Penny Thoughts ‘12—The Walking Dead, season 2 (2011-12) ****

TV-14, 13 45-min. episodes

Creators: Frank Darabont, Robert Kirkman (graphic novels), Tony Moore (graphic novels), Charlie Adlard (graphic novels)

Directors: Ernest R. Dickerson, Gwyneth Horder-Peyton, Phil Abraham, Bill Gierhart, Guy Ferland, David Boyd, Michelle McLaren, Clark Johnson, Gregory Nocitero

Writers: Frank Darabont, Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, Charlie Adlard, Glen Mazzara, Scott M. Gimple, Evan Reilly, David Leslie Johnson, Angela Kang

Starring: Andrew Lincoln, Jon Bernthal, Sarah Wayne Callies, Laurie Holden, Jeffrey DeMunn, Steven Yeun, Chandler Riggs, Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, IronE Singleton, Lauren Cohan, Scott Wilson, Emily Kinney, Jane McNeill

Guest starring: Madison Lintz, Pruitt Taylor Vince, James Allen McCune, Brian Keith Hillard, Michael Rooker, Adam Minarovich, Michael Raymond-James, Michael Zegen

I really enjoyed season one of this popular cable series. It placed the zombie subgenre of horror into an ongoing format, which promised a deeper exploration of character and situation than is normally found in a zombie flick. Fans of the series may have been disappointed with my three and a half star review, as their feelings for the show tend toward the passionate. The reason I held back on a four star rating was that I didn’t see anything in the first season that I hadn’t seen in the zombie genre before. It was very well done but did not transcend the genre, becoming something more than just a story about the zombie apocalypse.

In season two, “The Walking Dead” transcends its genre and becomes something more than your typical zombie flick. It becomes something even darker, something more profound, something more gripping.

The moment happens when Lori has taken the pills to abort her baby and then decides not to. Suddenly the pregnancy becomes something more than just a plot complication. It becomes about the complexities of raising a family in a world where the moral compass has turned upside down, a world where parents are given nightmares by what they see. How can they tell their children not to be afraid? And, the children become something less innocent than the parents imagine. Am I still talking about the show?

From that point on there is no predictability left to be had. There are deaths, which as we all know lead to spoilers on facebook. Much like the spoiler above when I revealed that Lori is pregnant. This is why you shouldn’t trust anyone on facebook (or any bloggers). They’ll ruin “The Walking Dead” for you.

Sorry, I don’t know what that was about. The point is that everything you’ve heard about this series is right on the money. It’s engrossing. It’s addictive. It’s stressful. It’s relentless. Just like the zombies.