Too Much of a Good Thing

(060525) Both the novel and subsequent film World War Z was great because it showed a zombie outbreak from the points of views of many people from different countries and cultures. The 2021 Netflix show Army of the Dead was original because it was essentially a heist film played out in a post-apocalyptic, zombie run Las Vegas-and some of the zombies were more sympathetic than some of the humans. The 2016 South Korean horror film Train to Busan was memorable because the humans were trapped alongside the zombies on a train in Asia. George Romero's Dawn of the Dead was special because it showed zombies in a shopping mall in an effort to satirize consumer culture. The Vertigo Comic and subsequent CW series: I Zombie revolved around a benevolent and noble female zombie that solves murder mysteries. I could go on, and do in my article on the best zombie films: The Best Zombie Films – ART INTERVIEWS

And then we have the cultural phenomenon of The Walking Dead. The original AMC series was based on the Walking Dead Image Comics series written by Robert Kirkman and drawn by Terry Moore, and Charles Aldard. The comic series is considered a classic and it was far superior to any horror book at Marvel, DC or any Independent has put out in quite a long time. Surprisingly Kirkman has done little to exploit the success of his original comic series. Currently the Walking Dead Deluxe (a colorized reprinting of the original series) and a handful of one shot spin offs are all the other Walking Dead comic material in existence. The same can not be said of the TV series adaptation.

The AMC series Daryl Dixon is one of several several spin-offs of the original show: The Walking Dead (2010-2022), each with varying levels of success and quality. These shows essentially focus on either the adventures of new characters and settings in the Walking Dead universe, supported by an original series character (Fear the Walking Dead) or detailing the further adventures of an original series character with new supporting characters added (Dead City). While Kirkman is credited here once again as the show’s producer, it's hard to tell how much he actually had to do with this show-I suspect very little with the title being a contractual citation more than anything creative.

In any case the streaming series Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon falls into the latter category and should have won me over easily, unfortunately it is probably too much of a good thing. The original Walking Dead series was one of my favorite horror programs ever although I admit it was overlong and I did not watch the last few seasons, Daryl was by far one of its most interesting characters along with the Sheriff Rick Grimes and Michonne.

Here narrative takes place just after the original series ends and features the very American biker Daryl, the motorcycle riding anti-hero who is tough on the outside but sensitive deep down, is transported to Europe- specifically France. He finds himself protecting a child who is supposed to be a messiah and this allows the show to bring in some religious themes. The stranger in a strange land slight twist here is not enough to make the show especially distinctive and it never rises above the dozens of other zombie series and films. Although the show is competently acted and features ok scripts it is in no way groundbreaking or distinctive.

The film stars the fine genre film actor, Norman Mark Reedus as Daryl. Reedus has a long history of playing characters in cult, fantasy, biker and horror shows and films. Sharp eyed film fans may have recognized him from the cult classic Boondock Saints as well as several episodes of Charmed. He also played an ally of Blade the vampire killer in Blade II who was secretly a double agent working for the vampires. In addition, he is currently starring in the reality TV show Ride with Norman Reedus in which he takes his motorcycle to a new area each week and discusses it. Finally, he played a major character in the great motorcycle gang film, The Bike Riders. I liked him so much in this show that I can almost recommended it just based on his performance.

His co-star, Clémence Poésy is a French actress/model who played in the critically acclaimed art film hit, In Bruges. But she is best known to Americans for her role as Fleur Delacour in the Harry Potter films: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part One and Two. In Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon she is Isabelle Carriere, a compelling and progressive Frnch nun who is caring for a child. Here she radiates a quiet dignity and strength. She may or may not have romantic feelings for Daryl who spends an awful amount of time helping her and mentoring the future messiah.

The streaming audience does not seem to mind the ordinariness of the program. While many fine Netflix shows like Dead Boy Detectives (2024) have been prematurely cancelled after one season, this show has been a comparative financial success. Daryl Dixon has already had two seasons with a good viewer turnout and it was renewed for a third. Part of its success is the continuation of zombie gore with many good stomach-churning special effects. In one scene that should please Fangoria fans two men graphically pull a zombie’s head off with chains pulling in opposite directions while the mouth is still moving. In another a whole head explodes to the delight of the blood thirsty lowest common denominator crowd in a public fight.

Season One begins when Daryl escapes the zombie infested USA and takes a boat to France which seems a bit safer. The start is somewhat hopeful that the new land the heroes come to will be better than the one left behind. In fact Europe is in worse shape than the States but Daryl meets new survivors, specifically a nun and a child that she is caring for and together they gradually become a kind of a family. The nun is a great character and she has great chemistry with Daryl, and her child comes to think of him as a son. Daryl’s main antagonist besides the "walkers" as they are still called here is a sociopathic Frenchman who blames him for his brother’s death and for most of the first season he is on Daryl’s trail. The only thing he cares about is vengeance and because of his single-mindedness and skill set he reminds me a little of Marvel’s The Punisher. One of the best episodes is the Season One ender in which Daryl’s put in a Gladiator-like arena and must fight mechanically enhanced zombies alongside a reluctant human ally.

In Season Two, the suspense is built around who if anyone is going to get to fly to America while a bunch of religious zealots chase after the heroes. But the show prematurely kills off one of my favorite new characters too early on only to bring in an old Walking Dead character I did not care much about. In this second season  the series’ philosophic and religious themes from the first season are developed more in depth. The boy that Darryl tries to protect is seen as the messiah so this sets Daryl up as a sort of outlaw John the Baptist.

There are some philosophy discussions between Daryl who pro self-defense and Losang (Joel de la Fuente), a Buddhist guru that abhors all violence. Losang wants the nun’s adopted son to follow his path and spiritual calling and he sees Daryl as a negative competing influence. At one point Losang has to test out his views. But Losang is not an especially interesting adversary. He is not fleshed out well and does not have a good origin story to explain how he got his beliefs.

The show also gives us some background info on the actual zombie virus which provides some social commentary on some real-life events and conspiracy. We get to see a lab in which they experiment with zombies in France, and it is hinted that the virus is the result of government experiments which parallels the conspiracy theory that the Corona Virus came out of experiments in China.

While there are some good character parts in both Seasons, however the overall series is not strong or unique enough to give it a positive recommendation. Much of the time the show seems to be stumbling around philosophical points and trying to find a direction, but it never does. Viewers will have to decide if it is worth the five episode buildup's to see the good final episodes of each Season. Many horror TV fans will probably give the film a slight passing grade, but for me it’s a no. Daryl is a great character deserves a much grander story and show.