The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 1 Review

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon (2023-)
Season 1 - 6 episodes (2023)

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Created by: David Zabel
Starring: Norman Reedus, Clémence Poésy, Louis Puech Scigliuzzi, Laïka Blanc-Francard, Anne Charrier, Romain Levi
Rated: TV-MA
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Plot
Daryl journeys across a broken but resilient France, hoping to find a way back home.

Verdict
While I feel like AMC is leveraging The Walking Dead to a breaking point, I was curious what they would do with this series. The show has always been an ensemble, and a loner story could be the new direction the universe needs. If you can get over the ridiculous premise of how Daryl gets to France, which is a giant leap, this is an enjoyable show. It has a focus and drive the other series have lacked. Daryl is on a mission with plenty of stops along the way. He's willing to lie and help in equal measure if it gets him where he's going, and that makes for a fun character. While there may be too many The Walking Dead spin offs, and even the original series suffered from the story telling, this series is worth watching.
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Review
Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) has always been a fan favorite, so this spin-off makes commerical sense as to why they chose this character. I couldn't recall how Daryl ended up in France. That's part of the mystery revealed throughout this season. In the original series finale Daryl rode off into the sunset to look for Rick and Michonne. Daryl in France seems far-fetched. While this season provides answers, it seems like the creators decided that the most strange place to land Daryl would be France and wrote backwards.

Daryl's goal is to get back to America. He's not concerned with the how. Waking up on the shores of France, Daryl quickly finds trouble but gets picked up by nun Isabelle (Clémence Poésy) and ends up in a convent. That might be the second strangest place Daryl could end up. The convent states they've been waiting for Daryl, but it's not a chosen one situation. They need someone capable to transport Laurent (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi) across the country. Daryl doesn't care about some kid, he just wants to get back to America. I was very curious about his route or what kind of plan he has, but while he plays tough he's a good guy and goes back to protect the convent from a military shake down.

Clémence Poésy, Norman Reedus play Isabelle, Daryl Dixon

If you can get over the ridiculous premise, it's not a bad show. We get snippets of Daryl's journey to France as well as how Isabelle became a nun and what makes Laurent special. I like the focus. Daryl just wants to get back, and of course that's no easy task. He's got no supplies so he has to barter his services to progress. There are few zombie killers more capable than Daryl. I appreciate this isn't trying to start or maintain a community and that there are no power struggles. The is the reboot/spin off the franchise needed. Fear the Walking Dead was more of the same. This would be even better if it took a chance and made the main character a French resident instead of using the crutch of an already popular character. Daryl in France is ridiculous.

What also helps is that zombies aren't the focus, they're just an obstacle. The original series fell victim to making zombies the answer for plot points and action alike. If you're in a corner, insert zombies. As it should be, this is more of a survival story which happens to include zombies.