The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 2 review: "Frustrating follow-up lacks the freshness of the far-superior first season"

The first season of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon freshened things up by shipping one its best-loved characters to France and having him meet a whole new found family across the pond. It made for a welcome change of scenery, a "dépaysant" if you will, that saw Daryl wrestle with faith and fatherhood, and step into a more emotional and communicative version of himself. It's such a shame, then, that the second season – subtitled 'The Book of Carol' – pretty much unravels it all.

More action-packed than its predecessor, Daryl Dixon season 2 feels more like old-school The Walking Dead, and not necessarily in a good way. It's unfocused, racing through story arcs as it tries to juggle too many characters, much like the main show's last few seasons – which was arguably the reason why the more streamlined spin-offs were greenlit in the first place. 

The opening few episodes mainly follow Carol (Melissa McBride), presumably to make up for lost time in season 1, as she strikes up a fast friendship with plane-owner Ash (Hamish Patel) stateside. Carol and Ash, who's been living a lonely existence since his young son passed away, bond over their child-related tragedies – or so Ash thinks, anyway. Carol only has one concern: reuniting herself with Daryl ASAP, and the show shares the sentiment. A walker invasion, one heated dinner, and a bizarre stopover in Greenland later, the pair touch down in Paris.

Meanwhile, in Normandy, Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Isabelle (Clémence Poésy) make moves to relocate to the US, as Union of the Hope leader Losang (Joel de la Fuente) sets his sinister plans for Laurent (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi) in motion and clashes with Pouvoir's Genet. Part of what made Reedus and Poésy's scenes so effective last season was the slow-burn nature of them; their obvious affection for one another whispered softly in a stolen glance or a hushed, heartfelt conversation. There's no time for that this time around, resulting in unsatisfyingly rushed declarations – and later, unearned, unsavory conclusions.

Haunted pasts

When it comes to Daryl and Carol's dynamic, the latter has always been the quieter of the two but it's suddenly jarring here, after he gained so much agency in season 1, to see her kind of take over once the pair get together. 

In fact, Daryl spends much of the six episodes being told what to do and how to feel by multiple people: with Isabelle, about Judith and the other kids back home, as to where home even is to him anymore. It would be so much more powerful if he was able to make such expressions on his own. With that, the show could've also explored Daryl’s loved ones co-existing and the highs and lows that would've come with working that all out, giving the chapter some much needed depth. The Walking Dead has always been about building human connection after all – why sidestep an opportunity to do that?

Instead Poésy and Scigliuzzi's screentime is shifted to secondary characters Romain Levi's Codron and Eriq Ebouaney's Fallou; both of which are decent characters, played well by those who bring them to life. But, again, it just feels like a misguided swerve.

Naturally, though, this is 'The Book of Carol' so the cookie-baking survivor occupies most of the limelight. Alongside the likes of Danai Gurira, Lauren Cohan, and Andrew Lincoln, McBride has long been one of The Walking Dead's strongest performers and with that, is often given the weightier stuff. Here, though, it all feels forced. Parents who lose their children never really get over that loss, but considering Sophia died in the early days of the apocalypse and Carol has suffered so much heartache since, it's a little arbitrary that the trauma of that is rearing its head again now. Carol's struggles are highlighted through unsubtle flashbacks of a zombified Sophia wandering out of those barn doors and Daryl giving her the Cherokee Rose flower back in season 2. At this point, every The Walking Dead character has certain traumas woven into the fabric of their being. Fans don't need such blatant reminders, and the out-of-context clips are likely to just leave newbies confused.

Sunset siege

Okay, so it's not all bad. There's a fantastically staged set-piece in which the Mont Saint-Michel come under siege, leading Daryl, Isabelle, Laurent, and Fallou to split up and navigate the fortress's impressive grounds as they ward off enemies with bows and arrows. The whole thing gives off a Games of Thrones-vibe that's different from the battle sequences we've seen before, and it's thrilling. There's a fun sequence, as well, that sees Daryl, Carol and co attacked by a bunch of bioluminescent zombies, which are a cool upgrade on last year's burner ones.

As Daryl's French revolution draws to a close, the series' commitment to filling its cast with native actors is to be commended, too, as is its willingness to have much of its dialogue spoken in their language. It's something that'll likely continue into season 3, too, even if we wish we didn't know that yet... Thanks to the show's early renewal, we know that Carol and Daryl will eventually wind up in Spain which, and there's no other way to put it, kind of zaps the second season, which revolves around Daryl and Carol's efforts to get back to America. It's like when they announced the spin-offs before The Walking Dead season 11 concluded, and it cemented the post-credit fates of a bunch of characters.

If The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol had been the spin-off's first outing, it undoubtedly would've gone down a lot smoother. It is watchable, and Caryl fans are sure to love seeing the besties back together again, but it's frustrating to see certain storylines and characters not given a fair run come at the cost of that. Rather than continuing to broaden the series' possibilities, and offering up a new perspective, Daryl Dixon season 2 settles for something familiar. Less "dépaysant", and more déjà vu. 

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol premieres on AMC on September 29. It will air on Sky in the UK. For more, check out our handy guide on how to watch The Walking Dead franchise in order, or have a look at our list of the most exciting new TV shows heading our way.