Summary
DespiteThe Walking Deadbeing one of the most popular zombie franchises of all time, the spinoffs have failed to utilize the undead to their full potential, which one actor has helped highlight.The Walking Deadseason 11’s finaleended the main show, but this didn’t close the book on the franchise, which has since continued through numerous spinoffs.The series has had mixed success in the past when it comes to expanding the universe through spinoffs, but the new shows have been a breath of fresh air, as all three have received predominantly positive receptions.
Each entry has brought something new to the table, and they have proven thatThe Walking Deadstill has some fun ideas nearly 15 years after the televised universe began. However, despiteThe Ones Who Livebeing among thebest TV shows of 2024, all three spinoffs have struggled with a zombie problem that Norman Reedus briefly mentioned. TheDaryl Dixon actor commented on hisWalking Deadshow’s future, claiming “It’s not really about zombies and who’s going to get bit this week, it’s completely different”, and while this adds toDaryl Dixon’s charm, it also highlights a major issue.
Daryl Dixon Season 2 Can’t Ignore The 3-Year-Old Zombie Outbreak Mystery Season 1 Forgot About
The outbreak mystery has gone unsolved so far, but can’t be ignored in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 2, which needs to bring it into focus.
Norman Reedus Is Right - Daryl Dixon Isn’t Really About Zombies
Daryl Dixon Is Far More About People & Relationships, Rather Than Zombies
Despite introducing new variant walkers and showcasing how dangerous they are,Norman Reedus is right aboutDaryl Dixonnot being about zombies. Instead, the show focuses far more on Daryl familiarizing himself with a new environment and making genuine connections. The protagonist had no intentions of traveling to France, only ending up there after being captured and escaping into the ocean, but it led to some of his most important relationships. Although he only agreed to help Laurent and Isabelle so that he could return home, he ended up developing an emotional attachment to them, demonstrating the show’s main theme.
The zombies help add drama and raise the stakes of the action, but Daryl’s relationships and enemies are the show’s focal point.
These relationships are at the core of the spinoff, with season 1’s finale showing how conflicted Daryl is about going home. The show explores the protagonist’s compassion and selflessness, highlighting how much he cares about his new allies, as well as his friends back in America. Ironically,Daryl Dixonreveals the origins of various zombie variantsand arguably utilizes them better than any otherWalking Deadshow, but they are not at the center of the plot. The zombies help add drama and raise the stakes of the action, but Daryl’s relationships and enemies are the show’s focal point.
While it is great seeing new types of walkers pose a dynamic threat to Daryl and the spinoff’s other survivors, they still play a secondary role, which has become increasingly common inThe Walking Deaduniverse.
Zombies Have Been A Secondary Threat For Years In The Franchise
The Walking Deadwill always be heavily associated with zombies, but the franchise hasn’t centered around them in a long time. While the first few seasons of the show focused on walkers and the threats they posed, the series transitioned towards making humans the main villains after a couple of installments. Despite this, zombies remained a crucial part of creating tension and jeopardy, even when fighting other human factions, but they became incredibly easy to deal with in later years. The Whisperers helped make the undead feel like a big deal momentarily, but after their defeat, zombies essentially became obsolete.
Season 11 tried to give them some relevance by introducing variants, but this didn’t have much of an impact on the overall narrative. Unfortunately, the spinoffs have only continued this trend.Walkers and variants played a minor role throughoutDead CityandDaryl Dixon, butzombies weren’t a problem inThe Ones Who Live, as barely any characters had a serious run-in with them. Characters and relationships have arguably been the focal point of the franchise ever since its inception, but it is clear zombies have become less and less important, asTWDno longer puts much emphasis on them.
AlthoughThe Walking Deadspinoffs have managed to breathe new life into the television series, zombies should still have a bigger role. Naturally, the franchise needs villains to keep it interesting, but when the main survivors aren’t in conflict, it feels far too easy for them to survive.The addition of more variants could completely change the landscape ofThe Walking Deaduniverse, as each type of zombie would have to be dealt with in a specific way. Acid zombies may need to be taken out at range, whereas fast zombies could be lured into traps, keeping these fights refreshing.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon - The Book of Carolwill introduce a new glowing walker variant.
With the Commonwealth being so well protected and the Civic Republic becoming an allied community, it will be hard to make zombies powerful enough to challenge these strongholds. However, simple supply runs could become more complicated with more variants out in the wild.The Walking Deadhas found a resurgence through its spinoffs and could still have some fantastic stories to tell, but it still lacks some of its original magic. Therefore, making zombies menacing once again would be a reminder of what made the early seasons so good and also force the survivors to adapt to a new challenge.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon
In a post-apocalyptic France, the series follows Daryl Dixon as he navigates the complexities of a new landscape. Separated from his familiar world, Daryl faces unexpected challenges and forges new alliances while confronting the lingering threats of a walker-infested reality.
