Daryl Dixon recap before Season 2

In the realm of fantasy and comic book TV, there’s a lot to love right now between Agatha All Along and The Rings of Power, and one of the longest running comic book TV franchises will be returning to the screen in just a few days. With less than a week to go until The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon returns, you might find yourself in need of a quick refresh on what exactly happened in the first season. Whether you forgot how exactly Daryl Dixon ended up in France of all places, or you can’t quite put your finger on who the major players of Daryl’s European escapade are, there’s a lot to remember over the past year.

You also might just be wondering how Carol is going to loop back into Daryl’s story, given the literal ocean between them. Either way, there are quite a few important details to refresh yourself on before The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon: The Book of Carol premieres this Sunday.

Daryl Dixon, now in Europe

The show’s primary mystery

The season opens with a powerful echo from The Walking Dead series finale, as Judith’s parting words to Daryl replay in his mind. As the scene shifts, we find Daryl adrift in a small wooden boat, alone on a seemingly endless ocean. When the boat finally washes ashore, it becomes clear that Daryl is no longer in America. He’s disoriented but quickly gets to his feet, scavenging for water and surveying the unfamiliar landscape.

While Daryl is still grappling with how he ended up in Europe, he records a tape stating his intent to return home to the Commonwealth. He mentions that he didn’t come to France by choice, reinforcing the mystery of how exactly he crossed the Atlantic in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. While the details of this journey remain unclear throughout most of the season, the fact that Daryl survived such a miraculous trip adds to a carried air of destiny to his current predicament.

Not long after, Daryl finds himself in a warehouse, where he battles a group of walkers. During this scuffle, he is burned by the blood of a walker that has become corrosive, hinting at a different, perhaps more evolved strain of the virus. This moment foreshadows the unique challenges Daryl will face in France. These aren’t going to be the same walkers he’s fought for years; there are new, more dangerous threats.

Daryl eventually encounters a woman and her blind grandfather. The pair seem helpful at first, offering food in exchange for trade. However, things take a dark turn when a group of armed robbers shows up. Daryl manages to kill one of the robbers, but not without sustaining an injury in the process. The woman takes out the other assailant, but before Daryl can recover, the grandfather, who turns out isn’t blind after all, attacks him. They steal Daryl’s medical supplies, leaving him for dead.

Fortunately, Daryl is saved by a woman named Issabelle, who takes him to an abbey where he’s cared for by a group of nuns. Issabelle, the nun who rescued him, explains that they’ve taken a vow to help others, no matter how dangerous the world has become. As Daryl recovers, Issabelle introduces him to Laurent, an unusually wise young boy. The nuns believe Laurent is special, possibly even destined for something greater. They even go so far as to call him a messiah.

Laurent was raised within the walls of the abbey, shielded from the outside world. Despite his naivety, he has a sense of responsibility that belies his young age. Issabelle and the other nuns are determined to get Laurent to safety, believing he could play a key role in humanity’s survival. Though initially resistant to the idea, Daryl is forced into agreeing to help them escort Laurent to a safe location across the dangerous, walker-infested French countryside. The promise of resources and help to get back home plays a part in his decision, but Daryl’s heart of gold that fans have come to know over the years also plays a part.

Backstory and antagonists

Daryl’s time in France has some overarching threats

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The journey isn’t easy, as Daryl, Issabelle, and Laurent face a wide range of threats. The season has two primary antagonists in the form of Codron and Marion Genet. Genet is the ruthless leader of a group of survivors who have their own motives for tracking down Daryl. And, as is eventually revealed, is the reason Daryl is in France to begin with.

Codron, meanwhile, is a man with a simple vendetta. He believes Daryl to have killed his brother, but in actuality, it was actually the pair that robbed Daryl in the show’s first episode that killed Codron’s brother. Nevertheless, Codron pursues Daryl relentlessly throughout the season on behalf of Genet as well as his own interests.

