Daryl Dixon, The Walking Dead: The Book of Carol – Vouloir, C’est Pouvoir

When I reviewed the first episode of Season 2, I declared that I was not a huge fan of The Walking Dead. But, after “Want is power” Like Lausanne, my faith in the show is waning. With inconsistent, inexcusable, repetitive plot choices, I don’t know if this episode was pointless, aimless, or just plain-less. Let me explain.

The premise of the show: Daryl Dixon goes missing. He ended up in France. He found the people, the passion and the purpose to protect Laurent. Laurent as the possible immune savior was a novel storyline that was well done. However, in addition to delivering on their promise to fans, the producers also fumbled at making Carol a part of Daryl’s mission to rescue Laurent. I hope Carol’s journey in season 2 will be one of inner healing. However, aside from Carol seeing Sophia fall from the barn multiple times, she seems unable to come to terms with Sophia’s death. For example, she tried not to tell Daryl the truth about how she asked Ash to fly her to France, saying, “I probably embellished the truth.” When she finally told him that she was motivated by Sophia, she told Daryl Er… “I don’t even know where it came from.” Of course she did. After a second, she admitted, “I made up some things that I hoped were true. He had a son. Daryl urged Carol to tell Ash the truth, which I doubted she would do. Daryl and Isabelle in A good job was done in protecting Laurent, so Carole’s presence in France seems purposeless in that regard.

“Vouloir, C’est Pouvoir” – “The Walking Dead” Daryl Dixon “The Book of Carol” Pictured: Melissa McBride as Carol Pelletier. Photo: Emmanuel Guimier/AMC AMC @2024 AMC Inc. All rights reserved

Some critics have claimed and complained that the show uses “plot armour”. I don’t care because the show needs Daryl and Carol (I guess) to survive. Uh, the name of the show is Daryl Dixon. He’s the reason we watch. What’s inexcusable is inconsistent storytelling, poor editing, or both. Some of the inconsistencies I’d like to point out include that Ash is savvy enough to beat the guys Anna sends from “Demimonde” (a cliche French underground nightclub where I swear “Lady Marmalade” is always played), but not skilled enough Skilled, unable to avoid being knocked unconscious by a pedestrian pushing the car door. Another inconsistency between last week’s and this week’s episodes is Carol and Daryl’s use of sedatives. Madame Genet died but was not resurrected when Carroll shot her in the back. But when Daryl fires tranquilizers at the walkers, they turn into walker killing machines. I guess that’s the difference between using tranquilizers on the living and the dead. I don’t want to guess. I want to know. Knowing this might make Daryl’s decision not to take the extra darts after rescuing Ash a little more meaningful. As of now – I don’t understand. The final inconsistency concerns what happened during the battle between Codron and Lausanne’s No. 2. Who knows this woman’s name? Now that Lausanne is dead, she’ll likely play a key role in the finale; so it wouldn’t make sense for Corden to keep her alive after killing her own people without hesitation. His approach is really short-sighted. It’s so pointless.

“Vouloir, C’est Pouvoir” – Daryl Dixon, “The Walking Dead”, “The Book of Carol”, pictured: Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon, Melissa Mack Brad stars as Carol Pelletier and Eric Ebony as Farlow – “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon.” Photo: Emmanuel Guimier/AMC @2024 AMC Inc. All rights reserved

Still, this episode has its highlights. Codron, for example, seems to have achieved the moral transformation that Carroll has yet to achieve. Perhaps if she had been imprisoned and tortured by Madame Genet and Negan, like Codron and Daryl, respectively, she would have had the time and motivation to study the “stuff” she came back with. Corden recalled Laurent telling him, “God loves us all.” Speaking of his brother’s death, he admitted, “Anger is a disease that makes you do terrible things.” Laurent expressed sympathy, Said: “Fear can also make you do terrible things.” Codron admitted remorsefully, “I have hurt you a lot. I ask for your forgiveness.” Laurent said, “I have forgiven you,” and continued Said, “I just hope that one day you can forgive yourself.”

“Vouloir, C’est Pouvoir” – “The Walking Dead” Darryl Dixon “The Book of Carol”, pictured: Eric Abwani as Fallou. Photo: Emmanuel Guimier/AMC @2024 AMC Inc. All rights reserved

After Corden and Laurent discuss, Lausanne arrives. After Lausanne discovered the boy’s magic cube, he ordered a search. Fallou distracted and disrupted the search long enough for Codron to take Laurent to the relative safety of Demimond. The whole world believes that God is dead,” Lausanne roared. “That’s why we need the boy. God is still here, and the boy is proof. Man’s Search for Meaning” On why some people survived the Holocaust and others didn’t, Frankl argued that survival depends on It’s about finding meaning and purpose rather than joy (Anna de Milmond) or power (Madame Genet) that inspires people’s will to live. Falloux is brilliant in this scene because he does nothing but say: “Go! “Hide!” “Obviously, Fallou and Pakatan Harapan, like Daryl, found purpose in keeping Laurent alive.

“Vouloir, C’est Pouvoir” – Daryl Dixon, “The Walking Dead”, “The Book of Carol”, pictured: Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon, Melissa Mack Brad plays Carole Pelletier. Photo: Emmanuel Guimier/AMC @2024 AMC Inc. All rights reserved

Overall, this episode was a “meh”. With the exceptions mentioned above, this episode felt a bit repetitive, and not in a good way. Specifically, Daryl hides Laurent and says, “Stay here until I get back.” Who didn’t expect this scene for Rick and Sophia? Carol, Daryl, and Ash were in the car, surrounded by walkers. Does anyone remember when Aaron and Daryl fell into a werewolf trap in Season 6? Additionally, when Carol and Daryl go looking for Ash, they end up in a destroyed Mel House. Who ruined the Maison de Mere and why? Why did Carol find Daryl’s tape and listen to it? Where are the scientists who made the tranquilizers? When Carol and Daryl find Ash, why do they think they can catch so many walkers without enough ammo? These may be questions intentionally left unanswered by the writers in order to build suspense and add layers to Daryl’s narrative in France. I doubt it. To me, the unanswered questions seemed more accidental than planned. This result is unacceptable because it distracts from the logical flow of the story.

Since there are only three people on the plane, who do you think will stay? Who do you think will die in the finale? It will take a week to resolve the issue. Can The Book of Carol work? Fingers crossed, because—”Want is power“—Where there’s a will, there’s a way! Let me know what you think in the comments.

Overall rating:

6/10

Lynette Jones