Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier's trip through Spain hasn't been without its obstacles. But if you're a fan of The Walking Dead franchise you knew that would be the case. These two warriors have seen some of the worst of humanity and the undead world in their two decades of surviving after the fall and it's no surprise that their newest adventure in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 3 has shown them some more of that.
But through it all there has been hope. Carol's attempt to help Roberto and Justina escape Solaz del Mar because of El Alcazar's influence so that they can be together is one of the biggest driving forces of the season. And it truly looked like they were making progress on that front.
However, the conclusion of the third episode of the season saw Justina taken away to El Alcazar after seemingly volunteering herself - shattering the status quo of the season and leaving our heroes with another battle on their hands.
Trouble by the sea
The fourth episode of the season, "La Justicia Fronteriza", opens with Roberto banging on Fede's door to demand answers. Although Fede watches from above, he doesn't come out, leaving Antonio, Daryl, and Carol to try and calm him down. But there is no calming Roberto down, for he doesn't plan on going to America anymore now that Justina has been taken to El Alcazar. He tells them that he can't live without her - something that leaves Antonio a little shaken. He knows what that feels like and clearly doesn't want his son to endure that - complicated as Roberto's relationship with Justina is.
Daryl cautions Carol on getting involved in a fight that isn't theirs, so they head out to work on the boat and begin repairing it. They figure it could be ready in a week, especially as Valentina and her crew are helping them. However, as Carol begins to pitch the idea of helping Justina and Roberto out, Daryl begins to lose his patience, resulting it a bit of tension between the two.
Valentina also suggests that they take a member of her crew, Cooper, with them as he could navigate them across the Atlantic Ocean. However, Cooper is shot by an arrow from afar. And in that moment, the Primitivos descend on the site, prompting Daryl and Carol to swoop into action. Valentina follows with a harpoon gun and her crew helps them all defeat the new threats.
Valentina is shaken as Cooper reanimates as a walker, so Carol comforts her as Daryl deals with it. But that is just the beginning of the dangers that await.
Solaz del Mar is under attack
The Primitivos descend on Solaz del Mar, prompting the guards to ring the bells. Valentina alerts Daryl and Carol what the bells mean and they quickly rush back to help protect the town from the enemies, who are already doing everything they can to break through the gates. With that, everyone there does what they can to slow them down, including letting the wall of walkers loose to attack the invaders.
Antonio, Fede, Paz, and Roberto join the guards atop the walls that begin firing onto the Primitvos on the outside, while Daryl and Carol catch up to the villains and begin taking them out one-by-one there. However, they are all unable to stop the armored jeep that speeds through the gates of Solaz del Mar, allowing the living enemies - and the dead ones - to begin pouring into the community and resulting in an all-out war.
The invaders violently kill innocent civilians and those who stand up to them until one of Daryl, Carol, Paz, Roberto, Antonio, Fede, or the other Solaz del Mar fighters stop them. It's bloody and effectively drawn-out, heightening the tension of it all, particularly as nightfall draws near. Fede is injured in the fight by one of the Primitivos, so Carol comes to his aid, helping him stand and continuing to fire on anyone threatening who comes their way.
The fighting dies down as the Solaz del Mar residents stand tall, but the Primitivos aren't done yet. When night falls, Roberto heads towards a wall for fresh air. However, he sees something on the cliffs above... and it's fiery. Whatever it is is then launched towards the town, landing like a comet just outside the gates and below the wall that Roberto was standing at. It misses him, but as the ground below blazes, he hears the sound of walkers coming to life.
Multiple fireballs are tossed into the town square, prompting Carol to yell for everyone to take cover. When they collide with the nearby trucks, walkers emerge from the flames (well, at least the ones that didn't splat in the tossing). The sight of flaming walkers heading towards the town's residents is a frightful sight to behold, and it means that the war is just getting started. Carol, Fede and the others attempt to keep the monsters away from civilians, battling them as best they can... but it's hard when they can't get close to them because of the flames.
Fede and Carol begin firing from above (on Fede's balcony) while Daryl and Paz fire from below. Antonio unleashes the Ballista, which makes quick work of the remaining walkers (as well as the new members of the Primitivos who show up midway through the chaos). The villains that did survive back away in haste, using the jeep to escape. But one is left behind and Fede takes the opportunity to interrogate him.
The Primitivo doesn't say much, but he knows of El Alcazar, telling Fede that they serve no one; their only goal is to "burn it all down". Before anyone can really figure out what the means, Roberto takes off and escapes Solaz del Mar, furthering the tension that had been building between him and Fede throughout the episode. Antonio and Carol say that they'll go after him, and Daryl decides to join them - telling Carol "If you're going, I'm going."
Meanwhile, Fede shows the Primitivo what he calls "Frontier Justice", allowing him to battle some incoming walkers that they freed. It doesn't end well for the invader as he is very quickly taken down by the walker.
Justina makes a brief appearance in the episode, as the El Alcazar entourage appears to have stopped for a quick break. When she is with one of the horses, she sees a figure in the woods - presumably Roberto. As she glances to make sure nobody is watching her, she moves towards the figure.
By the time Daryl, Carol, and Antonio arrive at the scene, however, nobody is there; just a car that has been forced off the road. As we get flashbacks of a group of men ripping Roberto and Justina apart, Carol finds the compass that Roberto gave to Justina in the previous episode.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 3 is now airing weekly on AMC and streaming on AMC+.