AMC’s The Walking Dead got our hopes up with a stunning premiere, but by the end of its short, six-episode first season, we were on the fence about whether we’d get back on board the Zombie Express for round two. The problem, for us, is that the characters are one-dimensional — Rick Grimes is so heroic; Shane Walsh is so evil — that, when coupled with much obligatory gore, the series almost feels like a video game. To win back our attention, we’re going to need a bit more complexity — and we don’t mean the pseudo-scientific mumbo-jumbo that filled out the end of Season 1.

That’s why we were so excited to see the first trailer for Season 2, which debuted on last night’s Breaking Bad premiere. Unfortunately, it doesn’t do much to convince us that we’re in for anything fascinating — or, for that matter, new. Yup, there’s Rick, alone in the woods and looking kind of rough. Oh, hey, he’s smashing in the heads of two zombies with a rock. And… that’s it. The only potentially interesting detail to note is that Rick is alone and apparently without his guns. So, if AMC was trying to convince us that we can look forward to a second verse, same as the first when The Walking Dead returns in October, then they’ve succeeded. And they’re going to have to try a whole lot harder to get us to clear our calendar for Season 2. … Read More