In my opinion, Season 1 of The Walking Dead was easily the best. Yes, it was short. (Only 6 episodes). But it was short, sweet and fast paced story telling. It moved fairly quickly and introduced the characters in exciting ways. In only 6 episodes, I really cared about these people.

However, it was Season 2 that further developed these characters and many of them began transformations that evolved into the characters they are today. Today, I'll break down how this second season transformed Rick, Hershel, Daryl, Carl, Glenn, Maggie and the others into the stronger characters they developed into. I'll start with everyone's favorite redneck - Daryl Dixon.

Daryl underwent a huge change throughout the season. In season 1 when we're introduced to Daryl, he is a hostile, racist redneck. He's short-tempered, irrational, emotional and wants serious revenge on our homie "T-Dog" for leaving his brother Merle abandoned on a rooftop in Atlanta in handcuffs. During season 1, you could argue that Daryl was somewhat of an antagonist and a liability, even trying to kill Dr. Jenner in the CDC. (If Jenner had died before opening the doors, the group would have surely  been doomed).

In the second season, however, we began to see a new Daryl Dixon emerge. First, in the season's premiere episode (What Lies Ahead) Daryl actually rescued T-Dog, who was about to become walker chow due to a bad cut on his arm. This was likely a surprise to all viewers, as Daryl hated T-Dog's guts in all prior episodes. Of all people to save T-Dog, it was Daryl. This put an interesting spin on things and showed that he actually cared about anyone whose name was not Merle.

Perhaps feeling guilty for failing to rescue his brother Merle, Daryl worked harder than anyone else to find the missing Sophia. He began to find something of a role for himself as the group's hunter. When it was discovered that Sophia was dead all along, Daryl went into a depression and again isolated himself from the group. But he was smart all along, even realizing that Shane killed Otis despite Shane's story of Otis dying a tragic hero. He also envied Shane's position as Rick's right hand man, telling Dale, "Rick just looks to Shane...let him!.. This group is broken." Daryl felt that the rest of the group (with the exception of Dale) looked at him as white trash.

Perhaps sensing the ever-growing tension between Rick and Shane over leadership, Daryl finally stepped up in Judge, Jury, and Executioner. He served as the group's enforcer, beating the snot out of Randall to get information out of his about his rival gang. Also, when Rick attempted to execute Randall, he made sure to bring Daryl with him along with Shane. This was the beginning of Rick beginning to trust Daryl. By the episode's end, Daryl officially became Rick's right-hand man when he put down a dying Dale. After that, Rick recruited Daryl to go with him to drop Randall off. Though the plan didn't work out (Shane kidnapped and murdered Randall before they could) it showed that Rick trusted Daryl and looked to him for support. After Shane was dead, Daryl became Rick's closest male ally, something he still is today.

We also saw Daryl open up a bit this season as he developed a soft spot for Carol. Both Carol and Daryl had been abused previously (Carol by her husband Ed, and Daryl by his brother and father). The two bonded over this and became something of an item. To make a long story short, Daryl Dixon became the anti-hero fans love during season 2.

Perhaps Rick was the character who grew the most during season 2. Rick began the second season as the same man he was during the first. He was smart, negotiable, and maintained his morals. However, this began to change as the episodes progressed this season.

The turning point was the moment the zombie Sophia came staggering out of Hershel's barn. Though the entire group was shocked by this, Rick (perhaps feeling guilty) was the one who walked forward and blew her zombie brains out.
Rick began to lose hope and transitioned slowly into a darker character after this point. In fact, during the very next episode, (Nebraska) Rick swiftly murdered two manipulative hoodlums named Dave and Tony in a bar. He did it without hesitation, and it was a shock to the viewers as much as it was to Glenn and Hershel. If the group had encountered Dave and Tony in previous episodes, Rick would have tried negotiating with them or outsmarting them somehow. Killing them would have been the absolute last resort. But Rick's natural cop instincts and darkening mindset spelled doom for Dave and Tony, the latter of whom fell into a pool of his own piss after being shot.

But Rick still tried hanging on to his morality. He insisted on bringing an injured Randall back to the group's farm. Later, after Shane attempted to kill him at outside of a school, Rick came back for his friend. (18 Miles Out). Shane famously told Rick in that episode, "You can't be the good guy and expect to live....you can't keep them (Lori and Carl) safe." Shane felt that Rick's good intentions would get him and the group killed, and constantly told him that the "right decision is the one that keeps us alive!" Shane was right, but Rick didn't realize it until later.

