Season 3 will kick it up a notch...

Walking Dead is easily one of the best shows on TV hands down and I am without a trace of doubt incredibly excited for The Walking Dead’s third season. That does not negate however the fact that the second season of Walking Dead was a less then stellar follow-up. Where the first season was spectacular from opening to end The Walking Dead Season 2 suffered in many ways not least of which is likely due to a massive budget cut.

The second season’s pace was horribly slow and the greatly reduced budget was painfully obvious as the series spent the entire first half of season two looking for a missing girl with Hershel’s farm as the backdrop. I could not figure out if the lack of imagination at the start of Season 2 was a result of Frank Darabont being fired, poor writing, or if it was simply an effort by AMC to drag the original seasons 6 episodes to 13 episodes.

AMC’s The Walking Dead still managed to lure in record numbers of viewers and in my view still managed to accomplish its goals of delivering great television but any way you cut it Season 2 was very dry and Season 3 needs to pack a much harder punch or fans of The Walking Dead will very quickly start tuning out.

The season finale in contrast to the rest of the second season was in a word spectacular and easily compensated for a lackluster start to the second season and in a matter of a few short minutes introduced some new key elements that will make Season 3 must see TV.

As Andrea is fleeing for her life after a mass of destruction at the farm we are introduced to a hooded woman with two chained, literally disarmed zombies whom we all know as the katana toting Michone. Michone will be  a great and much needed replacement to Shane’s character in The Walking Dead Season 3.

Michonne is a complex character that is all business but also mentally unstable making her a fantastic character. The story behind her two chained zombie companions is one that I for one will not spoil here but is just one great example of what made the writing in the novels so great.


More importantly we catch in the closing seconds of Season two a glimpse of one of the most important scenes from the Walking Dead, the prison. The prison will introduce the television fans to one of the darkest and most destructive characters of the graphic novels, The Governor ( played by David Morrisey ).

The Governor’s impact on Rick Grimes and his family is catastrophic and it will be interesting to see just how much their interaction follows Robert Kirkman’s original work.

The Walking Dead Season 3 will not only feature the zombie slaying katana toting Michonne and The Governor but will also see the return of one of my favorite characters from Walking Dead season one….. Meryl. Daryls older racist and trouble making brother will  introduce a new ‘cain and abel’ angle to the third season of The Walking Dead according to Michael Rooker who plays the role of Meryl.

Walking Dead Season 3 will introduce us to new characters, an old favorite and here is hoping new highs for the TV franchise. AMC has made it very clear they want to see The Walking Dead carry on for many more seasons but key to that will be engaging with fans and keeping us entertained.

One thing is for sure, I am very excited for The Walking Dead Season 3. Despite naysayers who said season two was far too slow it still managed to draw in millions of viewers and the season finale brought in a staggering 9 million viewers. Lets just hope this is enough incentive for AMC to give the production team behind The Walking Dead the money they need and deserve to make Season 3 spectacular.

One thing is for sure with the return of Meryl, the introduction of Michone and The Governor their are some very rich new characters that make the third season hard to miss!  Are you a fan of The Walking Dead? What did you think of Season 2? What do you hope to see in the third season?