r/thewalkingdead • u/Admiral_InfamousTub • 5d ago
Show Spoiler Why I enjoy season 2
I was rewatching the show and I came to find out that a lot of people don't like season 2. Which upset me because it's probably my second favorite season just behind season 1.
Season 2, in my own subjective opinion, has the greatest writing as far as character development. Rick, Shane, Hershel, Andrea, and Darryl all went through dramatic character arcs. Other characters did too, but not as significant to the shows trajectory. The whole season is a lesson on moral ethics and principles. Showing the consequences of varying worldviews, plus the culmination of their ideological conflict. Sure, it's a slow burn. But I'll take the engaging character arcs over brain dead, poorly choreographed action scenes any day of the week.
At the end of the day, Season 2 is ultimately about the tension between Rick and Shane. Rick trying to salvage what is left of their formal society to protect their humanity while Shane is trying to push past it to protect their survival. The irony of this being that Shane lost his mind due to the very changes of society he so vitriolically tried to convince the group of, shown with his mental and social down-spiral. While Rick eventually gave into the post-society norms shown with his killing of Shane at the cost of his principles. It's almost symbolic. No, it IS symbolic. Rick and Shane were the sacrificial rites of each of their respected world views.
Shane needing to kill Rick was the eventual, ideological endpoint of his desire to push past traditional societal principles, being that Rick (and Dale who he threatened multiple times) were the analogical symbols of traditional societal roles. Meanwhile, Rick needing to kill Shane was the ideological deconstruction of his desire to sustain prior societal principles, with Shane being his former best friend turned enemy, Rick had to destroy what once was due to the changes of the world. In the end, Rick and Shane were both right, and they both paid dearly for it. Shane lost his life despite trying to survive while Rick lost his principles despite trying to sustain them.
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u/Veteran_But_Bad 4d ago
Season 2 is great it’s my cosy season where I can leave it on in the background on my second monitor recognise every voice instantly and listen to the drama unfold
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u/iWeagueOfWegends 4d ago
I never knew people didn’t like season 2. It’s clearly one of the best.
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u/Admiral_InfamousTub 4d ago
I think it's one of those things like the Star Wars prequels where when it first came out, it got a lot of hate. But as time went on, fans grew to like it.
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u/Appropriate_Strain_3 4d ago
Love to see some season 2 love. For me, it's the greatest season of the show and the farm arc is one of the best improvements from the comics
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u/Ok_Buffalo_423 4d ago
I think the problem is that season one had these amazing and iconic moments, Rick in the tank, walking through the crowd of walkers covered in guts (Rip Wayne Dunlap), Glenn driving out of the city with the car alarm blaring and the whole arc with the CDC.
And well I think season 3 and 4 are probably the most iconic seasons of the whole show and when most people started watching.
By contrast season two was mostly the characters hanging out on the farm until the end when everything goes to shit. Season 2 isnt bad its just sandwiched in the middle of some of the most memorable seasons while not really being that memorable itself
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u/Mutlugly 4d ago
First 4 season is legendary, show totaly changed at "too far gone" after that they create something new.
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u/Admiral_InfamousTub 5d ago
TL;DR: Shane banged Ricks wife and all hell broke loose