The Walking Dead franchise has always thrived on its genre’s gravitational pull—zombies, survival, moral ambiguity—but Daryl Dixon Season 3 shows clear signs of wear. For longtime viewers, the series now functions less as a narrative engine and more as a nostalgia machine. Watching Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Carol (Melissa McBride) trudge through post-apocalyptic Europe evokes memories not of fresh storytelling, but of earlier, more emotionally resonant arcs. One scene, in particular, recalls Season 5’s “Consumed,” when the duo wandered Atlanta searching for Beth. That episode had weight. This one? Mostly echoes.

The emotional core of this spinoff—Daryl and Carol’s enduring bond—is both its strength and its limitation. Their dynamic is familiar, but increasingly static. As Daryl himself laments while approaching London, “Now all we do is run and fight. It ain’t no way to live.” It ain’t much of a way to run a show either. The promise of character growth feels thin, especially with the premature death of Isabell, the one new character who offered Daryl a chance to confront his emotional armor. If love is the theme this season, it’s hard to see where it will bloom. Carol and Daryl’s relationship remains platonic, and with Isabell gone, Daryl’s arc seems clipped before it could truly unfurl.

The franchise’s habit of introducing compelling side characters in the spinoffs only to dispatch them immediately continues here. Julian Chamberlain (Stephen Merchant) had the makings of a memorable addition—quirky, vulnerable, and narratively rich. But before we could even settle into his rhythm, he’s gone. Squidified. It’s a frustrating pattern that undermines the emotional stakes and squanders talent.

Where the writing falters, the visuals soar. The drone shots of the Seven Sisters cliffs are breathtaking, and the Spanish and English locales lend the series a cinematic texture that the original never quite achieved. These foreign backdrops are the show’s most compelling asset, offering a sense of scale and mystery that the plot often fails to match.

The cliffhanger involving masked raiders and shipwrecked boats injects a welcome jolt of intrigue. Still, the scene’s logic is questionable—how did the man on horseback miss Carol and Daryl crouched at his feet? His mask must not have eye holes. And who were the men Daryl spotted while rabbit hunting? Are they the same masked figures from the beach? And where is Carol, exactly? These open threads are just enough to keep viewers tuning in, even if the emotional payoff remains elusive.>>[3]

“Cost Da Morte” – THE WALKING DEAD DARYL DIXON, Pictured: Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier. Photo Credit: Manuel Fernandez-Valdes/AMC @2025 AMC Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon continues to coast on the goodwill of its legacy characters and the allure of its international settings. But without deeper character evolution or narrative innovation, it risks becoming a beautifully shot echo of its former self. Still, for those invested in the long arc of Daryl and Carol’s journey, the show offers just enough mystery to warrant another week’s watch.  

Overall Rating: 6/10