It’s hard to believe that five episodes of The Walking Dead season 2 have already come and gone – and with the November 27 midseason finale looming large, it is certain that expectations are high. Creator Robert Kirkman recently spoke about some additions to the cast and what fans can expect from the halfway point of the second season.
Those that have been keeping up know that The Walking Dead’s second season has been on a slow burn (a shuffling pace, if you will) for five episodes – dangling what seems to be an almost insurmountable collection of plot threads, without a single resolution in sight. With only two weeks to go before Rick Grimes and his band of survivors vanish until 2012, how exactly will The Walking Dead ensure the audience stays interested? By giving them an episode to remember, according to Kirkman.
Though he wisely avoids spilling the beans on what, exactly, is coming up in the next two episodes (and beyond), the writer did make mention that the episode entitled ‘Pretty Much Dead Already’ is going to be a doozy. “It is a bigger episode and there are some loose ends tied up, but I wouldn’t want to say what just yet. But I will say to keep an eye out for that episode, it’s gonna be huge!”
Of course, this being the first half of a 13-episode season arc, the writers had to think about the remaining six episodes – which Kirkman says are “jam-packed with absolutely crazy stuff.”
In order to bring about all of that craziness, Kirkman confirms there will be many new additions to the cast that go beyond those survivors living on Hershel’s farm. The question then becomes: who will these characters be, and from where did they originate? Once again, however, Kirkman proved unwilling to confirm anything about these newcomers – but that just allows fan speculation to go through the roof.
One character in particular, the sword-swinging Michonne, has long ranked high on viewers’ list as must-see. Though Frank Darabont mentioned his intention to bring her to The Walking Dead in season 3, the filmmaker’s departure from the series certainly brought that timeframe into question. According to Kirkman, however, Michonne is still very much on the table.
“She was introduced pretty early on in Vol. 4 of the comic books. Whether we’ll move that up or have it happen at a later date, we haven’t figured out. But I will say that she’s definitely going to be in the show eventually.”
Eventually, may be the key word for season 2 of The Walking Dead. Though it has moved away from, or delayed key instances from the comic books, the series has managed to justify the departures by tweaking the audience’s perception of certain characters. Case in point: Shane (Jon Bernthal) – who many a comic reader thought would be out of a job by now – has managed to turn the murderous third-wheel into a more interesting, fully realized character.
Which goes to show you, despite the expectations of where The Walking Dead may be headed, AMC’s hit series may eventually get there – or it may just be going in another direction.
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The Walking Dead midseason finale airs Sunday, November 27 @9pm, and the series will return from hiatus on February 12, 2012.
