Season two opens with Daryl ambivalent about his residency status in another community called the Nest. Daryl\u2019s conversation with Losang, the Nest\u2019s spiritual leader, makes it clear that he does not know how long he will stay. Unsure if he belongs, Daryl muses aloud to Isabelle, asking if anyone back home still thinks about him, even though Losang assured him that everyone has a place at the Nest if they choose to seek it. <\/p>\n
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<\/div>\n\u201cLa Gentillesse de \u00c9trangers\u201d – THE WALKING DEAD: DARYL DIXON. Pictured: Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier. Photo: Emmanuel GuimierAMC \u00a92024 AMC Networks Inc. All Rights Reserved.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
In a network show, nothing makes it to air by accident. Therefore, I’d like to focus on how the music, Charlene\u2019s “I’ve Never Been to Me” and the Grass Roots\u2019, \u201cSooner or Later,” speak to Carol’s internal struggle. As a woman of a certain age, I know these songs well. I won\u2019t take the time here but invite you to find the lyrics of \u201cI\u2019ve Never Been to Me\u201d to see how closely they align with Carol\u2019s story. The last cassette Carol listened to was a mindfulness meditation that said, \u201cStart with a centering deep breath. Breathe in compassion and forgiveness. Breathe out fear and suffering. You are here. You are ok.\u201d Carol is not ok! Her mental state may explain why she violently chucked the music cassettes out the window. Her ensuing car crash also drives this point home. <\/p>\n
Carol eventually meets up with Ash, who triggers her unresolved trauma. Ash invites her to stay in the barn, which reminds Carol of the walker-Sophia-barn incident. He extends to her an invitation to dinner and places a Cherokee rose on the table, evoking the memory of the Daryl-RV moment when he gave her the same flower. He shares the pain of being the grieving parent of a child he could not save. All these incidents lead Carol to do some pretty screwed up things. First, she becomes incredibly snoopy, trying to get behind Ash\u2019s electronically locked door. At one point, the property\u2019s generator short circuits, causing the electric fence to open. The frustrating thing here is that Carol is at the fence when the electricity goes out, but she made no attempt to secure it. Instead, she breached Ash\u2019s privacy and entered his locked greenhouse. Carol plays with a musical toy and sings along with-it knowing noise attracts walkers. She knows better. Predictably, the walkers breach the property and greenhouse, and Carol\u2019s life is at risk. Most egregious, Carol uses the information about Ash\u2019s dead child to lie to him about why she wants to go to France. She leads Ash to believe it\u2019s about finding Sophia, not Daryl. I don\u2019t know if Carol\u2019s bad behavior is because she is in a Sophia-induced fugue state or if she\u2019s acting intentionally to force Ash from his home. What do you think?<\/p>\n
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<\/a><\/div>\n\u201cLa Gentillesse de \u00c9trangers\u201d – THE WALKING DEAD: DARYL DIXON. Pictured: Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon. Photo: Emmanuel GuimierAMC \u00a92024 AMC Networks Inc. All Rights Reserved.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Back in France, Daryl volunteers to be part of a Nest rescue mission. It’s important to note that the Nest team meticulously planned to execute their mission. In terms of values and principles, the mission’s approach was very Lasong, very Akido-like. However, when an explosive charge failed to detonate, Daryl impulsively showed himself and shot things up cowboy style. Daryl acted as Isabelle had commented earlier: \u201cHe did what was necessary.\u201d However, when Daryl had the villain, Madame Genete, in his sights, he uncharacteristically hesitated, allowing Madame Genet to escape. Earlier, when talking to Losang, Daryl cautioned that waiting with respect to Madame Genet would be a mistake. Daryl just made a huge freaking mistake.<\/p>\n
For years in the Walking Dead Universe, fans have joked that when the original cast showed up in a new place, disaster followed. This pattern was certainly true for Ash after Carol arrived. Ash eventually agrees to help, because the season is called the Book of Carol. Unfortunately, everything in Ash’s world comes crashing down, forcing them to make a hasty retreat. To keep the horror fans satisfied, the special effects team included a few walkers that were killed by the plane’s propeller and wings. These kills reminded me of S7E5, \u201cGo Getters,\u201d in which Maggie killed the walkers with a tractor. The walker kills have long ago stopped impressing me, but they still entertain me.<\/p>\n