphasis on that, and the resulting character interactions and conflict, this steadily does become very watchable and a show when you will find yourself desperate to know what is going to happen next.All of which comes together for a very memorable seventh episode.With that resolving a few things, the next few episodes then bring in a few new storylines and dilemmas. There can be those when little happens and yet they do move along very nicely because the characters are interacting so well. And most importantly, the show is forcing the viewer to think about the moral dilemmas it raises and what they might do in the same situation.Those wanting zombie action will get what they are looking for in the season finale - which contains a few things that will get the blood racing of those who know the comic - although the music does drown out some of the dialogue at points.A season that, as a whole, could perhaps do with some tightening up pacing wise. And won't please those looking for zombie action. But as a character drama, it's very good television indeed.The dvd has the following language and subtitle options:Languages: English.Subtitles; English.Disc four contains various extras:Deleted scenes from eight different episodes. These can be watched by individual episode or all in a row. The one from the season opener runs for almost ten minutes and forms a totally alternate opening to it. The ones from the other episodes are all quite short, each of them having no more than three to four minutes worth of such scenes in total.These can all be watched with or without a commentary from the executive producer of the show, where he explains why they were cut.There are various featurettes:All the guts inside: About the make up and effects in one key very gory zombie scene.Live or let die: About one of the main characters and the actor who plays them.The meat of the music: about the music of the show.Fire on set: About the location of the season and some of the visuals in the season finale.The ink is alive: In which the creator of the comic talks about the differences between it and the tv show.The sound of the effects: All about the sound effects.In the dead water: about a key scene in an early episode and the actor playing the zombie in it.You could make a killing: about those involved in one key episode late on.She will fight: also about one of the main characters and the person who plays them.The cast on season two: one of those short promo features with clips of a season and of cast members talking about what will happen in it. In generalities rather than specifics.Wardrobe of the Walking Dead; about the costume department putting together what those who play the zombies wear.The shortest of these is three minutes long. The longest is ten minutes long. All bar the cast on season two are very good and well worth a watch. The cast on season two one is just okay because although it's well put together it's not going to tell you anything much unless you've yet to watch the season.The box does promise a feature exclusive to the uk: character profiles. But this is just a short section of single text pages about a handful of the characters.Still, a pretty good season, and a pretty good box set for it.

Era la ultima que le quedaba a Amazon y como siempre no tiene ni un rasguño, el Blu-Ray genial con un gran diseño de la carátula y de la serie ni hablamos