Best of The Walking Dead universe in 2023
By Renee Hansen
In 2022, the future of The Walking Dead universe was unclear as the flagship series concluded its story. A new year brings new possibilities and TWDU delivered. Fear the Walking Dead came to an end, The Walking Dead: Dead City continued the stories of Maggie and Negan, and The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon took Daryl on a new adventure in France. Let's highlight the Best of the TWDU in 2023.
Best New Walking Dead Universe character 2023
Isabelle, portrayed by French actress Clémence Poésy, was a new character introduced in the Daryl Dixon series. Isabelle lends a hand to Daryl (Norman Reedus), who has been injured. She takes him to an Abbey where she lives as a nun and helps raise a young boy, Laurent (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi). Her story unfolds to reveal a troubled past and that she is the aunt of the young boy, whose mother died in childbirth. Isabelle is a member of The Union of Hope who believes that Laurent has been sent to lead the revival of humanity.
Throughout the season, Isabelle became more and more interesting as more of her story was told. She lived a dangerous life before the outbreak, but after witnessing the traumatic birth of her nephew in which her sister would die and reanimate while giving birth, she rethought her life and made drastic changes. Her story will continue in the second season of the series, which will premiere in 2024.
Best New Walking Dead Universe location 2023
The new spinoffs also featured new locations, such as apocalyptic Manhattan and Paris in their destroyed state. One of the best locations featured is The Nest at the Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, France.
Mont-Saint-Michel, considered one of France's most stunning sites, is a tidal island village established in 708 off the coast of France. Its location's first line of defense is that during high tide, the island is surrounded by water, which serves as protection by driving off or drowning anyone intent on attacking. During low tide, the location is easily accessible.
The island served as the location of The Nest, the capital of The Union of Hope movement.
Best Fear the Walking Dead episode
Fear the Walking Dead concluded its story in 2023. The series did a good job of wrapping up the characters' storylines, but one episode honored a legacy character, Morgan Jones with a visit to where his story began.
Portrayed by Lennie James, Morgan is one of the four characters who have survived since season one of the main series. Morgan would prove a significant person in the life of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) by aiding him after he wakes from his coma to a world overrun by the undead. In season 4 of Fear TWD, Morgan would become the first crossover character in TWDU.
During the final season of the series, Morgan returned to King County, Georgia, to face past events that had followed him throughout his journey. In the fourth episode of season 8 of Fear TWD, aptly titled "King County," Morgan finally puts his family to rest and lets go of the past that has haunted him. While the episode did have some issues, the storyline focusing on Morgan was a fantastic way to see this part of his story come to a close.
Best New Walking Dead Universe spinoff 2023
The Walking Dead: Dead City was an exiting new chapter in the lives of Maggie and Negan and provided a great addition to the universe, but The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon was the better of the two series.
The Daryl Dixon series stepped away from the story based in the United States and gave viewers new insight into how other parts of the world have faired since the outbreak. This series included new writers who have never been involved in TWDU, allowing for a fresh perspective. Being set and filmed in France provided a much-needed change of scenery, which, despite the destruction, still retained some of the romantic feelings often associated with France.
2023 was an exciting year for The Walking Dead universe, and 2024 is shaping up to be more of the same. The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live will premiere on AMC and AMC+ on February 25, and the second season of Daryl Dixon - The Book of Carol will see Melissa McBride reprise her role as Carol. Dead City has also been renewed for a second season, but its likely this season won't be seen until 2025.
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