Hey there, Multiversity readers, and welcome to the latest The Walking Dead spin-off with TWD: Daryl Dixon. Now, it was fun following Daryl Dixon and his makeshift family in the States fight zombies, but let’s see what they’re like across the pond. Along with the better question, how did he end up so far? Let’s jump right into episode one, “L’Ame Perdue.”
1. No Good Deed
After Daryl lands in France, he wanders around, trying to figure out where exactly he is and a possible way back across the ocean. During his walk, he stumbles upon a young woman, Maribelle, and her blind grandfather, Guillaume. She can speak English and gets him to lower his guard by offering food as a trade for medical supplies. As they both feel each other out, two soldiers (Guerriers) come in and start ordering everyone around. Even with a gun in his face and in a strange place, Daryl doesn’t let it slide and stabs one in the neck. Once the other soldier tries to retaliate, Maribelle knocks with Daryl’s new-found staff and stabs him in the abdomen. You’d think it would mean Daryl is already finding his new crew, but nope. The “blind” old man knocks him out, too, and they steal his few supplies—a reminder that zombies are part of the environment; people are still the problem.
2. Burner
In a haze, Daryl wakes up to a group of nuns taking care of him, specifically for the chemical burn on his arm that he sustained after running into a group of walkers in an abandoned store. Post-treatment Sister Isabelle, a character we’d seen briefly in the distance during his trek, tells him about the Coventry where he’s being treated and about the “burner.” She doesn’t go into specifics, but it does give some context as to why, when he killed it, the head began to smoke as if it was burning. I dig it because it’s a cool way of changing the zombie game. Walkers can only go so far, and Dead City got the giant culmination zombie, so something different has to be in the water across the pond. Plus, this is only episode one, so surely there’s got to be a few more “burner” variants.
3. The Messenger
Now, Daryl’s big/common goal is this opportunity by Sister Isabelle. According to her and the others at the Coventry, the young man, Laurent, whom they have raised, is chosen and set to become the next messiah. At this point, we have seen Laurent, and though he’s a little socially awkward, he does have some severe intelligence to him, both book-wise and emotionally. The only problem is that he needs to be transported to another part of France by someone who can protect him. Daryl isn’t about it because he’s got enough problems, but once he realizes their radio system is fried, there may be one in that place, making him think. Especially given that Coventry had a plan mapped out for the areas of people that could provide shelter and food. For some, it could easily be compared to Last of Us, but it’s not like that was a first-of-its-kind story too. Plus, given Daryl’s history of watching after young kids, it’s not like it’s entirely out of character.
4. Revenge of the Fallen
I know Daryl killing those two guerriers wouldn’t just end with that, especially given those two shifty characters walked away with his stuff essentially scott-free as well. More guerriers drive up on Maribelle and Guillaume as they walk down the road and question where the other two soldiers are since they were ordered to go down the same road and never returned. The two try to pass all the blame onto Daryl, AKA “The American,” to scurry away, but they kill Guillaume to send a message and force her to show them exactly where they were killed. Once confirmed, they find a poster from Sister Isabelle that mentions the Coventry, so they have their next target. Once they get inside, it becomes an all-out war with Daryl helping out the nuns, and though they’re trained with hand-to-hand weapons, it’s tough to fight soldiers with guns. The Walking Dead was never shy about fights, but this new level was a sight. One guerrier gets away, and he’s the one who sets it all in motion, given that one of the guys that Daryl initially killed was his brother.
5. Bigger Picture
In the final minutes of the show, we’re shown a ship pulled into the part of France that Daryl’s interested in, and the captain of it is talking with a woman, who is clearly in charge, about how one of the captives had escaped and messed things up before jumping ship. That captive, of course, is Daryl, as he briefly mentions to Sister Isabelle that he ended up in France, was on a journey to find his friends, and then met some bad people who put him on a boat. It’s still unclear how exactly it happened or why, but it is clear that these people are the more significant “bad” in the show, and whoever this woman in charge is, she will be a problem for Daryl. Especially given that the survivor from the Coventry attack may have looked like a leader, but he’s a grunt compared to this woman, so it’s all going to connect sooner rather than later.
