One of the best shows on television returns this month after a brief hiatus. As of now, “The Walking Dead” is the only reason I still have my cable hooked up.

The season two premiere, “What Lies Ahead,” broke the record for most watched drama in cable history, and AMC has already renewed the show for a third season.

*SPOILER ALERT*

The first half of the season may have been slow, but it was a masterful buildup of suspense, and the payoff was huge. Sofia not listening to Rick’s instructions during the season premiere had massive repercussions on the group, as well as on people the girl had never even met. The ultimate reveal that she had become infected and was actually in the barn the entire time was heart-wrenching.

It has become apparent the writers aren’t afraid of pushing the audience’s buttons.

I’m itching to see where the series goes next, as the Halloween episode and midseason finale were some of the best episodes yet. The comic suggests a prison may come next, but that’s not definite as two mediums now have several key differences separating them — the biggest and most controversial of which is that Shane is still alive in the television series.

*SPECULATION TIME*

In the comic, Shane was shot very early on by Carl (Rick’s son). The point at which that was supposed to happen has come and gone, but some scenes in season two seem to suggest that it may happen at a later point. At the least, it would be very ironic if it happened. Shane recently taught Carl how to shoot a gun.

Shane is easily the most dynamic character on the show, ever since his actions during the climax of the Halloween episode. A running theme throughout “The Walking Dead” is that people have become morally ambiguous to survive, and Shane doesn’t hesitate in making the hard choices. Though he may seem like a heartless bastard, most of his actions actually have good motivations behind them. At least, they’re good in his eyes. He may have sentenced Otis to die a horrible death, but if he hadn’t done what he did, they both would have died, the medical supplies would never have been recovered and Carl would have succumbed to his gunshot wound.

So don’t be so quick to judge Shane. That is, unless you’re Otis.

*END SPOILERS*

If you haven’t checked out AMC’s “The Walking Dead” yet, I highly recommend it. Story matters there.

The second half of season two premieres Sunday at 9/8c.