Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Episode 5 of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon - The Book of Carol.There’s only one episode left in Season 2 ofThe Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, and right now, it seems like anything is possible. This has arguably been the best ofThe Walking Deadspin-offs, with the friendship and chemistry between Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Carol (Melissa McBride) being a lot more fun to watch than the interactions between Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Maggie (Lauren Cohan) inThe Walking Dead: Dead City.
The series also wisely held off on their reunion, unlikeThe Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, whichcouldn’t make it through one episodewithout putting Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira) back together again. While it’s been an exciting journey for Carol and Daryl, it’s unfortunately quite clear that the series has lost its way.Daryl Dixonwas surprisingly stronger when Daryl and Carol were kept apart. Once they reunited, every other plotline and character seemed to take a backseat. This isn’t a wise choice, especially when we already know that Season 3 is on its way. So what’s going wrong?
The best part aboutDaryl DixonSeason 1is that it took our hero and transplanted him halfway across the globe in France. Our confident, badass walker killer now found himself in a fish out of water story where he had no control. Daryl was also put in storylines like we’d never seen before. There was the Union of Hope, led by Losang (Joel de la Fuente), a group who wrongly believes thata young boy named Laurent (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi) is a Messiahwho will save humanity. On top of that, there is the evil Marion Genet (Anne Charrier), who is not just another baddie, but one who is creating anarmy of super walkersvia the injection of a serum.
The Walking Deadspin-off has also enabled our protagonist to get increasingly vulnerable.Daryl fell in love with Isabelle(Clémence Poésy), and they planned on bringing Laurent with themto the Commonwealthto start a new life. This beingThe Walking Deaduniverse, we could have guessed that there was a good chance that Isabelle wouldn’t make it, but whereThe Book of Carolmesses up is in the timing of her death.The moment where Daryl and Carol embrace after being reunited in Episode 4is immediately followed by Isabelle dying at the hands of Losang. It’s as if she was created to be nothing more than a placeholder for Carol. Now that she’s back, having two women in Daryl’s life (even if one’s romantic and one isn’t) was apparently one too many, and Isabelle was no longer needed.
Season 2 of ‘Daryl Dixon’ Killed Its Villains Too Fast
The Walking Dead, no matter the series, is about its characters. All the gross zombie effects and kills mean nothing if you don’t care about the alive humans first. Our protagonists also need antagonists to fight against who aren’t just shuffling walkers, so we’ve been introduced to a multitude of villains. Some work, some don’t, butThe Walking Dead: Daryl Dixondid it better than most by giving us not one, but two villains. It wasn’t a case of good versus bad, because while Losang and Marion Genet might have been enemies, they both had less than noble goals, with innocent people like Daryl and his new friends stuck in between.
‘The Walking Dead’ Never Did Enough With Terminus
“Hunt or be hunted.”
Villains are created to die (unless your name is Negan), so, of course, Losang and Genet were going to meet their maker at some point, but again, just like what was done with Isabelle, they both died as soon as Carol entered the picture.Daryl Dixonhad an interesting setup with our hero caught between two villainous forces, but they were both quickly eliminated.In the same episode where Carol is reunited with Daryl, sheshoots Genet in the back with one of her super walker serum darts, killing one baddie who had just gotten the all-important origin story flashback. When Losang and Genet’s forces teamed up, this created another interesting angle, but then in the following episode,Losang is killed as well. Who is the opposition to our heroes now? Whoever they will be, we won’t take them seriously as any kind of worthwhile threat.
We Need More Than Just Daryl and Carol Together
Daryl and Carol are the best relationshipinThe Walking Dead’shistory, but they still need something to do. It isn’t enough to just put them together, listen to their banter, and watch them kill walkers. There needs to be drama and danger to carry them. With one episode of Season 2 left, the series seems to have forgotten that, instead killing off the original characters that made the spin-off interesting to begin with.
So what now? Daryl and Carol have rescued Laurent and made it back to Ash (Manish Dayal), the kind man who flew Carol to France in the first place. He has been another great supporting character, having given up his life in America, where he lives with the pain of his son’s death, because he thought he was helping another parent look for their child. There was intense drama in Carol revealing that she was looking for Daryl instead, and some more with the revelation thatAsh’s plane can only hold the weight of three people, and not the four that they now have, but this isn’t enough of a story to carry an entire franchise.
The focus is now back on Daryl and Carol, and that’s great, but what’s the endgame? The series finale hints at someone being left behind, but then what? Is Season 3 just another six episodes where a new cookie cutter villain will be introduced to give Daryl or Carol something to do? The first season ofDaryl Dixonhad real stakes and intrigue outside of two best friends. The end of Season 2 is losing that.Let’s hope that there is a plan for Season 3beyond becoming just another season of the originalThe Walking Dead.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon - The Book of Carolis available to watch on AMC+ and Sunday on AMC.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon
Daryl’s journey across a broken but resilient France as he hopes to find a way back home.
