Season 2 (TV Series)

Season 2 of AMC's The Walking Dead consists of thirteen episodes; it premiered on October 16, 2011 and concluded on March 18, 2012. Glen Mazzara debuted as showrunner this season, replacing Frank Darabont.

This season adapts material from issues #7-12 of the Comic Series.

"What Lies Ahead"
The caravan of survivors finds the highway blocked by abandoned cars. Just then the radiator hose on Dale's RV bursts. The group decides to make a stop to get fuel and supplies from the scattered vehicles.

After a tense scene, during which T-Dog finds a bloody baby-seat in a car, a large herd of walkers approaches. Dale is stuck atop his RV, Andrea is stuck inside the RV, while the others hide underneath the cars. A walker hears Sophia crying and begins chasing her. Terrified, Sophia makes a run for it, as two zombies chase her down a ditch and into the woods. Rick rushes after the walkers, reaches Sophia first, and asks her to stay hidden in a tiny hollow at the mouth of a stream. He leads the two walkers away to kill them. When Rick returns he discovers Sophia is gone. The group organizes a search to find the girl before sundown. While marveling at a stag deer in the forest, Carl is critically wounded by a hunter's gunshot.

"Bloodletting"
Before the apocalypse, Lori waits for Carl as he gets out of school. She tells a friend that she had an argument with Rick the night before. Meanwhile, Shane arrives and tells her about Rick's injury. He prepares to take her to the hospital, where Rick is undergoing emergency surgery.

As the flashback ends, Rick runs to seek help, carrying Carl in his arms. Shane follows them with Otis, the hunter who had accidentally shot Carl. They reach a farm, and Carl is attended to by an old man named Hershel. The bullet buried in Carl's chest has shattered into six fragments, and Hershel needs Rick's blood for a transfusion. Hershel withdraws one fragment but concludes that he'll needs surgical supplies to remove the other five.

Shane and Otis, looking for medical supplies, head to an abandoned FEMA evacuation center at a former high school. The location is now surrounded by Walkers. Meanwhile, Rick asks that they send Maggie, Hershel's daughter, to the caravan. He wants her to bring Lori to the farm.

Dale finds that T-Dog has an infection (non-walker in nature) in his arm, and will need to take antibiotics. The group agrees to spend the night on the road waiting for Sophia, and then travel to Hershel's farm in the morning. When Lori finds out that Hershel is a veterinarian, she fears for the fate of Carl. Meanwhile, Shane and Otis get the necessary supplies, but are soon under siege by dozens of walkers at the high school.

"Save the Last One"
At the farm, Carl is near death and suffers from internal bleeding. He is surviving due to successive blood transfusions, but Rick - who is supplying the blood - is getting weaker and weaker.

Back at the RV, which is still at the traffic snarl, Daryl Dixon cannot sleep during the night, since Carol can't stop crying. He decides to take a walk with Andrea to search for Sophia. Meanwhile Shane and Otis, who are out collecting medical supplies, are short of ammunition and surrounded by a large number of walkers. They decide to split up and attempt to escape.

Glenn and T-Dog arrive at the farm. T-Dog's wound is disinfected and treated. Hershel Greene is ready to operate on Carl, and Shane, with the necessary medical supplies, arrives without Otis. Hershel asks everyone not to tell Patricia about Otis. After the surgery on Carl, Hershel informs Rick and Lori that the boy is stable.

As Shane enters the house to take a shower, Maggie gives Shane some of Otis's clothes, so he'll have something to change into. As he prepares to take a shower, Shane notices a big piece of hair missing from his head. There is a flashback to when Shane and Otis were making their escape from the walkers at the high school. As both of them are running low on ammunition, Shane decides to wound Otis and sacrifice him to the walkers. Otis struggles with Shane. Although he is unable to save himself, he does rip a big chunk of hair from Shane's head, giving him a bald spot. The walkers circle around the wounded Otis and eat him alive.

