Walking Dead S2

I finally came back and finished season 2 of the Walking Dead
After recovering from the (disasterous) end of season 1
but thankfully the second season moved a little closer to the comic

Of course there are things i didn't like about season 2
the obvious one is dragging out sophia missing, i know it had a purpose but it was annoying to EVERYONE

It's hard with such a popular show now to avoid SPOILERS (which there are of course some below), so i knew most of the big surprises

and on that topic, i didn't like sophia getting turned and killed

sophia made me realize how different the tv show is from the comic,
i think of them now as the two universes or timelines (like Fringe), with the same characters (roughly) but different outcomes, which is good, anything can happen.
it's fitting that rick should be the only one willing to shoot her, making me think back to the beginning of the pilot.

the sophia search was an interesting twist, where shane is actually right that it was a waste of time, and rick admits to being wrong, which fits with rick's struggles to lead in the comic.

also fitting that otis was the only one who could have known where she was.

Dale! i was shocked to find out he would be dying this season as well.

the opposite of shane (in many ways on the show), his time was cut short compared to the comic, but close in gruesomeness.
but he avoided being bitten twice and being eaten by cannibals, and eventually was shot (per the comic).

his death fit well with the episode, representing the humanity of the group.

great to have a couple episodes with rick struggling over killing the innocent to protect themselves, where rick fails to shoot in front of carl or to end his friends suffering.

i didn't like that shane was still alive, but this was eventually fixed. 
and he was shot by carl matching the comic. well except the was a zombie. 
we get to know shane a lot more in the tv show. how bad of a person he really is (killing otis). and i think it's a fitting end for him, since he hates zombies so much, it's his worst end.

great to have an entire knock down fight episode with shane versus rick.

and of course the best part of season 2 is the ending.

getting some idea on the rules of zombies and how this all works. apparently romero based with any death resulting in a zombie. and we see zombies eat animals as well.

and then there's the finale with the herd/horde, rick being solidified as the leader, and then a teaser of michonne and the prison.

such a great season, despite having its differences with the comic. it's standing on its own.

as for the comics, i am months behind at the moment, not entirely into it being in a slow spell, still back on the hilltop issues and wondering what is to come.