‘The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon’ 2×01 review :”The Book of Carol”

Of all the shows that spun off The Walking Dead, there was one that even just the premise alone made fans stop and pay attention. Daryl Dixon took everyone’s favorite redneck from the original series and catapulted him all the way to France for what turned into one of the most unique, strange, and fun adventures that has ever taken place in this universe. After a shocking reveal at the end of season one that showed Carol looking for Daryl after he hadn’t come back or checked in at home, season two was formally called “The Book of Carol.” The series promised fans a story that would follow both Daryl and Carol on what looks to be their inevitable path to reunion. 

The season premiere, which translated from French to English means “The Kindness of Strangers,” focuses on the status of Daryl and Carol. After deciding last minute to not take the boat offered to him and instead stay with his new group of friends, Daryl trains Laurent to be more of a survivor and defend himself against the dead. Daryl tries to provide advice to the council on what to do about the evils he was up against while in Paris. However, they all seem skeptical of his help. Daryl knows he decided to stay in France for a reason, he just can’t seem to figure out what that reason is yet. 

We find Carol following Daryl’s tracks to the small encampment that Daryl found right before he ended up on the boat to France. She plays dumb and asks vague questions about where Daryl might be until noticing Daryl’s crossbow slung on the back of one of the men. She turns into badass Carol and threatens the men into revealing the truth about Daryl. He previously left on a boat run by some French men who came to America to take back some walkers with them for unknown purposes. Carol soon meets a pilot named Ash who is living on his own in a half-fortified farm. She mostly lies to him as to her intentions with him and is somehow able to convince him to fly her to France, even after accidentally destroying his farm in the process. 

What made the first season of this show so unique was its focus on this brand-new environment. France was a character, and they chose to explore and display it to its fullest. We saw a character that we knew very well and cared about in a place that we knew nothing about and couldn’t trust anyone we met.  The visuals were stunning, and the choices of locations really made the story so much more believable and real. The first season needed to focus on the landscape to really sell the idea of Daryl somehow ending up in Europe. This new season doesn’t need to do that anymore. The focus now shifts to characters, which is exactly what this first episode excelled at. The first half of the episode revolving around Daryl felt like leftover scenes from the end of last season. Later it turns into something more exciting.

The standout example of this was how the episode reintroduced Carol to the story. Fans of the original series are very familiar with Carol as much as they are with Daryl as they’re both original cast members. The original series only knew how to paint Carol as a badass killing machine who could fake being innocent when she needed to. This show brings a new side to Carol that we never see. Throughout the episode we see her reliving moments both good and bad from the original series. When walking into Ash’s barn she sees the day that Sophia came out as a walker. When spotting a familiar flower, she remembers a tender moment with Daryl. She’s humanized which makes for a deeper plot.

From the season’s preview it looks like we’re going to see Carol and Daryl’s separate journeys in France. This first episode focuses heavily on the character aspect of the story while still giving fans the action and environmental beauty that they expect. This series is already the best of the spinoff shows so far, but this addition of Carol into the mix might just make this series the best of the whole The Walking Dead universe. 

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Images courtesy of AMC.