Shane, having found some clippers, shaves his entire head, in order to hide the bald spot.

"Cherokee Rose"
The survivors arrive at Hershel's farm. Everyone participates in a small memorial ceremony for Otis. Hershel asks the survivors to hand over their weapons to prevent trouble. Maggie is in need of medical supplies, and decides to head out to a pharmacy in the nearest town. She also decides that Glenn should tag along with her.

Hershel tells Rick that as soon as Sophia is found and Carl is fully recovered, he wants Rick and the survivors to leave his farm. Lori asks Glenn to pick up a special supply from the pharmacy.

The group finds a walker trapped in a well and they try to remove it without contaminating the water with its blood. They manage to get the walker out of the well, but the walker's torso is ripped in half, leaving its bottom half contaminating the water. After getting the medical supplies, Glenn and Maggie have sex. Meanwhile, a disturbed Shane prepares to train the survivors to defend themselves. Daryl seeks Sophia alone. He brings back a Cherokee rose, to give hope to Carol. When Lori gets her supply back from Glenn, she uses it and discovers that her worst fear has come true. Lori is pregnant.

"Chupacabra"
Shortly after the outbreak, Shane, Lori, and Carl are trapped in a traffic jam with Carol, Sophia, and Ed. Soon after, Shane and Lori see Atlanta being bombed by the military.

In the present, Daryl is on horseback, searching for Sophia. The horse gets spooked by a snake and knocks Daryl off. He falls down the cliff, having a arrow go through his back side and clean through the front. Daryl begins to hallucinate, arguing with visions of his brother Merle. He also attempts to climb back up the cliff so he can get back to the group.

Andrea is acting as a spotter for the group, and when a bloodied Daryl returns, she mistakes him for a walker and shoots him. Fortunately, her bullet only grazes the side of his face. He begins recuperating, with Carol's assistance. The two begin to form a bond.

Glenn, having talked Maggie into a repeat of their earlier tryst, arranges a location without asking for her input. As he prepares to meet her in a nearby barn, Maggie rushes to try to stop him. It is too late, however, as Glenn looks in through an upper loft in the building and learns of the farm's secret: Hershel is keeping a large group of walkers locked inside.

"Secrets"
The survivors are again prepping and searching for Sophia. Glenn is uneasy about the barn full of walkers. Maggie tells him to stop being so obvious about it. Daryl is still recovering from Andrea's friendly fire. She joins everyone, including some of Hershel's people, in learning how to properly shoot a weapon.

Glenn shares the secret of the barn with Dale, who later confronts Hershel about the walkers. Dale warns him that they are dangerous, but Hershel insists that they are simply sick people, who may one day be cured.

Andrea and Shane have a rough training session, since Shane keeps needling her. He then callously brings up her sister Amy. Shane apologizes, and asks Andrea to join him in the search for Sophia at the nearby Wiltshire Estates.

Hershel still wants Rick and his group to leave the farm. Lori tells Rick he needs to convince Hershel to let them stay. Lori has also decided she doesn't want to keep her child, which she still hasn't told Rick about. She asks Glenn and Maggie to go back to the pharmacy to get abortion pills. During the supply run, Maggie is attacked and nearly bitten. Lori takes the pills, but then decides she still wants her child. As she vomits up the medicine, Rick finds the pill package. Lori admits her secret.

"Pretty Much Dead Already"
Glenn finally tells everyone that there are walkers in the barn. The group discusses how they should proceed; Shane believes they should be killed, but Rick says they need to respect Hershel's wishes since they are guests on his land. Rick then confronts Hershel, while trying to convince him to let the group stay. They are interrupted by Jimmy, who tells Hershel they captured more walkers.

