Season 2 is actually really great when you re-watch it all at once, but when it first released having to wait an entire week for the next episode only to find out nothing happens and it’s just more character drama… that was pretty tough.
Imo its the best season of the entire show. IF you binge it. Personally to me its actually the 2nd half of season 3 that feels like a drag even when binging, could be that I've seen in like 10x. The first half of that season is fucking god tier though. Honestly the first 6 seasons of this show is some of the best TV out there, yes with some ups and downs. S7 and 8 are trash, but the final few seasons do have some redeeming qualities, namely Negan and Judith that make them worth watching
Totally. Decided to rewatch the series for the first time since it first premiered and I was not looking super forward to the second season BUT it was actually great to binge and made it one of my favorite seasons
Like it when it was out, but people complained about it because it was so slow I liked it because it showed the conflict that groups can have at the end it shows that zombies aren’t just the only threat in the show
Season 1 of The walking Dead was just phenomenal the horror the acting the action. It felt like something like this could possibly happen in our world and how the characters respond to everything felt realistic
The first two seasons were the best because of Frank Darabont. His vision was to keep TWD as a short but sweet 5-6 season show closely following the comics up to at least Alexandra, with fan demand determining if it kept going, rather than the 11 season 5 spin off mess that we have now.
Ts-19 is also my favorite. Darabont zombies where actaully scary. They could use weapons, coimb fences, and open doors. They tried to explain it later with varients but it was too late.
@@Logan-lz5gu On my end I didnt care much for TS-19 when it came to setting up the story but as an episode, it's still a very solid addition to Season 1
So many people I think do not get why Ts 19 was an essential episode to the series and why Darabont did it. Without the episode, the entire concept going forward would make no sense, in the episode Rick learns that everyone is infected, the group learns there is NOTHING left, no government, nothing, no hope. That means that from that point on its pure survival, no safe haven to reach for, no government or organized safe haven of that nature. Without TS 19, it would be like why are they not trying to get to another government facility or seeing what is out there? Etc. after that episode they KNOW nothing is out there, that episode sets in stone essential things that play into everything going forward, particularly the motivations of the characters, it is basically the "Everything is done, you are on your own, now you must purely survive" moment. It was a great way to showcase all of that, without it the series from there would have massive logic lapses.
Early TWD is good imo because it feels super genuine. It has SOUL, dare I say. I mean yeah, the writing is better and all that too, but the vibe plays such a huge role.
Some people hate my take but in general the most attractive part of zombie media is almost always the outbreak/early stages because it's highly relatable. The panic from having zombies around and the social dysfunction people have while trying to deal/cope with their new found reality. It just stirs something primal in us as humans that makes it very attractive.
Literally, I rewatched the early seasons of twd and fear several times and always thinking "this time I'll finish the whole series, but I can't. It's cruel and stuff but the zombies barely matter in the later seasons and I get why and the appeal it has to some people but I literally don't care, it's so boring to me.
The biggest problem with season 2 was the pacing precisely because we had to wait a week between each episode at the time. I remember realizing this when I went back and rewatched it for the first time many years ago. When you can binge season 2, it's great. When you have to wait a week between each episode, it feels like a damn slog.
Also if you watched it live on cable AMC had many commercial breaks that were sooo long you’d forget what was going on in the show by the time it came back on
The scene with Morgan's wife at the door will always be one of the BEST scenes ever to me. Still gives me the creeps to this day. Just unsettling in THE best way for a zombie scene!
Season 2 is my absolute favorite season of the show. I love the drama of it, and the things that happen just cemete themselves into the story. Sophia's death showed us that absolutely no one is safe in this world. I even have a photo collage of season 2 as my phones lock screen lol
I couldn't agree more with this video. The dialogue in the show used to be so much better in seasons 1-3. With season 4 the characters started to speak more philosophically. Something known as Gimple Speak. The season 4 finale is still one of my favorite episodes of the walking dead. Not surprised it was directed by Michelle MacLaren who directed some Breaking Bad episodes. Walking Dead Seasons 1-2 are the best. Season 2 is my favorite with season 1 just behind it. Seasons 3-5 are good too. It should have ended with them arriving at Alexandria.
Season 2 is and always will be my favorite season, with "Nebraska" being my favorite episode of the season and of the entire series. What many people did not realize at the time, and still do not realize to this day, is that The Walking Dead was a drama first, and a horror show second. The reason why we cared about all of these characters so much and found all of their deaths so shocking in future seasons was because of the character development in season 2. And, in my opinion, season 2 was the most realistic season. It makes sense to want to hold out on a farm in the middle of nowhere, away from cities and other people. I grew up on a farm myself, and that is what I would do if the shit hit the fan. I was still in high school when the first season came out, so I did not watch it because I did not have cable. But after I turned 18 and got my own place in 2011, I started watching the second season when my uncle introduced me to the zombie genre because he and I played a lot of Nazi Zombies together in Call of Duty: Black Ops.
That first episode. I was insanely excited. The premise was everything i wanted in a zombie show. Dawn of the dead 04 was the only decent zombie movie out there released since the originals an night of the living dead. This show was a drug to me for 3 seasons. That sunday excitement, talking dead after. I miss good TV
I bet amc doesn’t feel that way. he wanted to keep the walking dead seasons short but impactful, with characters going all over the place like in season 1. But amc wanted to slash the budget and increase episode count for that sweet sweet ad revenue. And guess what, the walking dead was still a hit and they made a disgusting amount of money. Executives don’t care about art
@@davidcook680 yes he would have but they probably wouldn’t have made as much money. The walking dead was still the most popular show on tv with half the budget till like season 7.
Everyone always seems to forget one important detail. Morgan doesn't live in that house. It's ricks neighbors house who Morgan and Dwayne happened to hide in. So his wife "remembering" that door doesn't make much sense
For real, like could you imagine how horrifying it would be to have your loved one and get bit and die, only for them appear to the camp/hide out@@MegaMackproductions
The only show that made me get so emotionally attached. I shed a tear every single time watching Rick break down after finding our carl had to kill his mother . Damn good writing and great acting. Twd is the greatest show of all time! I forgot to mention when Daryl finds out merl is a walker .. if you don’t shed a tear for that acting I salute your toughness!
Seasons 1-5 are peak early 2010s TV. I wish I could go forget all about TWD and watch it for the first time again. It’s insane to think AMC had both TWD and Breaking Bad on air at the same time.
