The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon

If ever there was a spin-off worth every grain of salt, then this is it! THE WALKING DEAD: DARYL DIXON isn’t just a spin-off from the hugely popular ‘The Walking Dead’ franchise but it’s so unique, bold and clever, it could just as well be a standalone affair! Norman Reedus once again reprises his role as the tougher-than-nails Daryl Dixon – this time he is washed ashore in France of all places! But how did he get there and is there a deeper reason behind it all? You can bet on it!

Of course, this latest spin-off adventure (Season 1) isn’t only interesting because it features fan favourite Daryl but it’s set in France. With this setting, the whole vibe is completely different – not only culturally but of course visually as well. Created by David Zabel, the six-episode adventure pits Daryl against completely new adversaries though rest assured, there’s still plenty of zombie slaying going on!

After finding himself on French shores, initially Daryl hasn’t any recollection as to how he ended up there and is lost and bewildered what with all the different street signs (and other signs) in French language, which he doesn’t understand. We know the original virus originated in France but it will take a good few episodes for Daryl (and for us) to find out how he got there and why. For now, he is suffering from a nasty wound on his arm inflicted by a new variant of ‘Walkers’ called ‘Burners’. Realising that in order to return to America and his Commonwealth home, he needs to proceed inland first, Daryl encounters a young woman and her grandfather near Marseille, who at first seem helpful but then knock him out and rob him of his meagre belongings when, minutes later, they are attacked by soldiers from the a paramilitary group called ‘Pouvoir des Vivants’ (‘Power of the Living’). In the ensuing fight, the soldiers are killed. One of them, Michel, happened to be the brother of Stéphane Cordron (Romain Levi), himself a high-ranking warrior belonging to the Pouvoir group, who believes that it was the American who killed his brother and now leaves no stone unturned in his quest to track down Daryl and eliminate him.

Meanwhile, a young nun named Isabelle Carriere (Clémence Poésy) discovers the wounded Daryl wandering about in the countryside and takes him to the abbey, where she tends to his wounds. Sanctuary! The other nuns, including the Mother Superior, are deeply sceptical of the stranger and conclude that “he is not the one”. If this doesn’t make much sense, then it soon will, because the nuns are members of a progressive religious group who are waiting for that special person to bring Laurent (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi), a hugely intelligent boy who the nuns believe is the future Messiah destined to renew humanity, to a safe place called ‘The Nest’ (in fact, it’s Mont Saint-Michel). This is the basic premise of the story, which soon (and in true Walking Dead style) is about to get much more complex!

After the abbey is attacked by Pouviour soldiers (and watch them nuns fight!), resulting in a devastating death toll, Isabelle, Sylvie (Laika Blanc-Francard) – a fellow young nun - Laurent and Daryl (who grudgingly agrees to lead the little group to safety) set out on their mission. Little do they realise that their troubles are only just beginning because not only are they constantly hunted by Cordron and his soldiers but Marion Genet (Ann Charrier), the female leader of the Pouvoirs, has her own reasons for getting her hands on future Messiah Laurent.
As Daryl and his charge eventually make their way to Paris, they encounter another small community called ‘Union de L’Espoir’ (‘Union of Hope’) and their leader Fallou Boukar (Eriq Ebouaney) – a resistance network whose aim it is to destroy the Pouvoir. One of the Union of Hope members is Antoine (Dominique Pinon), who looks after a flock of messenger pigeons.

Of course, what’s really inspiring and interesting here are the numerous flashback sequences which not only allow us a glimpse into the former lives of some of the characters but introduce new characters, which then also become major players (well, at least in this Season 1). Nothing surprises more than the first flashback sequence concerning nun Isabelle who, twelve years ago, was anything but holy! In fact, she was a bit of a dope-fiend and a jewellery thief operating in posh circles. She also had a boyfriend in Quinn (Adam Nagaitis), a bit of a dodgy egg himself. When it transpired that her younger sister Lily (Faustine Koziel) was pregnant and Quinn refused to take her along with Isabelle while fleeing an outbreak, Isabelle stole his car while he purchased something at a petrol station. As for the outbreak… ah yes: imagine gay Paris at night when suddenly, overground and underground (in the Metro), ordinary humans suddenly turn into zombies… What an incredible scene!

Now, Isabelle bumps into Quinn again by coincidence, who has since climbed up in the world and has become the powerful British owner of decadent Parisian nightclub Demimonde. Quinn has plenty of influence, though not always in the right circles… This unexpected reunion opens a Pandora’s box and before Daryl and Co. know it, they all find themselves sky-high in the most perilous of situations. To give anything more away would spoil the viewing pleasure for those who haven’t seen the release yet but rest assured, it’s brilliant and wait for the gladiator scene between Daryl and the new breed of walkers enhanced by Dr. Lafleur (Francois Delaive)! During the fight scene, the spectators sing the Marseilleise! Oh, how very French! Did I mention there’s a cliffhanger at the end involving Carol (Melissa McBride)… the stage is set for the next spin-off adventure.

The visuals are stunning, especially the scene in which Daryl walks along the shores of Normandy and stumbles across the grave of his grandfather, a GI who lost his life during D-Day. And there’s the scene in which Laurent suddenly stands in front of the Eiffel Tower, reduced to bent, rusty steel. It’s an incredibly powerful image. Throughout the series, there are also clever little homages to France, for example when Daryl walks across a field of sunflowers (a nod to the famous painting by Van Gogh) or when he and his new friends encounter Jim Morrison’s grave at the Pere Lachaise Cemetery, with a French cover version of the Doors track ‘People are strange’ played during the scene. There’s some Edith Piaf to be heard at some point as well, naturally!

The picture quality of this 2-disc Blu-ray release is as crisp and as sharp as can be expected, only downside are the occasional English subtitles, which are clearly geared towards big TV-screens but not easy to read on smaller TV-screens. That needs to be addressed. Bonus material includes Cast Diaries and ‘Show me more: Daryl Dixon’.