But Rick still had a lot of heart, as he couldn't bring himself to execute Randall a few episodes later. But the former sheriff reached the point of no return when he murdered Shane. From that moment on, Rick became emotionally distant - his only priority was to keep his group safe. He was now a cold, relentless leader. Even his wife Lori was treated with a sort of imperious disdain. Though Shane was dead, his spirit lived on in this new version of Rick. Although he briefly gave up leadership during the first half of season 4, Rick returned to his "ricktatorship" later in the series. At the start of the second season, Rick was an everyman still living by the rules of the pre-apocolypse. By the end, however, he was a hardened warrior who had fully adapted to the new world.

Andrea began the season as a suicidal wreck. But she gradually developed a bond with Shane and shared his survival mindset. Shane taught the blond how to shoot accurately, and Andrea looked to be on her way to becoming the badass that she is in the comic books. The third season successfully ruined this by making Andrea become The Governor's slut puppy, but that's another story for another blog. The Andrea of season 2 became a warrior and a big asset to the group with her shooting and fearlessness.

Glenn made a big impact the previous season as the group's speedy supply runner. He was swift, brave and likeable. He continued his resourcefulness this season, but along came Maggie, who made a "man out of him." It was during his time on the farm that Glenn became less of a nerd and more self-confident, stemming from the moment that Maggie told him the truth. "For a smart guy, you're really stupid." That's when Glenn gradually eased up on letting the group use him as a guinea pig and became less reckless, as he wanted to live and protect his new girlfriend at all costs. The beginnings of "Warrior Glenn" can be found on the farm in season 2.

To save a little time, I'll do these two together. The Greene family was in denial of the walker-infested world around them. Hershel had his family believing that walkers were just "sick people" and that there would be a cure. He was so delusional that he locked up his undead family members and other walkers in his barn. Maggie smartened up first when Glenn saved her from a walker attack on a supply run. She even tried to warn her father of the danger outside of the farmlands. Hershel, however, didn't see the truth until Shane repeatedly shot his zombified neighbor Louise in the chest multiple times and she kept coming forward. "Barnaggedon" was when Hershel realized he had been foolish. From that point on, he relinquished his leadership to Rick, realizing that he had been right all along. And, had the barn not gotten overrun at the end of the season, Hershel was going to let the group stay in the house. Despite all of the terrible events surrounding his family and friends, Hershel maintained his religious beliefs, giving some of the group members something to hold on to. After Dale's death, Hershel became the group's moral compass and token "wise old man" character, though he remains a fan favorite to this day.

Carl was probably the second most hated character of the season, one notch under his embarrassingly stupid mother Lori. While it was Lori who screwed up the most during the season, her son was nearly her equal. The dumbest thing he did (and came to regret) was taunting a walker caught in the mud by throwing rocks at it, and when the damn thing got loose, Carl ran away and didn't say a word about it to anyone. Later, that same walker followed Carl to the farm and made a snack out of Dale.

Carl learned from this, however, and kind of made up for it by gunning down the zombie Shane who (again) tried to kill Rick. (Shane just doesn't give up, does he?) Carl just couldn't stay in the house this season, but this is partially the blame of LORI, who never kept her eye on him. (She was too busy manipulating Rick and Shane and crashing Maggie's car).  We learned in season 2 that Carl was a great shot with a gun. My point though, is that although Carl didn't change much here, this was the beginning of the tough and fearless Carl we have today.

Other characters underwent minor changes throughout the season but not as extreme as the characters I mentioned above. Carol, for example, became a bit hardened after the loss of her daughter, even refusing to attend the funeral. It wasn't until seasons 3 and 4 that she became the tough, badass Carol that she is today. Likewise, Beth was also present during season 2 but did not develop as a character until seasons 3 and 4. If I missed anyone or if you have any thoughts or comments, feel free to leave them below!

Have a Dugger Day! :)

I've been a fan of the Walking Dead since Season 1. That first season sucked me in fast, and to this day, no other TV show has made me so intrigued from the very beginning. I'm a horror fan, but what really impressed me about the show was the storytelling. It wasn't about the zombies; it was more about the characters, their motives, and how they were reacting to the world around them.

But something went wrong along the way, and this season is the first time that I've purposely missed episodes. Everyone has their own opinion, but this is why my interest in the Walking Dead has been waning.

 The television show was developed by Frank Darabont, who is most famous for directing films such as The Mist and Shawshank Redemption. Darabont has his own way of storytelling. When he was the showrunner for The Walking Dead, we had a lot of flashbacks to give us more information on the characters. For example, Shane looked to be an asshole for trying to steal Rick's wife. This is true, but there was a flashback showing Shane attempting to rescue Rick's comatose body from the hospital. He did what he could to bring his buddy back to life, and didn't give up until the hospital's power was shut off by the military. Even when he did give up, he put a table in front of Rick's room to keep the undead from getting to his body. You could say that Shane saved Rick's life by doing so, as this prevented walkers from eating him while he was in his coma. This one little flashback shows Shane in a more sympathetic light, and that he truly cared for Rick.

