[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 1 finale.]
Norman Reedus‘ Daryl Dixon was on a mission in The Strolling Lifeless: Daryl Dixon Season 1 finale, and it was the identical mission he’s had all season lengthy: get again house. What he didn’t count on was to really feel at house someplace else.
Leaving house and discovering you belong someplace else was the emotional core of Season 1, so mentioned showrunner David Zabel at TWD: Daryl Dixon panel at New York Comedian Con on Thursday, October 12, the place the finale was screened in full for the excited viewers of TWD followers and press. That theme rang true in Daryl’s closing moments of the finale, which on prime of scoring the historic Mont Saint-Michel as its filming location for The Nest additionally filmed a Daryl-walker battle on the seashores of Normandy.
The setting had deep emotional which means for Daryl. As revealed to Isabelle (Clémence Poésy) earlier within the episode, Daryl’s grandfather died on that seaside on D-Day in World Battle II. Daryl had bitter emotions in the direction of his late grandfather, who he mentioned left his pregnant spouse behind when enlisting and by no means got here again. Isabelle mentioned combating for what you imagine in was a noble solution to die, however Daryl mentioned that didn’t apply, since his grandfather hardly received to battle earlier than he was struck down on the seaside.
Leaders of The Nest organized for Daryl’s secure sea passage to North America. He trekked from Mont Saint-Michel (and the comforts of “house” it might present — specifically the potential for a romance with Isabelle) to the seaside to catch his boat house. The journey ended with three surprising arrivals.
First, Daryl discovered himself on the graveyard of the fallen D-Day troopers on Normandy Seashore. He discovered his grandfather’s grave and gained a brand new understanding of dying for one thing larger than your self. Second was a pack of walkers popping out of the dilapidated seaside bunkers. He made fast work of combating them off along with his new signature weapon, a medieval flail. The third arrival was Laurent’s (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi), who adopted Daryl to the seaside after he left with out saying goodbye. Daryl’s closing scene of the season confirmed him struggling to determine between getting on the boat and going house, or going with Laurent and making The Nest his new house.
Daryl Dixon leaves The Nest (Mont Saint-Michel) in ‘The Strolling Lifeless: Daryl Dixon’ Season 1 Episode 6 finale (Credit score: Emmanuel Guimier/AMC)
After which, there was a fourth shock arrival that thrilled followers at NYCC (and undoubtedly viewers watching the episode at house on AMC). The ultimate scene of Season 1 was again within the U.S. The scene started with a shot of somebody using Daryl’s well-known motorbike down an empty highway. A lone automotive appeared behind him, its home windows closely tinted. The biker dismounted and shot on the automotive’s grill, forcing the motive force out. That driver was none apart from Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride), who Reedus introduced can be a Daryl Dixon Season 2 collection common throughout the NYCC finale panel. (Season 2 might be known as The Strolling Lifeless: Daryl Dixon — The E book of Carol.)
Carol was looking for Daryl when she found this man on his bike. She bested the stranger and stuffed him in her trunk to query him about Daryl’s whereabouts. He mentioned he received the bike in a commerce not distant from the place they stood. Earlier than she shut the trunk, trapping the person inside, she threatened that if he was mendacity, she wouldn’t come again. The season ended with Carol driving off on Daryl’s motorbike.
Followers heard Carol’s voice on a radio in a quick cameo in Episode 5 (in a flashback dialog with Daryl whereas he was nonetheless in Maine), making them surprise if she would seem on-screen within the finale. At a press convention after the finale screening, Reedus, Zabel, Scott M. Gimple (Chief Content material Officer of the Strolling Lifeless Universe, and Greg Nicotero (Government Producer) informed TV Insider how McBride’s epic return to Daryl Dixon got here to be, confirming that Carol was at all times going to be a part of the collection, regardless that she exited from being a part of Season 1 in 2022.
