Warning! SPOILERS ahead for Daryl Dixon season 2, episode 3.The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixonseason 2 introduced some major developments in its last episode: Carol (Melissa McBride) arriving in France, Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Isabelle (Clémence Poésy) cementing their relationship, and the idea Laurent (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi) could be the key to a cure. Episode 3, “L’Invisible”, doesn’t include nearly as many big moments, instead focusing more on some table-setting and a bit of resolution. Compared to the breakneck speed of the first two episodes, episode 3 takes things more slowly, but that isn’t to say it’s an episode devoid of action.
Cast
In fact, “L’Invisible” includes the most action we’ve seen all season. But everything that happens feels like a setup for something bigger, which honestly makes sense for an episode that sits at the halfway point of the season. Episode 3 also spends much of its time fleshing out this season’s villains. And yes, that’s villains plural because it is now abundantly clear thatL’Union is as much an adversaryas Pouvoir.
It’s About Control
Be It Though Faith Or Force, L’Union & Pouvoir Aren’t So Different
Going into season 2, it was expected that Madame Genet (Anne Charrier) and Pouvoir would continue to cause trouble for Daryl and L’Union. What comes as a surprise, though, is how quickly it’s been revealed that L’Union is also a bad actor. Both groups want to be in control, and while Pouvoir has gone about this through the usual brute force, L’Union’s means of control are more insidious, preying on people’s hopelessness and abusing their faith.
The two groups oppose one another, but for anyone unwilling to fall in line with them, they’re more or less the same. Pouvoir offers security but expects complete obedience, and for those who don’t comply, it’s either death or experimentation (which also ends in death). L’Union, meanwhile, promises a messiah who will save their followers from the zombie apocalypse, with anyone who doesn’t believe them being labeled a heretic and disposed of (which has so far also meant death).
Creating a second threat while the first is still prevalent could be seen as upping the stakes. In this case, it doesn’t allow either enemy to get the full focus they deserve.
The different ways they exert control over people is a somewhat interesting contrast, as is the exploration of how two groups can think of themselves as different while ultimately being the same. But, as I mentioned in myfullDaryl Dixonseason 2 review, having two evil groups vying for control and hunting down our main characters is redundant. Creating a second threat while the first is still prevalent could be seen as upping the stakes. In this case, it doesn’t allow either enemy to get the full focus they deserve.
Losang’s (Joel de la Fuente) heel turn, for instance, feels a bit like it came out of nowhere. And now that he’s in so deep, leading what is basically a cult, he has to commit to it without there being enough time for further explanation. We do get a deep dive into Madam Genet’s backstory in this episode, and that helps greatly to explain her motivations. It’s a predictably tragic backstory, but her observations of France’s classism make her transformation into a fascist leader a logical one.
So About That Potential Cure
The Idea Of Laurent’s Immunity Is Dropped As Quickly As It’s Introduced
For a moment, it almost appeared as ifThe Walking Deadwas going to putLaurent’s supposed virus immunityto the test. That was the whole point of the ceremony L’Union was planning, and they got very close to pulling it off. Of course, Daryl and Isabelle arrive just in time to shut it down and save Laurent from walker Sylvie’s (Laïka Blanc-Francard) bite.
It seems that for now,Daryl Dixonisn’t going to address whether there’s any truth to Laurent having immunity due to the unique circumstances of his birth. It’s an intriguing idea, and I wouldn’t be too surprised if it comes up again in the future, whether it’s here or in anotherWalking Deadshow. That said, it’s inDaryl Dixon’s favor to move on from the idea. Keeping Laurent safe because he’s a kid who Daryl has grown to care for is a better story than having him be some special chosen one.
Carol & Daryl Tap Into Their Special Abilities
But They Don’t Find Much Success With Them
As two of the longest-lasting survivors, Carol and Daryl have learned more than a few skills that have helped keep them alive. For Daryl, this is his fighting ability, a skill that he gets to show off in a great scene roughly 20 minutes into the episode. The scene is a single take that comes after they’ve stopped the ceremony, and it follows Daryl as he dispatches with one L’Union member after another. It’s a great bit of cinematography and fight choreography, demonstrating how good the action can be when the production really goes for it.
Unfortunately for Daryl, the sequence ultimately ends with him being overpowered and captured, something that is arguably another of his skills, as he’s been a prisoner more times than just about any otherWalking Deadcharacter. Still, the scene is a great action set piece in addition to showing Daryl’s devotion to keeping both Laurent and Isabelle safe.
Unfortunately, like with Daryl fighting his way out of the Nest, Carol lying to Genet doesn’t work out like she hoped.
Carol is also a capable fighter, but she doesn’t possess the same skill in hand-to-hand combat as Daryl. Instead, Carol’s superpower is her ability to lie. She’s practiced at it, andDaryl Dixonseason 2 has her doing it a lot. In this latest episode, she lies first to Codron (Romain Levi), calling Daryl her brother as she tries to learn more about his current whereabouts. It works, but it’s not nearly as clever as the lie she uses on Genet, saying she’s looking for Daryl to kill him.
Both instances show what makes Carol such a good liar, mixing in as much of the truth as necessary to really sell it. In the case of lying to Genet, it also shows how she’s able to read people and knows exactly how to manipulate them – the very same tactic she used with Ash. Unfortunately, like with Daryl fighting his way out of the Nest, Carol lying to Genet doesn’t work out like she hoped. Genet brings her right to Mont Saint-Michel, but Carol likely doesn’t bank on being turned into a rampaging super zombie once she gets there.
Daryl Dixon Season 2’s Zombie Kill Of The Week
There’s a lot more happening with the walkers in this episode than last week’s. Not only do we see more of Pouvoir’s experiments with the virus, but it’s explained why they’re doing the experiments in the first place –Genet hopes to make zombie super soldiers. It’s a pretty ridiculous idea — just having soldiers who follow orders would probably work better than unpredictable walkers, but that’s her plan.
Still, none of them take zombie kill of the week because that goes to poor Sylvie. Her suspicions about L’Union lead to her death, which then leads to her being the walker they choose to bite Laurent during the ceremony. It’s a twisted development, befitting of the cultish turn this group has taken. Of course, Laurent is rescued before she can bite him, with Daryl dispatching zombie Sylvie by shooting her with an arrow while looking super cool and uttering “Show’s over, mother f–kers.” It’s a quintessential Daryl moment, though a sad end for one of Laurent’s few childhood friends.
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Daryl Dixonseason 2, episode 3 is another good entry in the series, but some cracks are beginning to show. The convoluted way the villains are being handled is the biggest issue, but there’s also an overall simplicity the first season had that’s being lost. Hopefully, the series can regain that once Carol and Daryl are reunited, as that feels imminent given how close they are now. Bringing together their two storylines would help streamline things, potentially regaining some of season 1’s narrative straightforwardness.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon - The Book of Carolairs weekly every Sunday at 9pm ET on AMC.
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.
