LITTLE ROCK — What is it? The Walking Dead, Season 2, 13 episodes on four discs from Anchor Bay Entertainment
How much? $59.98
When? Tuesday
So this is a show about zombies, right? Wrong. This is not a show about zombies. There are zombies (referred to as “walkers”) but the show is not about them.
In a way, the walkers are incidental. Sure, they’re there to bring about chaos and to kill people, but, really, they’re plot devices in a show that’s about human relationships and human nature.
More details, please. This is the second season for the hit AMC show, and it picks up pretty much where Season 1 left off.
In the aftermath of a viral holocaust that turned a large percentage of the population into walkers and ended civilized life as we know it, an ever shrinking band of human survivors tries desperately to find a haven.
The 11-person group is led by Rick (Andrew Lincoln), a former sheriff’s deputy who also has a wife, Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies), and son, Carl (Chandler Riggs). Rick’s aided - sort of - by his old partner, Shane (Jon Bernthal). Shane, who protected Lori and Carl in the early days of the apocalypse when Rick was presumed dead, is in love with Lori. Lori wants to stand by her husband. Shane doesn’t want to give her up. Rick’s oblivious (or is he?). It’s awkward.
The determined little band also includes moral compass Dale (Jeffrey DeMunn), resourceful Glenn (Steven Yeun) and headstrong Andrea (Laurie Holden). As we reenter the story, a chain of events leads the survivors to an idyllic farmhouse, where they find refuge with a veterinarian (Scott Wilson) and his family.
But their new-found sense of security won’t last forever.
This is a show that raises quite a few ethical and moral issues, and one is left wondering: Who are the “walking dead”? The walkers? Or the humans they stalk?
Many fans and critics were less-than thrilled with Season 2, as the action slowed to a crawl and characters spent more time talking to each other than fighting the undead. But you can still expect some big twists and jolts of violence.
Do I have to see Season 1 first? Well, no one’s going to show up and try to eat your brain if you skip it, but, really, it’s a good idea to start at the beginning.
These characters went through quite a bit in the first season and their actions will make much more sense if you’ve seen what brought them to this point.
A warning: This is a show with zombies and, as such, it can be downright disgusting.
Are there extras? Do zombies like their meals extra-rare? The set includes commentaries on five episodes, deleted scenes for eight episodes and six episodes of the Web-based spin-off series. There are also 11 featurettes on various aspects of production, including special effects and the relationship between the series and the comic books that inspired it.
Overall, it’s a decent package.
New this week: Boardwalk Empire, Season 2; Homeland, Season 1; In Plain Sight, Season 5; Once Upon a Time, Season 1; Poirot, Season 6; Sons of Anarchy, Season 4; Two and a Half Men, Season 9.
Next week: 2 Broke Girls, Season 1; Bored to Death, Season 3; Criminal Minds, Season 7; Fringe, Season 4; The Good Wife, Season 3; Grey’s Anatomy, Season 8; Grounded for Life, Complete Series; Haven, Season 2; Hung, Season 3; The Office, Season 8; Parks and Recreation, Season 4.
Style, Pages 67 on 08/26/2012