Review of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol
This is a non-spoiler review for all six episodes of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol, which premieres Sunday, September 29 at 9:00pm ET/PT on AMC and AMC+.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 2 – aka The Book of Carol – is a strong follow up to Daryl Dixon’s (Norman Reedus) excellent first outing from last year. It’s also a unique and thoughtful continuation of the original show, which itself forgot how to be either of those things well before it lurched to an end in 2022. The Book of Carol lacks overall thrills – this long-running franchise’s zombies sadly transformed from terrors to nuisances years back. But the twists, turns, and zompocalypse happenstance that lead to Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride) finding Daryl on the other side of the ocean, and the resulting team up, are often a blast to behold.
Daryl and Carol’s Dynamic
However you’re invested in Daryl and Carol’s relationship – whether you enjoy their strong platonic bond or hope the occasional tease of possible romance comes to fruition – these two kick ass together. Just a two-person wrecking crew that not only allows Daryl to keep wielding his best weapon yet, the Morning Star Flail, but also spotlights Carol’s homicidal mojo in a way that hasn’t been showcased in a hot minute.
Carol’s Evolution
Carol’s transformation from meek, abused housewife to absolute annihilator was one of the glowing arcs for the first half of The Walking Dead, and The Book of Carol not only re-gifts us that particular version of the character but it also allows her to explore the unaddressed trauma regarding Sofia that the mothership series never quite touched on. The version of Carol we get here is both an exceptionally capable killing machine and a vulnerable mother with unaddressed grief – all of which star McBride channels through her magnificent performance.
Character Developments and Plot
The first season of Daryl Dixon was reworked as a solo adventure for Reedus after McBride was unable to join the cast and crew in Europe, but Carol still fits perfectly into the mix in season 2. Still, it’s clear that some season 1 story elements and characters had to be remixed and reworked in order to make this second season a half-Carol affair; most of the change ups work well, though a few, understandably, feel like square pegs.
Final Thoughts
The Book of Carol is paced well, making room for Carol’s trek and the big addition to season 2 connected to her journey – Ash (Manish Dayal) – while also making sure that Carol and Daryl have time to reconnect amidst the swarming Big Bads (and their respective side stooges). Episodes 3 and 4 are the most provocative of the six, though Book of Carol’s finale, which I won’t spoil, has a final third that’s mesmerizing and unexpectedly rewarding as an endgame segment.
Carol and Daryl work as a duo in a marvelous way that allows the viewer to project almost whatever they’d like onto their dynamic. It’s a relationship that some fans might even hope leads to a sexual pairing. From heartfelt hugs to petulant squabbling to adeptly obliterating dozens of walkers and/or armed villains, these two work because they stand for the intimate closeness, and sometimes co-dependence, you can feel to another soul.