First, I have to officially eat some crow. When I first saw the trailer for the show I mheh'd it thinking the zombie theme would wear thin really quickly. Well, Season 2 up to this point hasn't even had many zombies in it and even those who have appeared have represented more than just the cliche zombie. And I take my crow fully, the show has has really been character driven and has a pull to it that brings me back every week. Kudos to the writers and actors.

I have found this year's presentment of zombies to have a message. The herd in the "herd" in the beginning and the zombie hanging from the tree showed the hopelessness being a zombie. They are truly apocalyptic creature, left to wander until they decay into a mess of rotted flesh. They truly have no souls, nothing left of humanity in them. It is a truly sad end for mankind. And then the zombies pull out the zombie in the well, the bloated and rotting piece of flesh that one cannot see and not feel a little sorry for. What are the producers doing? They are making us feel bad for the zombies who would most definitely eat us in a heartbeat given even a second to get close? Combined with the slaughter in the end and the discovery of Sophia I found myself thinking the first half of the season might be some of the best writing of the show so far.

Speaking of Sophia, did you see it coming or were you surprised? Interestingly, I didn't see it coming. I was surprised when she walked out. By the way, how did Glen not see her from the top view? Also, do you think Herschel knew all along or didn't realize that was the girl they were looking for? Some things up to this point can now be reinterpreted a little if thinking of it in terms that Herschel knew all along. The two that stick out to me most are the weird looks the group got when Daryl (I think maybe it was Shane?) asked the group "Has anyone thought about what we do if we find her and she's a walker?" That is my paraphrase but if I recall correctly, Herschel was there and gave a weird look. Also, could it be that he was so adamant that they leave because he knew that once it came out that there were walkers in the barn and that Sophia was one of them that they would kill her?

Speaking of Herschel, I really don't like him. I don't like his character and I am really hoping the group moves on. In the preview for the return in Jan/Feb Herschel tells Rick they have to leave and shuts the door and Shane goes off on him and tells him he has become just as delusional as Herschel. Shane is really pissing me off but I think he is right. Herschel is delusional, danger surrounds the farm on all sides and he thinks he can rope up walkers and store them in a barn until a cure comes (not comprehending that the world outside is destroyed and there probably will never be a cure?) I think even Maggie has come to the conclusion that Herschel is wrong in his thinking of them as people.

Speaking of Maggie, she is totally hot!!!
Seriously though, I am having a little bit of a hard time with the love affair between her and Glenn. They have some hot, end of the world sex and now they are in love? Not sure I'm buying it but we'll see.

Daryl has become a favorite of mine and I love the dynamic of Sophia's mom beginning to mother him and get him to be proud of himself for doing the right thing in contrast to Merle's "fathering" him to be a hateful bigot. Daryl's character is some of the best writing on the show.

I think Shane is beginning to piss everybody off and Andrea is starting to aggravate me too. And, I am tiring of Dale's constant philosophizing. I would love to see Dale put in a position where he has to make a decision to action that confounds everything he professes in his "wisdom". Not sure what needs to happen with Shane and Andrea but they are really starting to bug me.

Guess I'll leave my initial thoughts with one more question. What is it you think the doctor told Rick before he blew up the CDC? Is it revealed in the comic? If so, tell me!