Recap of Daryl Dixon - The Book of Carol episode 1, kicking off the season with heavy Carol content

AMC Networks premiered The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon—The Book of Carol on September 29. Fans of the series longed for more of Daryl's story in France while anticipating Melissa McBride's return as Carol Peletier. The first installment was an excellent episode that defined what to expect this season.

Tread lightly as this article contains spoilers for episode 201 of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon - The Book of Carol.

The first episode, titled "Le Gentillesse Des Étrangers" (English translation "Kindness of strangers"), revealed that while Daryl has been going through the motions at the Nest, the headquarters of the Union of Hope, he doesn't feel at home and longs to return to those he loves. This is complicated as he has also become close to Laurent (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi), a young boy believed to be destined for more extraordinary things and looks up to Daryl as a father figure. Daryl has also befriended a nun named Isabelle (Clémence Poésy), with whom he has a close connection.

Daryl fights alongside the Union of Hope against Genet's (Anne Charrier) Pouvoir to rescue members of the Union of Hope, including Fallou (Eriq Ebouaney) and Emile (Tristan Zanchi). Losang (Joel de la Fuente) warned him to only use violence if necessary, and he felt it was. Genet is wounded in the skirmish but, luckily, isn't privy to the location of the Nest. Daryl could have taken her down, but his niceness prevails, and he chooses not to, a decision he will likely regret.

Losang appears to have everyone's best interest at heart, but a side conversation with Jacenta (Nassima Benchicou) reveals that he may have ulterior motives. She tries to convince him to "move the ceremony up," but he states there is still work to be done. It appears he is trying to win everyone over, but to what end it is unclear. She tells him he will never win over the American for sure. Jecenta is perturbed with Losang's statement that "we're not ready." And what ceremony is she talking about? Obviously, it has something to do with Laurent's destiny, but what kind of ceremony? It will be exciting to discover what their plans actually are where Laurent's future is concerned.

Carol Peletier returns

This episode is Carol heavy, which will delight many viewers. She returns in full force, looking for Daryl and kicking ass. She began her search in Maine, as that was his last known location. She encounters the men at the work site where Daryl was last seen before being thrown on the ship to France. After roughing up many of the men, one finally gives up information on Daryl's overseas adventure, which puts her into motion, searching for a way to France.

She encounters a man, Ash (Manish Dayal), who owns a plane and begins to put her plan in motion. Ash is an ultimate survivor, keeping to himself and making an apocalypse haven for himself. He is, of course, suspicious of Carol at first, but allows her to stay at his place for the night. As always, Carol puts on a front to get what she wants. However, she also experiences a lot of emotions during the episode, reliving the memory of her daughter Sophia (Madison Lintz) as a walker when she exits the barn on Hershel's (Scott Wilson) farm.

She takes advantage of Ash, a grieving father, by telling him a story about her daughter being stuck in France after the outbreak. This pulls at his heartstrings, and he finally agrees to fly her to France. This, even after she destroyed his greenhouse and more. Carol always makes the hard choices, no matter who gets hurt. This often seems like a horrible thing, but on the flip side, she does the things for those she loves, and in an apocalypse, it's every man/woman for themselves.

The episode's ending sets up their mission for failure before they even take off. A horde destroys much of the fuel Ash earmarked for their journey, leaving him with no option other than departing on the plane for France with Carol at his side.

The second episode of Daryl Dixon - The Book of Carol, "Moulin Rouge," will premiere on AMC and AMC+ on October 6.

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