Frank Darabont did a great job of introducing us to these characters but was let go by AMC in the middle of filming season 2. The writers of the show even teased the fans in the episode Judge, Jury and Executioner. The characters on the show were divided regarding what to do with the fate of a young prisoner named Randall. Some wanted to spare him and others wanted to kill him. A similar argument happened when Darabont was let go; some cast and crew wanted him to stay but other personel wanted him gone. The character Dale became walker chow in this episode because his actor, Jeffrey DeMunn, wanted out of the show due to Darabont's departure. Funny how the writers put their real life drama into the show and in both scenarios, DeMunn made his exit.

However, Glenn Mazarra swiftly replaced Darabont, and the ratings stayed high. Mazarra didn't like flashbacks and rarely used them, but he did increase the show's action and pacing. Under Mazarra's direction, the Walking Dead became an action show. Season 3 moves at such a fast pace that the TV series had almost caught up with the comics and season 4 had to do some stalling, but I'll get to that later.

Glenn Mazarra left the show before Season 4 started, and Scott Gimple took his place as showrunner. I'm not saying it's primarily Scott's fault, but it was during his tenure that we started to have some bad episodes. After the attack on the prison, the show increasingly began to focus only on certain characters for each episode. For example, we might have an episode focusing on Rick, Carl and Michonne one week, then the next episode is about Daryl and Beth, then we have an episode about Glenn, Tara, Abraham, etc. Basically, you only get to see your favorite characters once a month!

That is one of my main hang-ups. In season 3, there were plenty of episodes that swung back and forth between the prison group and Woodbury. Why can't the show do that now? You can have an episode that keeps you updated on all the characters in different locations. But lately, we'll get an episode all about Daryl being tortured as a prisoner, and then next week we'll get an episode devoted only to Tara.

My next complaint is about the show's shock value. Last year, the character Glenn appeared to be eaten alive by walkers. We had to wait a few weeks to discover his fate, as the show spent each week with a special episode on one or a few characters. (This is getting old, folks). Weeks later, when we finally had an episode that cut back to Glenn, we discovered that he somehow hid under a DUMPSTER and escaped the walkers!! Come on, man. The show has been leaving these ridiculous cliffhangers to keep people coming back. The most notorious one was at the end of season 6, where the show made us wait a whole summer just to see whose head Negan bashed in.

I could be wrong, but it looks like the show is desperate to keep viewers, but its methods are having the opposite effect. The ratings have been sinking lower and lower each week. To me, the show has not been the same since Darabont left. And all of my favorite characters, (Shane, Dale, Hershel, etc) are all long dead. The show's original cast and characters were the best, in this writer's opinion.

While I'm ranting, I have one last complaint. And it's about our homie Theodore Douglas, aka "T-Dog." First off, I have a problem with his name. "T-Dog?" Was that the best "homeboy hip-hop" name they could come up with? It sounds like a backup dancer for MC Hammer. Why couldn't they just call him Theodore or Teddy? Maybe even Doug? I dunno.

But what really disgusted me is their lack of interest in developing his character. T-Dog had a lot of lines in the first season and the first half of the second. He was featured as much as any of the regular supporting characters. And then, after zombie Sophia emerged from the barn, T-Dog suddenly went mute. When Glenn Mazzara took over the show, T-Dog had no lines or contributions whatsoever. It got to the point where fans joked about this on the regular. But again, when Frank Darabont was producing the show, T-Dog had plenty of lines.

I don't like how T-Dog how never developed. I felt like the writers were keeping him around because they had big plans for him later, and were getting the Rick/Lori/Shane storyline out of the way. After all, Beth and Carol were initially background characters who eventually got developed and became strong. This wasn't true for T-Dog. The writers kept him around just to suddenly kill him off after three seasons. It's a shame because we didn't know much about him, and he was doing a great job as the group's enforcer in season 3. While Daryl was Rick's right-hand man, T-Dog stepped up as the group's muscle. I think AMC regretted killing T-Dog with no development, because the other male African American characters since him (Bob, Morgan, Tyreese, Father Gabriel, etc) got plenty of character development and impacted the show's stories greatly.

Also, the character of Andrea became a stupid slut, sleeping with the Governor even when she knew of his evil nature. But in the first two seasons, Andrea was one of the show's best characters, becoming a walker assasin under the tutelge of Shane. This is getting redundant, but again, things went wrong when Darabont left.

