The Walking Dead Daryl Dixon: The Book of Carol – Vouloir, C’est Pouvoir

When I reviewed the first episode of season two, I proclaimed that I was not a fair-weather Walking Dead fan. But, after “Vouloir, C’est Pouvoir,” like Losang, my faith in the show is waning. With inconsistent and unforgivable, recycled plot choices, I don’t know if this episode was pointless, aimless, or just plain – less. Let me explain. 

The show’s premise: Daryl Dixon goes missing. He ends up in France. He finds people, passion, and purpose in protecting Laurent. Laurent as the possibly immune savior was a novel storyline so well done. However, other than fulfilling a promise to fans, the showrunner has been ham-handed with making Carol part of Daryl’s mission to rescue Laurent. My hope was that Carol’s journey in season two would be an internal one toward healing. However, besides Carol repeatedly seeing Sophia stumble from the barn, it appears that her coming to terms with Sophia’s death has stalled. For example, she tries not to tell Daryl the truth about how she got Ash to fly her to France, saying: “I may have embellished the facts.” When she finally tells him that she used Sophia as her motivation, she tells Daryl… “I don’t even know where it came from.” Of course, she knew. A second later, she admits, “I made up something I wish were true. He had a son.” Daryl pushes Carol to tell Ash the truth, which I doubt she would have done otherwise. Daryl and Isabelle were doing fine protecting Laurent, so Carol’s presence in France in this regard seems aimless.

“Vouloir, C’est Pouvoir” – THE WALKING DEAD DARYL DIXON THE BOOK OF CAROL, Pictured: Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier. Photo: Emmanuel Guimier/AMC AMC @2024 AMC Inc. All Rights Reserved

Some reviewers claim and complain about the show’s use of ‘plot armor.’ I don’t care because the show needs Daryl and Carol (I guess) to survive. Duh, the show is named Daryl Dixon. He is why we watch. What is unforgivable is inconsistent storytelling, lousy editing, or both. A few of the inconsistencies I want to point out include, Ash being astute enough to best the men Anna sent from the Demimonde – a cliched, underground French nightclub where I swear ‘Lady Marmalade’ is always playing – yet not skilled enough to avoid being knocked unconscious by walkers pushing against the car door. Another inconsistency between last week and this week’s episode surrounds Carol and Daryl’s use of the tranquilizers. Madame Genet dies but doesn’t reanimate when Carol shoots her in the back. But, when Daryl shoots tranquilizers into walkers, they become walker-killing machines. I guess that’s the difference between using the tranquilizer on the living versus the dead. I don’t want to guess. I want to know. Knowing might make Daryl’s decision to not take the extra darts after rescuing Ash make more sense. As of now – I don’t get it. A final inconsistency concerns what happened in the fight between Codron and Losang’s number two. Who even knows this woman’s name? Now that Losang is dead, she will likely play a pivotal role in the finale; therefore, it made little sense for Cordon, after killing her compatriots without hesitation, to let her live. This was so shortsighted of him. So pointless.

“Vouloir, C’est Pouvoir” – THE WALKING DEAD DARYL DIXON THE BOOK OF CAROL, Pictured: Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon, Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier, Eriq Ebouaney as Fallou – The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. Photo: Emmanuel Guimier/AMC @2024 AMC Inc. All Rights Reserved 

Still, the episode had its high points. For example, Codron seems to have made the kind of moral transformation Carol has yet to achieve. Perhaps if she had been imprisoned and tortured, like Codron and Daryl, by Madame Genet and Negan, respectively, she would have had the time and motivation to work on her “stuff” that has returned. Cordon recalled Laurent told him, “God loves us all.” Referring to the death of his brother, he admits, “Anger is a disease that makes you do terrible things.” Laurent commiserates, saying; “Fear also makes you do terrible things.” Remorseful, Codron confesses, “I hurt you a lot. I ask for your forgiveness.” Laurent says, “I already have forgiven you,” and continues, “I only hope one day you forgive yourself.”

“Vouloir, C’est Pouvoir” – THE WALKING DEAD DARYL DIXON THE BOOK OF CAROL, Pictured: Eriq Ebouaney as Fallou. Photo: Emmanuel Guimier/AMC @2024 AMC Inc. All Rights Reserved 

Losang arrives after Cordon and Laurent’s discussion. Spying the boy’s Rubik’s Cube, Losang orders a search. Fallou distracts and disrupts the search long enough for Codron to whisk Laurent away to relative safety at Demimonde. The world believes God is dead,” Losang rants. “This is why we need the boy. God is still here, and the boy is proof.” Fallou reminds Losang about faith. He reasons: “If you need proof, you’ve already lost it (faith).” Fallou’s comments remind me of Frankl’s (Man’s Search for Meaning) conclusions about why some people survived the Holocaust while others did not. Frankl posited that survival hinged on discovering meaning and purpose, rather than pleasure (Anna at the Demimonde) or power (Madame Genet), which inspires people with the will to live. Fallou accuses Losang, “Daryl wants to keep Laurent alive. You want to make him a martyr.” Fallou shines in this scene because he says things other than: “Go!” “Run!” “Hide!” Clearly, Fallou and the Union of Hope, like Daryl, find purpose in keeping Laurent alive.

“Vouloir, C’est Pouvoir” – THE WALKING DEAD DARYL DIXON THE BOOK OF CAROL, Pictured: Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon, Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier. Photo: Emmanuel Guimier/AMC @2024 AMC Inc. All Rights Reserved

Overall, the episode was, ‘meh.’ With the exceptions mentioned above, the episode felt a bit recycled and not in a good way. Specifically, Daryl hides Laurent and says, “stay here until I come back.” Who didn’t think of Rick and Sophia in this scene? Carol, Daryl, and Ash are in a car, surrounded by walkers. Did anyone fail to recall Aaron and Daryl falling into the Wolve’s trap in Season 6? Also, when Carol and Daryl go looking for Ash, they end up at a destroyed Maison de Mere. Who destroyed Maison de Mere and why? Why has Carol found Daryl’s tape and listened to it? Where is the scientist who created the tranquillizer? When Carol and Daryl locate Ash, why do they think they can overtake so many walkers without sufficient ammunition? These could be unanswered questions intentionally left by the writers to build suspense and add layers to the Daryl in France narrative. I am skeptical. For me, the unanswered questions seemed more accidental than planned. This outcome is unacceptable because it distracts from the story’s logical flow. 

Since the plane carries only three people, who do you think stays behind? Who do you think might die in the finale? One week to fix things. Can The Book of Carol, do it? Fingers crossed because – “Vouloir, C’est Pouvoir” – where there’s a will, there’s a way! Let me know your thoughts in the comments. 

Overall Rating: 

6/10

Lynette Jones