This review contains spoilers for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 3, episode 3.
We finally get to the meat and potatoes of the central conflict of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 3 in its latest episode. There’s a clear-cut conflict growing between Daryl and Carol: Daryl is still focused on getting out of Spain as quickly as possible and continuing their journey home, but Carol is getting attached to her new friends in Solaz. I was worried we’d be confined to the town for a while after last week’s episode settled there, but this episode leaves the town and explores more of the surrounding area as Daryl tries to get a hold of some boat parts.
We’re starting to get a better idea of the politics of these communities, and it plays on a classic genre trope. The Alliance seems to be a ruthless dictatorship disguised as a benevolent democracy. Dissent is forbidden, outsiders are unwelcome, and unwavering loyalty is a non-negotiable condition.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 3 Is Finally Gaining Some Momentum
Daryl’s Killing From Last Week Is Causing Trouble In The Community
This week’s Daryl Dixon does a better job of following up on the previous episode’s cliffhanger than last week’s installment. Last week, the previous cliffhanger turned out to be an anticlimax. But this week, the cliffhanger sets up an intriguing new conflict. After Daryl killed an El Alcázar soldier and fed him to the walkers, everyone in town is on high alert. They’re deeply suspicious of the crossbow-wielding newcomer, which creates an interesting tension within the community.
Some of the townspeople are being rounded out as compelling characters in their own right. In this episode, Carol strikes up a romance and Daryl reluctantly takes on a new ward. The forbidden romance between Guillermo’s wife Elena and badass gitano cowboy Paz is touching and romantic, but the fear of Guillermo finding out is looming over the affair. That has to happen at some point this season — it’s basically Chekhov’s infidelity — and I’m dreading it. We’ve seen how ruthless the El Alcázar leader can be, and I really like these two characters, so I don’t want to see anything bad happen to them.
I’m so glad The Walking Dead can use F-bombs now. For the majority of the original show’s run, curse words were off-limits — this restriction ruined Rick’s best line from the comics — but cursing suits Daryl’s devil-may-care character perfectly, and it facilitates some really funny moments. When Daryl is arguing with Carol about whether they should stay in Spain, Carol asks, “What about Alba?” Daryl bluntly responds, “Who the f***’s Alba?” That moment wouldn’t be as hilarious if Daryl couldn’t swear.
The Show Is Aiming To Explore Daryl In A Bit More Depth
But These Deeper Moments Are Still Too Brief
This episode takes a couple of moments to explore Daryl’s mindset and emotional baggage in a bit more depth. We get a flashback to his traumatic childhood — a glimpse at how he became a grizzled lone wolf who struggles to open himself up to people — and there’s a sweet callback to Daryl’s connection with Laurent when he leaves the kid’s fabled Rubik’s Cube at a memorial spot to honor him. These deeper character moments are very brief, and they’re few and far between, but it’s a sign of the series aiming to do more than just Daryl Dixon’s European Vacation.
Walkers don’t seem to be much of a threat in Spain. There’s a bit of token zombie action in the middle of this episode, but it feels like Daryl should be in much more danger after leaving the safety of Solaz and going outside the walls — just look at 28 Years Later. I understand that the not-so-subtle message of The Walking Dead franchise is that, in this zombie-infested world, other survivors are the real monsters. But there does need to be some zombies. This is a Last of Us season 1-level dearth of undead action.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon airs new episodes on AMC every Sunday.