Taking place right after season one, season two was given the growing room it needed to expand, in addition to a midseason break (not a fan of those). With a longer a season, the show was able to leisurely take its time without trying to cram loads of stuff in. By the end of the season, I felt more invested in the characters. Especially Nick (Frank Dillane) and the pragmatic and brutally honest Strand (Colman Domingo) who have turned out to be my favourite characters.

Travis (Cliff Curtis) was basically the Lori (from TWD) of this world during season one. Both characters were annoying and many wanted them gone. We got our wish with Laurie but Travis has turned it around. He ended last season in a fit of anger when he had to put his ex-wife out of her misery. In season two, he’s become a solid character. He’s now a good man who still doesn’t want to lose his humanity yet he will kill if he has to, as we see when he goes in search of his son. He’s less naïve yet still has a way to go.

In both AMC shows, there is a character/characters who are certified badasses. In The Walking Dead, I think Rick and Michonne earned title. In every episode they seem to be doing something reckless yet badass. In the spinoff series, it’s Nick, Strand and sometimes Madison. There are characters in both shows that do all these things and don’t take crap from anyone. They have taken the “You Only Live Once” attitude a tad too seriously. Nick’s Mexico arc is the strongest of the season and “Grotesque” is the episode that helped mould season two’s backend which focuses on a scattered group.

Ofelia (Mercedes Mason) was more or less inexistent this season and Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey) came into her own, becoming a bit of a daredevil as she takes on walkers and pirates alike. When they reach the hotel, her disdain for her brother Chris (Dillane) comes into the light. Chris is the brother who always has a halo over his head, regardless of being a junkie. Alicia’s hate for her brother seemed be going away and then Madison put the hotel’s power on which led to the sign being lit up like Christmas tree; attracting the  attention of both the living and the dead.