Warning! SPOILERS ahead for Daryl Dixon season 2, episode 2.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon‘s season 2 premiere put things into motion rather quickly, immediately setting Carol (Melissa McBride) on her path to reunite with Daryl (Norman Reedus), while he begins to wear out his welcome at the Nest. That fast pace continues in episode 2, titled “Moulin Rouge”, as Carol arrives in France – following a quick and bizarre stop in Greenland – and Daryl learns what the Union de L’Espoir really has planned for Laurent (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi).

This fast-paced storytelling has worked in Daryl Dixon’s favor, demonstrating that the franchise is learning from past mistakes. The original show was regularly guilty of spinning its wheels, making little to no narrative progress across multiple episodes. The newer spinoffs, though, have mostly managed to avoid this, thanks partly to working with fewer episodes and understanding what we want as an audience. Daryl Dixon, like The Ones Who Live before it, is getting its main characters back together, and season 2, The Book of Carol, is using its forward momentum to do just that.

Carol and Daryl haven’t been reunited just yet, but having Carol already in France and searching is a good sign we won’t be waiting until episode 6 to see them together again. Until then, Daryl Dixon season 2 is continuing to build their other relationships; namely, the partnership of Carol and Ash (Manish Dayal), and the growing connection between Daryl and Isabelle (Clémence Poésy).

Carol & Ash Make A Good Team

Though Carol’s Lies Will Create A Rift Before Long

While the foundation of this friendship is a big fat lie just waiting to go off like a bomb, it’s undeniable that Carol and Ash have a strong rapport. Already, they’ve bonded over being parents, even if Ash doesn’t fully know how similar they are in that respect. Now, they’ve bonded through the violence that’s often necessary in this world. The Greenland adventure tests Ash’s resolve, and he proves he has what it takes to survive. He also 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s to protect Carol, further trauma-bonding them and making it more uncomfortable that she’s used a false pretense to bring him along.

While reuniting Carol with Daryl remains first and foremost the goal, it’d be a waste to keep Carol apart from Ash for too long.

The stopover in Greenland is wild, but a good reminder that the apocalypse breeds all kinds of crazy. Alongside cannibals and those trying to rule the world, two women hope to repopulate the planet by breeding with the first man they come across. It’s the kind of wacky stuff Walking Dead hasn’t done in a while, and it makes for a fun diversion that I hope this season includes more of.

Together, McBride and Dayal have good chemistry, and it’s a shame Daryl Dixon appears to already be splitting them up. While reuniting Carol with Daryl remains first and foremost the goal, it’d be a waste to keep Carol apart from Ash for too long. After all, Carol will need to eventually come clean about Sophia, and that will make for some good drama for McBride and Dayal to tackle.

Let’s Talk About That Kiss

Daryl & Isabelle Finally Act On Their Developing Feelings

Without question, the big moment coming out of “Moulin Rouge” is the kiss between Daryl and Isabelle. On the one hand, it feels long overdue as a natural development of their relationship. Anyone could see a strong affection was growing between them, and it only makes sense they would finally act on it. However, through 11 seasons of The Walking Dead and one season of his own spinoff, Daryl has basically never acted on a romantic impulse. Seeing Daryl kiss someone is honestly the most shocking thing he has ever done.

Now technically, Daryl was in a relationship with Leah during the time jump between seasons 9 and 10 of The Walking Dead, but due to COVID filming restrictions, the two actors were never shown kissing or engaging in much physical contact. That relationship was also more about setting up a later betrayal than anything else. His relationship with Connie, while endearing, was also never particularly romantic. And then there’s Daryl and Carol, an intense, close-knit relationship, but one that’s always been strictly platonic.

Daryl acting on his feelings for Isabelle follows a pattern of growth that’s been central to his spinoff. Along with adopting Laurent as a surrogate son, forming a relationship with Isabelle creates a family Daryl likely never imagined for himself. The French word Isabelle teaches him, “depaysant”, even reflects this, with his time in France giving him a new perspective on what his life could be. Unfortunately, knowing how things often go in The Walking Dead, it’s unlikely Daryl and Isabelle will have a happy ending free of problems. But for the moment, it’s nice to imagine that’s possible.

We Finally Know What The Mysterious Ceremony Is

If The Ceremony Actually Works, It Would Be A Game-Changer For TWD

One of the many obstacles between Daryl, Isabelle, and a happy life as a family is the Union. Though initially they seemed like a good group, they’ve become increasingly sinister since the start of season 2. And now we know why – they want to prove Laurent is their messiah by having him survive a walker bite. It’s an insane idea, but if it actually works, it’d be a franchise game-changer.

Laurent really could be a savior with the key to stopping the dead from returning to life in his blood.

There have been hints of a cure or immunity to the virus since The Walking Dead’s beginning, with the first season revealing the CDC’s research. More recently, The World Beyond teased progress on delivering a cure, and it was even revealed that France had been the epicenter of the outbreak. If there was ever going to be someone who was immune to the virus, it’d make sense for them to originate in France. The circumstances of Laurent’s 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡 could make this possible.

As Laurent’s mother was succumbing to the virus, her body would be trying to fight it off, and that could mean Laurent received antibodies from his mother that would know how to combat the virus. It’s not a completely far-fetched idea, and if Daryl Dixon is actually going to put the theory to the test, it’ll be fascinating to see what happens. Were it to work, then Laurent really could be a savior with the key to stopping the dead from returning to life in his blood.

Daryl Dixon Season 2’s Zombie Kill Of The Week

Lastly, this final section is intended to highlight each week some cool ways in which a zombie gets 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed. The Walking Dead shows may not focus as fully on the dead as they once did, but the production can still deliver when it comes to unique walkers and how the survivors deal with them. Unfortunately, in only its second episode, Daryl Dixon forgets to include any satisfying zombie 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s.

The walkers who rise out of the ground that Carol and Ash encounter in Greenland are certainly cool, but they aren’t taken out in any notable fashion. In that case, I’m going to simply award the best 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 for this episode. That goes to Ash shooting Hanna in the neck with a flare gun. It wasn’t all that unexpected, since the flare gun was shown so prominently when they landed that it was only a matter of time before it showed up again. Still, it was a big moment for Ash and certainly a unique way of 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ing off her character.

Daryl Dixon season 2’s second episode spends much of its runtime strengthening the relationships between its characters. It also introduces a massive idea with Laurent potentially being immune to a zombie bite; one that could have huge ramifications for the franchise. From here, the spinoff will need to decide what it wants to keep focusing on – the interpersonal relationships or setup for the franchise’s big ending.

Personally, I hope it sticks with the former for at least a little longer. A potential cure is interesting, but The Walking Dead has always been at its best when it’s telling smaller stories. That’s been the strength of Daryl Dixon, too, telling the story of a man given the chance to make a new life for himself.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol airs weekly every Sunday at 9pm ET on AMC.