The Strolling Lifeless Daryl Dixon: The Ebook of Carol – Vouloir, C’est Pouvoir – Evaluate: Aimless. Pointless. Simply Much less.

After I reviewed the primary episode of season two, I proclaimed that I used to be not a fair-weather Strolling Lifeless fan. However, after “Vouloir, C’est Pouvoir,” like Losang, my religion within the present is waning. With inconsistent and unforgivable, recycled plot decisions, I don’t know if this episode was pointless, aimless, or simply plain – much less. Let me clarify. 

The present’s premise: Daryl Dixon goes lacking. He leads to France. He finds folks, ardour, and objective in defending Laurent. Laurent because the probably immune savior was a novel storyline so nicely accomplished. Nonetheless, apart from fulfilling a promise to followers, the showrunner has been ham-handed with making Carol a part of Daryl’s mission to rescue Laurent. My hope was that Carol’s journey in season two could be an inside one towards therapeutic. Nonetheless, apart from Carol repeatedly seeing Sophia stumble from the barn, it seems that her coming to phrases with Sophia’s loss of life has stalled. For instance, she tries to not inform Daryl the reality about how she received Ash to fly her to France, saying: “I may have embellished the facts.” When she lastly tells him that she used Sophia as her motivation, she tells Daryl… “I don’t even know where it came from.” After all, she knew. A second later, she admits, “I made up something I wish were true. He had a son.” Daryl pushes Carol to inform Ash the reality, which I doubt she would have accomplished in any other case. Daryl and Isabelle had been doing wonderful defending Laurent, so Carol’s presence in France on this regard appears aimless.

“Vouloir, C’est Pouvoir” – THE WALKING DEAD DARYL DIXON THE BOOK OF CAROL, Pictured: Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier. Photograph: Emmanuel Guimier/AMC AMC @2024 AMC Inc. All Rights Reserved

Some reviewers declare and complain in regards to the present’s use of ‘plot armor.’ I don’t care as a result of the present wants Daryl and Carol (I assume) to outlive. Duh, the present is known as Daryl Dixon. He’s why we watch. What’s unforgivable is inconsistent storytelling, awful modifying, or each. A couple of of the inconsistencies I wish to level out embody, Ash being astute sufficient to greatest the boys Anna despatched from the Demimonde – a cliched, underground French nightclub the place I swear ‘Lady Marmalade’ is all the time taking part in – but not expert sufficient to keep away from being knocked unconscious by walkers pushing towards the automotive door. One other inconsistency between final week and this week’s episode surrounds Carol and Daryl’s use of the tranquilizers. Madame Genet dies however does not reanimate when Carol shoots her within the again. However, when Daryl shoots tranquilizers into walkers, they turn into walker-killing machines. I assume that is the distinction between utilizing the tranquilizer on the residing versus the useless. I don’t wish to guess. I wish to know. Realizing may make Daryl’s choice to not take the additional darts after rescuing Ash make extra sense. As of now – I do not get it. A remaining inconsistency issues what occurred within the combat between Codron and Losang’s quantity two. Who even is aware of this lady’s identify? Now that Losang is useless, she is going to possible play a pivotal position within the finale; subsequently, it made little sense for Cordon, after killing her compatriots with out hesitation, to let her stay. This was so shortsighted of him. So pointless.

“Vouloir, C’est Pouvoir” – THE WALKING DEAD DARYL DIXON THE BOOK OF CAROL, Pictured: Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon, Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier, Eriq Ebouaney as Fallou – The Strolling Lifeless: Daryl Dixon. Photograph: Emmanuel Guimier/AMC @2024 AMC Inc. All Rights Reserved 

Nonetheless, the episode had its excessive factors. For instance, Codron appears to have made the sort of ethical transformation Carol has but to attain. Maybe if she had been imprisoned and tortured, like Codron and Daryl, by Madame Genet and Negan, respectively, she would have had the time and motivation to work on her “stuff” that has returned. Cordon recalled Laurent informed him, “God loves us all.” Referring to the loss of life of his brother, he admits, “Anger is a disease that makes you do terrible things.” Laurent commiserates, saying; “Fear also makes you do terrible things.” Remorseful, Codron confesses, “I hurt you a lot. I ask for your forgiveness.” Laurent says, “I already have forgiven you,” and continues, “I only hope one day you forgive yourself.”

“Vouloir, C’est Pouvoir” – THE WALKING DEAD DARYL DIXON THE BOOK OF CAROL, Pictured: Eriq Ebouaney as Fallou. Photo: Emmanuel Guimier/AMC @2024 AMC Inc. All Rights Reserved 

Losang arrives after Cordon and Laurent’s discussion. Spying the boy’s Rubik’s Cube, Losang orders a search. Fallou distracts and disrupts the search long enough for Codron to whisk Laurent away to relative safety at Demimonde. The world believes God is dead,” Losang rants. “This is why we need the boy. God is still here, and the boy is proof.” Fallou reminds Losang about religion. He causes: “If you need proof, you’ve already lost it (faith).” Fallou’s feedback remind me of Frankl’s (Man’s Seek for That means) conclusions about why some folks survived the Holocaust whereas others didn’t. Frankl posited that survival hinged on discovering that means and objective, relatively than pleasure (Anna on the Demimonde) or energy (Madame Genet), which conjures up folks with the need to stay. Fallou accuses Losang, “Daryl wants to keep Laurent alive. You want to make him a martyr.” Fallou shines on this scene as a result of he says issues apart from: “Go!” “Run!” “Hide!” Clearly, Fallou and the Union of Hope, like Daryl, find purpose in keeping Laurent alive.

“Vouloir, C’est Pouvoir” – THE WALKING DEAD DARYL DIXON THE BOOK OF CAROL, Pictured: Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon, Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier. Photo: Emmanuel Guimier/AMC @2024 AMC Inc. All Rights Reserved

Overall, the episode was, ‘meh.’ With the exceptions mentioned above, the episode felt a bit recycled and not in a good way. Specifically, Daryl hides Laurent and says, “stay here until I come back.” Who didn’t think of Rick and Sophia in this scene? Carol, Daryl, and Ash are in a car, surrounded by walkers. Did anyone fail to recall Aaron and Daryl falling into the Wolve’s trap in Season 6? Also, when Carol and Daryl go looking for Ash, they end up at a destroyed Maison de Mere. Who destroyed Maison de Mere and why? Why has Carol found Daryl’s tape and listened to it? Where is the scientist who created the tranquillizer? When Carol and Daryl locate Ash, why do they think they can overtake so many walkers without sufficient ammunition? These could be unanswered questions intentionally left by the writers to build suspense and add layers to the Daryl in France narrative. I am skeptical. For me, the unanswered questions seemed more accidental than planned. This outcome is unacceptable because it distracts from the story’s logical flow. 

Since the plane carries only three people, who do you think stays behind? Who do you think might die in the finale? One week to fix things. Can The Book of Carol, do it? Fingers crossed because – “Vouloir, C’est Pouvoir” – the place there’s a will, there’s a approach! Let me know your ideas within the feedback. 

Total Score: 

6/10

Lynette Jones