The Walking Dead may not be the show it once was in the eyes of many, especially in regards to the viewership, but back in the day, it was one of the hottest things on television.

The first season may have been a little bit short but even with that being the case, they still did a great job of building the anticipation for the second season.

When we got around to Season 2 we all had quite a few questions - but in the end, as is usually the case, there was a lot of good to go right alongside the bad.

SPOILER ALERT FOR LATER SEASONS OF TWD

BEST - Shane’s Deterioration

Even though he turned into an incredibly evil villain in his own right there are still quite a few fans out there who love Shane, mainly because it’s always fun to root for the bad boy.

From murdering Otis to allowing his love for Lori to get the better of him, it was pretty clear to see that Shane was on a path of destruction that nobody could stop. Rick tried his best but when Shane lured him into the woods with the intention of killing him, it soon became clear what Rick had to do.

WOULD CHANGE - Carl Gets Shot

While we understand the shooting of Carl was done as a way of introducing the world to the farm storyline, it just seemed like a pretty random way of getting to that point. The shock factor was certainly there with Carl catching a bullet fairly cleanly, but in all honesty, the fact that he was even able to survive seemed a bit out there.

This was one of two instances in which Carl was shot throughout the course of the series and when you consider what eventually happened to him, the ‘near misses’ seemed like a misstep.

BEST - Edwin’s Secret

At the end of the first season when the gang leaves the CDC, Dr. Edwin Jenner whispers something to Rick that nobody else actually hears. It takes until the end of the second season for us to learn that everyone is carrying the virus and that they’ll all turn when they die regardless of whether or not they get bitten.

The group wasn’t exactly pleased when they learn that Rick has been keeping this from them all this time, but the actual pay-off to discovering the secret was more than worth the wait.

WOULD CHANGE - Hershel’s Attitude

The Hershel we all know and love to this day is the bearded gentle giant with one leg who wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty if he absolutely had to do so. In the first few days on the farm, though, he was a shell of the man he would go on to become. He was short, rude and seemingly blind to the way the world worked.

While this may have been necessary as a small anecdote, the whole thing was dragged out for quite some time and harmed how fans viewed Hershel right up until he decided to defend his farm with his own life.

BEST - Sophia’s Death

The desperation felt by the gang was real when Sophia went missing as nobody really knew what kind of direction the writers were going to take this in. As the episodes went on many fans were coming up with their own ideas regarding what may have actually happened to her, until finally, the barn is opened and Sophia is revealed to be a walker.

With Carol being utterly devastated at the sight of her daughter looking like this, it fell to Rick to pull the trigger in an incredibly emotional moment.

WOULD CHANGE - Andrea

In the comics, Andrea was always being positioned as Rick’s love interest as well as someone who could help to carry the entire show long into the future. In the TV series, however, that didn’t really translate. Whether it was the writing or the casting itself, Andrea just didn’t come across as a particularly likable character.

That was evident in the second season and while she came in useful from time to time, she didn’t exactly cover herself in glory when she shot Daryl in the head after thinking he was a walker.

BEST - Glenn & Maggie

The best TV relationships are the ones that come out of absolutely nowhere, and Glenn & Maggie fall into that category. Their ‘relationship’ seemed to form out of convenience more so than anything else, but in the end, they soon realized they were meant to be together.

Maggie played a huge role in helping Glenn become a man, and the two of them were key to the two groups coming together as one. They didn’t get their happy ending courtesy of Negan but within the context of the show, they’ll be together again one day.

WOULD CHANGE - Dale’s Death

Dale might have been viewed as an irritating presence by a handful of fans, but largely, most people felt as if his death was fairly needless and also a little bit too predictable. It allowed Carl to grow as a man courtesy of Dale’s death pretty much being his fault, but in terms of the execution, it just didn’t really work.

Dale deserved the chance to help the group function as the angel on their shoulder for at least another season, or maybe just a few more episodes. Instead, The Walking Dead swallowed him up.

BEST - The Farm’s Last Stand

The sight of the farm burning to the ground was hardly a pleasant experience for viewers, but it made for one of the most dramatic scenes in the show’s entire run thus far. When it became obvious that there was no way they could fend off the surge of walkers coming their way, the group quickly decided to leave and head off towards the unknown.

The pieces were put in place for the prison to take center stage, as the farm was given an honorable send-off following a pretty decent season.

WOULD CHANGE - More Daryl

Aside from being shot in the head and attempting to find Sophia from time to time, there wasn’t all too much to be said for the influence and impact of Daryl in this season.

It took a while longer for him to become one of the core members of the group as he continued to stay on the outside looking in. Aside from just being another member of the crowd, it would’ve been nice to see him insert himself into decisions that mattered to the entire gang.

Still, his time would come.