Shane goes after Dale, wanting the weapons to take care of the walkers in the barn. Dale, however, has snuck away from the RV, taking the weapons with him. Shane finds Dale and confronts him. Dale says he knows what kind of man Shane is and what he did to Otis. Shane threatens Dale, then takes the weapons back to the farm. Rick sees what Shane is planning and tries to stop him. It is too late, though, as Shane throw open the barn doors to release the walkers. Everyone shoots them, while Hershel and his family watch in horror. The last walker then emerges from the barn. It is Sophia. Everyone is stunned into silence by what Sophia has become. Carol watches in tears, as Rick steps up to her daughter and shoots her in the head.

"Nebraska"
Emotions run high in the aftermath of the barn walker massacre. Maggie's younger sister Beth grows ill. She shows no sign of injury or fever, but appears to have fallen into a state of shock and depression. Rick and Glenn search for a missing Hershel. Relations between Shane and Dale worsen, and Dale reveals to Lori that he believes Shane shot Otis and used him as a diversion to escape the FEMA shelter.

The survivors bury Sophia, as well as Hershel's wife and step-son, as it was revealed that Hershel's late family members were also being kept in the barn as reanimated corpses. The group burns the rest of the barn walkers. Carol refuses to attend Sophia's funeral, which angers Daryl.

Lori decides to go after Rick when Beth's condition worsens, but ends up wrecking her car on the way to town. Rick, meanwhile, finds Hershel at the local bar and tells him about Beth. Hershel has been drinking, and admits that in his youth his alcoholism made life difficult for his loved ones. Rick tells Hershel that he needs to pull himself together, as he still has a family that depends upon him.

A couple of strangers enter the bar. They introduce themselves as Dave and Tony. What begins as a friendly encounter turns heated. The men are desperate, and imply that they are willing to use force to obtain what they want. However, they are no match for Rick's instincts and quick reflexes, and are killed when they finally make a move to attack.

"Triggerfinger"
Lori recovers from her accident. As she crawls out of the wreckage she is attacked by walkers. Shane rescues her, then lies to her and says Rick that has returned to the farm. When she finds out about his deception, Shane explains that his first priority was keeping her safe. He also unintentionally reveals her pregnancy to the entire group.

Later, Shane and Lori talk about their previous relationship. Shane is convinced that Lori still has feelings for him, and that he can protect both her and Carl better than Rick.

In the town, Rick, Glenn and Hershel attempt to escape, but three other men (Nate, Sean and Randall) have arrived in search for Dave and Tony. When Rick confesses to killing the men, a shootout occurs. Walkers arrive in the town upon hearing the gunfire, and Hershel inadvertently causes Sean's death when he injures him and leaves him helpless to escape from the walkers. Nate and Randall attempt to flee, but Randall impales his leg on a gate, causing Nate to abandon him. Rick, Glenn and Hershel rescue Randall, and the four safely return to the farm. Rick plans to send away Randall away after his leg has healed. Shane disagrees, insisting that they should kill the man. Once they're alone, Lori tells Rick that she thinks Shane is dangerous.

"18 Miles Out"
One week has passed since Rick brought Randall back to the farm. Now that the man is sufficiently healed, Rick and Shane are transporting him to a faraway area. On the way, Rick confronts Shane about Otis' death. He also tells him he knows about his attraction to Lori. Shane admits to it, and apologizes.

The men decide to drop Randall off in a town 18 miles from the farm, leaving him only with a knife. Randall begs the two to keep him, and unintentionally reveals that he went to school with Maggie. Rick and Shane deduce that it's possible that Randall knows the exact location of the farm, and could lead hostile outsiders back with him.

Shane attempts to kill Randall, but Rick stops him. He believes they should discuss their options first. The disagreement escalates into a physical battle, during which Shane inadvertently releases a horde of walkers. Rick, Shane and Randall barely escape alive. Randall is gagged and bound. Rick tells Shane that he should obey his orders from now on.

