AMC's "The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol" (Review)

September 27, 2024

Courtesy: AMC

The highly anticipated second season of "Daryl Dixon" is almost here, and with it comes the long-awaited reunion of fan favorites Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier in "The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon - The Book of Carol." The show premieres on AMC and AMC+ on September 29. It consists of six episodes and will continue through the season finale on November 3.

The logline for "The Book of Carol" sees the new season pick up where The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon left off, following fan-favorite characters Daryl Dixon (Reedus) and Carol Peletier (McBride). They both confront old demons while she fights to find her friend, and he struggles with his decision to stay in France, causing tension at the Nest. Additionally, Genet's (Anne Charrier) movement builds momentum, setting Pouvoir on a violent collision course with the Union of Hope in the fight for France's future.

The executive producers for the series are Scott M. Gimple, Robert Kirkman, David Alpert, Gale Anne Hurd, Angela Kang, Brian Bockrath, Jason Richman, Daniel Percival, Greg Nicotero, Norman Reedus, Meslissa McBride and David Zabel. Production companies are Idiot Box Productions, Skybound Entertainment, Valhalla Entertainment, Circle of Confusion, Remainder Men, and AMC Studios.

Courtesy: AMC

The first season teased Carol's return at the end of season 1 in the titular season of Daryl Dixon when she was seen driving a vintage Mustang, not before riding off to parts unknown on Daryl's bike, determined to find her friend. The actress was set to reprise her role in season 1, however due to reasons that were untenable for the actress at the time, she dropped out, leading to a change in the storyline. The new season sees plenty of Carol as this chapter primarily focuses on the veteran before the inevitable reunion.

Season 2 picks up after the fantastic season 1, showing Daryl washing ashore in France and trying to figure out how he got there. In France, he forms a personal connection with Isabelle Carriere (Clémence Poésy), a nun, and her nephew Laurent (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi), who is seen as the Messiah chosen to lead humanity to a better future. The deep personal relationships he formed with these two characters have arguably brought out the best character development for Daryl in six episodes compared to his entire tenure on the flagship show, "The Walking Dead." Daryl is finally given deeper purpose and meaning as he forms an unlikely friendship with these two characters, which could easily have been the nuclear family that has eluded him for most of his adult life. The internal struggle of staying with the new life and future he could build or return home played like a beating pulse throughout the season.

Courtesy: AMC

Daryl chooses to stay in France to save Laurent. If the highlight of the second season is the reunion between Daryl and Carol, the continued connection he has with Isabelle and Laurent is also another highlight that exceeds expectations and thrusts the character into new territory, which is a refreshing change for the character.

McBride gets her opportunity to shine in the second season. She maneuvers her way to Europe with an unlikely friendship with Ash (Manish Dayal) born out of shared grief. Here, Carol proves her cunningness and proves she's not above resorting to old tricks to get the upper hand for the greater good. "The Book of Carol" allows Carol to expound on her grief over Sophia with a pivotal reenactment of the most devastating moment in her life. Here, with a smaller cast and personal interactions, she's allowed to deal with that trauma properly. Showrunner David Zabel expertly knows how to bring the best out of these characters and he has given Daryl and Carol, who we have known for years, a new dimension and focus with a clear understanding of their characters that have allowed them to excel individually.

Courtesy: AMC

The cinematography of France and its breathtaking locales continue to enrich the series. It would have been incredibly easy to say Daryl Dixon is in France shot in front of a green screen in the Georgian studios, but the iconic locations filmed in Mont Saint-Michel and the Louvre Museum only enhance the realism of Daryl being in France. When it was first announced that Daryl would end up overseas, it was met with a lot of skepticism, and rightfully so, but it actually works. Daryl being away from the Commonwealth and thrust into a foreign land has given the character new life.

There are plenty of action sequences that are sure to delight fans as Reedus gets the opportunity to use his defacto weapon a lot. And he definitely needs to, as the Walker variants are badder, fiercer, and smarter, with enhanced abilities. If it isn't the walkers, it's Marion Genet, the uber-villain and leader of Pouvoir des Vivants, who continues to view Laurent as a threat. Major complications arise within the Union of Hope at The Nest, which sees its leader, Losang (Joel de la Fuente), front and center. Daryl has to navigate those dangers to save himself and his friends from her tyranny and surprisingly gets a much-needed ally. Stéphane Codron (Romain Levi), Sylvie (Laïka Blanc-Francard) and Fallou Boukar (Eriq Ebouaney) get pivotal moments in the series and each episode, better than the last, builds to a simmering crescendo that ups the emotional stakes.

If there are similarities between The Walking Dead's counterpart, "The Ones Who Live," starring Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira, and "The Book of Carol" it's the power of love. Love propels each half of their respective ships to venture off into dangerous territory to search for the other, risking their lives. While the former is a passionate, romantic love, Daryl and Carol's bond is platonic, one that has weathered the test of time and has proven with "The Book of Carol" there literally isn't anything they wouldn't do for each other. The second half of the series showcases their connection, however to preserve that friendship, specific accommodations had to be made, and, unfortunately, those accommodations were used to anchor the second half of the series.

Alas, the subtitle of the show isn't called "The Book of Carol" for nothing, and with season 3 already greenlit with production filming in Spain, we can expect Daryl and Carol to be kicking ass and taking names together for the duration of the series.

New episodes of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon premiere on Sundays on AMC and AMC+. The episodes premiere at 3 am EST on AMC+ and 9 pm EST on AMC.

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