I remember waiting ALL week for sunday night at 9pm to watch this show religiously ... season 1-5 were SO good! but season 1 is why I fell in love with the show and the characters
I like the church scene. One of the last scenes where we see the Darabont zombies. They are just sitting there as if they are praying. It was soo creepy and really gave zomies character and made them actually a threat. Afterwards they just turned into uninteresting roadblocks or just wild animals.
@@astralandreidwhat you mean ? The skinwalkers arc bring back the zombies as the main danger. Plus the head on spike. After we invested in most of the character, man it was huge to take
Angela Kang certainly did the absolute best with what she was given. I still don't think the show ever recovered. It couldn't. Killing off Carl for shock value will forever be one of the worst things an IP has ever done in my eyes. Add Andrew Lincoln deciding to leave, and you have a story without its two main and most important characters. There is a lot of good stuff in there, yeah, such as the Whisperers and Negan's redemption arc, but you just can't make the story work without the characters that the story was about to begin with. Like a walker itself, The Walking Dead is a dead show that is somehow still going.
So my head canon/ theory, is that the reason why you dont see many smart walkers past the later seasons is that strain of the infection tended to be less successful due to them more likely to get killed, while the dumb wondering ones were most likely not to get put down sense people would avoid them.
@@GraveyardMaiden that’s not a bad theory honestly, I always think it’s more fun to see smart zombies though makes it more interesting ….and terrifying lol
@Cyb3rSnail yeah, and tbh my HC for why you see more of the smart ones popping up in the spin offs, is because survivors that carried that strain of infection died without being put down, and zombies from the cities roamed out
I still get most all of the movies, shows, etc. that I'm interested in, on DVD or Blu-ray. I like owning a physical copy. It’s a shame TWD didn't keep the tone and feel (and writing!) of the first season. It was so great! Damned AMC had to get greedy. Awesome video!
Frank Darabont had a master plan for this show. He was the reason the first 2 seasons were of much higher quality. I even read he was planning a prequel episode in Season 2 where you see the fall of Atlanta. It would have apparently followed a soldier in the army as the city collapses to the dead. You even see a few of the main characters pass through the city as cameos. Ending with him (the soldier) eventually getting bit and being forced to crawl into a tank where he planned to blow himself up with a grenade. But instead he simply passed away laying there instead. Tying in perfectly with the pilot episode where Rick crawls into the tank and finds a dead soldier with a grenade who turns out to be a walker. Mind you that grenade he had ended up saving everyone at the CDC at the end of Season 1. But man oh man would that have been so cool to see. And apparently that was just one of many cool plot ideas Frank had planned for the second season and beyond. Any director that has put THAT much forethought into the story and plot of a show is destined to make an absolute classic series. Absolutely travesty he never got to see his ideas realized
The first few seasons were perfect. They make me remember my childhood (we watched it as a family when i was growing up) it means so much more than a show to me
I loved season 2, when the missing girl comes out of the barn it’s just heart breaking. There’s not another scene like that in latter seasons, not earned anyway.
There I was 2010 Halloween, I was 14 at the time and my friends and I just finished up trick or treating for the last year and came home to chill and eat candy and there it was, my brother was watching the walking dead, never heard of it but was hooked and traumatized when Rick shot the little girl walker.
Genuinely bestie watch season nine, imo it has similar quality to season five, and pretty much saves the series from s6-8 (the worst years), the last two seasons aren't perfect but season nine is creative, explores interesting concepts and has strong direction. Also hard agree the first two seasons are literal masterworks
In my opinion, the first episode of The Walking Dead is the best episode of the entire show. And I love almost every episode of the show, but the first episode is genuinely beautiful and sets everything up perfectly! Also, rest in peace to that poor horse…
Great video. I started watching the series with the airing of the episode where Shane kills Otis in early season 2 and became instantly hooked. I had to go back and catch up with the first season but continued on all the way throughout. I’m glad you mentioned 18 Miles Out because that was always a standout episode for me especially when it first aired. I think about that ending probably daily where Shane stares out the car window at the walker in the field. That season had a great soundtrack too. I’ll always stand up for season two because it was my initial introduction to the show and now feels extremely nostalgic with good memories. Although much slower than other seasons, the last 1/3 or so of season two had very epic and monumental episodes back to back to back and has always been the true heart and soul of the franchise. Season 4 and the first half of 5 will forever be my all time favorite phase of the show but there’s just a really unique feel that only the second season had and I miss it. Your video makes me want to go back and binge S2 now! Thank you
I almost ran off the enthusiasm till the end of season 4 (or 5, can't recall clearly now) , but after Negan showed up - I gained that enthusiasm again 😄
I agree with your opinion. For me, the show’s descent had a few reasons. Kirkman felt too compelled to follow the storylines of the comics. He should’ve been selective and kept some storylines from the comics but been more open to explore new ideas. Daryl wasn’t even in the comics is a fine example. Plus comics don’t always translate to TV because they’re too “cartoonish.” King Ezekiel & the Kingdom with those outfits? Are you kidding me? Too many groups, too many people were added. The video game Telltale’s version of The Walking Dead actually went in the right direction that the show should’ve but didn’t. The episode “No way out” was strictly a comic book storyline and the credibility fell dramatically when it came to TV as the zombies were no longer a threat after this episode. Rick going out with just a hatchet surrounded by thousands of zombies and doesn’t get bit? The unfolding drama & suspense between Rick & Shane in season 2 were the best especially when it came to the Randall story arc which fueled the tension between the two to another level. Sophia coming out of the barn was not only masterpiece theater but a pinnacle scene in the series that for me could never be topped.
For me, the series ended, when Negan introduced himself to the group. Rick got extremely confident in dealing with these violent groups they met. He even made a deal which includes getting rid of them. The first time in the series the group became the attackers. This one woman in that slaughterhouse was right, as she told Maggie, that Maggie and the people around her aren’t the good guys. And with that in mind, Rick got trapped by a more powerful group and brought to their leader. And then the story ends exactly how this season ended. With a cliffhanger as big as the Colorado River.
Stopped watching the show midway through Season 10. I remember when I first started watching series literally a year ago now. By the time I got to season 5, I was feeling nostalgic for seasons 1 & 2. There really was something about the first two seasons that stuck.
