14 years ago, AMC opened an important chapter in its history. The American channel tackled Robert Kirkman’s comics, intending to tell the story of a zombie apocalypse alongside certain survivors. Under the leadership of Frank Darabont, the horrific drama took on the appearance of a reflection on the foundations of a society. It was about dissecting human nature, sifting through the notions of morality, belonging and free will. Rave reviews, audience records, The Walking Dead is quickly considered as “the other great series of the decade”. As Game of Thrones put fantasy back at the heart of the concerns of the film and television industry, The Walking Dead proved that the bloodthirsty ghouls had not yet revealed all their secrets.
But now, in 2022, AMC must resolve to let its series die The Walking Dead. The public is no longer as numerous, the audiences are in free fall. The American channel pulled too hard. When it is broadcast, the series finale will only bring together 11.7 million viewers compared to 16 at the start of season 11. It then becomes very clear that TWD is living its last hours, the spin-off Fear The Walking Dead must also come to an end a few months later. But the final episode does not seem to quite conclude the journey of the main characters… The film about Rick Grimes will not be made, but a spin-off is about to see the light of day. Maggie and Negan will also be at the epicenter of a dedicated series, set in New York and exploring the idea of a forced collaboration between Glenn’s executioner and his widow. The Ones Who Live must reunite Rick and Michonne, explain what happened to the character played by Andrew Lincoln. Finally, Daryl Dixon is undoubtedly the one who frees himself the most from the parent series, the series transports the hero to a new continent. It is in France that the lone wolf involuntarily sets down his suitcases. David Zabel is at the creationthis is the first time he explores the universe The Walking Dead. Fresh blood and a new series to restart the machine?
New series… Really?
The setting has changed, as have the characters. In theory, Daryl Dixon was supposed to be less a continuation of the hero’s journey and more a reinvention of the zombie fresco. But the first season didn’t take long before fall into the same pitfalls of his elderto wallow in hackneyed narrative and thematic schemes. Truth be told, Daryl’s journey could just as easily have been incorporated into a season of The Walking Deadexcept that “the French touch” brought by the numerous French artists summoned for the occasion would have created a cognitive dissonance.
Apart from a more exotic coating, for the target audience, The Walking Dead : Daryl Dixon was not reinventing the wheel. The finale of season 1 gave hope for a more exciting sequel, the pawns being placed on a chessboard that we imagined to be larger. A year later, and while Carol Pelletier is on her way, this salvo called The Book of Carol seems to find a tempo that suits him. The number of characters has been reduced, The Walking Dead no longer wants to be scattered. The narration also abandons the Manichaeism of its beginnings, to question the theme that has nourished it for years. Season 2 adds nuance and offers a few moments of grace.
“I still believe in it…”
From Night of the Living Dead by George Romero, the zombie is political. It allows us to criticize the war, then the consumer society up to wage inequalities. In The Walking Deadit is mainly a question of placing the emphasis on humans, the walkers having never been the center of attention. Rick Grimes and his gang are his subjects in a laboratory which questions what happens to humans when they are confronted with unprecedented violence, when they must survive at all costs. But after eleven seasons of wandering in a desolate America, the choice of a French context gives hope. New characters, new issues, but always the same love for these humans faced with the fall of a world, the AMC series sometimes managed to reinvent itself.
The same questions remain, particularly on the need to form a society. The Book of Carolthe name chosen for this season 2, opposes a military organization and a religious group, fanatics who find their only comfort in the prospect of seeing a messiah to save humanity. Order or hope? It is when she compares the totalitarianism of Madame Genêt’s organization to that of the community of Mont-Saint-Michel survivors that this second season finds its light. If season 2 does not avoid repetition, and sometimes engages in explanation of text by means of dialogues declaimed like notes of intention, it is clear that Daryl Dixon season 2 already has more to tell than its predecessor.
This is also the case in some narrative discoveries concerning Carol’s journey, when a fuel shortage turns the heroes’ journey into a nightmare. It remains that the short format, six episodes, leaves a feeling unfinished to the spectators. Because if we could criticize the parent series for its many lengths, this spin-off often has its foot on the accelerator. This is also the observation that we could make at the end of The Ones Who Livewhen Rick and Michonne’s reunion seemed rushed, even botched.
But why do we continue?
It has now been more than a decade since The Walking Dead keeps the spectators prisoners of its universe. If some have managed to escape, to worship other television gods, it is clear that TWD still has many followers. We were tempted several times to leave the universe aside, to resign ourselves to abandoning Daryl, Rick, Michonne, Maggie and Negan, yet, The Walking Dead continues to catch us in its net. Despite the questionable narrative choices and unsuccessful attempts, the series continues to captivate us, because it has managed to bring out captivating characters that we never want to leave. This attachment is confirmed with Daryl Dixon : The Book of Carol, where the prospect of seeing the characters face to face again is enough to keep us in suspense. Norman Reedus is impeccable once again in the skin of the silent but touching survivor, while Melissa McBride continues to experience the metamorphosis of his character. If all the actors they work with do not display the same accuracy, their aura is enough to keep us prisoners a little longer. Our interest is not yet dead, at least as far as good old Daryl Dixon and his sidekick Carol are concerned. Dead City et The Ones Who Live failed to interest us in the same way.
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