Back at the farm, Beth contemplates killing herself. Lori and Andrea argue over whether they should keep her on suicide watch, or allow her to do what she chooses. Andrea talks to Beth, telling her that the pain will not subside, but can and should be coped with. She opens the bathroom door for Beth. Beth smashes the bathroom mirror and slits her wrist. Her suicide attempt is half-hearted, though, and Lori and Maggie are able to easily bandage her injury. Maggie is furious with Andrea, realizing that she had allowed Beth to attempt suicide. She forbids Andrea to enter the house again. Andrea defends her actions, saying that Beth explored her choices. Her attempt convinced Beth that suicide is not an option.

"Judge, Jury, Executioner"
Daryl tortures Randall for information. Randall reveals that he comes from a large group. In the time he was with them, he saw some members rape two teenagers, although he did not participate. The group believes that Randall is dangerous, and decide that they should execute him.

Dale begs the group to reconsider. He feels that if they kill Randall they will sacrifice the morals that keep them human. Meanwhile, Carl has grown cold and bitter, disrespecting Carol and stealing a gun from Daryl. He attempts to execute a trapped walker, but instead inadvertently causes it to escape. Carl is forced to flee.

At the farm there is a final vote on Randall's fate. Dale attempts one last time to convince the others not to execute the man. Dale's words make the others feel guilty, but only Andrea changes her vote. Dale storms out, lamenting that the group is broken.

Hershel gives Glenn a pocket watch, a family heirloom that shows that he approves of Glenn's relationship with Maggie. Rick, Shane and Daryl take Randall to the barn to execute him. The process is temporarily postponed when Carl is revealed to be watching. Meanwhile, Dale explores the land and comes across a gutted cow. He is then attacked by a walker which rips open his abdomen. Daryl arrives and kills the walker, and when the group arrives, they realize they can't save Dale. Carl is shocked to see that the walker that gutted Dale is the same one he accidentally released. Rick attempts to put an end to Dale's misery, but is too distraught to do it. Daryl volunteers, takes the gun from Rick, and proceeds to shoot Dale.

"Better Angels"
The group holds a funeral for Dale. Rick asks the group to stay united, lest they prove Dale's claims that they are broken to be true.

Hershel becomes hospitable to the group, allowing all but Shane to move into the farmhouse. Carl confides in Shane about his guilt in the involvement with Dale's death. Shane convinces the boy to tell Rick. Rick comforts the boy, telling him that death has always been inevitable, even during "normal" times.

Setting her concerns aside, Lori approaches Shane. She tells Shane her true feelings, that at the time she did care for him, but now they should put that relationship behind them. She tries to convince Shane that he still belongs with the group.

Rick decides to spare Randall's life once and for all, leaving him in a place far away from the barn. Shane takes Randall out a good distance, but then tricks the man and kills him, breaking his neck. He then injures himself to make it look like Randall escaped. Glenn, Daryl, and Rick join Shane in searching for the supposedly-escaped Randall. Glenn and Daryl find Randall, who has become a walker, and put him down. They are perplexed by how he was reanimated without any walker bites or scratches. Rick meanwhile picks apart Shane's story. He confronts Shane, knowing that the man plans to murder him. The two argue on who would be a better father and husband. Rick insists that they lay their weapons down. Rick then quickly draws a knife and kills a distracted Shane.

Rick grieves his friend's death, and curses him for forcing his hand. Carl unexpectedly appears, shocked over Shane's death. He appears to pull a gun on Rick. Rick calmly asks Carl to lower his gun, but it is revealed that the boy was aiming for an undead Shane. The dead man, like Randall, has reanimated without a bite or scratch. Carl kills the reanimated Shane, but a horde of walkers hear the gunshot and advances towards the location.

"Beside the Dying Fire"
Carl questions Rick about Shane's death. There is no time to discuss the matter, though, as the two are forced to flee to the barn as walkers close in. The two corral a number of walkers inside the barn, then burn the structure in an attempt to eliminate the creatures.