Coming from a new viewer, i wish i could’ve been old enough to watch it as it came out. Season 2 is my favourite season of the walking dead and i don’t know why, there’s just something about it.
Prison Break pilot is great too! That's one that sticks out to me. Nice video by the way. I agree with a lot of the points you made. Seasons 1-3 are are top tier!
Man, when it comes to everyone, i'll recommend S1-S6, such peak television, sure, some seaasons more than others, but all of them are so good in their own unique way, after that, it's not the same, i miss the earlier days, when i watched it with my entire family, then slowly as time passes, my family and friends stopped watching till it was just me, i started in a room full of people and ended the show in my college dorm alone, talk about the passing of time, anyways great video!
@@DaLegend-nz6li I am right there with you , I wish Frank Darabont never got fired would have loved to have seen what happened. Appreciate you stopping by !
I always thought the series would be better if it just spent each season on a different group. The challenge being each season would have to be really well rounded and complete.
I can still go back and watch seasons 1-5 anytime and enjoy nearly every single episode. It sucks how bad the later season got esp since Jeffery Dean Morgan as Negan is one of the best characters in the series surrounded by bad writting
Well done and totally agree. I think the first seasons really went for slow burn, methodical, character drama. That just so happened to take place in a world with zombies. Then, it slowly began to devolve into big budget Hollywood action shock value BS
Season 2 is probably my favorite season. Season 3 was great, but I feel like Glenn Mazzara wasn’t the best choice as show runner. Scott Gimple was an even worse choice. Imagine how good the show would have continued to be if Frank Darabont had remained as the show runner.
@@zacharymccants77 I agree , I couldn’t understand why Scott Gimple did the decisions he did. I wish AMC never fired frank it would have probably been damn good television
Frankly TWD went downhill after the prison arc. I had an easier time relating to the characters when remnants of the old world were still around. I miss the flashbacks to when the outbreak was just starting being contrasted with character decisions post outbreak. TWD got removed from reality when they started incorporating Star Wars looking getups for characters.
I remembered finish watching the walking season 1 and 2, thinking it’s one of the best show ever, and then season 3 started to go downhill halfway through , and then I got so disappointed, but I still get to finished the entire 11 seasons because of those first two seasons.
For me its season 1 is easily the best (but not without some small flaws), 2 is really great (especially for enjoyable character building), 3 and 4 are pretty good (for establishing a cool villian and basically a perfect anti to rick), and then everything after that only has a few scenes here and there worth watching on UA-cam basically.
First time watching the show almost stopped where the baseball smashing happened but than managed to watch till Neagans throats got slasshed, After that few years passed And I managed to watch it all over again all seasons and I know what you mean it was dragged at a times but still loved it because of the characters and there dynamics. After that watched all show like two more times and also other twd side series, the best of them Fear the walkind dead, also all seasons like two times. Now I am getting ready to watch it all over again. this show is like "'Friends" after some time you just want to watch it again.
I only watched the first two seasons of TWD. To me, Season 1 was great. Season 2 was ok. Not wow, not horrible. Just ok. Afterwards, I haven't paid much attention to the series. Though, around the mid 2010s, my buddy told me the series began to go downwards. So in a way, I am glad I didn't watch the rest of the show. It would've been fine if the show would've remained at least 4 or 5 seasons ; where not only the show remained its standing as being a good show , but also a show that didn't drag on the repetitive story, the inconsistency, along other stuff that in later seasons, from what I heard, would turn off some fans plus viewers who continued watching the show after the first two seasons .
7:13 there’s actually a lot of twd actors who va on invincible. Like damn near everyone. Obviously because Rob made both but always thought that was pretty cool
S2 is like TOWL Ep 4, talking and feeling out the characters development. S2 each character had to determine what their usefulness is within the group. TOWL Richonne had to reconnect with each other.
I think this is a great and underrated video that really explains the problems of this series To me, season 1 is a masterpiece and BY FAR the best season. It honestly could have been a standalone series with the last episode being a cliffhanger. They really fit that much into a single season and it would have left people satisfied but also wanting more. Not only was the writing and unveiling of all the conflicts brilliant in season 1, it felt like the only season that was ACTUALLY ABOUT ZOMBIES. They were a huge threat and should be feared. Every season after really diminished that feeling. Looking back, season 2 is actually pretty good from a narrative perspective. I remember hating it back when it aired. Partially because I was just a kid who wanted to see zombies and have a couple scares, but also because of the pacing issues that you and the other commenters have mentioned. It is good if binged, but wasn't great as a weekly show. Especially following season 1, when you were on the edge of your seat for every minute of every episode. I remember a meme going around at the time, where there was edited text on a Walking Dead poster and it said "People arguing, and sometimes zombies show up", and I think that captures the feelings of everyone during the weekly run of season 2, and also foreshadowed part of what would become the show's downfall. And you are right about every season after 2. It was just a descent into madness after that. The show wasn't about zombies anymore. It was about these ridiculous conflicts between characters that felt over-the-top in terms of personalities and motivations. "The Governor"... Please, what a joke. Sure, people would probably go crazy in an apocalypse, but the show basically turned into a faction war show following season 2. Every couple episodes you might have some zombie issues, but they just became a nuisance, not the focus. I mean the title is the Walking Dead... Think they strayed from that a bit? The weight of just having to survive was gone. It was now about drama, politics, and egos. Like you said, it became an action show and a drama after season 2. It lost the identity that it had built in season 1, and lost the depth that it had in season 2. The Rick and Shane dynamic was incredible, and left the show with huge shoes to fill, but they never came close with any character dynamic after that. I think the decline in viewership each season reflects the distaste of everyone, and I know I quit after Glenn's death along with many people. I waited for years for the show to return to its roots of season 1, but it just got cornier and cornier every year. The show was great and it was fun when it was a pop culture phenomenon, but after reliving seasons 1 and 2, you realize the massively wasted potential of some great writing and characters. Well done.
@@joshbosco4028 My GOODNESS I remember seeing that meme too! “people argue and occasionally zombies show up” I forgot how hard I laughed when I first saw that lmao. I appreciate you stopping by !
This Breaking Bad, and LOST are 3 of my favorite Pilots Also I look at the walkers in the first season as not all the way turned yet, because the organ of the event seems like it wasn't to long ago. so they to still have some of their memories and what not.
