The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 1 Review

4 star European twist on a horror classic.

The walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 1 is a 2024 American post-apocalyptic horror drama TV Series spin-off from the massively popular The Walking Dead and created by David Zabel. It marks a triumphant return to the franchise’s glory days of edge-of-your-seat zombie action.

It is available to own in the UK on Blu-ray and DVD from 30th September 2024, courtesy of Acorn Media International.

“My name is Daryl Dixon. I come from a place called The Commonwealth. It’s in America. I went out looking for something, all I found was trouble. If I don’t make it back, I want them to know I tried.”

As the season opens we see our gruff hero Daryl (Norman Reedus – draped across the bottom of a rowing boat, washing ashore. Following his departure from the Commonwealth at the end of The Walking Dead, he now finds himself in very unfamiliar surroundings, rural France. What is familiar are the hoards of flesh hungry undead, it seems some things are the same everywhere. Without his trusty crossbow, he soon finds himself a double ended pike and goes to the job of killing.

However, the bite of these zombies is nastier than your average walker. Set upon by various brigands and in need of assistance, he is taken in by a group of nuns who are part of a larger group, Union de L’Espoir. He is cared for by Isabelle (Clémence Poésy – Mr Morgan’s Last Love, In Bruges). They have at their convent a young boy named Laurent (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi) who they believe to be a Messiah, who will lead humanity to their salvation.

In return for their assistance in helping him find a way home, he agrees to escort Laurent to a Union de L’Espoir stronghold known as The Nest. But just like the Commonwealth, there are factions here in France, including Pouvoir des Vivants lead by the fanatical Marion Genet (Anne Charrier – Paid, Chefs) and her henchman Codron (Romain Levi), and of course Isabelle’s ex Quinn (Adam Nagaitis – American Star, The Last Duel), all trying to stop them in their tracks. Besieged and betrayed at every turn, can our hero prevail?

“The parish priest used to say that our scars show that we have suffered, but more importantly, that we have healed from our suffering.”

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon is a very enjoyable series, a return to the fresh ideas we all loved from the original show. It was tricky to start with, but things improved no end once we got past the childish but inevitable hilarity generated by the concept of French zombies (les brains) and could stop laughing for long enough to actually watch it.

The characters are well written and it’s a great story which allows for realistic relationships to build. There is even some humour, a welcome relief from all the gore. It is mildly annoying that most of the weapons in France seems to be from the medieval period, with nothing more modern than a flintlock pistol, but perhaps that is the way Americans perceive Europe to be. The locations are stunning and the concept of the apocalypse feels more real when viewed in a place with truly old buildings and genuine history.

As the story unfolds, we learn more of our favourite zombie killer’s story and the end of the series sees the return of another beloved character, Carol (Melissa McBride – The Mist, The Happys) Yay! A compelling watch and we can’t wait for the next series. Well worth adding to your Walking Dead collection.

“She said my father was brave. He went away to fight the hungry ones. That he was a hero for France.”