The first season of The Walking Dead started off with an amazing premiere that deftly set up the premise of the zombie apocalypse and quickly introduced a number of promising characters and storylines, all while keeping the tension high and providing lots of zombie-killing fun. Although the series got bogged down a bit in the middle of the season, by not progressing the characters or storyline for several episodes. The finale was a saving grace that really showed us the potential that this show had to become, not just a good horror series, but a great dramatic series overall.

So it was with great anticipation that I looked forward to the premiere of Season 2, hoping that the writers could build on the previous season and create something truly compelling. And so far this season, it has delivered.

The Story So Far…

The first three episodes of Season 2 have shown that the writers want to challenge our rag-tag group of survivors in new ways and push the show beyond a series of zombie attacks. Season 2 starts right where Season 1 ended, with the group—led by ex-sheriff Rick Grimes—fleeing the Atlanta CDC and looking for a safe haven from the zombie infection. But they quickly find themselves at an impasse, when they come to a roadblock on the highway. After a tense encounter with a herd of walkers, 12-year-old Sophia runs off into the woods and quickly gets lost, and the group becomes divided as some go in search of the missing girl and others stay back on the highway.

The first episode had me worried that the second season was going to be more of the same and that the writers were going to stick to the formula that proved successful in the first time around, but the next two episodes have proven that the show is moving in new and different ways while still maintaining what was good about Season 1.

Focus on Characters and Story

Episodes 2 and 3 introduce a new set of characters at the Green Farm, a family held up in their farm house who provide medical help to the group after Carl gets accidentally shot at the end of episode 1. At the same time, the original band of survivors, who have thus far found strength in their group, are now divided between those at the farm – those stuck on highway, and the constant search parties that roam the woods looking for Sophia.

This break-up in the group forces the characters to pair off in interesting ways that create new dynamics that push the character development forward—Andrea has a falling out with Dale, Daryl gets the chance to show that he’s more than a stereotypical redneck, and by the end of episode 3 we see that Shane may be headed in a direction that makes him much more dangerous to the group than anyone had imagined.

All in all, it seems that the writers have started to hit their stride with Season 2 and have begun to create some great character development and challenging storylines that will propel the series through 13 episodes of zombie goodness. Here’s to hoping they can keep up the quality and tension of the episodes so far and make this season even better than the first.

James Ged is an American zombie enthusiast who watches a lot of TV and writes about it for CableTV.com. Follow his random TV posts on his Tumblr: TV Buzzer.