Daryl Dixon Season 2 Episode 2 Recap

For a while it seemed possible The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon could be a kind of zombie apocalypse travelogue, following our hero through Europe and learning how different parts of the world have tried to rebuild civilization since the outbreak. The idea has a lot of potential; after 11 seasons of The walking dead and six spin-offs, it’s crucial to change things up, especially when it comes to setting. How many different translations of zombie Will we know at the end of this franchise?

But after the core trio of Daryl, Isabelle and Laurent (plus Sylvie) settle in the nest for a while, Carol has become the season’s main traveler. “Moulin Rouge” does a good job moving the plot forward on Carol’s journey. She and Daryl are not yet reunited, but she is now in his orbit and is on her way to a more direct involvement in the main story of the power struggle between the two major factions in France. The episode also manages to capitalize on the potential of experiencing this journey and ending up in Greenland, where a fascinating side story does not lose its appeal.

Ash needs some tools to repair the plane’s fuel leak, and after a brief encounter with some walkers, he hides worryingly under the grass (nicknamed “tupilaq” after the carnivorous animal from the Inuit religion), the duo meets another couple who can help them. At first, Eun and Hanna seem happy to offer them food, drink, and supplies, and are happy to see other people for the first time in years. Eun hugs Ash when she realizes he has lost a child, a simple act of empathy that moves Ash. And Hanna explains that she and Eun originally came here for a climate research project to track the melting of glaciers. She has a somewhat unconventional view of the virus: it’s Mother Nature’s way of healing the planet after humanity poisoned it. “Never mess with someone’s mother,” Hanna says, speaking Carol’s language.

But it’s only a matter of time before these climate scientists show their true, scary faces. Hanna plays with that crossbow for so long that it looks like a fake for a minute – a hint of something wrong that isn’t confirmed until later in the episode – but then she tells Carol to kill her, and we’ off to the races. It turns out that Eun and Hanna’s plan is essentially to force Ash to procreate with both of them, “letting nature take its course” in order to begin rebuilding civilization. This plan obviously isn’t working; Carol barely has to manipulate Hanna before she turns on Eun, shooting her in the head and refusing to follow her orders any longer.

Carol also agrees to take Hanna with her, a promise destined to be broken. But when Ash fires a flare into the fog and kills Hanna – a pretty auspicious start for a man who has somehow managed to never kill another human being – Melissa McBride plays the moment with a certain bittersweetness. There is relief and gratitude, but for a moment it seemed as if Carol was sincere in her invitation. It probably never would have worked, but it’s nice to think it could work, isn’t it?

Or maybe Carol’s guilt is just overwhelming her. When she and Ash land in France a few scenes later, she convinces him to stay on the plane and prepare to escape instead of accompanying her in search of her “daughter.” Even though I’ve only known Ash for two episodes, I’m already worried that he’ll inevitably expose Carol’s lie, so it’s a relief that he’s stepping away for now. On the other hand, delaying this confrontation to take care of some plot questions means putting one of the most important stories of the season on hold.

I wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t see Ash for a few episodes, and I have a feeling Carol won’t be back for another two weeks like she promised. She follows a truck full of Guerriers to an outpost of the Pouvoir des Vivants, where dozens of starving townspeople surrender their weapons and wait for food. Madame Genet is not present in person, but her deputy rounds up 19 “volunteers” who believe they will support Genet in exchange for a bed and some semblance of order and security. Carol is forced into this group, which includes an English teacher named Rémy. He is an interesting case study of an average French civilian exposed to a rogue regime. His husband has lung problems that require medical attention and Maison Mère may be the only place he can get it. But it is clear that most or all of these people will likely fall victim to the Walker experiments in the studio.

