The Walking Dead ended its eleven season run in 2022 with its series finale, "Rest in Peace." The series concluded with a one-year time jump after the Commonwealth was overthrown. After the tie jump, viewers glimpse the communities and where things stand with the main characters. This episode ends setting up Daryl's continued story in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon.
While visiting Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and the others at Hilltop, Carol (Melissa McBride) and Daryl (Norman Reedus) listen as Maggie tells them they need to talk of the future, stating, "There's a lot out there to find out about. And I think it's time we did." This coming from the woman who during her travels, when she left the series in season 9, encountered many people, good and bad, and knows there is a lot more out there beyond their small communities.
By the end of the episode, Daryl is saying emotional goodbyes to Ezekiel (Khary Payton), RJ (Antony Azor), who promises to be good, and Judith (Cailey Fleming), who promises to take care of Dog. Daryl promises her he will keep an eye out for their parents during his travels. He and Carol share "I Love yous" and say goodbye, and he rides his motorcycle off into the sunset.
Daryl's story continues in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon spinoff, which takes him to France against his will. As with all of the direct spinoffs, viewers are curious about the timeline between the main series' ending and the spinoffs' beginning.
During an interview with Collider, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon showrunner David Zabel clarified the timeline of events in the Daryl Dixon series. According to Zabel, the spinoff begins only three or four weeks after Daryl says his goodbyes at the Commonwealth.
Several things don't line up with this timeline. Daryl told the American he met in France, R.J. Gaines (Ned Dennehy), "East Coast, Midwest, even Texas. Everybody you know back home is gone. They've been gone a long time." This led viewers to believe Daryl traveled to Texas after leaving the Commonwealth. That would mean in three to four weeks, Daryl traveled from the Commonwealth, in Ohio, to Texas, to Maine, and then on a sea voyage to France. Granted, he could have been speaking generally, as the majority of people didn't survive.
So, let's say he didn't go to Texas. This means that after only 2-3 weeks into his mission to find out what's out there, he planned on returning to the Commonwealth. This is what he told Carol during their brief radio conversation, which took place before his journey to France. So, why the emotional goodbye if he would return every few weeks?
In current times, the trip by cargo ship to France could take 7-9 days, and Daryl ended up floating on a capsized rowboat, which would have taken considerably longer. This just doesn't add up with his travel log; even if he didn't go to Texas, the trip from Ohio to Freeport, Maine, by car takes at least 12 hours. Daryl likely didn't make it a straight shot and was shown to work for fuel, something he would have had to do the entire trip.
Viewers of TWD understand this isn't a deep storyline, but some consistency, especially regarding the timeline, would be appreciated. Nonetheless, we will continue to watch because the spinoffs have really given the fandom the boost it needed to resurrect itself.
The second season of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon is subtitled The Book of Carol, as McBride returns to the story as Carol, and will premiere on AMC and AMC+ on September 29. Zabel has also stated that the second season begins "the same day, pretty much."