“Relocating to Europe turned logistically untenable for Melissa,” AMC mentioned in an announcement on the time. On the NYCC 2023 panel, Zabel mentioned Daryl Dixon had filmed about three of Season 2’s six episodes (with SAG-AFTRA permission), a lot of it in France. McBride has been a part of this filming course of. Season 2 will hopefully see these two finest pals reunited.
As for filming Carol’s finale scene, Reedus informed TV Insider he wasn’t on set that day. “She filmed a little bit bit earlier than with out me,” Reedus mentioned. “We by no means shoot precisely chronologically.” As longtime pals and govt producers of Season 2, Reedus mentioned, “I discuss to Melissa on a regular basis.”
Zabel was on set for McBride’s scene, as was Nicotero. “She was very excited to play the character once more,” Zabel informed TV Insider, “but it surely was attention-grabbing as a result of everybody round her was completely different. There’s no person there that she knew apart from me [and Nicotero], and she or he didn’t know me that lengthy. She hadn’t met the director, she hadn’t met the crew.”
“She knew the bike,” Reedus added with a smile.
Melissa McBride and Norman Reedus experience Daryl’s motorbike in The Strolling Lifeless (Credit score: Eli Ade/AMC)
“I feel it was a bizarre, cool feeling,” Zabel continued. “And that’s form of the thought, in the end, of the present is like these characters displaced to a special setting with completely different individuals round them and the way that impacts them. She had that actual expertise. She was tremendous stoked.”
Nicotero, particular make-up results supervisor and first director for The Strolling Lifeless, mentioned there’s a story profit to excluding Carol from Season 1. (He additionally confirmed on the panel that he directs the Daryl Dixon Season 2 premiere.)
“What’s attention-grabbing about this present — and speaking in regards to the starting of Strolling Lifeless the place you had a extremely core group of individuals, that small group — I feel having the present think about Daryl particularly and his experiences, to put the groundwork for that after which to convey Carol in later, it permits for richer storytelling,” he informed TV Insider. “It simply doesn’t depend on two characters that you simply already know as a result of then there are much less locations to go. I feel it allowed Daryl to develop.”
“And the factor I like about having Norman and Melissa as govt producers is, they’re concerned of their character storytelling,” Nicotero continued. “Within the mornings [on set], I’ll at all times go to Norman’s trailer and we discuss in regards to the scenes collectively. There’s plenty of collaboration, and that feels nice from an artist’s standpoint to have the ability to collaborate. Norman, when he received employed on The Strolling Lifeless, it was as a result of Frank Darabont [who developed and executive produced The Walking Dead Season 1] noticed him and cherished him and informed me someday, ‘Name John Carpenter and discover out what it’s prefer to work with Norman Reedus. I actually like him and I need to work with him.’ I known as John, and John mentioned he’s an extremely intuitive actor. He involves set ready and he actually, actually is aware of his character. He’s confirmed that to me over and time and again. I like what he’s achieved with Daryl. I really feel like this Daryl Dixon has improved 20 fold to what he was in a position to do on the opposite present, and I’m actually excited to see it.”
“One different factor about that,” Zabel chimed in, “Clearly with Norman, however then with Melissa later, [there was] plenty of collaboration with me and the writers as a result of we’d be fools to not depend on actors who know these characters in addition to they do. It’s a special factor. It’s form of a present as a result of they know a lot about who they’re already that you simply need to construct on that. You don’t need to get caught and stagnate in that.”
“One of many first conversations I ever had with Melissa had been, what are the locations you suppose that Carol must go subsequent?” the showrunner continued. “What are the issues which are unresolved? What are the tales that really feel like the following evolution of the character whereas being true to the character? Similar factor with Norman. We’re not altering the character. We’re not altering who he’s. We’re not altering all the pieces we find out about him, however how can we enable him to proceed to evolve in a means that feels actual, but additionally looks like he’s transferring ahead?”
Discover out these solutions in The Strolling Lifeless: Daryl Dixon Season 2.
The Strolling Lifeless: Daryl Dixon, Season 1, Out there Now, AMC+
