Summary
- To make Daryl Dixon season 2 engaging, don't delay Daryl and Carol's reunion - fans want to see their dynamic partnership right away.
- The Ones Who Live already proved this was the right approach by placing Rick and Michonne's reunion at the end of episode 1.
- Following The Ones Who Live , Daryl Dixon should consider using implied time skips to make Carol's journey seem arduous while still avoiding a long wait for her reunion with Daryl.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 2 comes bearing the subtitle "The Book of Carol" after Melissa McBride's return to the zombie franchise, but her comeback should copy one vital trick from the first episode of Rick Grimes' spinoff. Despite initially being announced as a joint venture between Daryl and Carol, Daryl Dixon season 1 ultimately morphed into a solo project for Norman Reedus. Fortunately for Carol fans, Melissa McBride's post-apocalyptic warrior resurfaced in Daryl Dixon season 1's ending, and she will now play a major role in the upcoming Daryl Dixon season 2.
As shown previously, Daryl made contact with Carol shortly before his unexpected vacation to France. Daryl claimed he was coming home but never returned, and Carol is now looking for her missing friend. Daryl Dixon season 2 footage shows Carol hot on his trail, investigating the fuel stop where Daryl was first abducted by the villainous Pouvoir des Vivants group. With international flights not quite as common as they used to be, however, Carol has a long way to go before reaching Daryl in France, and that geographical obstacle poses a problem for her return.
Daryl & Carol Should Unite In Daryl Dixon Season 2, Episode 1 (Like Rick & Michonne Did)
Daryl Dixon Shouldn't Make Audiences Wait For Season 2's Reunion
Given how far Carol must travel, it is not unreasonable to expect her solo journey to last most of the upcoming season, culminating in a heartfelt reunion during the penultimate episode or season 2 finale. Leaving Daryl and Carol's reunion until the end of season 2, however, would be a massive mistake for Daryl Dixon. Doing this would completely miss the biggest benefit of bringing Carol into Daryl Dixon's cast - the onscreen chemistry between Melissa McBride and Norman Reedus.
As great as Daryl and Carol are as individuals, the duo's popularity derives from interactions they shared throughout 11 seasons of The Walking Dead. The power couple already spent the entirety of Daryl Dixon season 1 in separate countries. If Daryl and Carol remain apart for most of season 2, The Walking Dead will miss out on Reedus and McBride being a team, which is arguably the most exciting aspect of her reappearance. The inevitability of the reunion makes delaying it even more nonsensical. It's a matter of "when" Daryl and Carol find each other, not "if." There is no suspense or tension to be gained by keeping viewers guessing, only frustration.
Rick and Michonne's story in The Ones Who Live proves that The Walking Dead knows this. Rather than spending five episodes building up to a reunion that was always guaranteed to happen, Michonne clapped eyes on her long-lost lover in the final moments of episode 1. The remainder of The Ones Who Live season 1 then took full advantage of Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira's chemistry rather than dragging out Michonne's journey and underutilizing a great Walking Dead partnership.
How Carol Can Reach France Within One Episode Of Daryl Dixon Season 2
The Ones Who Live Holds The Answer To Carol's Return
Carol clearly has more ground to physically cover in Daryl Dixon season 2, which makes the prospect of a reunion in episode 1 far less likely than it was for Rick and Michonne. The Walking Dead cannot afford to make Carol's journey from the US to France seem easy or quick, as that would risk underselling the stakes and magnitude of her transatlantic quest. Fortunately, Rick and Michonne's story in The Ones Who Live helpfully highlights a potential solution.
Another leaf Daryl Dixon season 2 can take from The Ones Who Live 's book is using implied time skips to make Carol's journey seem longer than it actually is.
After Rick and Michonne reunited in The Ones Who Live episode 1, episode 2 then backtracked to show the harrowing path Michonne endured to reach that point. Daryl Dixon season 2 can do the same for Carol, dedicating either the first or second episode entirely to her arduous trek from Georgia to France. This would properly convey the hardship of the journey, but avoid a pointless wait for Daryl and Carol's reunion.
Another leaf Daryl Dixon season 2 can take from The Ones Who Live's book is using implied time skips to make Carol's journey seem longer than it actually is. When telling the story of how Michonne found Rick, The Ones Who Live revealed that Gurira's character spent a little over a year confined to a shopping mall as she recovered from a CRM gas attack. This made Michonne's search seem incredibly long and difficult with only one short montage sequence.
The Walking Dead's timeline is a mess, but Daryl Dixon season 2 could deploy a similar time-hopping montage to reveal that Carol spent a number of months traversing France, or stuck aboard a Pouvoir boat, or taking soup-making lessons from a gourmet chef in Marseille. This narrative technique would effectively let Daryl Dixon skip straight to the exciting part - Daryl and Carol reuniting - but would avoid making Carol's trip to France look like a cakewalk.
