***CAUTION: SPOILERS AHEAD*** IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN ALL EPISODES OF THE WALKING DEAD THIS SEASON (finale excluded), TURN AWAY NOW... IT'S ABOUT TO GET SPOILERED IN HERE***

What a difference a few episodes make. At the start of the second half of the season of The Walking Dead, I posted a fairly negative column devoted to the 7 Things I Love to Hate about the series. Those complaints still stand, but now I have several reasons I genuinely love the show all over again, thanks to surprise deaths, tension-filled scenes and the emergence of the best villain television has produced in a long time.

Let's get to the 7 Things I Love to Love About The Walking Dead:

1. The Governor

It's been a long, slow build as the series established The Governor as a baddie. His beginnings in the first half of the season showed him to be a kind, gentle soul, looking out for his people and willing to do anything for them. Then the layers were peeled back and we saw a violent, tyrannical menace emerge, hell-bent on revenge for the "death" of his undead daughter and the assault on his town known as Woodbury.

In the winter finale, we saw an epic showdown between The Governor and Michonne, as she not only took his daughter from him, but took his eye as well. His demeanor has changed considerably, beginning with a vicious attack on the prison, including the shocking death of newbie Axel (Lew Temple, in a role obviously meant to meet such an end) and escalating with the kidnapping of Andrea, finally climaxing last week as he bit the fingers off Merle Dixon and shot him dead. That was the first time I truly realized how evil The Governor is.

2. Killing off Axel

The Walking Dead is the king of shocking deaths: Lori, Shane, Dale. None were as shocking and unexpected as Axel in "Home". A budding friendship between Axel and Carol Peletier was blooming, possibly leading to a romantic relationship, until a bullet pierces Axel's head, killing him instantly. The culprit? The Governor. What followed was a relentless assault on the prison and its inhabitants, including filling up the yards with walkers. What they had worked so hard to maintain was broken apart into tiny pieces within seconds. At the heart of it all was Axel, a misunderstood man longing to fit in with the group, only to receive an unfair and unjust end.

3. "Clear"

Everything about the episode "Clear" was aces. The grouping of Rick, Carl and Michonne. The episode bookends involving the hitchhiker. The booby-trapped community spray-painted with various words and phrases. And the unexpected return of Lennie James as Morgan Jones, last seen in the pilot episode, "Days Gone Bye". In the same way that Rick and The Governor are two sides of the same coin, Rick and Morgan are similar in a lot of ways. They were both stuck in this insane world of zombies. They lost what mattered most to them. And they both promised to keep in touch with one another after Rick went searching for Lori and Carl. While Rick prospered in his own way, Morgan descended into madness, losing his wife and son and left in a very lonely state in a place overrun with the undead.

The Walking Dead is a difficult series to watch. It can be both frustrating and fascinating, often in the same episode. "Clear" was a rare time where the writers got it right, start-to-end, for an excellent episode that took us away from the action momentarily while still allowing the series to progress, even with only three main characters (and perhaps one of the most integral characters of the entire show, despite having only appeared twice). And in the end, Morgan's fate is unknown. When last we left him, Rick had helped Morgan tighten up a few loose screws. When will we see Morgan re-surface? Who knows. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

4. The Governor hunts down Andrea

Fewer episodes were more tense than "Prey", specifically when Andrea left Woodbury to go back with Rick and the gang at the prison. The Walking Dead has been careful to avoid the typical horror movie cliches, but this was straight out of an intense slasher flick: Andrea running from The Governor, only to have him turn up everywhere she goes. Suspension of disbelief is necessary, but The Governor is so good at being bad, you believe he's capable of tracking her down the way he does.

The action culminates inside an abandoned warehouse, laced with walkers, where Andrea seemingly escapes The Governor's clutches. She sees the prison in sight, makes her way through the clearing, only to be caught at the last second by The Governor. It was nothing we hadn't seen already in a million horror flicks, but my God, it was tense.

