If Kirkman, writer/show runner Glen Mazzara ("The Shield") and the rest of the team continue doing what they're doing--and following the template Darabont created--The Walking Dead can have a bloody long life.

The Walking Dead hasn't lost the most important ingredient in its strangely successful recipe: it's thrilling.

Season 2 so far is still a watchable feast of decayed human flesh and frayed nerve endings.

The show creates tension--through atmosphere and characters the audience cares about--and offers so many make-you-jump scares that by the end of an episode, you're left breathless.

The bottom line is, if you liked the what the show was dishing out in its first season--genre storytelling made with admirable restraint and economy, except for those jump-out-of-your-seat scary/gross moments--you're likely to enjoy what you see in season 2.

As we head into Season 2, it's becoming increasingly clear that they [the actors] can't make these characters interesting, because they're too thinly conceived.

A wiry, tired jitteriness has crept in. [24 Oct 2011, p.48]

good The midseason 2 finale was one of the greatest moments in TV history. I was skeptical about this series at first, but the storyline and character development are gripping. A must see.

A little slower than the other seasons however still very strong and more focused on character development leading to us loving Rick, Maggie and Glenn and others more for the upcoming deaths and seasons. I feel as if people throw this series away, however so much happens, there's so much character driven narrative and a lot of twists people did not see coming. A fantastic season.

IMO this is the worst season of the show...............................................................................................................................

The 1st season was very good, because they had the aim of getting to the CDC and the zombies were a constant threat on the journey there with many fights along the way. Season 2 has no overall aim except to survive. In the first 4 episodes pretty much nothing at all happens. The plot just slows to a crawl and then a complete stop. They stay in one place and take far too long looking for a missing person, and talk about the past and feelings and praying. Season 1 was an action survival horror show, season 2 is basically a soap that happens to be set on a farm during the zombpocalpse. They don't even fill the void with character development. Not only does they show do nothing to make you care about most of the characters but there are several of them I really wished would die as soon as possible. A zombie show should not make you root for the zombies, but this does.

After the fantastic first season, The Walking Dead seemed like it was going to be one of these unbeatable shows. I went in expecting greatness, but ended in this zombie infested, convoluted Purgatory of a TV show. All the momentum generated by the first season completely vanished, leaving me feel like the first season had nothing to do with the second. Pacing was nearly comatose throughout the second season, with some instances of life shown through action sequences and "unexpected events." Remaining on a farm for an entire season was one of the worst ideas in terms of characterization and the overall role of the show. A bunch of people forced to live on a farm together will definitely cause drama and confrontations; zombies are not required for any of that. The show began to focus on ideas and situations that other shows like Dexter and Breaking Bad have analyzed masterfully. The Walking Dead needs to find its groove and use the zombie apocalypse to its full advantage. Action sequences, costumes, and overall art style are the only subjects keeping from giving this season a flat out 0.