The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon 3

Season 3 has got to be the most kickass Daryl Dixon adventure yet - bigger, bolder, more exotic and with plenty of depth. Oh, and plenty of Walkers, too (obviously) plus acclaimed Spanish actor Eduardo Noriega.

Season 2 ended with a cliffhanger still set in France though a little preview peep allowed fans to know that both Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Carol (Melissa McBride) will soon be on their way to Ole Blighty. Sure enough, that’s precisely where Season 3 kicks into action, namely when our two platonic soulmates arrive in London or rather, what’s left of the capital, because it’s now completely abandoned and inhabited by walkers or so it would seem. Check out those massive ‘plants’ emerging from giant flower pots standing outside pubs and shops, as they turn out to be zombies entangled in leaves and ivy. It looks cool, although of course it isn’t as far as Daryl and Carol are concerned. Eventually managing to find shelter in a huge apartment (since when have London apartments been that huge?) they look helpless across London’s skyline from a balcony, wondering how the hell they are supposed to get out of a city literally overrun with walkers. But hey, rescue is at hand thanks to an unexpected and gangly individual called Julian Chamberlain (Stephen Merchant), who also was under the impression that he would be the last human in Londinium.

As expected, and despite the situation being as serious as it gets, Merchant provides a little comic relief, sliding between his own Julian character and that of the ‘Gyro Captain’ in Mad Max 2. But there’s hope when Julian reveals that he’s the owner of a boat and before you can say ‘Heave ho’, the trio are sailing along the Thames and under some very derelict looking landmarks, including Tower Bridge. Finally, they are at sea and on the way to cross the big pond (or so they thought) but a massive storm steers them direction… Spain! Now they are stranded on the Costa da Morte in Galicia and things are off to a seriously bad start, what with Carol having suffered a nasty shoulder injury which gets infected. And where is Julian? At night, a horde of mysterious riders sporting terrifying horned bone masks ambush Daryl and the increasingly feverish Carol though they manage to escape. I won’t tell you what happens to Julian.

Along their travels inland (yes, walkers, walkers everywhere) Carol observes two young lovers canoodling by a riverside - a sight which makes her sentimental and happy for the couple. The scenario is interrupted by the unexpected arrival of bandidos who clearly have evil in mind but hey, you can always rely on Daryl to come to your rescue. And so he does. The young couple, Roberto (Hugo Arbués) and Justina (Candela Saitta) turn out to be runaways from their community, called Solaz del Mar, and later on we find out why they ran away. For now though, Daryl forces them to return to their community, so Carol can get some proper medical treatment. Naturally, the locals are at first suspicious but seeing how they saved the lives of two of their own, they can’t be all bad and are allowed to stay for two days or so, until Carol is well enough.

We know that Daryl and Carol will be staying considerably longer due to rapidly unfolding events while at the same time, we get to know some of the Spanish key players: Roberto’s kind and caring father Antonio (Eduardo Noriego), his brother ‘Fed’ Federico (Oscar Jaenada) who happens to be community leader (and a shady one at that, as it turns out) and Marga de Rivera (Ysaamine Othman) - Fed’s mother and Justina’s gran. When a banquet is set up in the market square, it’s not in honour our the communities’ American guests but in celebration of an annual ritual called ‘La Ofrenda’ (The Offering), during which one of the village girls is ‘traded’ and brought to a superior and considerably more wealthy community called El Alcazar, led by self-styled aristocratic leader Guillermo Torres (Gonzalo Bouza). The chosen girl from Solaz is to become the bride of whoever happens to choose her in Alcazar. In return for this ‘trade deal’, Guillermo promises protection to the Solaz villagers from marauding thugs in motorbikes called Buzzards (Mad Max, anyone?) and of course from walkers. This is the reason why Roberto and Justina did a runner, out of fear that one day, she is chosen to be traded.

Carol in particular is upset about the ritual while Daryl is more concerned about getting back to America, so he can scoff a hot dog (a running gag throughout Season 3). Guillermo is married to Elena (Greta Fernandez), who herself was traded and still is secretly in love with Paz (Alexandra Masankey), a cowgirl residing in Alcazar. This set-up is the catalyst for a truly multi-faceted journey for survival, with the breathtaking Spanish countryside cleverly juxtaposed against the usual zombie shenanigans. The characters are fleshed out and we learn more about them as we join Daryl and Carol on their quest to make it back home, the good, the bad and the ugly.

Carol and Antonio develop a bit of a thing for each other while Daryl focuses on getting a boat together fit for purpose, with the aid of Valentina (Irina Björklund), a tough as nails boat captain who resides in an old lighthouse by the coast. There are some real crackers here, for example the scene in which a train is ambushed by walkers or Daryl’s encounter with a leper colony. Then there’s the scene set in the palace of El Alcazar, where a new ‘bride’ is to be chosen in front of distinguished guests while a marionette show is staged for the guest’s entertainment - only the marionettes (dressed in 18th century garb) are… captured walkers. Priceless! It’s not spoiling the broth when we reveal that in Season 3, Daryl and Carol don’t succeed in leaving Spanish shores and thus we’re all the more curious what Season 4 might hold in store. A particularly clever and truly poignant touch is a Spanish language version of the Johnny Cash song ‘Hurt’ at the very end.

THE WALKING DEAD: DARYL DIXON Season 3 has recently been released as a 2-disc Blu-ray Set, as well as on DVD and on Digital. Bonus material includes:
Panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2025 / Cast Diaries / Show Me More / Episode Insiders