5. Lead Me Home

Oh lord live inside me, lead me on my way
Oh lord live inside me, lead me on my way
Lead me home
Lead me home

Oh lord in the darkness, lead me on my way
Oh lord in the darkness, lead me on my way
Lead me home
Lead me home

Hmmmmm
Hmmmmm

Oh lord heaven's waiting, open up your door
Oh lord heaven's waiting, open up your door
Lead me home
Lead me home

Lead me home
Lead me home

Lead me home
Lead me home

6. Michonne and Merle and two dozen walkers

The second best horror movie cliche was Michonne tied up and completely exposed, while Merle tries to hotwire a car, causing its alarm system to sound and attracting about two dozen walkers in the process. She did her best with what she had to fend them off, while Merle almost bit it, completely unaware of how close he was to certain death. In true horror movie-esque fashion, Merle springs to action with milliseconds to spare, picking off a few walkers, saving Michonne and riding off into the sunset. Sometimes, amidst the scenes that never end where everyone talks with nothing significant to say, these moments are what restores your faith in The Walking Dead.

7. Killing off Merle

There have been no more despicable characters on The Walking Dead than Merle Dixon. A racist, sexist bully from the very beginning, Merle never gained redemption like his brother Daryl. So when the two finally reunited last December, the two discovered the differences in their similarities. Neither are the leader, following two different men. Merle followed The Governor, being his right-hand man. Daryl followed Rick, being his right-hand man. But both men knew what purpose they were serving: Daryl doing good, Merle doing evil. But Merle was amazed and disappointed to discover his little brother doing things right. Disappointed and jealous. Somewhere deep in the cold, black heart of Merle Dixon was a man that had grown up on the wrong side of the world, the wrong side of the law and didn't know a better life. He wanted redemption like his baby brother.

Merle sacrificed everything to attack The Governor and his men. He knew how it would end. He trapped them, picked off a few with his gun and left one or two others to be eaten by walkers, perhaps the first good feast for walkers this year. But before he could kill The Governor, he was cut off at the knees. The Governor engaged Merle in a fight, biting off the fingers on his good hand and shot Merle, seconds after Merle said he wouldn't beg. Even with this moment of attempted redemption, the impact of Merle's death didn't come until the closing minute of "This Sorrowful Life".

Throughout the episode, Daryl was searching high and low for Merle and Michonne. When he found Michonne, he feared the worst. But when he came upon a few walkers feasting on flesh, he hesitated before killing one familiar face: his brother's. Daryl breaks down as his brother lurches towards him, pushing him away a few times before finally throwing him to the ground and repeatedly stabbing Merle in the head. It's a genuinely heartbreaking moment on the series.

I felt little more than shock when Dale and Lori were offed, but somehow, the most despicable character on The Walking Dead made me feel gutwrenched. A combination of sympathy for a lost soul in Merle and a lost brother in Daryl. And it accomplished something I've been striving to feel since the start of the season: I cannot wait to see The Governor get what's coming to him. And maybe it's best if he doesn't in the finale. He's too good to kill off. But whatever happens, I hope it's done right.

I'd be lying if I said I was completely satisfied with the last seven episodes. Glenn and Maggie continue to be television's least convincing couple. The dialogue still walks the line of god-awful. And I was really disappointed in the sit-down between Rick and The Governor. It felt like a poor excuse to get them in the same scenes, but felt forced and far-fetched. Why wouldn't The Governor just kill Rick? Why wouldn't Rick not think he could be killed? And why bring a gimpy old man where bullets could fly?

Still, tonight's finale is my most anticipated finale for any show in a long time. It feels like prescription television. Always has, despite its many flaws. But thankfully they got a lot right in the last seven episodes. I can only hope that new showrunner Scott M. Gimple provides more of the same level of quality next season, or the predicted demise of The Walking Dead will come sooner rather than later.

Until next time, stay tuned.