When The Walking Dead was wrapping up its final season towards the end of 2022, I was worried about what lay ahead for its small-screen universe. With a bunch of spin-offs already in the works, it appeared to be zombie shuffling towards the finish line; its conclusion lacking stakes and bursting at the seams with too many characters, many of which were guaranteed to live on past the very last episode.
While the main series had certainly upped its sense of spectacle in its later years, it had seriously lost sight of what we really wanted. Now, though, I feel unexpectedly confident about the future of the franchise.
That’s, in large part, down to The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, the Norman Reedus-led follow-up series that saw the titular survivor get washed up in France and try to navigate the apocalypse while travelling from Marseille to Mont Saint Michel, Normandy. It gave me what I’d missed so much about The Walking Dead’s early seasons as a longtime viewer; different kinds of walkers, innovative fresh attacks from the undead, and some much-needed new scenery. But perhaps, most importantly, it understood just how much us fans were craving the return of smaller casts and intimacy between characters – and boy, did it deliver.
New characters, old tricks
Clémence Poésy proved a wonderful addition to the proceedings, offering up strength and steeliness that could match the likes of fan favorites such as Carol or Maggie. She balanced it, however, with an engaging, realistic warmth; her drug addict-turned-nun Isabelle coaxing Daryl out of his shell more than anyone close to him on The Walking Dead had, possibly ever. During The Walking Dead’s 12-year broadcast, Daryl has only really shared a bond with Carol and it’s purely platonic (sorry, Caryl shippers). There was that one flashback episode in season 10, which saw him seemingly start, enjoy, and end a relationship with a woman named Leah – but I don’t think I’m the only fan that’d suggest the less we talk about that the better. Daryl Dixon isn’t explicit when it comes to there being more between its main character and Isabelle, but it definitely hints at something deeper. Down the line, this would be welcome new territory for the long-haired loner and fans alike, given how romance has been sorely lacking throughout The Walking Dead universe in recent years.
Daryl’s bond with young Laurent (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi) was delightful as well, as we saw him embrace being a father figure. Sure, he always looked out for Rick and Michonne’s littluns RJ and Judith Grimes, but due to the fact that both of their parents are still alive, he was always considered more of an uncle-type. Laurent’s dad was a villain, as well, which clearly ignited big protector vibes in Daryl, presumably because his own pops had been bad news, too. Vulnerability! I’d forgotten it existed in this world.
Daryl Dixon, the show, wasn’t all solemn and serious, mind you. I giggled with horror-loving glee at the introduction of “burner” zombies, and squealed with excitement when Isabelle’s habit-wearing sisters gathered up their crossbows to fight off Madam Genet’s menacing militia. We also got walker orchestras, drag shows, fight clubs, a flashback to the outbreak in Paris, and an epic Melissa McBride cameo in the finale that has me pumped for the Carol-centric second season.
It’s not that The Walking Dead: Dead City, the spin-off that preceded Daryl Dixon, wasn’t watchable, it was just covering well-trodden ground. I mean, did we really need to see more of Maggie and Negan trying to move past the unspeakable things the latter did in that glade back in the season 7 opener? For us, it had been 7 years since Negan bludgeoned Maggie’s husband Glenn to death in front of her. For them, even longer… talk about overkill.
The ones who hope
Fortunately, I have no such concerns surrounding the upcoming The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, which will reunite us with Rick and Michonne, two characters we’ve not seen in years. The fact that we have no idea what’s been going on with them – outside of the final few seconds of The Walking Dead season 11 – makes the spin-off seem even more mysterious and exciting. And if emotional arcs are what I’m after, I can’t imagine anything better than seeing two former partners finding one another after a decade apart. While we wait for Daryl to pluck up the courage and, hopefully, take the plunge with Isabelle, I’m sure The Ones Who Live will satiate us famished love lovers. It can’t all be blood and guts, after all.
In some ways, it’s a shame The Walking Dead has essentially had to start again. I actually really liked Ezekiel, Yumiko, Connie, and a handful of other newbies that pitched up later on in its run. But I can’t deny that the original buckled under the weight of trying to serve its many, many, many leads. With the spin-offs – which will obviously crossover at some point, what with Jadis/Anne set to appear in The Ones Who Live and Fear the Walking Dead’s Morgan skipping town in search of Rick – The Walking Dead franchise is hitting the reset button, trimming the fat, and hoping to restore itself back to its glory days. As it stands, I have every faith it could do just that.
The Walking Dead and The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon are available on AMC+ in the US. The former can be streamed on Disney Plus in the UK, though the latter has yet to pin down a UK release date.