Honestly, I think season’s 7 and 8 were pretty good. Negan is fantastic as a villain, and the conflicts are entertaining and interesting. The Saviors were a bigger threat that the group couldn’t handle. The stakes felt real at every turn (like the main cast could actually die). Glen dying at the end of season 6 was a brutal loss after he had been with us for so long. It made it seem like the stakes were real, like the main cast could actually die. The Saviors outplaying the group at every turn built tension, and made you wonder how much of the main cast we would lose before The Saviors were dealt with. The group was in fact vincible. They wouldn’t always win, and expectations were subverted a fair amount. I’ll never forget they pay off when The Kingdom saved Alexandria from the Saviors (although not noticing the tiger was pretty far fetched). In my opinion It’s after that resolution they truly had nothing left to do. The group hadn’t dealt with an enemy of that scale before. And now that they had, there really wasn’t anywhere else for the story to go that kept the audience in suspense.
I think having internal conflict would have been more rewarding versus the external conflicts. We cared about Shane (great villain) , the governor was an exception but the focus on us versus them was hella boring. Missions to fortify would have been more entertaining, hopes for rescue, hopes for a cure would have been more entertaining. Getting away from hordes, evolving walkers, diving into characters and how they dealt with the beginning of the apocalypse. The collapse is the best
I stopped watching the walking dead when Glenn died. Then I came back after a year or two and watched it all through. I kept watching because I put myself in the shoes of the characters. I love the world building and environmental atmosphere of TWD. Figuring out what happened and what went down at certain locations keeps me interested in the developing story. Yes, the writing is hit and miss, but the environmental atmosphere is top-notch
Great review of the show. Idk why people didn’t like season 2 I thought it was very good. My favourite episode was S6 ep 16 and the S7 ep 1 and then Negan got a bit annoying.
They dont remember where they live. Rick states when he wakes up tied to the bed that he knew the people that lived there, morgan says it was empty when they found it. That wasnt morgans home.
This was such a beautifully made video essay, Your writing is gorgeous ❤ Btws, I recommend watching at least seasons 9 to 11. They get so much better! Obviously not as amazing as before, but imho season 7 and 8 are the worst. If you can’t do that, I totally understand but then I 1000% recommend watching “On the Inside” Season 11, episode 6. It is honestly a fantastic standalone episode. It’s the scariest episode of TWD and I think you would absolutely love it as a horror fan. It has many silent moments too, due to one of the characters being deaf (you get her POVs.) Anyway, ty again! Time to binge your channel ☺️
In the early 2010s girls liked vampires and guys liked zombies. We were simpler beings
It ‘‘twas simpler times lol
I'd rather have zombies. Har har. Going back 15 years, they can keep their damn sparkling vampires.
the only good vampire movie that boys like was "I am legend" and even then the creatures in that movie were like vampires mixed with zombies
Season 2 is actually really great when you re-watch it all at once, but when it first released having to wait an entire week for the next episode only to find out nothing happens and it’s just more character drama… that was pretty tough.
@@PegasiJay Yeah definitely a lot better watching it all at once
same with season 7, still tho 7 sucked in general but it was insufferable waiting each week for a new episode to premiere
Season 2 was my favorite of twd. I wish they would have kept darabont and AMC didnt want to constantly cut the budget
Imo its the best season of the entire show. IF you binge it. Personally to me its actually the 2nd half of season 3 that feels like a drag even when binging, could be that I've seen in like 10x. The first half of that season is fucking god tier though. Honestly the first 6 seasons of this show is some of the best TV out there, yes with some ups and downs. S7 and 8 are trash, but the final few seasons do have some redeeming qualities, namely Negan and Judith that make them worth watching
Totally. Decided to rewatch the series for the first time since it first premiered and I was not looking super forward to the second season BUT it was actually great to binge and made it one of my favorite seasons
Season 2 is my favorite season. It doesn’t deserve all the hate
@@Aleksssssssss People hated it so much when it was out , I thought I was crazy for being one of the few that liked it at the time haha
I agree I think over years the opinion has started to change. It's better than every season post season 6 that's for sure.
Like it when it was out, but people complained about it because it was so slow I liked it because it showed the conflict that groups can have at the end it shows that zombies aren’t just the only threat in the show
It's supposed to be slow paced, maybe they should've just watched a different show
@@GarzaTheFather I agree. And it always feels so creepy to me to have the big woods surrounding the house. So isolated
Season 1 of The walking Dead was just phenomenal the horror the acting the action. It felt like something like this could possibly happen in our world and how the characters respond to everything felt realistic
I agree , it felt so grounded . Thanks for watching !
The first two seasons were the best because of Frank Darabont. His vision was to keep TWD as a short but sweet 5-6 season show closely following the comics up to at least Alexandra, with fan demand determining if it kept going, rather than the 11 season 5 spin off mess that we have now.
Ts-19 was by far my favorite episode. Loved the science fiction mixed with horror. I wish frank would write a novel series.
Ts-19 is also my favorite. Darabont zombies where actaully scary. They could use weapons, coimb fences, and open doors. They tried to explain it later with varients but it was too late.
@@Logan-lz5gu On my end I didnt care much for TS-19 when it came to setting up the story but as an episode, it's still a very solid addition to Season 1
So many people I think do not get why Ts 19 was an essential episode to the series and why Darabont did it. Without the episode, the entire concept going forward would make no sense, in the episode Rick learns that everyone is infected, the group learns there is NOTHING left, no government, nothing, no hope. That means that from that point on its pure survival, no safe haven to reach for, no government or organized safe haven of that nature. Without TS 19, it would be like why are they not trying to get to another government facility or seeing what is out there? Etc. after that episode they KNOW nothing is out there, that episode sets in stone essential things that play into everything going forward, particularly the motivations of the characters, it is basically the "Everything is done, you are on your own, now you must purely survive" moment. It was a great way to showcase all of that, without it the series from there would have massive logic lapses.
Early TWD is good imo because it feels super genuine. It has SOUL, dare I say. I mean yeah, the writing is better and all that too, but the vibe plays such a huge role.
Agreed the vibe was spectacular
Its the viiiiibee. To this day if I have a tough time falling asleep I'll put on random episodes from the early seasons
Some people hate my take but in general the most attractive part of zombie media is almost always the outbreak/early stages because it's highly relatable. The panic from having zombies around and the social dysfunction people have while trying to deal/cope with their new found reality.
It just stirs something primal in us as humans that makes it very attractive.
