Warning: spoilers ahead for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 2.
AfterThe Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon’s season 2 finale, the franchise’s main group of survivors has gained two valuable additions that could each play a big role in ending the zombie outbreak. As an inevitable result ofThe Walking Deadbranching into a multitude of different spinoffs, its characters have spread widely across the map.
Regardless, Rick Grimes' core hub of survivors remains anchored to the network of communities that gradually formed throughoutThe Walking Dead’s eleven seasons. The Commonwealth has become the de facto capital due to its sheer size, but Alexandria, Oceanside, a rebuilt Hilltop, and potentially even the remains of the Civic Republic are all included in the thriving alliance.
Precious little has been seen of these communities sinceThe Walking Dead’s ending, but hope for a reunion remains. Even ifThe Walking Deadseason 12never happens, a crossover has been teased, and Gabriel’s cameo inThe Ones Who Livedemonstrates how individual characters can move between shows. When the franchise eventually does return focus to its main group, however, there will be two new additions who could potentially make significant contributions toward solvingThe Walking Dead’s zombie outbreakfor good.
Is Laurent The Next Rick Grimes?
In Laurent,The Walking Dead’s main group has gained a promising new leader for the future.Daryl Dixonseason 2 endswith Laurent flying off to live in the Commonwealth, while Daryl and Carol take the long way home after being unable to squeeze onto the same plane.Laurent has been hailed as a child prodigythroughout theDaryl Dixonspinoff, and while his idol status was partly due to the Union’s misguided belief that being born to a zombified mother made him immune to the virus, the youngster also possesses many qualities worthy of a future community leader.
While Laurent is highly unlikely to enjoy natural immunity to the zombie virus,Daryl Dixonhas never conclusively ruled out the idea.
Despite not being old enough to grow a beard, Laurent has developed a unique philosophy about life, and has also displayed a powerful way of connecting with total strangers on a deep emotional level. From grieving survivors to his own enemies,Laurent is a talented influencer of hearts and minds. In just two seasons ofDaryl Dixon, the child has successfully convinced Codron to switch sides, coaxed Anna to help him escape, and turned the famously cold Daryl Dixon into a father figure. Even Carol couldn’t help but be affected by Laurent’s empathetic nature.
So influential is Laurent,Daryl Dixon’s main villains,Genet and her Pouvoir du Vivant group, have pumped huge amounts of time and resources into his capture. Laurent is the closest thing to a natural-born leaderThe Walking Deadhas (without the surname “Grimes”), and the kid from France would perfectly complement the more battle-tested Judith as co-leader of the Commonwealth 15 or 20 years intoThe Walking Dead’s timeline. Between them,Judith and Laurent have a realistic chance of bringing civilization backtoThe Walking Dead’s world.
Is Laurent Immune In The Walking Dead?
In episode 2 of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, Laurent’s flashback hints at something that could completely change the whole franchise.
It should also be noted that while Laurent is highly unlikely to enjoy natural immunity to the zombie virus,Daryl Dixonhas never conclusively ruled out the idea. No one can say for sure what it means in scientific terms for a child to be born to an undead mother, and if Laurent truly is resistant, his blood could lead the charge to wipe out zombies forever. If he isn’t, the Commonwealth is still infinitely better for his presence.
Also joining the Commonwealth afterDaryl Dixonseason 2’s ending will be Ash, the pilot of the plane ferrying Laurent from France to the United States. Ash is, by any measure, not cut out to be any sort of leader, and he certainly isn’t immune to the zombie virus. Worse than that, Ash is really quite poor at post-apocalyptic survival in general, and would have died several times over in France without assistance from Daryl and Carol.
Ash almost died after leaving his temporary shelter and getting chased into a car by zombies. In the finale, he walks into an open space without checking the shadows and is quickly pulled back by Daryl as a zombie emerges.
What Ash does bring to the table - and the reason he survived this long into the outbreak - are deeply impressive engineering and mechanical skills.Ash built a fully-functional, self-sustaining compoundcomplete with fuel, food, security, and electricity, and that creation protected him for most of the zombie apocalypse. If that was not enough, Ash also learned to fly and maintain aircraft during his downtime. What Ash lacks in field skills, therefore, he more than makes up for in sheer ingenuity and invention, which immediately draws comparison toThe Walking Dead’s Eugene.
While not quite as awkward in social situations,Ash would make a fantastic companion for Eugenein the Commonwealth. Pooling their knowledge would allowThe Walking Dead’s allied communitiesto make technological and structural advancements that would never have been possible otherwise, bringing the network of allies one step closer to restoring the world.
Can Laurent & Ash Return To The Walking Dead?
If Ash & Laurent Return To The Franchise, How Could It Happen?
While season 2 ends with Daryl and Carol walking to England,Daryl Dixonseason 3will be primarily set in Spain, effectively ruling out any sort of meaningful appearances from Laurent or Ash. After everyone worked so hard to get him to the Commonwealth, Laurent is hardly likely to insult their sacrifices by flying back to Europe. Ash would perhaps attempt to retrace his steps and pick up the two friends he left behind, but would have no way of knowing that Daryl and Carol had already moved on from France to Spain.
As a result, the prospect of either character featuring inDaryl Dixonseason 3 seems very unlikely. Nevertheless, other options are on the table. A potentialThe Walking Deadcrossoverhas been discussed by franchise overlord Scott M. Gimple, and plenty of unanswered plot threads - Morgan looking for Rick, Designation 2, the fungi weapon fromWorld Beyond- are ripe for continuation in such a project. Even Daryl’s story cannot end until he finally reunites with Rick Grimes. In any sort of project that brings all factions ofThe Walking Dead’s cast together, Laurent and Ash would be expected to join.
Is Daryl Dixon Season 3 Really Set In Spain? Because Daryl & Carol Are Going The Wrong Way
Daryl Dixon season 3 is scheduled to take place in Spain, but Carol and Daryl’s season 2 ending creates confusion about the spinoff’s next setting.
If a crossover never comes to pass, one would imagine that, at the very least,Daryl Dixon’s series finale will end on Daryl returning to the Commonwealth and being greeted by a beaming Laurent, setting up potential adventures to come. After compelling performances in Daryl’s spinoff, there simply must be some kind offuture in theWalking Deadfranchise for Louis Puech Scigliuzziand Manish Dayal, and Gimple has confirmed as much, stating, “There are different things I’ve been working on, and I have absolutely played with how Laurent might fit within those things in America.”
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixonis clearly not the end of the road for Laurent and Ash, then, and whenever they resurface, the Commonwealth will almost certainly be a better place for having them around. Daryl Dixon may have left a big hole when he departed the Commonwealth and was subsequently abducted by Pouvoir du Vivant, but the trip has ultimately putThe Walking Dead’s survivors in a better position than they were when Daryl was last there.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon
In a post-apocalyptic France, the series follows Daryl Dixon as he navigates the complexities of a new landscape. Separated from his familiar world, Daryl faces unexpected challenges and forges new alliances while confronting the lingering threats of a walker-infested reality.