Daryl and Glenn report Randall's death and reanimation to the group. The survivors then spot the horde. They devise a plan to lead all the walkers away, but it fails. Beth's boyfriend Jimmy and Otis' wife Patricia are killed. The group has no choice but to leave the farm.

Andrea is left behind, and attempts to fend off numerous walkers. She is saved when a hooded figure, wielding a katana and accompanied by two armless walker pets, intervenes. The survivors, with the exception of Andrea, reunite on the highway. They camp out for the night after they run low on gas. Rick admits to Lori that he was forced to kill Shane in self-defense. Having softened her position on Shane, Lori is stunned about this revelation. She withdraws from Rick.

When Daryl confronts Rick about Randall's reanimation, Rick reveals what Dr. Edwin Jenner whispered in his ear: They are all infected. Anyone who dies from any cause, under any circumstance, will reanimate. This revelation upsets the group. When they question Rick's leadership, Rick snaps, telling them that he never asked for the leadership position, and he has done everything he can to keep the group safe. He shouts that he killed Shane for them. He tells them that anyone is welcome to leave, if they feel they can do better without him. When no one chooses to exit, he, issues a final warning: "If you're staying, this isn't a democracy anymore." He has established himself as the group's leader.

As the camera pulls back, it is revealed the group is unknowingly camped near a fortified prison.

Ratings
Ratings for the second season.

Cast
Season 2 (TV Series)/Starring|Starring Season 2 (TV Series)/Also Starring|Also Starring Season 2 (TV Series)/Co-Stars|Co-Stars Season 2 (TV Series)/Uncredited|Uncredited

Deaths

 * Otis
 * Annette Greene (Alive, Confirmed Fate; Zombified)
 * Shawn Greene (Alive, Confirmed Fate; Zombified)
 * Mr. Fischer (Alive, Confirmed Fate; Zombified)
 * Mrs. Fischer (Alive, Confirmed Fate; Zombified)
 * Lacey (Alive, Confirmed Fate; Zombified)
 * Duncan (Alive, Confirmed Fate; Zombified)
 * Louise Bush (Alive, Confirmed Fate; Zombified)
 * Doug (Alive, Confirmed Fate; Zombified)
 * Arnold Greene (Alive, Confirmed Fate; Zombified)
 * Sophia Peletier (Alive and Zombified)
 * Dave
 * Tony
 * Sean
 * Josephine Greene (Confirmed Fate)
 * Dale Horvath
 * Randall Culver (Alive and Zombified)
 * Shane Walsh (Alive and Zombified)
 * Jimmy
 * Patricia
 * Mike (Alive, Confirmed Fate)
 * Terry (Alive, Confirmed Fate)
 * 1 deer
 * 1 cow
 * Several unnamed Greene farm inhabitants (Alive, Confirmed Fate; Zombified)

Production
After the first season aired, Deadline.com reported that Frank Darabont had let the entire writing staff go and planned to use only freelance writers for the second season. This turned out to be not entirely accurate, and Robert Kirkman was quoted as saying the changes to the writing staff would not affect the production of the show.

In February 2011, it was announced that Glen Mazzara, who had written the first season episode "Wildfire", had been hired again as a writer/executive producer for the second season and will put together a staff of five more writers.

Kirkman confirmed that along with himself, Darabont and Mazzara the writing staff will consist of Scott M. Gimple, Evan Reilly, Angela Kang and one freelance writer, David Leslie Johnson. Four actors have joined the cast as new characters for season 2—Scott Wilson as Hershel Greene, Lauren Cohan as his daughter Maggie, Pruitt Taylor Vince as Hershel's ranch hand Otis, and Michael Zegen as a man named Randall.

At C2E2 members of the cast confirmed that the second season would begin shooting on June 1, 2011, and that Frank Darabont would write the season premiere episode.

A preview of season 2 was shown during the season premiere of Breaking Bad on July 17, 2011 and a full length trailer was released to promote season 2 at Comic-Con 2011, on July 22, 2011.