Literally, I rewatched the early seasons of twd and fear several times and always thinking "this time I'll finish the whole series, but I can't. It's cruel and stuff but the zombies barely matter in the later seasons and I get why and the appeal it has to some people but I literally don't care, it's so boring to me.
The biggest problem with season 2 was the pacing precisely because we had to wait a week between each episode at the time. I remember realizing this when I went back and rewatched it for the first time many years ago. When you can binge season 2, it's great. When you have to wait a week between each episode, it feels like a damn slog.
@@TheOutsider69 I agree , it’s better to watch it all together
Also if you watched it live on cable AMC had many commercial breaks that were sooo long you’d forget what was going on in the show by the time it came back on
Biggest problem with the show is Steven Seagal was not in it
I will always say that TWD seasons: 1-5 are goated after that, it is truly the definition of a mixed bag gone sour
@@gamerdude3725 I 100% agree , it sucks so much that this show had to go down this badly
season 6 was goated what
I've watched season 1-6 like 5 times now. It really starts going downhill after season 7. The show was officially dead for me after Rick left.
season 1 - 6*
@@jtrapp651 fr
The scene with Morgan's wife at the door will always be one of the BEST scenes ever to me. Still gives me the creeps to this day. Just unsettling in THE best way for a zombie scene!
Season 2 is my absolute favorite season of the show. I love the drama of it, and the things that happen just cemete themselves into the story. Sophia's death showed us that absolutely no one is safe in this world. I even have a photo collage of season 2 as my phones lock screen lol
Loved how everytime you tuned in , everybody was at risk. I missed that feeling
Everytime I Rewatch the series S2 always has this chill comfortable feeling to it. Feels like Im chilling with the characters at the farm lol
I couldn't agree more with this video. The dialogue in the show used to be so much better in seasons 1-3. With season 4 the characters started to speak more philosophically. Something known as Gimple Speak. The season 4 finale is still one of my favorite episodes of the walking dead. Not surprised it was directed by Michelle MacLaren who directed some Breaking Bad episodes. Walking Dead Seasons 1-2 are the best. Season 2 is my favorite with season 1 just behind it. Seasons 3-5 are good too. It should have ended with them arriving at Alexandria.
@@darrylseymour I wish it did honestly , I appreciate you stopping by and watching !
Ugh, Scott Gimple. He was awful
Yesss finally someone who agrees with me ❤
Season 2 is and always will be my favorite season, with "Nebraska" being my favorite episode of the season and of the entire series. What many people did not realize at the time, and still do not realize to this day, is that The Walking Dead was a drama first, and a horror show second.
The reason why we cared about all of these characters so much and found all of their deaths so shocking in future seasons was because of the character development in season 2. And, in my opinion, season 2 was the most realistic season. It makes sense to want to hold out on a farm in the middle of nowhere, away from cities and other people. I grew up on a farm myself, and that is what I would do if the shit hit the fan.
I was still in high school when the first season came out, so I did not watch it because I did not have cable. But after I turned 18 and got my own place in 2011, I started watching the second season when my uncle introduced me to the zombie genre because he and I played a lot of Nazi Zombies together in Call of Duty: Black Ops.
That first episode. I was insanely excited. The premise was everything i wanted in a zombie show. Dawn of the dead 04 was the only decent zombie movie out there released since the originals an night of the living dead. This show was a drug to me for 3 seasons. That sunday excitement, talking dead after. I miss good TV
Getting rid of Darabount was the biggest mistake AMC could’ve made
When I heard he left the show I knew it was only a matter of time.
I bet amc doesn’t feel that way. he wanted to keep the walking dead seasons short but impactful, with characters going all over the place like in season 1. But amc wanted to slash the budget and increase episode count for that sweet sweet ad revenue. And guess what, the walking dead was still a hit and they made a disgusting amount of money. Executives don’t care about art
@@henlets6029frank would of taking the show to a epic place. And they would have made a ton of money too.
@@davidcook680 yes he would have but they probably wouldn’t have made as much money. The walking dead was still the most popular show on tv with half the budget till like season 7.
Everyone always seems to forget one important detail. Morgan doesn't live in that house. It's ricks neighbors house who Morgan and Dwayne happened to hide in. So his wife "remembering" that door doesn't make much sense
@@pyroAdapt gotcha that’s my bad , I remember Morgan and Duane saying that she does it every night or something haha so that’s my fault . Good catch !
That's not true. She died in the house. So her remembering that that was where Morgan and Dwayne were hiding is even more unsettling
For real, like could you imagine how horrifying it would be to have your loved one and get bit and die, only for them appear to the camp/hide out@@MegaMackproductions
@@MegaMackproductionsthey never said she died in that house. And as op stated, rick tells morgan he knew the people that lived in the house.
Wish we could go back to 2010😢
The only show that made me get so emotionally attached. I shed a tear every single time watching Rick break down after finding our carl had to kill his mother .
Damn good writing and great acting.
Twd is the greatest show of all time!
I forgot to mention when Daryl finds out merl is a walker .. if you don’t shed a tear for that acting I salute your toughness!
Great video, you deserve more attention from the algorithm
Thank you ! I appreciate it , sometimes UA-cam doesn’t like to push my videos haha
Seasons 1-5 are peak early 2010s TV. I wish I could go forget all about TWD and watch it for the first time again. It’s insane to think AMC had both TWD and Breaking Bad on air at the same time.
Yup they set the bar high !
I remember waiting ALL week for sunday night at 9pm to watch this show religiously ... season 1-5 were SO good! but season 1 is why I fell in love with the show and the characters
The anticipation back then was so good , season 1 will always be a favorite for me as well
Completely agree, season 1 & 2 are incredible television. For me the last of the golden years of brilliant writing, acting and production
The first seasons had that raw, unknown vibe. It was simpler but better. No filler. Or well made and interesting character development.
This topic was really underlooked by people and this was just the thing i needed . Somebody talking about the nostalgia of the first two seasons
Too Far Gone is my favorite episode along with the Governor Episodes
Same. Need a spin off about his origins like the books
@@MistahJay7 Always thought the governor was a good villain
The gorvernor arc was when they introduce human as villain… i hate it
I like the church scene. One of the last scenes where we see the Darabont zombies. They are just sitting there as if they are praying. It was soo creepy and really gave zomies character and made them actually a threat. Afterwards they just turned into uninteresting roadblocks or just wild animals.
