Daryl Dixon’s journey to France has been infused with horror and hope, but it’s hard to have much of the latter after The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 1 Episode 5.
Sometimes, even the best-laid plans have too many variables, and that’s precisely what happened when Daryl tried desperately to get Laurent to the Nest.
Despite Quinn and Isabelle giving them the best shot at getting to their destination, it wasn’t meant to be.
Kids doing stupid things has been synonymous with this franchise since The Walking Dead Season 1, but it’s hard to be mad at Laurent.
He lost his mother and may never see his aunt and father again, so why shouldn’t he hold on to the person who’s been trying to save his life?
How can you be mad at a kid who made a rash decision because he feared losing more people?
It’s difficult. I don’t blame Daryl for lashing out because he’s been desperate to return to Carol, Judith, and everyone else at the Commonwealth.
Laurent: I miss Issa.
Daryl: We all got people we miss.
Laurent: What people do you have?
Daryl: I have friends.
Laurent: You know my friends, but I don’t know about yours. It’s not fair.
Daryl: Life’s not fair. Ask the fish. Alright. Uh, let’s see. There’s Judith and RJ. They’re kids, like you. Uh, there’s Connie, Ezekiel. There’s a lady named Carol.
Laurent: They sound nice.
Daryl: Yeah. How do you know?
Laurent: You miss Issa, too. I can tell.
In his eyes, Laurent made a selfish decision, so it was a welcome surprise that he understood the kid’s actions and quickly stopped being upset about them.
The kicker is that Laurent’s fateful decision set the stage for Genet and Codron to get the upper hand and put everyone in more danger than before.
Quinn complaining to Daryl and calling him a ponce for not holding up his end of the deal was pretty telling about the kind of man he is.
He didn’t allow Daryl the opportunity to tell him their situation was Laurent’s fault.
Quinn has been tricky to read because he’s done some heinous things, but it’s hard to believe he’d do anything that would harm Isabelle or Laurent.
He’s been loyal to Isabelle to a fault, and that’s part of the reason Anna wanted to get her own back on him.
It’s a shame Anna thought running to Genet to tell all about the mission to get Laurent to the Nest happened easily because she’s proven to be one of the more interesting side characters.
Then again, she’s been battling these feelings of rejection from Quinn ever since Isabelle appeared in the picture.
Dixon! Dixon! Today, you die… for my brother!
Codron
It’s unclear how long Anna and Quinn were together, but she knows he hasn’t looked at her the same way since his ex-girlfriend returned to his life.
It will be interesting to see where Anna goes from here. Will she have a more prominent role by working with Genet, or has her purpose on the show concluded?
Isabelle was worried about being in the same location as Quinn because she was under lock and key, so it was only a matter of time before she took swift action.
The big surprise was that she caved at the last minute and started pondering whether redemption was possible for him.
You know, I held up my end of things. And if you’d had done your part, none of this would be happening. You American ponce. You best sleep with one eye open…
Quinn
Throughout The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 1, Isabelle has been on this journey to be a better person, so it’s only natural she would consider whether others could do the same.
While I believe Quinn is a better person when he’s with Isabelle, I also think he’d remain doing his dodgy dealings behind her.
It was satisfying seeing the smug look wiped from his face when he realized Anna had gone rogue, but I was living for Genet, locking him up and giving him time to gather his thoughts.
The look of horror on Isabelle’s face when she realized the true extent of what had happened. She put her faith in Daryl and believed that, against all odds, Daryl would get Laurent to the nest.
There’s also the problem of where things will go next because Isabelle is now well aware that Genet is against the way the world used to work.
How do you reason with someone like that?
Anne Charrier was chilling as she said Genet’s speech about the state of the world and how the government unleashed the plague on humanity.
Genet’s very different way of running things is winning her many supporters, but surely, it will all come crashing down when she least expects it.
Genet: Monsieur Quinn!
Quinn: Bonjour. Bonjour. Introduce me to your friend.
Quinn: Madame Genet, this is, uh, Isabelle Carriere.
Genet: Enchantée.
Genet: My apologies. One of my Guerriers charged with securing the city, he accepted an — How do you call it in English? Un pot de vin?
Quinn: Bribe.
Genet: Precisement. A bribe. To allow people out we wanted to keep in. Should have done his job. If you please. You’ve disappointed me. Didn’t we have an agreement?
Her meeting with Laurent was telling because he read her for filth the moment she opened her mouth and said that his existence and the story of it is merely a ruse to attain support.
He hit a nerve when he said Genet’s heart is broken, and truthfully, the series should be diving into her past before long.
It’s hard to have many feelings about the cliffhanger of Daryl being thrown into this arena with super-powered zombies because The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 2 is a go.
These kinds of cliffhangers are part of a broader issue with the franchise. Had someone like, say, Isabelle been thrown into the arena, it would have successfully raised the stakes.
You’ve got no idea what you’ve done.
Quinn
I believe the stakes have been raised with the medicated zombies, but there’s no way anything will happen to Daryl.
Who’s to say these things won’t climb up the walls and dine on other supporting players like Emile, Fallou, and Sylvie hiding on the sidelines?
There has to be a reason the series showed the trio rocking up to watch the insanity unfold.
Codron was surprising, too, because he’s been so adamant about killing Daryl that I thought he’d want to do it himself.
What satisfaction will he get from Daryl squirming against walkers? He strikes me as the kind of man who wants to do this alone.
The flashbacks that filled in ALL the blanks about how Daryl wound up on the boat and his determination to get home were fascinating.
The world isn’t improving, and we’ll still find plenty of villains along the way.
The big shocker is that Genet’s scientist was in Maine, leading me to believe that her power and influence could spread further into the world than we’re being led to believe.
Carol: Hello. Are you there? Hello!
Daryl: Hey! It’s me! Daryl.
Carol: Are you okay?
Daryl: Yeah, well, I have a radio here. I thought, what the hell?
How you doing?
Carol: Where’s there?
Daryl: I’m in Maine, by the coast. Everything good there?
Carol: Yeah, you know, pretty quiet here.
Daryl: Quiet’s good. You okay?
Carol: Yeah. Just takes some getting used to, that’s all.
Daryl: You sure you’re okay?
Carol: You never have to worry about me, Daryl. How is it out there?
Daryl: I’ll tell you all about it when I see you. I’m just gathering up some fuel. I’ll be there in about a week. I promise.
Carol: Copy that. Hey, Daryl. Yeah. ( Transmission breaking up ) …came back. Daryl: Who came back? Carol. Who came back? ( Static ) Carol?
It’s easy to win supporters by blaming world leaders for the outbreak, but it’s also clear she deems many other countries to be enemies of France.
Daryl’s chat with Carol was a nice little nugget for fans clamoring for more of this dynamic duo, but it also left us with more questions than answers.
Carol seemed optimistic but pessimistic at the same time about losing Daryl on The Walking Dead Season 11 Episode 22, but here it seemed like she was trying to keep up the ruse that all was good.
Hearing Carol saying the Commonwealth has been quiet, only to say she’s still getting accustomed to it is pretty telling.
Then, adding that someone has returned is a decent way of having long-term franchise fans theorize about it.
Knowing that Negan is locked up in Manhattan after The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 1 could signal that Maggie has returned for some help.
She has resources, sure, but the Commonwealth is massive.
The other possibility? Rick and Michonne. There’s no telling where in the timeline their show is set.
So many questions.
What are your thoughts on Daryl’s backstory about how he arrived in France?
How do you think Daryl will survive the arena?
Hit the comments.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.