There is no sense in me reviewing something so popular, so well known, and to which I have come lately. I was recently leant the DVD set of the entire second season. I, not a fan of horror, and especially not zombies, like the quality of the acting and character development. In this I am far from alone.
What I would like to discuss is the deleted scenes.
Most of the scenes seemed to be small alternative bits. There were three small scenes involving a foray with the deputy and a big rifle-toting redneck that has some taut zombie footage.
The biggest deleted scene was a full ten minutes and involved the entire group heading into Atlanta to seek shelter with the Hispanic gang that was guarding the old age home in Season One. When they got there zombies were feasting on the slain elders, who had been executed with firearms. This gets the level-headed members of the party [the men] thinking that there is some danger out there worse than zombies. Perhaps it was deleted so as not to give away a plot twist.
Another scene I suspect was deleted so as not to give away a plot development involved Dale. Dale is the odd man in out, an older dude who drives the camper and is a thoughtful person. In this scene he tunes in an abandon car radio and hears a preacher declaring that God sent the zombie plague. Dale becomes incensed and has a conversation with the radio.
In the best of the deleted scenes Dale discusses the inadvisability of some agreed-upon violent action with Rick’s wife. The woman scolds him for discussing ethics in a post-apocalyptic setting, reminding him that this was "no time to have a philosophical discussion". Dale responds that this was precisely the time for such a discussion and finished with, “This should have been our moment…”
The Walking Dead team has writing good enough that they came leave stuff like this on the ‘cutting room floor’. For all the gruesome effects and dark matter in the series, it serves up more life lessons than anything that could possibly find its way to mainstream TV or movies.