Must Daryl rescue Carol from Genet’s clutches, or can Carol use her imprisonment to her advantage? (She may even form an unusual kinship with Genet.) Ash may have to step in because Daryl is busy with his own drama. However, it takes a while for the conspiracy in the nest to unfold. At the start of “Moulin Rouge,” things are looking ominously good now that Genet’s hostages are safe. Everyone can relax for a moment: Sylvie cuts a traumatized but grateful Emile’s hair and Daryl even teaches Laurent and Isabelle how to play baseball. The three of them feel like a sweet little family more than ever and it’s a nice change to see Daryl in high spirits.

Many episodes explore themes of faith and doubt, an obvious common thread for this series. Isabelle is far from a perfect Christian, to say the least, but she strongly believes in the value of faith. Still, she finds herself conflicted about the idea of ​​leaving home with Laurent and joining Daryl abroad. On the other hand, to quote Laurent: “Home is where the people you love are.” After all, it’s about the journey, not the destination; If things didn’t work out in the nest, this strenuous, emotionally taxing adventure at least gave them a livelihood. In this respect, it is equivalent to Ash’s plane and Azlan’s pocket watch.

But when Laurent disappears one morning, all hopes for the future become secondary. The episode does a retread here; We just saw Daryl leave the nest and go on a brutal rescue mission in the last episode, so it’s a bit of a pain to watch it again. Fortunately, however, not everything is as it seems. If you’ve been waiting for sabotage since Losang and Jacinta second After talking about possibly moving the ceremony forward, you won’t be surprised: Sylvie discovers Laurent locked in isolation in a hidden room on the eve of his big day.

This discovery cleverly ties into Daryl’s mission, which quickly turns out to be a false flag. The other men sent by Jacinta, including Emile, are actually there to distract and ultimately eliminate Daryl, Isabelle and Fallou. But they are no match for the trio, even with the advantage Prior knowledge. Emile explains his basic motivations for turning against his friends, even though they are quite weak: After being forced to watch Pouvoir des Vivants torture and experiment on his allies, he needs to ensure that the Union de l’Espoir manages to keep Laurent with them for the ceremony. It all has to be worth it.

If faith is salvation for characters like Isabelle, with Emile we see its corrosive effects—the way desperation can drive people to rely on a shared belief system, even when that system goes too far. With Jacinta insisting that it is too late to let Losang’s prophecy happen not come true, we see the same twisted sunk cost fallacy come into play. She emphasizes the need for the community Securitythe opposite of doubt.

We hear the word doubt Enter Isabelle at the beginning of the episode, then Emile later, and finally Losang, who quotes Descartes: “Doubt is the origin of wisdom.” That’s a point Izzy would agree with; Doubt is an essential part of faith, and attempting to completely eliminate it with physical evidence misses the point. (Incidentally, that’s my only problem with the final act of Elevenwhere someone reads Santa’s real list on live television to prove his existence.) Testing the prophecy by having Laurent bitten by a walker is clearly an extremely bad idea, but on a thematic level it is this pursuit according to certainty, this turns out to be the biggest red flag here. Losang knows that church shouldn’t be about showing the congregation a photo of God; It’s about helping people form a picture in their own heads. Once he abandons this principle, there is no going back.

• Daryl and Isabelle kissed! Big news for a character who’s been notoriously short on romance since his television debut in 2010, aside from a relationship that’s largely been off-screen. The impetus is Izzy’s reflection on the French word dépaysantwhich describes a change of scene that changes the perspective.

• And slightly less remarkable news: Stéphane Codron has returned. He is surprisingly loyal to Daryl, Isabelle, and Laurent, to the point of listening to Genet’s endless monologue about stuck corks and then grinning and enduring it while she has a corkscrew stuck in his palm. Honestly, I’m not entirely convinced that the Codron we know would go to such lengths to protect her, but I’m excited to see what his role in this show will be in the future.

• Since Jacinta is the one who orders the killing of the trio, Losang’s hands remain relatively clean, which is probably necessary for him to retain even a little moral ambiguity as a character.

• I highly doubt (ha) they would go in that direction, but is that even possible, Laurent? would survive a bite? It would probably remember it too much The Last of Us at this point.