The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 2, Episode 2 Review

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Daryl Dixon Season 2, Episode 2.The Walking Dead: Daryl DixonThe Season 2 premiere picked things up rather quickly, immediately setting Carol (Melissa McBride) on her way to reuniting with Daryl (Norman Reedus), while he begins to wear out his welcome to the nest. The fast pace continues in episode 2, titled “Moulin Rouge”, as Carol arrives in France – after a quick and strange stop in Greenland – and Daryl learns what the Union de L’Espoir really planned for Laurent (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi).

This fast-paced narrative worked in Daryl Dixons favor, demonstrating that the franchise is learning from past mistakes. The original show was constantly guilty of spinning its wheels, making little to no narrative progress in multiple episodes. The newer spinoffs, however, mostly manage to avoid this, thanks in part to working with fewer episodes and understanding what we want as an audience. Daryl Dixonlike Those who live Before it, is getting its main characters back together, and season 2, The Book of CarolUses his forward momentum to do so.

Carol and Daryl aren’t reunited yet, but the fact that Carol is already in France looking is a good sign that we won’t have to wait until episode 6 to see them together again. until then, Daryl Dixon Season 2 is continuing to build their other relationships; Namely, the partnership of Carol and Ash (Manish Dayal), and the growing connection between Daryl and Isabelle (Clémence Poésy).

Carol & Ash make a good team

Although Carol’s lies will create a rift before long

Although the foundation of this friendship is a big fat lie just waiting to go off like a bomb, it’s undeniable that Carol and Ash have a strong rapport. They have already bonded to his parents, even if Ash doesn’t fully know how similar they are in that respect. Now, they have bonded through the violence that is often necessary in this world. The Greece adventure tests Ash’s determination, and he proves that he has what it takes to survive. He also kills to protect Carol, after trauma-bonding them and making it more uncomfortable that she used a false pretense to bring him along.

The stopover in Greenland is wild, but a good reminder that the apocalypse breeds all kinds of crazy. Along with cannibals and those trying to rule the world, two women hope to repopulate the planet by breeding with the first person they meet. It’s the kind of funny things walking dead Hasn’t done in a while, and it makes for a fun diversion that I hope the season includes more of.

Together, McBride and Dial have good chemistry, and it’s a shame Daryl Dixon It seems that they are already separating them. While reuniting Carol with Daryl remains the goal first and foremost, it would be a waste to keep Carol apart from Ash for too long. After all, Carol will eventually need to come clean about Sofia, and that will make for good drama for McBride and Dayal to tackle.

Let’s talk about the kiss

Daryl & Isabelle finally act on their developing feelings

Without question, the big moment that comes out of “Moulin Rouge” is the kiss between Daryl and Isabelle. On the one hand, it feels long overdue as a natural development of their relationship. Anyone can see a strong love growing between them, and it only makes sense that they would finally act on it. However, through 11 seasons of The Walking Dead And one season into his own spinoff, Daryl basically never acted on a romantic impulse. Seeing Daryl kiss someone is honestly the most shocking thing he’s ever done.

Now, technically, Daryl was in a relationship with Leah during the time jump between seasons 9 and 10 of The Walking DeadBut due to COVID filming restrictions, the two actors were never shown kissing or engaging in much physical contact. The relationship was also more about setting up a later betrayal than anything else. His relationship with Connie, while loving, is also never particularly romantic. And then there’s Daryl and Carol, a deep, close-knit relationship, but one that’s always been strictly platonic.

Daryl acting on his feelings for Isabelle follows a pattern of growth that was central to his spinoff. Along with adopting Laurent as a surrogate son, forming a relationship with Isabelle creates a family that Daryl probably never imagined for himself. The French word Isabelle teaches him, “despicable”, even reflects this, with his time in France giving him a new perspective on what his life could be. Unfortunately, knowing how things often go in The Walking DeadIt is unlikely that Daryl and Isabelle will have a happy ending without problems. But for the moment, it is nice to imagine that is possible.

We finally know what the mysterious ceremony is

If the ceremony really works, it would be a game-changer for TWD

One of the many obstacles between Daryl, Isabelle and a happy life as a family is the union. Although initially they seemed like a good group, they have become increasingly evil since the beginning of season 2. And now we know why – they want to prove that Laurent is their Messiah by having him survive a walker bite. It’s a crazy idea, but if it really works, it would be a franchise game-changer.

Since there have been hints of a cure or immunity against the virus The Walking Deads beginning, with the first season revealing the CDC’s research. more recently, The world beyond Progress on delivering a cure was teased, and it was even revealed that France was the epicenter of the outbreak. If there was someone who was immune to the virus, it would make sense for them to come to France. The circumstances of Laurent’s birth may make this possible.

When Laurent’s mother was exposed to the virus, her body would be trying to fight it off, and this could mean that Laurent received antibodies from his mother that would know how to combat the virus. It is not an extremely far-fetched idea, and if Daryl Dixon Is actually going to put the theory to the test, it will be fascinating to see what happens. If it works, then Laurent really could be a savior with the key to keep the dead from returning to life in his blood.

Daryl Dixon Season 2 Zombie kill of the week

Finally, this final section is intended to highlight each week some cool ways a zombie is killed. The Walking Dead Shows may not focus as completely on the dead as they once did, but the production can still deliver when it comes to lone walkers and how the survivors deal with them. Unfortunately, in only its second episode, Daryl Dixon Forgot to include any satisfying zombie kills.

The walkers emerging from the ground that Carol and Ash encounter in Greenland are certainly cool, but they weren’t taken in any notable fashion. In that case, I’ll simply award the best kill for this episode. That goes to Ash shooting Hannah in the neck with a flare gun. It wasn’t all that unexpected, since the flare gun was displayed so prominently when they landed that it was only a matter of time before it was displayed again. Still, it was a great moment for Ash and certainly a unique way of killing off her character.

Daryl Dixon The second episode of season 2 spends much of its runtime strengthening the relationships between its characters. It also introduces a massive idea with Laurent potentially being immune to a zombie bite; One that could have huge ramifications for the franchise. From here, the spinoff will need to decide what it wants to keep focusing on – the interpersonal relationships or the setup for the big ending franchise.

Personally, I hope it sticks with the former for at least a little more. A potential cure is interesting, however The walking dead has always been at its best when it told smaller stories. That was the strength of Daryl DixonAlso tells the story of a man given the opportunity to make a new life for himself.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol Airs weekly every Sunday at 9pm ET on AMC.