The Daryl Dixon spinoff season 1 is now available to stream on Netflix.
AMC has done an exceptional job creating The Walking Dead franchise that includes the main series, six spinoffs, and a slew of webisodes, all set in the same world. This world has been overrun by the undead, who are an imminent threat, but the reality is in an apocalypse, the living are an even greater one. One of the spinoffs, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, takes the franchise expansion to new heights, being set in France. This notion seemed absurd but was carried out in a fantastic way.
Season 1, episode 1, “L’âme Perdue,” of the Daryl Dixon spinoff begins with Daryl, portrayed by Norman Reedus, tied to an upturned rowboat in the middle of the ocean as Judith’s (Cailey Fleming) voice is heard telling him “You deserve a happy ending too.” According to showrunner David Zabel, this occurred three to four weeks after the events of The Walking Dead’s series finale.
When he washes ashore, his goal is to find his way home. This plan is thwarted when he encounters a nun named Isabelle (Clémence Poésy) and a young boy named Laurent (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi) who need Daryl’s help to transport the boy to The Nest, the home of the resistance group, the Union of Hope. This group believes, due to his mother becoming infected while pregnant, that Laurent is the key to humanity’s survival.
Viewers must wait until episode five, “Deux Amours,” to discover how Daryl arrived in France. Told in flashbacks, Daryl is seen in the United States, pushing his motorcycle along a road. He meets a man who offers him a job in trade for fuel. The job requires Daryl to round up walkers of a specific description, although no explanation is given as to what they will be used for, a task he is quite successful at.
He notices a man in conversation via radio and Daryl asks him for help in contacting Carol (Melissa McBride) at the Commonwealth. He informs her of his location in Maine and promises he will return within a week. Her voice sounds troubled and as the connection is lost she tells him someone has returned.
At the work camp Daryl gets into a fight with a man named Juno (John Ales), which breaks the rules of “no fighting, stealing, or sexual deviancy.” They are both restrained and escorted to a ship bound for France and filled with the walkers that were collected. Daryl and Juno are placed in shipping container with other captives, and the crew begins feeding them to the walkers. Daryl and Juno plan an escape, which is successfull but in the confusion Juno is overtaken by a walker and devoured. Daryl manages to escape via the rowboat he is seen on in the beginning of the series.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 2
The Daryl Dixon series has been renewed for second and third seasons, with the second premiering on AMC and AMC+ on September 29. This has been subtitled as The Book of Carol to account for McBride’s return to TWDU as Carol Peletier. Carol begins her search for her missing friend as Daryl continues to fight alongside the Union of Hope against Genet’s (Anne Charrier) Pouvoir or Power of the Living.
