The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, starring Norman Reedus, is a sequel series to the Zombie flagship show, The Walking Dead.
We last see Daryl at the end of season 11 of The Walking Dead as he says Goodbye to his beloved friend Carol, then rides off, setting his sights on a journey to find Rick.
Daryl Dixon opens with him lying on a small, capsized boat, floating towards an unknown land. He ends up on the shores of France, where he tries to figure out how to navigate this new situation.
Secure behind the walls of a convent, Daryl contemplates the decisions he has made. Isabella, a nun who helped bring Daryl to safety, slowly reveals his purpose for being there. Skeptical and reluctant over the nun’s faith in him, an earlier incident with some people comes back to haunt Daryl and the nuns in the worst possible way. During his stay in the convent, Daryl also meets a unique child named Laurent, faced with a destiny that could possibly save the world. With Daryl’s help; he begins a new journey to return to America as soon as possible. I got some Last of Us vibes, but I believe Laurent’s story will be interesting.
Daryl Dixon is a show where boundaries are pushed, and adventure awaits around every corner. We were taken back to the days of old when Rick was left to find his family, and along that path, Rick was faced with seen and unseen dangers. We see Daryl as he embarks upon a new venture to save the people he loves while he is faced with new dangers, new friends, and new territory.
This show is a breath of fresh air. Just Norman alone is enough to carry this show; however, just by viewing the first episode, I can see how the cast of characters mesh well. The expansion of the Walking Dead universe works in France, and I see the possibility of multiple seasons from this. The show feels different compared to Dead City, which is not bad.
Norman is great. We see a fully developed character with many layers and complexities within him. We see a person we know well but still want to know more about.
This show excites me, and I am very proud of Norman and Daryl for giving us such a heartfelt character to love.
AMC’s The Walking Dead started with a Georgia Deputy Sheriff named Rick Grimes, portrayed by (Andrew Lincoln). Suffering from an on-the-job gunshot wound, Rick ended up in a coma only to wake up and learn that the world he once knew was gone and riddled with the dead as they plagued the Earth roaming, lurking, and walking, ready to devour any living being that crossed their path.
Rick set out on a journey to find his wife Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies) and son Carl (Chandler Riggs), and along the way, he met a man named Morgan Jones (Lenni James) that would save his life and set him on a path to great leadership. Rick found his family and a group that would be the genesis of a story that eventually changed how humanity would survive the apocalypse.
Rick’s sole purpose was to survive, and through that purpose, he strived to find a permanent place where his family and the community that he has grown to love could thrive and have a future; however, for Rick’s purpose to have true meaning he had to endure the psychotic nature of many different enemies. Unfortunately, those enemies included people from other groups.
Rick’s leadership started with a small camp just outside of Atlanta. From there, his survival adventure led him to a farm where he met The Green family, then he and his group lived on the road for a while. Next, he found a Prison where he thought he could build a life and fortify. After he crossed paths and fought and survived Woodbury’s Governor (David Morrissey), he and the group again tried to start over. On the road again in search of a new place, he and the group met a man named Aaron (Ross Marquand), bringing them to a gated community called Alexandra. It is there where Rick and the group find their place until they meet a group called The Saviors, led by the now famous Negan (Jeffery Dean Morgan). After many lives lost and another war, the Alexandra safe zone is where Rick brings other local communities together, such as Hilltop, The Kingdom, and Oceanside.
As the years went by, Rick developed many friendships, allies, and enemies. He lost his wife Lori and his son Carl, but he was able to start over and build a new life with his daughter Judith (Cailey Fleming) and his partner, the katana-wielding Michonne(Danai Gurira).
After years of fighting and shortlived moments of peaceful times, Rick’s survival is tested again as he attempts to save his community from Walkers breaching the borders of the Alexandra safe zone. We last see Rick being taken away in a helicopter as he seeks medical attention for his injuries as directed by his possible ally Jadis (Pollyanna Mcintosh), who he met while trying to form an alliance to fight against Negan and the Saviors.
The surviving members of Rick’s group have done their best to pick up the pieces of a life first orchestrated by Rick. Many years have gone by, and we now see the group has left Alexandra to seek a new home and more opportunities for growth and expansion in a place called the Commonwealth. However, things are not as they seem. The organization of this group quickly reveals a vast amount of unfair treatment, injustices, and corruption among its leaders. We see the legacy of Rick Grimes live through each and every character as they prepare to fight the injustices of the Commonwealth.
Rick’s brother Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) has been there from the beginning and has now taken on the leadership role in Rick’s absence. However, he has also taken on another important role: father figure to Rick’s daughter Judith and his youngest son RJ (Antony Azor), whom he shares with partner Michone. As the final season wraps up, we find Daryl and the group back at Alexandra as they try to fight their way through a herd of evolving Walkers, tapped by the Commonwealth’s troupers, searching for a safe place to regroup. At the same time, Judith suffers from a wound after she attempts to save Maggie’s (Lauren Cohan) life. Meanwhile, as Aaron and Jerry (Cooper Andrews) try to help Lydia (Cassady McClincy) cope with a newly amputated arm, they do their best to get back on track to be reunited with the rest of their group.