In July 2011, series developer and showrunner Frank Darabont stepped down from his position as showrunner for the series, amidst rumors that he was unable to adjust to the schedule of running a television series. Darabont's sudden departure further sparked controversy in August when The Hollywood Reporter broke a story revealing that Darabont had in fact been fired due to issues of the show's reduced budget and a strained relationship with AMC executives.

Trivia

 * This season is mainly based on "Volume 2: Miles Behind Us" and parts of "Volume 3: Safety Behind Bars" from the Comic Series.
 * According to the TVLine Blog of Michael Ausiello Season 2 will see the death of not only a primary recurring character, but also one of the lead actors. The actor/actress in question is not specified in the blog, but is explained as being a regular in productions of Frank Darabont and requested their contract be cancelled following his dismissal. (This actor turned out to be Jeffrey DeMunn, who had a change of heart and asked after filming his death if they could change the episode so he could live and keep playing the character, but they had already filmed the scene and didn't want to spend the money.)
 * Below are the changes made to the main cast in this season:
 * Norman Reedus (Daryl Dixon) and Melissa McBride (Carol Peletier) have been upgraded to series regulars after recurring appearances.
 * Norman Reedus has been added to the opening credits.
 * Despite her status as series regular, Melissa McBride is listed under "Also Starring".
 * Melissa McBride is the only cast member who is promoted to the main cast from being a co-star in a previous season.
 * Melissa McBride was listed as "also starring", which is the first time a series regular is credited under this section. The show uses this format in succeeding seasons.
 * Despite being a regular, McBride is not credited in "18 Miles Out" even if she did not make an appearance in the episode.
 * Guest actors are now listed as "also starring", instead of the "guest starring" format used in the previous season.
 * All of the main characters introduced in this season are all part of the Greene family, with the exception of Michonne, who made a cameo appearance in the season finale.
 * An extended promo for Season 2 was released after episode one, featuring the song "I See a Darkness" by Johnny Cash, but the song wasn't used on the series.
 * A scene was removed from the season premiere episode where Rick and his crew revisit the nursing home from "Vatos", to find it overrun.
 * The finale, "Beside the Dying Fire", was the most-watched episode of the second season which attracted 9 million total viewers.
 * The promo scene for Season 2, of Shane running from walkers, is on the Season 2 DVD.
 * This season is the only season where Glenn hasn't been held captive at one point or another.
 * This season has the lowest death toll by far, with at least 10 deaths.
 * This season ties with Season 4, Season 6 and Season 8 as the season with the least number of main character deaths, with only two main characters - Dale and Shane.
 * Coincidentally, all 4 seasons are seasons with even numbers (2, 4, 6, and 8), whereas the seasons with odd numbers (excluding Season 1, which featured no main character deaths) featured more than two main character deaths. (Season 3 had 3 main character deaths, and Season 5, Season 7, and Season 9 all had 4 main character deaths each).
 * The cast and crew responded to some of the criticism of Season 2 being "too slow" in an Entertainment Weekly exclusive.
 * This is the last season Frank Darabont is credited with, as he was fired by AMC due to the show's reduced budget and his strained relationship with the executives of AMC.
 * Executive producer Glen Mazzara has become the series' new showrunner for this season.
 * The song "Civilian" by Wye Oak is used in the trailer.
 * Supposedly Sam Witwer was set to reprise his role as the walker in the tank in this season. He would be in the main cast for the two first episodes of the season, and it would be like the Twilight Zone episodes, where characters, like Andrea, and Amy would be seen as cameos. He would get bit, and his death would be depicted, thus, explaining how Atlanta fell, but due to Darabont's departure at the start of the season the idea was never filmed.
 * An acclaimed author and long-time Darabont collaborator Stephen King was supposed to write an episode, but due to Darabont's departure from the series, the plan was scrapped.