I'm Relieved The Walking Dead Is Making Amends For A Cruel Daryl Dixon Character Death

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon featured one cruel death that I'm still not fully over, but fortunately, The Walking Dead looks to be putting things right in season 3. Unlike the franchise's other post-main show spinoffs, Daryl Dixon put heavy emphasis on new characters and their importance to the overall story when the project first premiered.

It was a breath of fresh air seeing just how pivotal these survivors were and helped make France feel like a unique location. However, season 2 changed things massively by putting the spotlight on Carol and Daryl's relationship, which resulted in The Walking Dead spinoff frustratingly killing off Isabelle, who was by far one of the show's best additions.

This decision continued a Walking Dead spinoff trend of wasting new characters, as the likes of Genet, Valery, Sylvie, and Losang were also killed off, alongside several other key names. While some of these felt necessary, Isabelle's departure definitely hurt the most, but season 3's trailer indicated that the show will make amends for this bold decision.

Daryl Dixon's “Bet On Hope” Line Suggests Isabelle Will Continue To Impact Him Throughout Season 3

Even After Her Death, Isabelle Remains An Incredibly Influential Part Of Daryl's Life

Although Isabelle is unlikely to feature in Daryl Dixon season 3 other than through a potential flashback or hallucination, one line from the trailer suggests she'll still have a presence in the show. During the spinoff's latest teaser, Daryl stated, "A friend of mine, she used to say bet on hope."

His quote directly references Isabelle's message; one she reiterated while trying to protect Laurent. Given Daryl and Isabelle's Walking Dead romance was a huge part of season 2's story, it's great to see the series hasn't forgotten how important Isabelle was to the protagonist, as she managed to bring out a different side of him.

Daryl even had hallucinations of Isabelle in the most recent finale which helped motivate him, another reminder that she is vital to his journey. This makes his line in the trailer all the more impactful, suggesting that Isabelle will continue to influence his philosophy and morals from beyond the grave.

It's clear that he will continue to think about her, and rather than making more cold and pragmatic decisions like he did before meeting Isabelle, Daryl may be willing to put more faith in people and "bet on hope", just as Isabelle wanted.

Killing Off Isabelle Remains Daryl Dixon’s Biggest Mistake So Far

Isabelle Was One Of The Spinoff's Best Characters & Didn't Need To Die

There are strong arguments that Daryl Dixon is The Walking Dead's best spinoff due to its originality and independence, but killing Isabelle is easily the show's biggest mistake so far. Considering the project will predominantly take place in Spain during season 3, it's understandable why France's central villains were axed.

Additionally, Daryl losing some of his allies added to the drama and made the consequences feel bigger, but there was still room for Isabelle. Laurent, Ash, and Codron all survived season 2 and seem like they will remain important parts of the franchise despite being unlikely to show up in Spain.

Therefore, Isabelle could've also stuck around even if she wasn't a major part of the next installment. Instead, killing her off risks Daryl Dixon losing some of its identity as the series moves away from France, and it'll be difficult to replace such a unique and crucial character.