Between encounters with Codron and Genet’s group, Daryl and his companions run into various other factions and communities that have emerged in post-apocalyptic France. Each of these factions has adapted to the world’s new rules in their own way, some becoming more extreme and violent, while others cling to hope and religion.

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Daryl’s relationship with Laurent evolves over time, shifting from reluctant protector to a more paternal role. Though Daryl initially sees Laurent as just another person to watch over, similar to how he once cared for Judith and Rick’s group, his bond with the boy deepens. Laurent represents hope in a way Daryl hasn’t seen in a long time, which makes protecting him all the more significant.

Issabelle’s backstory is also explored throughout the season. We learn that she wasn’t always a nun and that she lived a very different life before the apocalypse. In a flashback, we learn that Issabelle led a carefree, partying lifestyle before the outbreak alongside her boyfriend, Quinn. When the outbreak started, Issabelle abandoned Quinn in order to get her pregnant sister to safety. We also find out that her sister died in childbirth, and turned before giving birth. Her sister’s child that miraculously survived in spite of her sister turning is none other than Laurent.

Paris and the end of the road

Wrapping up some stories, starting new ones

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Throughout the season, Daryl and company make many stops along the road. Their most significant stop is in Paris, where they find Quinn alive and well. After a brief reunion with Issabelle, Quinn reveals that he is Laurent’s father. Quinn is also working with Genet, and seems willing to give up Daryl’s location to her.

But, Genet doesn’t just want Daryl. As Daryl and Laurent have traveled, many have found hope and inspiration from Laurent. Genet sees this as a threat to her interests, and also wants to see him captured alongside Daryl.

Ultimately, Daryl and Laurent are captured by Genet. They do escape with the help of some of France’s freedom fighters, but at the cost of Quinn’s life. Quinn turns after having his hand severed and, in order to save Issabelle, Laurent ultimately has to kill him.

The road to safety seems all but paved after Daryl and company escape from Genet, but they are found by Codron and a group of Genet’s soldiers. Codron is on the verge of finally taking his revenge against Daryl, but Genet’s soldiers tell him that he must first kill Laurent. This is a step too far for Codron, who kills Genet’s soldiers and lets Daryl and company go. But, not without warning Daryl that they would meet again.

In the season finale, Daryl makes it to The Nest with Laurent. The Nest is another religious community that looks to help further Laurent’s education and help him fulfill his destiny, whatever that may be. With his role in Laurent’s story finished, Daryl looks to get back home to America. However, Daryl is torn by an important decision: Should he continue helping Laurent and Issabelle, or should he focus on finding a way back to America? The answer isn’t easy, as the season leaves off with Daryl hailing a ship in the distance, only to find that Laurent has followed him.

In the season’s final scene, we see Carol pursuing a man riding Daryl’s motorcycle back in America. After a brief back and forth, Carol gets the better of the man and locks him in the trunk of her car. She briefly interrogates him as to where he got it, before setting off to find Daryl.

What to expect in The Book of Carol

The return of Carol, and more time in France

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Daryl’s future in France is still unresolved, setting the stage for even more intense developments in the upcoming second season. We also now have the plot thread of Carol trying to find Daryl to look forward to as well, with the season trailer having shown her coming to France.

Additionally, it’s very likely that The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon’s second season will continue to advance Laurent’s development and add more intrigue to the seemingly messianic character. Whether or not there’s anything genuinely special about Laurent remains debatable, but The Book of Carol is bound to further play on what his destiny might ultimately be.

The Book of Carol will also hopefully shed further light on Genet’s exact motivations, as there are still some loose threads with her to explore in the show’s second outing. It’s also known that The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon will have a third season, so it wouldn’t be too surprising to still see the storylines with Genet and Codron remain unresolved at the end of season two.

While it would certainly be more than satisfying for fans to see, it’s unlikely there will be any crossover between this season of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon and The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. Some type of crossover feels bound to happen at some point, given that Daryl’s whole adventure started with the intention of finding Rick and Michonne. Either way, fans only have a few more days to wait until Daryl Dixon returns to the screen once again.