I was somewhat skeptical about the myriad The Walking Dead spinoffs that AMC started rolling out after the flagship series ended, and while not all have been winners, the Norman Reedus-fronted series Daryl Dixon proved a surprisingly beautiful, poignant adventure in its first season.
The show took Reedus’ fan-favorite character, plucked him out of rural America, and thrust him into the heart of France in a grand adventure to help save the life of a young boy who could potentially hold the secret to immunity from the undead. Part of what made the show work so well was it being so far removed from everything we have seen over the past decade, as it offered some much-needed change for the never-ending zombie franchise. The France-set series’ aesthetic and vibe were excellent, and the slow discovery of how Europe had survived and responded to the end of the world was fascinating—all with Daryl growing outside his comfort zone as he finds his place in this far-flung world.
The first season ended on an open cliffhanger, as Daryl faced a decision to potentially stay in France or try to find a way to return home to his friends in America. In Season 2, we (unsurprisingly) see that Daryl has decided to stay, at least temporarily, to spend more time with the boy, Laurent (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi), and burgeoning Season 1 love interest Isabelle (Clemence Poesy).
But Season 2 comes with a subtitle, “The Book of Carol,” and The Walking Dead fans know what that means: Melissa McBride’s beloved character Carol Peletier from the original flagship series is jumping in on the action this time around. Interestingly, Carol’s addition to the story fulfills the spinoff’s original pitch, as the show was first conceived as a team-up series that would’ve found Daryl and Carol heading to France together from the jump.
Although it’s delightful to see McBride back in this iconic role, kicking ass and taking names, it’s also a jarring narrative move as Carol is added to this previously siloed world where Daryl has been living with new people and building a new life. Daryl and Carol are arguably the most beloved duo in The Walking Dead history, right there alongside Rick and Michonne, and it makes sense that the creative team would want to keep that relationship alive as the franchise continues through this new era. But the show that Daryl Dixon became without Carol is arguably more compelling than the version with her spliced back into it.
This is no indictment on McBride, who puts on one hell of a performance in bringing this character back to life, using all the cunning and skills she’s acquired since the dead started walking as she makes her way across the world to figure out what happened to her best friend. Part of that journey brings Carol into the path of fellow survivor Ash (Manish Dayal), who is an excellent addition to the ensemble and plays a key role in connecting the dots for this reunion.
The Book of Carol also doesn’t shy away from Carol’s trauma dating back to the early The Walking Dead days, most notably the death of her daughter Sophia in the original series’ run, as we see the lingering emotional and psychological damage she still carries all these years later from seeing her zombified daughter amble out of Herschel’s shed. It’s a heartbreaking subplot and a compelling exploration of this character done in a way that was rarely explored in The Walking Dead proper, simply because the original series had to juggle an ensemble cast of a dozen or more characters. These spinoff series give their leads more space to breathe, and Carol benefits from the extra investment just like Daryl did in Season 1.
To be clear, fans will certainly find much to enjoy in The Book of Carol. The series takes some interesting turns in building on the events of Season 1, and shows how Daryl has shaken up this delicate ecosystem’s politics and alliances. That said, it suffers a bit from too many cooks in the antagonist kitchen, as the threats ebb and flow between multiple players. Meanwhile, Daryl and Carol sometimes reach John McClane (from those last few Die Hard movies) levels of comic superhero survival, even when the odds are wildly stacked against them. Though, to be clear, as Glenn’s (Steven Yeun) life-saving dumpster from the original series can attest, that’s not entirely new for the franchise. All that action is certainly well-composed, but reaches almost video game-style franticness at times.
But despite its faults, there’s something incredibly nostalgic about seeing Daryl and Carol back together again, even if the events that reunite them are somewhat contrived and far-fetched if you actually stop to think about it too hard. Season 2 isn’t as tight or focused as the show’s debut run, but it’s still a compelling ride with elements that longtime fans will love. Carol can be an awkward fit into the series at times, but it still lives up to being a show with Daryl and Carol in the title, and for The Walking Dead fans, that’s likely all it needs to be.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol premieres September 29th on AMC, streaming on AMC+.
Trent Moore is a recovering print journalist, and freelance editor and writer with bylines at lots of places. He likes to find the sweet spot where pop culture crosses over with everything else. Follow him at @trentlmoore on Twitter.
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