The Mid-Season Finale of The Walking Dead

First off can we stop this BS of mid-season finales?  I know they need the ratings and such but I would like to watch the whole darn season in one go not in fits and starts.  I don't want to wait three months to continue the story.  The only good thing is that it means that The Talking Dead is removed as well.  Never has there been more shameless, feckless fan wankage than that show.  It's commerials near the end of The Walking Dead nearly kill all the fun.

Now with that out of the way, let's talk about the good.  After a horrid second season the writers seem to have their pulse on what makes a show about creatures without pulses tick.  They've ramped up the despair, the pain, but also the action.  The show has become like a never ending war where any rest is as likely to produce a breakdown as a respite.  The show has also made characters we hated into compelling ones.  Carl was just a cypher in the second season and an annoying one at that.  Now he's grown up to be a little man of responsiblity, character, and definitely the ability to kick ass.  Is he sane?  He shot his own mom in the head, so let's just say therapy might be needed.  On the other hand shooting your mom in the head so she doesn't become a zombie is the new "normal."  Carl might just be ahead of the curve.

The show also gave us a good human villain in the form of the Govenor.  We've known he's crazier than bugs on a skillet, but he's also been shown to at seem to have feelings.  So we are if not conflicted at least presented with someone who isn't twirling his wax mustache.  Even Merle who was a one note racist in the first season has grown into a very fascinating person.  You don't dare trust him and you don't really like him, but you really want to know what he'll do next.

Ok, back to some bad things.  The writers still can't seem to write for female characters.  I had hoped that problem might have been solved with the death of Lori who was the most hated character up to that point.  Unfortunately, no.  Andrea has been written as if she's been given a lust lobotomy.  Seriously, I've seen women make dumb choices in the men in their lives but she takes the cake.  Also, I thought it was a joke among people in the chat rooms but last night episode seems to prove that there can only be one black man in Rick's group.  First T-dawg bought it when Oscar joined up and now oscar buys the farm the second a new black man enters Rick's prison.  Seriously folks, having two black men in your group will not be the end of the world.  Well, the world has already ended, but you know what I mean.

Overall, a good season so far and I want to see more.