As we move closer towards its 15th anniversary, it's safe to say that there is very little that The Walking Dead franchise hasn't accomplished. The original series covered so much ground in the story department throughout its 12-year run, showcasing the early days of the apocalypse through Rick Grimes' eyes, the dangers that the new world boasted, and the eventual rebuilding of humanity. Meanwhile, its first spinoff Fear The Walking Dead took us back to the beginning to show us how the fall started, while World Beyond jumped into the future to show us a new generation of survivors.
Speaking of the future, the franchise continues to live on in ongoing spinoffs Daryl Dixon and Dead City while the recent miniseries The Ones Who Live wrapped up Rick and Michonne's story. These have all provided the AMC saga with an opportunity to reimagine concepts, places, and storylines to keep the veteran story fresh and exciting. It also allows the TWD Universe to offer up moments that fans have been waiting years to see.
The most recent trailer from the franchise confirms that this is what it's about to do.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon goes full Mad Max in new season 3 trailer
AMC has unveiled the first trailer for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 3's next episode and it's really quite something. The episode, titled "Limbo", will presumably see Daryl go off in search of Roberto (although the trailer implies that he, Antonio, and Carol find him pretty quickly) and Justina, which will ultimately lead him to Barcelona. But on the way there, in the midst of the wastelands, he encounters a train... being pulled by a horse and guarded by a horde of walkers and, well, it really should be seen for itself. Check it out below:
That was really something, wasn't it?! Daryl Dixon on a motorcycle, tearing through the desert cliffs with his face covered by a bandana. You won't find a more epic sight than that in any TV show or movie. That's one of the things that The Walking Dead is all about in theory, but it's also one of the things that the show never really explored enough - which is why it's so exciting that it's finally going to be doing it now.
The truth is that this new trailer looks like it's setting up a standalone episode for the show, somewhat in the vein of The Mandalorian. Daryl will encounter these strangers on the train who seemingly want his motorcycle, and that results in a showdown with some assailants on their own motorcycles. Meanwhile, it seems that a community will inform Daryl that "the bad men" (presumably the men on the train) took their water. And with that, Daryl tells them that it's time to fight.
Just like the aforementioned Star Wars series, this stranger - Daryl Dixon himself - will seemingly put himself at risk to fight for this community and take down the evildoers on the trailer. Moreover, the visual aesthetic of this episode looks like it's going to be very Mad Max and that's a look that the franchise wears very well.
There's something so innately post-apocalyptic about the blistering hot desert, motorcycle showdowns, and a train being pulled by zombies that just feels inherently right for a franchise like the TWD Universe. It's also a stark reminder of how well these shows can pull off the Western genre when allowed to - and a reminder that it doesn't do it enough.
We were told heading into Daryl Dixon season 3 that it would have a Spaghetti Western appeal to it this season and that's exactly what this episode looks like it's shaping up to be. If it pulls it off, this could be one of the very best episodes in the TWD Universe franchise. Here's hoping that it does!
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 3 airs on AMC and streams on AMC+ on Sundays.