Yes, you've read the title of this article correctly. The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 3 finale is one to remember in terms of The Walking Dead universe.
While Daryl and Paz enter the belly of the beast to save Justina and Elena, Carol returns to rescue Antonio. Will Daryl and Carol be successful or will their plans to leave Spain go up in flames?
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 3 episode 7
Daryl and Paz manage to infiltrate the palace at Barcelona, where Justina and Elena are being kept, by joining others looking to work the party that evening for food and wages. Lucky for them, the staff have to wear masks.
Guillermo, Elena's husband (reminder: who is next in line for the throne), noticed the way his wife looked at Paz during the failed rescue attempt last episode, and is less than pleased. Justina sees the encounter and waits for Guillermo to leave to plead with Elena to help her escape. Elena makes no promises but reminds Justina that if she is not picked tonight, she could end up like an abused servant or worse.
That evening in the palace, the king, his wife, and a room full of the wealthy, perhaps royalty, enjoy a marionette show of walkers dressed in their Versailles best on a stage. (I do not understand how anyone was able to do this without getting bitten, but the scene was effective nonetheless.)
Daryl and Paz watch, waiting for their moment, observing all the women chosen from other communities enter the room to be presented to eligible men. When Justina realizes that there is one chance left to be chosen, she lets down her hair, which immediately attracts a suitor.
She sits with him at his table, immediately swiping and hiding a knife. Daryl determines now to be the time to act and unleashes the walkers from the stage, who instantly kill the king and queen. (Keep in mind their table was directly in front of the stage. I'm not even kidding).
In the ensuing chaos, Daryl and Paz split up, with Paz going after Elena and Daryl following Justina. Paz and Elena reunite, where it is revealed that Elena has a son, which is why she had to return home.
As Elena and her son prepare to leave, Paz is attacked by Guillermo. Paz recalls how she almost died when she tried to stop him from taking Elena years ago. Thankfully, Elena kills Guillermo, allowing them the chance to escape.
Meanwhile, Justina is brought into a room with the man who chose her. Although she threatens him with the knife to get her a vehicle to escape, he gets the upper hand until Daryl arrives to save her. He manages to rescue her alongside the other women who were not chosen that evening.
Amongst the flames, walkers, and destruction unfolding in the distance, Daryl and Paz part ways. Paz is grateful for his help and, perhaps, can now begin a new life with Elena and her son.
Justina and Daryl make their way back home, but alas, there is trouble afoot.
While Daryl and Paz were away, Carol and Roberto escaped to the lighthouse, waiting for Antonio to arrive. When he doesn't by the next morning, Carol decides to find him along with two of Valentina's men.
For his accusations before the community, Antonio is left tied up as a form of punishment, as previously seen at the beginning of the season. Waiting until evening, Carol and the two men free Antonio only to be caught by Fede and his men.
Carol and Antonio manage to find a sanctuary within someone's home. Fede decides to find the person who allowed them back into the community (who was not aware Carol was hiding in the back).
Fede's mother questions if the rumors were true that Justina did not leave on her own accord, but rather that Fede sent her with Guillermo and Elena. Carol and Antonio almost escape, but the man who helped them enter the community betrays them for the medicine his wife needed.
Carol and Antonio are freed, on the condition that they survive a public execution which involves chaining Roberto to Valentina's walker men while more walkers are led to them in the middle of the community. With no weapons, they resort to close combat using the chains.
When Daryl and Justina arrive at the lighthouse, they learn from Valentina that Fede's men came and captured Roberto. The duo arrives in time to witness the public execution, but it is Justina who puts an end to everything.
In a dramatic scene with Daryl and Fede's men kill the walkers to protect Justina, she confirms that Fede did send her to El Alcazar. Fede is arrested, and Roberto and Justina are reunited, which means there is one last thing to do.
Daryl, Carol, Roberto, Justina, and Antonio arrive at the boat, hoping to set sail the next day. That night, Daryl opens up to Carol about how he never seems to stay in one place for too long.
He's always running. Carol believes this time he'll finally stay.
The evening peace is ruined when Fede's mother releases Fede from his cell, and he arrives prepared to kill Daryl. When Carol saves him, shots go off, and the boat catches fire (I'm not kidding). Fede is finally defeated after everyone gets involved but the boat goes down in flames.
From afar, Codron, who briefly appeared at the beginning of the episode recognizing Laurent's Rubik's cube at the statue, looks on at the flames.
Final thoughts for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 3
My opinion stands that season 3 was miles and leagues better than season 2. I think the biggest reason why, aside from everything I had mentioned in my previous recaps, is that it didn't feel complicated.
There was no military-based bad guy with hundreds of thousands of people at their disposal to worry about. There was just a community of people under the rule of old Spanish royalty who used the apocalypse to their advantage.
There was no drawn-out epic of two heroes reuniting after years apart. There was an ordinary couple that wanted to be together.
The politics weren't convoluted. The world wasn't completely empty and downright depressing.
After watching the entire season, I've come to believe that Daryl and Carol worked better when they weren't together every second of every episode. The separation allowed both characters to shine, especially when it came to their vulnerabilities.
In a weird way, when the two are together, they almost hold each other back. Don't misunderstand, when they are working together, they do become a formidable duo. But apart, Carol got to have deep, meaningful conversations and make lifelong connections with the likes of Antonio and Valentina. By being apart, Daryl got to spend time really figuring himself out, whether it was through the flashbacks of his youth or deciding something as simple as helping the leper community.
They are very different people with similar past traumas (Carol was abused by her first husband Ed, and Daryl had insinuated that his mother was abused by his father). While I loved Isabelle and Laurent's story from season 1, there was something about this season that really gripped me.
The romance between Roberto and Justina wasn't nearly as painful or eyeroll-worthy as others from romance films or television shows. Fede's role as a good guy turned bad, or fake good guy that was always bad, wasn't remotely tiring or dull. He's still my favorite character, and probably will be after the series closes next season. Some plot points weren't resolved, but I can live with that.
Perhaps it's better to guess about the truth of the connection was between Fede, Antonio, and Antonio's wife. Perhaps it's better to assume that, because both men disliked each other, they would be against Roberto and Justina's relationship. But I'm positive we haven't seen the last of Los Primitivos, just as I'm sure there is more in Spain for Daryl and Carol to explore before returning home.
I truly hope season 4 can stay on target and avoid all of season 2's mistakes. I have renewed faith that the series can conclude on a satisfying note.
All episodes of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 3 are now available to stream on AMC+.