Warning: spoilers ahead for Daryl Dixon season 2, episode 5.
Daryl and Carol might be surprised by the latest obstacle The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon puts in the way of their return to the United States, but the problem was, from the very beginning, plane to see. Whereas Daryl Dixon traveled to France within the cell of a Pouvoir du Vivant zombie boat, Carol got to enjoy the benefits of a private plane ride, and it is this plane that has, since season 2 began, provided the two protagonists with their all-important lifeline.
In the minds of Daryl and Carol, this is the plane that will ferry them safely across the Atlantic, back home to the Commonwealth. At the very end of Daryl Dixon season 2, episode 5, "Vouloir, C'est Pouvoir," however, their pilot raises one vital concern: the plane cannot physically carry them all. The undersized aircraft would need to bear three grown adults - Ash the pilot, Daryl, and Carol, but then also the teenage boy Laurent. Ash finds that notion laughable, wasting no time in pointing out that the plane couldn't possibly take off with four members of Daryl Dixon's cast huddled inside.
Since Episode 1, It Was Obvious That 4 People Couldn't Fit In Ash's Plane
Ash's Plane Always Had A Passenger Limit
Ash's warning should really come as no surprise - the limits of his plane were obvious from the moment its diminutive frame first banked into view during Daryl Dixon season 2's premiere. The cockpit is uncomfortably snug, even with just Carol and Ash inside. A rear compartment behind the two front seats exists, but looks like it would struggle to accommodate a pair of extra passengers - and that's before taking the underlying weight issue into consideration.
One must also consider the challenges Ash and Carol faced during their original journey, back when only two of them were riding the aircraft. After barely taking off from Ash's compound, the initial leg involved detours to avoid flying over open ocean, a fuel leak, and one rough landing. By Ash's own admission, the plane was lucky to reach France in one piece. Doubling the weight of human cargo would, inevitably, make those problems twice as tricky to overcome on the flight home.
Carol & Daryl Should Have Predicted Daryl Dixon Season 2's Plane Dilemma
Two Seasoned Survivors Should Have Seen This Coming
Ash, of course, believed his only extra passenger for the flight back would be Sophia, a woman in her early 20s. Carol secretly knew that said extra passenger would actually be the heavier Daryl Dixon, but since Ash doesn't raise the alarm after Carol reveals the truth, the three adults must have fallen narrowly within the plane's weight capacity. Only upon meeting his prospective fourth passenger, Laurent, does Ash shut the whole plan down.
The most astounding thing is how neither Daryl nor Carol ever considered the plane's weight could become an issue earlier. Carol was already extremely familiar with the plane's layout when she discovered Laurent might be joining them, but she never so much as pondered out loud whether the vehicle was already full, which seemed like the most obvious question to ask. Even after Daryl - typically quite reliable with mechanics and vehicles in The Walking Dead - glimpses the plane in person, the idea of it being incapable of carrying four passengers never enters his head.
Amusingly, Ash acts like the plane's weight problem was the most predictable thing in the world, and it's difficult to disagree. Daryl and Carol have come this far in The Walking Dead's timeline by seeing potential dangers before they arise, and it's odd that neither of them foresaw that a small plane would balk at the weight of four passengers.
Daryl Dixon's Plane Problem Means Isabelle's Death Was Always Going To Happen
Ash's Plane Almost Had Five Characters Wanting A Ride
The size of Ash's plane was a massive visual clue to how Daryl Dixon season 2's story would ultimately progress. Heading into the second run of episodes, a total of five characters needed to escape France: Daryl, Carol, Ash, Laurent, and Isabelle. Seeing the plane in episode 1 immediately confirmed the chances of all five getting a happy ending were zero, meaning at least one member of that quintet wouldn't survive. Isabelle died in Daryl Dixon season 2, episode 4, but even after her seat on the plane was vacated, carrying four characters still felt like a reach too far for Ash's humble little machine.
With only four people, it became slightly more plausible that neither Daryl nor Carol would realize there was a capacity issue.
Isabelle dying as early as she did was perhaps Daryl Dixon's way of avoiding an even more egregious plot hole. If Daryl had started talking to Carol about bringing Isabelle and Laurent both back to the United States on Ash's plane, Carol couldn't have possibly avoided pointing out that the vehicle clearly wasn't built for five, and the plane itself would have become redundant as a plot point. With only four people, it became slightly more plausible that neither Daryl nor Carol would realize there was a capacity issue until Ash pointed it out.
What Ash's Plane Dilemma Means For Daryl Dixon Season 3
From The Walking Dead To The Walking Home
Not even the mighty Daryl Dixon can argue with the laws of physics, which means at least one character will not be sitting on the plane when Daryl Dixon season 2 ends. As the only pilot in town, Ash's place is guaranteed. One possibility is that Laurent changes his mind and decides to remain in France, allowing Daryl and Carol to fly away safely. Given that Daryl Dixon season 3 has already been confirmed, and the synopsis reveals Daryl and Carol are still trying to get back home, however, that outcome is unlikely.
If the vehicle is destroyed, or stolen, or Ash gets killed, the entire plan to escape will be scuppered.
In truth, the premise of Daryl Dixon season 3 is a fairly strong indicator of how season 2's ending will shake out. Ash could fly Laurent safely back to the United States, while Daryl and Carol, unable to leave each other behind after recently reuniting, make alternative arrangements and head to Spain. The only sticking point is whether Daryl would trust Ash - a good man, but not the most experienced survivor - to act as Laurent's sole guardian. The final, more tragic, option is that nobody gets on the plane at all.
As Anna rightly points out in Daryl Dixon season 2, episode 5, Ash's plane landing right outside Paris did not go unnoticed, and the aircraft is now the city's hottest commodity. Not only might various groups wish to acquire the plane for themselves, but Jacinta's survival means the threat of the Pouvoir-Union alliance remains very much alive, putting the plane in even greater danger. If the vehicle is destroyed, or stolen, or Ash gets killed, the entire plan to escape will be scuppered, leading directly into The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 3, where Daryl and Carol begin their long walk back to the Commonwealth.