I'm on a roll so I'll keep going. Props to you if you're sticking with me this far. I think The Governor storyline went on far too long, beginning in early season 3 and not ending until the season 4 mid-season finale. The Governor was not a bad villian per se, but it felt like he was only there to be a villian. He was a lunatic and his reasons for it are kind of understood, but Shane was the more interesting and realistic villian by far. He was Rick's best friend, and he betrayed him. People like that are the worst kind of villains because they know you're vulnerabilities. When a person close enough to you to be your brother does the same things that Shane did, it can be a lot more dangerous than someone who randomly pops up to antagonize you. Shane's gradual slip into madness was very believable and understood. If he didn't have his obsession with Lori, he would have been an awesome leader.

But looking back at things, Shane was ahead of his time. His calls were a bit more brutal (killing Otis, freeing the walkers from Hershel's barn, etc) but they were the right calls. Rick was still holding on to his humanity when Shane was increasingly becoming hostile, but he began to change after Zombie Sophia emerged from the barn. In the following episode when he killed Dave and Tony in that bar, we knew that Rick was becoming a darker character. Later, when Rick killed Shane, he became Shane. Rick became the darker, ruthless leader that the group really needed; the guy that Shane was pushing him to be.

Around the same time, Daryl Dixon's character was becoming more of the anti-hero. If you take a closer look at the Better Angels episode, you see that Daryl was already becoming Rick's right hand man even before Shane's death. Daryl stepped up in a big way when he put down Dale, which Shane, (as Rick's second in command) should have done. It's the  little smart, subtle changes in the characters like this that kept me intrigued with the show for so many years.

The season 7 mid-season finale is tonight. I hope it doesn't disappoint. I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on the show so far. It's not too late to turn things around.

I miss journalism. I miss the days when my phone wouldn't stop ringing. I miss planning my interviews with big celebrities. I miss telling stories every week in the newspaper, whether it was about something as small as a teacher winning a "teacher of the year" award to something as big as NFL Legend  Joe Theismann coming to town to give a speech. But most of all, I miss the writing.

I've always been great at expressing myself with words on paper. As early as the third grade, I would write "horror" stories or adventure novels and read them to the class. Even back then I knew I had a gift. Naturally, I knew that journalism would be my career choice. Immedieatly after college I started a career freelancing for different newspapers, magazines, and a few online news outlets.

It was fun. It was exciting. And I never knew what I'd be reporting on next. I gained a reputation for being a fun and trustworthy reporter. Many local people would only trust me to cover them for a story; indeed there were a lot of people and organizations I wrote about numerous times. They loved a good A.J. Dugger story. Famous people took note as well. I'll never forget Joe Thesimann's manager calling a paper I once wrote for requesting that "A.J. Dugger meet us in downtown Nashville so Mr. Theismann can talk to him." I had a similar experience years later when I interviewed former Heavyweight Champion Larry Holmes. After the success of our interview and accompanying article, he asked me to help with contributions and editing to his upcoming book. The late Denise Matthews, (formely known as the singer Vanity) enjoyed my work with her as well. After becoming an Evangelist she generally avoided the press, but liked my work and trusted me, giving me the opportunity to share her message through my journalism. We also became friends. She called me often. However, the experience became bittersweet because she died the following year, so I was the last reporter to interview her. Although sad, it makes that interview even more special.

But around the time I graduated from college in 2009, the economy was in the crapper. Deep in the crapper. In fact, at the newspaper where I interned the previous year, I was there to witness 35 jobs get cut. However, as I expanded my resume, I found work relatively easily.

But that's when the journalism took a big hit. These days anyone can be a journalist. All you have to do is "go live" on Facebook, or become a blogger on a news site. But there's no real money in doing that. What happened to the days when you could get a real journalism job where you had salary wages and benefits? What happened to the jobs when you spent your day alternating between typing and making phone calls at your desk and running out to cover stories? That's become a thing of the past.

It's frustrating when you get hired by every place you apply for, but all they can offer is freelance opportunities and all they pay is maybe $35 or $50 per article you write. That can't pay the bills. The way journalism is today, it has to be a side job. That's been my experience for the past two years. I can write all I want for chump change, but doing all that research, writing and interviewing isn't worth it for $35. Newspaper sales and advertising are at an all-time low. Newspapers and magazines are not making half the money they once did, so all they can afford to do is offer writers freelance opportunities for chump change.

The bright side, however, is that you can become famous easier using social media as a journalist. If you want the fame, go for it. It's easy to promote yourself these days. But the money is terrible. I don't personally care about the fame, although I wouldn't shove it away if it came. But I want to make money doing what I enjoy.

I published my first book a few years ago and hopefully my next one will be out next year. I'm trying to inch my way back into writing. It's just kind of discouraging knowing that there's no real money to make in doing it anymore.

I want to write full-time again. Currently I'm a teacher's assistant working with at-risk children. But that's not where my heart is. I'd rather go back to doing what I love. I've been a scribe for a good while now, but I realize that there are more experienced people in that field than me. If anyone has any suggestions on ways to get full-time work again, give me a holler.