@@muratbayraktar5035 I’ll never forget them turning around too , so damn creepy
@@Cyb3rSnail I wish we also got that Fall of Atlanta movie as well. I will never forgive AMC for how they treated Darabont.
It picks up in 9 again, but yeah. Seasons 1-5 and a little bit of 6 are it's peak.
Honestly, all of 6 except the cliffhanger ending are amazing
Season 9 was the worst for me
@@astralandreidwhat you mean ? The skinwalkers arc bring back the zombies as the main danger. Plus the head on spike. After we invested in most of the character, man it was huge to take
@@astralandreid Me too. Rick leaving was sour. It wasn't the same.
Angela Kang certainly did the absolute best with what she was given. I still don't think the show ever recovered. It couldn't. Killing off Carl for shock value will forever be one of the worst things an IP has ever done in my eyes. Add Andrew Lincoln deciding to leave, and you have a story without its two main and most important characters. There is a lot of good stuff in there, yeah, such as the Whisperers and Negan's redemption arc, but you just can't make the story work without the characters that the story was about to begin with. Like a walker itself, The Walking Dead is a dead show that is somehow still going.
You described these two season PERFECTLY. Love this video 🙌🏽
Thank you !
So my head canon/ theory, is that the reason why you dont see many smart walkers past the later seasons is that strain of the infection tended to be less successful due to them more likely to get killed, while the dumb wondering ones were most likely not to get put down sense people would avoid them.
@@GraveyardMaiden that’s not a bad theory honestly, I always think it’s more fun to see smart zombies though makes it more interesting ….and terrifying lol
@Cyb3rSnail yeah, and tbh my HC for why you see more of the smart ones popping up in the spin offs, is because survivors that carried that strain of infection died without being put down, and zombies from the cities roamed out
I still get most all of the movies, shows, etc. that I'm interested in, on DVD or Blu-ray. I like owning a physical copy. It’s a shame TWD didn't keep the tone and feel (and writing!) of the first season. It was so great! Damned AMC had to get greedy. Awesome video!
Thank you ! I appreciate you stopping by !
Thank you ! I appreciate you stopping by !
AMC has a track record of running shows into the ground. Look what they did to ftwd and twd
@@dylansturm8065 you are correct
I actually prefer the last seasons of FTWD more than I liked the first 4!! SPOILERS !!
When the mom disappeared I could finally enjoy hahah
Nick was my favorite character in the walking dead universe. No nick, no ftwd. I was done when they did that.
Frank Darabont had a master plan for this show. He was the reason the first 2 seasons were of much higher quality. I even read he was planning a prequel episode in Season 2 where you see the fall of Atlanta. It would have apparently followed a soldier in the army as the city collapses to the dead. You even see a few of the main characters pass through the city as cameos. Ending with him (the soldier) eventually getting bit and being forced to crawl into a tank where he planned to blow himself up with a grenade. But instead he simply passed away laying there instead. Tying in perfectly with the pilot episode where Rick crawls into the tank and finds a dead soldier with a grenade who turns out to be a walker. Mind you that grenade he had ended up saving everyone at the CDC at the end of Season 1. But man oh man would that have been so cool to see. And apparently that was just one of many cool plot ideas Frank had planned for the second season and beyond. Any director that has put THAT much forethought into the story and plot of a show is destined to make an absolute classic series. Absolutely travesty he never got to see his ideas realized
Seriously , AMC was just absolutely dumb for what they did
The first few seasons were perfect. They make me remember my childhood (we watched it as a family when i was growing up) it means so much more than a show to me
Bernthal is such a legend
Seadon 1 and 2 are amazing. It basically is TWD for me as a standalone
That’s what I always tell people as far as “the great seasons” go
I loved season 2, when the missing girl comes out of the barn it’s just heart breaking. There’s not another scene like that in latter seasons, not earned anyway.
There I was 2010 Halloween, I was 14 at the time and my friends and I just finished up trick or treating for the last year and came home to chill and eat candy and there it was, my brother was watching the walking dead, never heard of it but was hooked and traumatized when Rick shot the little girl walker.
Genuinely bestie watch season nine, imo it has similar quality to season five, and pretty much saves the series from s6-8 (the worst years), the last two seasons aren't perfect but season nine is creative, explores interesting concepts and has strong direction.
Also hard agree the first two seasons are literal masterworks
Appreciate you watching ! I will at some point or another go back and finish up the show
I agree, the Whisperers are interesting villains and the quality really improves for at least a time
Great vid man! Doing great
I appreciate it my guy , thank you !
TWD took the Fast and the Furious route and it fell apart. Space fighting, super zombies, super fighters.
I’m so glad someone else loved 18 miles out like I do. If they just edited out the B plot it would be some of the best tv
In my opinion, the first episode of The Walking Dead is the best episode of the entire show. And I love almost every episode of the show, but the first episode is genuinely beautiful and sets everything up perfectly! Also, rest in peace to that poor horse…
Great video. I started watching the series with the airing of the episode where Shane kills Otis in early season 2 and became instantly hooked. I had to go back and catch up with the first season but continued on all the way throughout. I’m glad you mentioned 18 Miles Out because that was always a standout episode for me especially when it first aired. I think about that ending probably daily where Shane stares out the car window at the walker in the field. That season had a great soundtrack too. I’ll always stand up for season two because it was my initial introduction to the show and now feels extremely nostalgic with good memories. Although much slower than other seasons, the last 1/3 or so of season two had very epic and monumental episodes back to back to back and has always been the true heart and soul of the franchise. Season 4 and the first half of 5 will forever be my all time favorite phase of the show but there’s just a really unique feel that only the second season had and I miss it. Your video makes me want to go back and binge S2 now! Thank you
Seasons 1-5 was the show's golden years
I almost ran off the enthusiasm till the end of season 4 (or 5, can't recall clearly now) , but after Negan showed up - I gained that enthusiasm again 😄
Deserved my like just for the Blu-ray's alone.
@@rickyhenfer physical media matters !
