The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixonseason 3 will bring together the defining elements of every modern spinoff in the franchise, creating a whole new take on the zombie apocalypse. AfterThe Walking Deadended with season 11, a trio of shows took its place:Daryl Dixon,Dead City, andThe Ones Who Live. WhileDead Cityseason 2is still to come andThe Ones Who Live’s future remains unclear, Daryl’s spinoff is steaming ahead, withDaryl Dixonseason 3currently in production.
Unusually, Daryl’s show is destined for a reshuffle of its own.Daryl Dixonseason 2 endedwith Norman Reedus' Daryl and Melissa McBride’s Carol leaving France, while the remainder of the main cast were either dead or taking a different path. Since every plot point from the previous seasons has been resolved,Daryl Dixon’s next run isn’t so much a continuation of what came before, but the beginning of a whole new story. The winds of change are blowing for Daryl and Carol, but what comes next bears a strong resemblance to stories told elsewhere inThe Walking Dead’s timeline.
Daryl & Carol Are The New Maggie & Negan (With Less Beef)
Until now,Daryl Dixonhas essentially been a solo project. Season 1 focused entirely on Daryl himself, then Daryl and Carol shared custody of season 2. Only late inDaryl Dixon’s second season did the twoWalking Deadveterans unite and function as a pair.Daryl Dixonseason 3 will take the opposite approach, transforming into more of a buddy road trip story starring Reedus and McBride on equal footing.
The Walking Deadalready used this format to great effect with Maggie and Negan inDead City. The begrudging allies made their way through the bowels of New York on a mission to rescue Hershel, and the sparkling chemistry between Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan is what truly brought that particular spinoff to life.
WhileThe Ones Who Livealso focused on a duo (Rick and Michonne), the romantic nature of that relationship separated it from Daryl & Carol and Negan & Maggie.
Compared to the past two seasons,Daryl Dixonseason 3 will feel a lot closer toDead Cityin terms of exploring a compelling onscreen friendship - albeit one with far less bad blood in the rearview mirror.Daryl Dixonseason 3’s unfamiliar setting of Spainbrings its premise even closer toDead City’s, with both shows plucking two popular characters out ofThe Walking Dead, dropping them into alien territory, then pulling drama from how the duo works together to overcome the challenges posed by a new environment.
Daryl Dixon Season 3 Will Be About Getting Home, Just Like The Ones Who Live
Rick & Michonne Did It, But Can Daryl & Carol?
Daryl talked ad nauseam about returning to the Commonwealth throughout the first two seasons of his spinoff series, but that was never his primary concern. InDaryl Dixonseason 1, the titular protagonist embarked on a quest protecting a child from an evil witch. In season 2, the main goal was defeating said witch alongside all of her minions. Going home to the United States was merely Daryl’s plan for sometime in the future when his work in France was complete. InDaryl Dixonseason 3, however, finding a way home will seemingly become the central focus.
Now that Daryl’s French business is settled, his attention is entirely on navigating a path home.
Daryl and Carol waved goodbye to Laurent in season 2’s finale, and only stayed behind because Ash’s plane wasn’t big enough to accommodate four passengers and a crossbow.Daryl’s driving motivation now is somehow finding a route across the Atlanticand reuniting with Laurent back at the Commonwealth. With this in mind,Daryl Dixon’s next season begins looking a lot likeThe Ones Who Live. The entire thrust of Rick and Michonne’s spinoff story was finding a way to escape theCivic Republic Militaryand rejoin loved ones waiting back at the Commonwealth.
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live Season 1 Ending Explained: What Happens To Rick & Michonne Next
With Rick and Michonne concluding their battle against the CRM, here is everything you need to know about The Ones Who Live’s season finale
Now that Daryl’s French business is settled, his attention is entirely on navigating a path home, which meansDaryl Dixonseason 3 will strike a very similar chord. In this instance, however, the heroes must overcome geographical distance and the Atlantic Ocean rather than a shady organization hellbent on keeping its soldiers captive.
Daryl Dixon Season 3 Will Continue With Its Own European Setting
To Avoid Pain In Spain, Get The Zombie In The Brain
Daryl Dixonseason 3 may be drawing key elements fromDead CityandThe Ones Who Live, but it will also retain the single most unique quality from its own playbook. Set in New York and Philadelphia, respectively,Dead CityandThe Ones Who Livestruggled to completely shake offThe Walking Dead’s standard toneand visuals.Dead City’s stylized urban landscape came close, but, by virtue of being set Stateside, could never stray far from the franchise norm.
Moving the action to France allowedDaryl Dixonto truly set itself apart from other spinoffs inThe Walking Dead’s canon, immediately establishing an aesthetic that felt utterly unlike anything AMC’s zombie franchise had done previously.Daryl Dixonseason 3 will pull the same trick all over again, asthe relocation from France to Spain promises new sights, a new culture, and a new approachthat pulls away from the grimy suburbia and endless Georgia forests ofThe Walking Dead, but also departs fromDaryl Dixon’s French-flavored joie de vivre.
Based on howDaryl Dixonseason 2 ends, season 3 will be partly set in England.
By bringing together a new European setting, a buddy road trip premise, and a story about getting back home,Daryl Dixonseason 3 feels likeall ofThe Walking Dead’s spinoffspost-season 11 rolled into one. While walking similar roads inevitably brings the risk of repetition, picking out the best qualities of all three spinoffs could also makeThe Walking Dead: Daryl Dixonseason 3 the most well-rounded yet.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon
In a post-apocalyptic France, the series follows Daryl Dixon as he navigates the complexities of a new landscape. Separated from his familiar world, Daryl faces unexpected challenges and forges new alliances while confronting the lingering threats of a walker-infested reality.
