Daryl Dixon season 2 is an all-time high for The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead shows have been on our screens for well over a decade at this point. Fans have seen pretty much everything. or at least, sometimes it feels like it. There's been all-out-war, nuclear bombs dropped, variant zombies, countless impressive communities...the list goes on. And yet, season 2 of Daryl Dixon, subtitled The Book of Carol, still managed to blow me away.

Worry not, Walking Dead fans! This is a SPOILER-FREE review.

Daryl Dixon season 1 was a solid Walking Dead spinoff. It tpold a fresh and gritty survival story set in France, where the series had never been. We were introduced to some great new survivors, most notably Isabelle (Clémence Poésy) and Laurent (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi). After the franchise began to stagnate in the samey setting of the rural United States, the distinct European atmosphere really offered something novel that captivated me.

While season 1 was great, it merely set the board for the conflicts to come. We explored post-apocalyptic France and met the all-new variant walkers, as well as different factions in the country all vying for ultimate power. It felt like a prelude. In season 2, everything comes together brilliantly.

The introduction of Carol not only reignites her emotional connection with Daryl, but the writers explore her character in ways we've never seen. Specifically, they dig into the trauma she suffered over a decade prior thanks to the death of her daughter Sophia, one of the most shocking events in Walking Dead history. The exploration of Carol's mental state and psyche explains why AMC subtitled the show The Book of Carol. It's as much her season as it is Daryl's. So many key events are witnessed through Carol's perspective.

And speaking of Carol, her story begins where her cameo in the season 1 finale left off. In the US, she meets Ash, played by Manish Dayal. Ash is an engineer from Boston who moved to Maine in the early days of the zombie apocalypse. He lives a solitary life on a farm, taking daily flights in his plane to relax. Ash plays a key role in the season. Like Nat (Matthew Jeffers) in The Ones Who Live, Ash's innocence and sweet nature instantly made him one of my favorite characters. Moreover, his well-written backstory really helped me to connect with his motives.

Meanwhile, Daryl's story continues to develop. Season 1 felt like an introduction to a new world. In season 2, things reach a boiling point. For instance, Marion Genet (Anne Charrier) marches her army towards The Nest. And even Losang (Joel de la Fuente), the leader of the Union of Hope, further imprints his authority. These important characters, especially Genet, are all given a chance to grow and develop. There's a fantastic flashback scene going back to Outbreak Day, chronicling how Genet survived -- much like Isabelle's origin story in season 1.

Daryl's relationships with the surrounding characters feel deeper, too. I particularly love the little surrogate family of Daryl, Isabelle and Laurent. There's a meaningful relationship between them, and of course Carol brings an interesting new dynaimc to it.

As well as the characters, the French setting continues to surprise us, especially in the season finale, but I'm not spoiling anything. The action sequences all land. Like in season 1, the variant walkers are everywhere, and the living pose just as much of a danger as the dead.

Norman Reedus is on record of saying the season finale is the single best hour of The Walking Dead ever created. Even though I think there's better episodes out there, I'm inclined to call the entire season an all-time high for the franchise. It's that good.

Verdict

The Walking Dead has always been, at its core, a show about family and companionship. From the very first episode, it was Rick Grimes trying to find his family in a world gone mad. In The Ones Who Live, Rick was trying to make his way back home to his daughter Judith and to Michonne.

Daryl Dixon season 2 — The Book of Carol continues the theme of family and companionship, building on the solid foundation of season 1. It's already one of my all-time favorite seasons from the entire franchise. I'm left desperate for season 3, which as we know, takes the saga to sunny Spain!

Season Grade: A

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and Twitter account, sign up for our exclusive newsletter and check out our YouTube channel.