@Cyb3rSnail I'll make sure to get as much as I can when I have some spare cash
I agree with your opinion. For me, the show’s descent had a few reasons. Kirkman felt too compelled to follow the storylines of the comics. He should’ve been selective and kept some storylines from the comics but been more open to explore new ideas. Daryl wasn’t even in the comics is a fine example. Plus comics don’t always translate to TV because they’re too “cartoonish.” King Ezekiel & the Kingdom with those outfits? Are you kidding me? Too many groups, too many people were added. The video game Telltale’s version of The Walking Dead actually went in the right direction that the show should’ve but didn’t. The episode “No way out” was strictly a comic book storyline and the credibility fell dramatically when it came to TV as the zombies were no longer a threat after this episode. Rick going out with just a hatchet surrounded by thousands of zombies and doesn’t get bit?
The unfolding drama & suspense between Rick & Shane in season 2 were the best especially when it came to the Randall story arc which fueled the tension between the two to another level. Sophia coming out of the barn was not only masterpiece theater but a pinnacle scene in the series that for me could never be topped.
I wish Darabont wasn’t pushed out. This show would have such a different legacy if he kept on being show runner
For me, the series ended, when Negan introduced himself to the group. Rick got extremely confident in dealing with these violent groups they met. He even made a deal which includes getting rid of them. The first time in the series the group became the attackers. This one woman in that slaughterhouse was right, as she told Maggie, that Maggie and the people around her aren’t the good guys.
And with that in mind, Rick got trapped by a more powerful group and brought to their leader. And then the story ends exactly how this season ended. With a cliffhanger as big as the Colorado River.
The first seasons were amazing I wish I could rewatch them for the first time again.
Stopped watching the show midway through Season 10. I remember when I first started watching series literally a year ago now. By the time I got to season 5, I was feeling nostalgic for seasons 1 & 2. There really was something about the first two seasons that stuck.
Coming from a new viewer, i wish i could’ve been old enough to watch it as it came out. Season 2 is my favourite season of the walking dead and i don’t know why, there’s just something about it.
@@wilbatyt there was just something about it being so grounded , appreciate you stopping by !
@ of course man
In case it gives you any motivation to watch the further seasons they DO thankfully revisit the idea of more intelligent and "variant" zombies.
Season 1 and 2 were gold
Prison Break pilot is great too! That's one that sticks out to me. Nice video by the way. I agree with a lot of the points you made. Seasons 1-3 are are top tier!
Six spin offs for a dying tv show plot is hilarious to me.
I never understood the Season 2 hate,
It may not be in my top 3 but defenitly is great.
season 10-11 were watchable. just finished it up finally. was fun to see some characters still doin there things.
Thanks to this series, I neither don't dead nor open inside. Real ones know 😓✊️
LETS GO, what a great way to start the weekend 😤
I always try , appreciate it my guy !
Man, when it comes to everyone, i'll recommend S1-S6, such peak television, sure, some seaasons more than others, but all of them are so good in their own unique way, after that, it's not the same, i miss the earlier days, when i watched it with my entire family, then slowly as time passes, my family and friends stopped watching till it was just me, i started in a room full of people and ended the show in my college dorm alone, talk about the passing of time, anyways great video!
@@DaLegend-nz6li I am right there with you , I wish Frank Darabont never got fired would have loved to have seen what happened. Appreciate you stopping by !
Fun fact the Walker at 9:23 lived in my building. His decor was dope too.
@@Catwidahat that’s cool as hell !
Walking season 1 deserves to be studied by film creators for how great it is
I always thought the series would be better if it just spent each season on a different group. The challenge being each season would have to be really well rounded and complete.
great video man, i also love the first seasons. I am really considering rewatching seasons 1-6 or s7 epsiode 1, after that everything just slows down
I can still go back and watch seasons 1-5 anytime and enjoy nearly every single episode. It sucks how bad the later season got esp since Jeffery Dean Morgan as Negan is one of the best characters in the series surrounded by bad writting
Yeah I agree seasons 1 and 2 were highly underrated in my opinion
Well done and totally agree. I think the first seasons really went for slow burn, methodical, character drama. That just so happened to take place in a world with zombies. Then, it slowly began to devolve into big budget Hollywood action shock value BS
Great video bro
Glad you enjoyed it ! Thank you !
Season 2 is probably my favorite season. Season 3 was great, but I feel like Glenn Mazzara wasn’t the best choice as show runner. Scott Gimple was an even worse choice. Imagine how good the show would have continued to be if Frank Darabont had remained as the show runner.
@@zacharymccants77 I agree , I couldn’t understand why Scott Gimple did the decisions he did. I wish AMC never fired frank it would have probably been damn good television
Season 2 isn't slow, it was the BEST season of the show.
Agreed.
Frankly TWD went downhill after the prison arc. I had an easier time relating to the characters when remnants of the old world were still around. I miss the flashbacks to when the outbreak was just starting being contrasted with character decisions post outbreak. TWD got removed from reality when they started incorporating Star Wars looking getups for characters.
how Andrew Lincoln never won an award for his portrayal of Rick Grimes is beyond me.
Seriously I wondered that too
I remembered finish watching the walking season 1 and 2, thinking it’s one of the best show ever, and then season 3 started to go downhill halfway through , and then I got so disappointed, but I still get to finished the entire 11 seasons because of those first two seasons.
For me its season 1 is easily the best (but not without some small flaws), 2 is really great (especially for enjoyable character building), 3 and 4 are pretty good (for establishing a cool villian and basically a perfect anti to rick), and then everything after that only has a few scenes here and there worth watching on UA-cam basically.
Pretty much what I did haha
First time watching the show almost stopped where the baseball smashing happened but than managed to watch till Neagans throats got slasshed, After that few years passed And I managed to watch it all over again all seasons and I know what you mean it was dragged at a times but still loved it because of the characters and there dynamics. After that watched all show like two more times and also other twd side series, the best of them Fear the walkind dead, also all seasons like two times. Now I am getting ready to watch it all over again. this show is like "'Friends" after some time you just want to watch it again.
It's never the same after Shane dies. He provided such a good conflict for the first two seasons.
You're right, it's better without him
Seasons 9-11 were a huge improvement over 7-8.
I only watched the first two seasons of TWD. To me, Season 1 was great. Season 2 was ok. Not wow, not horrible. Just ok. Afterwards, I haven't paid much attention to the series. Though, around the mid 2010s, my buddy told me the series began to go downwards. So in a way, I am glad I didn't watch the rest of the show. It would've been fine if the show would've remained at least 4 or 5 seasons ; where not only the show remained its standing as being a good show , but also a show that didn't drag on the repetitive story, the inconsistency, along other stuff that in later seasons, from what I heard, would turn off some fans plus viewers who continued watching the show after the first two seasons .