All the puzzle pieces move together simultaneously as the group fights through the darkness of what they thought would be a good life in the Commonwealth community. They fight for the true meaning of freedom and eventually are victorious, but not without the consequences and casualties of war.
The Walking Dead’s Series Finale tied some loose ends while keeping the door open to various storylines and spinoffs. Despite knowing that some stories will continue, such as Daryl’s, Maggie’s, Negan’s, and Rick and Michonne’s, it’s sad to see the end of an Era. The showrunners did an excellent job with the flow and finalization of the story as they showcased the continued strength and determination of the group to fight for what is right. The feature film length of the final episode brought tears to my eyes as I experienced the final zombie visualization push through the screen.
We have seen Rick’s story evolve through his eyes and through the eyes of some of the most beloved heroes and anti-heroes that the TWD universe has to offer. The reason why The Walking Dead is the greatest show of all time is because it is through its heroes that it displays the true nature of what it means to be human; the light, the dark, the strength, perseverance and determination, the hope of family faith and love, the spirit of friendship and loyalty all wrapped up into a shared experience that has transcended time and American Television. Rick’s story will live on because it is the story that has pushed the envelope and defined what it means to truly live as hope and light guide the way forward.
The Walking Dead Season 11 Premiere starring Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, Lauren Cohan, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, opened with fans sitting on the edge of their seat. We find Alexandria’s group trying to pick up the pieces of a broken community after the Whispers War. The group tries to move forward as they attempt to search for much-needed food and supplies with the hope of rebuilding everything that they lost. Unfortunately, their new mission takes them into unfamiliar territory within an abandoned military base. In classic TWD style, the group must face a variety of threats, seen and unseen. Daryl leads the group as they work together to tactically maneuver throughout the space in order to gather the materials they need. Things go awry quickly as Daryl suffers from a cut that leads to a chain of events that once again threatens the group’s survival.
Meanwhile, we finally see how things unfold with Eugene, Ezekiel, Princess, and Yumiko as they undergo processing at the Commonwealth Community. With much anticipation, we are introduced to the Comicbook Character Mercer. He has a strong military background and is the head of security of this community. Mercer is very hard to read, but I am looking forward to knowing his on-screen persona. Trust is big here between both Eugene’s group and the leaders of the Commonwealth. Ezekiel and the others attempt to convince Eugene that coming to this community was not a good idea, but by the time he realizes it, it’s too late. Princess reveals that she has some interesting and valuable skills to help the group escape; however, those skills bring Yumiko closer to a family member she thought she once lost.
After Daryl’s group retrieves some food and supplies from the military base, they realize that their food won’t last long. So Maggie proposes that they go on another mission; to return to the community, she went to when she was with Georgie. Maggie states that Meridian has food, water, and supplies to help Alexandria rebuild; however, the Reapers killed everyone and took over the place. Daryl and the majority of the group agree to go on the mission, clearly understanding that it is a considerable risk in many different ways. The group begins their mission, where a host of dangers lurk around. A major storm blocks their path, but Maggie suggests using the subway tunnels to avoid the bad weather. They all agree, but as more dangers strike, Negan feels it is a bad idea to continue. He seems to have a working knowledge of the area; but, since Daryl and other members of the group struggle with trusting Negan, he and Daryl struggle to find common ground. As they continue, Daryl gets separated from the group, and Maggie is put in a situation where she has to lean on Negan for help. Unfortunately, it looks like he ends up betraying Maggie, but looks can be deceiving.
This is the final season of The Walking Dead, and I felt that this was a great start to building a conclusion that will open doors for more storytelling. It was so exciting to see Daryl and Maggie together. Norman’s on-screen presence brings happiness and delight to fans. His demeanor and attitude are the definition of cool. He looks amazing in the opening scene as he overlooks to scan the area below to ensure the group’s safety. Carol’s strength and leadership skills are impressive and have evolved with time. The military set with the lurkers was a great scene. Their positions on the ground and the darkness of the scene was a different type of darkness shown on TWD. The atmosphere was a muddled, cloudy, dusty, desolate environment that doesn’t understand the concept of light. The lurkers appeared to be sleeping, which is something very different we see in this world. When Daryl’s arm is cut, and the blood drops into the eye of the lurker, it starts a chain reaction that awakens the rest of them. This moment reminds me of when Selene awoke Markus in the Underworld films. Remember, they were vampires. This whole place brings up a lot of questions that I hope fans would get answers.
Another major scene in this episode was the subway tunnel that was filled with Walker body bags. This was another dark area that looked cool and scary at the same time. It seems as if those bodies were there from the start, but I hope we are told a good story that explains what happened there and at the military base. Both sets were done with a lot of creativity and consideration of the changing world. The artistry behind the Walking Dead brings fans into the world. This is not just any television show, but it is the greatest show of all time. I suggest watching the episode again in search of Easter eggs. The premiere episode was great in all aspects.
Five stars!!
L.L.
Check out the official trailer below:
As a bonus, check out the official TWD promo song “Who Will You Become.”
The World According to LaTaeya 