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Posted in: AMC, Review, TV, Walking Dead | Tagged: amc, Daryl Dixon, episode 3, Review, Season 1, The Walking Dead, TWD
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon S01E03 Review: The Past Proves Prologue
AMC's The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon S01E03 "Paris Sera Toujours Paris" offered up some impactful horror while dialing up the tension.
With last week's episode of AMC & AMC+'s Norman Reedus-starring The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon offering some surprisingly revealing looks into Isabelle's (Clémence Poésy) and Laurent's (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi) backstories, "Paris Sera Toujours Paris" (directed by Tim Southam and written by Coline Abert) sees Daryl (Reedus), Isabelle, Laurent, and Sylvie (Laika Blanc-Francard) arrives in Paris – where Isabelle's backstory quickly becomes her "very now" story as our survivors meet new communities. And with them come new faces – some friendly, some not so much. Meanwhile, Codron (Romain Levi) looks to the nationalist movement Pouvoir for help – making things dangerously complicated for not just our survivors but for the Union of Hope as well. With that in mind, we're throwing on the "MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!" sign and throwing down an image spoiler buffer because we're about to offer up our "real-time" thoughts on what the third chapter had to offer…
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon E03 "Paris Sera Toujours Paris" Thoughts
Just as I was about to write how the beauty of France actually enhances the horror because of how it's such a striking contrast to the apocalypse that descended upon it, we get that scene of the "walker orchestra" – and I was feeling exactly how Daryl & Isabelle's faces were looking. Definitely in the conversation when it comes to top horrific scenes, this moment gets bonus points for giving us "Hammer House of Horror" and old-school EC Comics horror comics vibes.
Yeah, that's the kind of creepy thing you definitely don't want to see when you're already a stranger in a strange land, so I can respect Daryl's anger. That said, with what that dude had communications-wise, Isabelle's efforts made sense. Anyone else get the feeling that there's a growing frustration going on in Daryl that has something to do with something we haven't been told about regarding what happened prior to the boat trip? Hmmm…
Okay… probably isn't the right French cover of The Doors song "People Are Strange" but a nice place to stop this anyway:
"You will not die in Paris": Laurent to Daryl, but that can be taken in so many not-so-good ways. Ugh…
Eriq Ebouaney's Fallou is one of those characters I knew I was going to take to the first few seconds he appeared on my screen – and it appears that his group has been waiting on Laurent for some time.
"You hear that? It's Paris crying": Yeah, Ebouaney has that unique ability to take six words and impact you in ways that others couldn't if you gave them a thousand words (and also a nice way to cut off Daryl's questions for now).
Okay, props to the kid for trying to take his shot with Sylvie – a nun. And there's a ten-ton metaphor waiting to be analyzed over learning that the top of the Eiffel Tower was taken out by a military helicopter. Again, this idea that mankind cause more death & destruction than the walkers do comes into play.
Yeah – once homing pigeons and a month's wait come into play, I can respect Daryl wanting to tap out and head out on his own. And what a striking contrast in how Laurent is received here as compared to the previous community – but Daryl has a point about it being a helluva burden for just a kid. But that scene between Laurent and Sonia is a mysteriously beautiful one – one that had Daryl thinking…
Cause leader Genet (Anne Charrier) makes even rolling a cigarette look dangerous – even Codron looks intimidated as he tries to get a better sense of who she is, where he's at, and what he's possibly up against. He makes a convincing case as to why she should let him track Daryl and the others – playing in on an emotional level that Levi owns big time. But then he gets a brief look at some of what's going on there – including what appears to be the weaponizing of walkers – and there's a moment when it appears that Codron is questioning his decision.
Reedus and Poésy do an amazing job with these moments of reflection when it comes to their respective pasts – they have a natural vibe of two strangers getting to know each other on an emotional level because of their shared trauma and willingness to keep fighting – both with their own sense of faith. A perfect example ("I didn't do much thinking back then": Daryl):
Wow. The child from Isabelle's past life. That was a heart-crushing moment… only for us to have dive-bombing walkers crashing out of the windows above and another wave of acid walkers.
Daryl Dixon, my man!!! Using the acid from the walkers to burn through the vines so they could escape was a serious "life hack" of the highest regard. So far, it's the biggest "MacGyver" move of the series. And bonus points for the sly "approval" grin he offered after Isabelle gave Laurent that picture of his mother.
I appreciate Fallou's optimism about France surviving this apocalypse, too – meanwhile, we're listening to him as the horrific visuals of the catacombs roll by. Again, a brilliant visual contrast that heightens the tension – especially as a lead-up to Quinn's (Adam Nagaitis) nightclub, The Demimonde.
And much like we saw with "Dead City" and when the Commonwealth was first introduced, the franchise continues to dazzle us with these striking different looks at the universe. In this case, it vibes like Daryl walked into a fever dream co-created by David Lynch, Federico Fellini, and Cirque du Soleil. And that was definitely an impressive way for Quinn to reunite with Isabelle – sorry, Daryl.
And then there was that revelation. Wow! Okay, so we know who Laurent's father is – and it looks like Quinn wants to make a deal with Isabelle to help Daryl. And as much as Daryl believes he's helping – Isabelle makes it clear that she's never been looking for a hero. But Daryl also makes some excellent points regarding how much of the boy's body and soul needs to be sacrificed in the name of this belief that he's a "chosen one."
Okay, first? I'm impressed that they're not holding back on the Daryl/Codron confrontations – with two in only three episodes. Second, I was a bit shocked at how close Daryl came to taking out Codron – didn't expect that. But just when Daryl thinks he's back on solid ground (literally)… and where's Laurent? I guess we'll find out next week (though we have a feeling that it rhymes with "Eiffel Tower")…
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 1 Episode 3 "Paris Sera Toujours Paris"
9/10
With last week's episode of AMC & AMC+'s Norman Reedus-starring The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon offering some surprisingly revealing looks into Isabelle's (Clémence Poésy) and Laurent's (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi) backstories, "Paris Sera Toujours Paris" (directed by Tim Southam and written by Coline Abert) sees Daryl (Reedus), Isabelle, Laurent, and Sylvie (Laika Blanc-Francard) arrives in Paris - where Isabelle's backstory quickly becomes her "very now" story as our survivors meet new communities. And with them come new faces - some friendly, some not so much. Meanwhile, Codron (Romain Levi) looks to the nationalist movement Pouvoir for help - making things dangerously complicated for not just our survivors but for the Union of Hope as well. With that in mind, we're throwing on the "MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!" sign because we're about to offer up our "real-time" thoughts on what the third chapter had to offer... and why it worked on so many levels.
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