7:13 there’s actually a lot of twd actors who va on invincible. Like damn near everyone. Obviously because Rob made both but always thought that was pretty cool
S2 is like TOWL Ep 4, talking and feeling out the characters development. S2 each character had to determine what their usefulness is within the group. TOWL Richonne had to reconnect with each other.
Anyone who says season 2 is anything but good doesn’t know how good they had it back then
The Darabont years were the best!
I think this is a great and underrated video that really explains the problems of this series To me, season 1 is a masterpiece and BY FAR the best season. It honestly could have been a standalone series with the last episode being a cliffhanger. They really fit that much into a single season and it would have left people satisfied but also wanting more. Not only was the writing and unveiling of all the conflicts brilliant in season 1, it felt like the only season that was ACTUALLY ABOUT ZOMBIES. They were a huge threat and should be feared. Every season after really diminished that feeling.
Looking back, season 2 is actually pretty good from a narrative perspective. I remember hating it back when it aired. Partially because I was just a kid who wanted to see zombies and have a couple scares, but also because of the pacing issues that you and the other commenters have mentioned. It is good if binged, but wasn't great as a weekly show. Especially following season 1, when you were on the edge of your seat for every minute of every episode. I remember a meme going around at the time, where there was edited text on a Walking Dead poster and it said "People arguing, and sometimes zombies show up", and I think that captures the feelings of everyone during the weekly run of season 2, and also foreshadowed part of what would become the show's downfall.
And you are right about every season after 2. It was just a descent into madness after that. The show wasn't about zombies anymore. It was about these ridiculous conflicts between characters that felt over-the-top in terms of personalities and motivations. "The Governor"... Please, what a joke. Sure, people would probably go crazy in an apocalypse, but the show basically turned into a faction war show following season 2. Every couple episodes you might have some zombie issues, but they just became a nuisance, not the focus. I mean the title is the Walking Dead... Think they strayed from that a bit? The weight of just having to survive was gone. It was now about drama, politics, and egos. Like you said, it became an action show and a drama after season 2. It lost the identity that it had built in season 1, and lost the depth that it had in season 2. The Rick and Shane dynamic was incredible, and left the show with huge shoes to fill, but they never came close with any character dynamic after that.
I think the decline in viewership each season reflects the distaste of everyone, and I know I quit after Glenn's death along with many people. I waited for years for the show to return to its roots of season 1, but it just got cornier and cornier every year. The show was great and it was fun when it was a pop culture phenomenon, but after reliving seasons 1 and 2, you realize the massively wasted potential of some great writing and characters.
Well done.
@@joshbosco4028 My GOODNESS I remember seeing that meme too! “people argue and occasionally zombies show up” I forgot how hard I laughed when I first saw that lmao. I appreciate you stopping by !
HOW DOES THIS ONLY HAVE 1K VIEWS WHAT
I appreciate that lol, Sometimes the UA-cam Algorithm does not like my content haha
Days gone bye was epic
@@jamesbodnarchuk3322 such a good first episode
LOST also had an amazing first episode. anyway, great video!
This Breaking Bad, and LOST are 3 of my favorite Pilots Also I look at the walkers in the first season as not all the way turned yet, because the organ of the event seems like it wasn't to long ago. so they to still have some of their memories and what not.
Honestly, I think season’s 7 and 8 were pretty good. Negan is fantastic as a villain, and the conflicts are entertaining and interesting.
The Saviors were a bigger threat that the group couldn’t handle. The stakes felt real at every turn (like the main cast could actually die). Glen dying at the end of season 6 was a brutal loss after he had been with us for so long. It made it seem like the stakes were real, like the main cast could actually die. The Saviors outplaying the group at every turn built tension, and made you wonder how much of the main cast we would lose before The Saviors were dealt with. The group was in fact vincible. They wouldn’t always win, and expectations were subverted a fair amount. I’ll never forget they pay off when The Kingdom saved Alexandria from the Saviors (although not noticing the tiger was pretty far fetched).
In my opinion It’s after that resolution they truly had nothing left to do. The group hadn’t dealt with an enemy of that scale before. And now that they had, there really wasn’t anywhere else for the story to go that kept the audience in suspense.
I think having internal conflict would have been more rewarding versus the external conflicts. We cared about Shane (great villain) , the governor was an exception but the focus on us versus them was hella boring. Missions to fortify would have been more entertaining, hopes for rescue, hopes for a cure would have been more entertaining.
Getting away from hordes, evolving walkers, diving into characters and how they dealt with the beginning of the apocalypse. The collapse is the best
I stopped watching the walking dead when Glenn died. Then I came back after a year or two and watched it all through. I kept watching because I put myself in the shoes of the characters. I love the world building and environmental atmosphere of TWD. Figuring out what happened and what went down at certain locations keeps me interested in the developing story. Yes, the writing is hit and miss, but the environmental atmosphere is top-notch
Always loved the environmental atmosphere
I was obsessed with twd till i got to like season 5, like i literally watched it everyday
Great review of the show. Idk why people didn’t like season 2 I thought it was very good. My favourite episode was S6 ep 16 and the S7 ep 1 and then Negan got a bit annoying.
The thumbail is the true walking dead.
Couldn’t agree more
They dont remember where they live. Rick states when he wakes up tied to the bed that he knew the people that lived there, morgan says it was empty when they found it. That wasnt morgans home.
I was loyal grin season one to the end. I even watched the spin offs. Fear was the only one I couldn’t stomach.
This was such a beautifully made video essay, Your writing is gorgeous ❤
Btws, I recommend watching at least seasons 9 to 11. They get so much better! Obviously not as amazing as before, but imho season 7 and 8 are the worst. If you can’t do that, I totally understand but then I 1000% recommend watching “On the Inside” Season 11, episode 6. It is honestly a fantastic standalone episode. It’s the scariest episode of TWD and I think you would absolutely love it as a horror fan. It has many silent moments too, due to one of the characters being deaf (you get her POVs.) Anyway, ty again! Time to binge your channel ☺️
@@luciskies I appreciate that thank you very much! Yeah at some point I will finish up the show in the future, again thanks for stopping by !
@@Cyb3rSnail I think you'll love the Here's Negan episode. Incredible acting.
I love this video thank you!
@@michaeladvs224 not a problem ! Appreciate you stopping by !
This show was PEAK entertainment.