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The Walking Dead may have ended its run back in 2022, but the franchise is still kicking thanks to multiple spinoffs. Dead City and Daryl Dixon have continued the stories of fan-favorite characters Maggie, Negan, Carol, and Daryl; meanwhile, a limited series, The Ones Who Live, checked back in with Rick and Michonne. These shows aren’t hitting the same levels of popularity that the main show did in years prior, but the franchise’s recent form has been producing the best Walking Dead content since its heyday.

Daryl Dixon season 3 catches up with Carol (Melissa McBride) and Daryl (Norman Reedus) as they reach England following their harrowing journey through the Chunnel. It quickly becomes apparent that England has fared no better in the apocalypse – in fact, the island country looks to have fared worse than most. They meet the last Englishman in England, a delightful as always Stephen Merchant, and set sail for home. However, things soon go south, literally, as a storm wrecks their boat and washes them ashore in Spain.

The Spanish Setting Helps Right The Wrongs Of Daryl Dixon Season 2

A New Locale, Characters, & Challenges Create A Fresh Start

Initially, sending Daryl to France was the engine behind what made his spinoff the most exciting. It offered a global perspective on the outbreak, allowed the series to shoot in some stunning locations, and thrust Daryl into unfamiliar territory, both physically and emotionally. Season 2 was more of the same, but it was also hurt by needing to balance a stupidly complicated villain plot and the reintroduction of Carol, on top of continuing Daryl’s story with Isabelle and Laurent. It was too much story for the season’s six episodes, and the show lost focus on what worked so well the first time around.

Daryl Dixon season 3 (with its curious lack of a subtitle à la season 2’s The Book of Carol) has regained a sense of Daryl, and now Carol, being strangers in a strange land. Where last season had Daryl too wrapped up a convoluted plot, here there’s a distance that allows Carol and him to be outside observers with a clearer view of what's going on. That is, until they inevitably become involved, but at least Spain offers enemies who are more interesting and struggles that are more personal than the child messiah nonsense of season 2.

The country is ruled by what remains of its royal class, reformed under the name El Alcázar. In return for food and weapons, towns are required to send their daughters as offerings, an Ofrenda, to El Alcázar, where they’re married off or made to work as servants. This patriarchal oligarchy has been in charge since the outbreak, and its customs have become familiar and tough to break. Add to this multiple roving gangs of bandits, bikers, and some revolutionaries, and it’s a very detailed and interesting world that Carol and Daryl enter.

Another strength of season 3’s new setting are the characters, who feel more real and grounded than the blind followers of Pouvoir or the Union. Their struggles are more relatable, too. Friends, lovers, and families have been torn apart by El Alcázar, and in one town, it’s a cruelty abetted by their own leader. When Carol and Daryl are finally compelled to act, it feels justified not just because they are characters who regularly cannot let evildoers go unchallenged, but because the relationships they’ve formed with the townspeople feel genuine.

Last, but certainly not least, the move to Spain allows for some truly breathtaking scenery and cinematography. Daryl Dixon season 3 really leans into a spaghetti western aesthetic, sometimes even filming in the same locations as those famous films. There’s one episode in particular that positions Daryl like he’s the protagonist of a Sergio Leone film, riding into town and fighting off the bandits who are harassing them. Things even get a bit Mad Max at one point, and it all feeds into giving season 3 a completely reinvented look from seasons 1 and 2.

Both Daryl & Carol Receive Meaningful Arcs In Season 3

The Franchise Veterans Get Some Great, Meaty Material To Chew On

A theme that runs throughout Daryl Dixon but really comes to a head in season 3 is the idea that Daryl and Carol must overcome their past trauma and learn to live again. Daryl experiences this briefly with Isabelle, and Carol does manage to put her grief to rest at the end of season 2, but season 3 forces them to confront what’s been holding them back. It’s the kind of material these characters can only be afforded in a spinoff that centers them, and thankfully, McBride and Reedus are more than up to the challenge.

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For Carol, this means reengaging with her nurturing side, while still not backing down from a fight when necessary. It’s she who gets to know the people living in and around the small Spanish town they wind up in, allowing her to build a new community not so unlike what Daryl had in France. While Carol’s interactions with Ash in season 2 were a nice change of pace, here she’s pushed out of her comfort zone even more, and the result is a chance for McBride to really stretch the character she’s played for over a decade.

As for Reedus’ Daryl, he doesn’t exactly take a backseat to McBride’s Carol in season 3, but his main arc is more subtly explored. While still grieving the death of Isabelle and missing Laurent, Daryl spends this season thinking back on his own childhood trauma and how it’s shaped his life. He’s given the time for this reflection during a stretch where he’s off on his own, and these episodes are the best of the whole season. In fact, as enjoyable as Daryl Dixon has been, I’d absolutely tune in for a series of Daryl just roaming the wasteland, rescuing a new community each week.

Among the current Walking Dead shows, Daryl Dixon has been the most approachable for newcomers and the most engaging for lapsed viewers. After stumbling a bit with season 2, Daryl Dixon season 3 is a return to form. It makes the most of its new setting, using Spain for its stunning locations as well as fascinating history and culture. The new cast members and fresh story are just what was needed, and the deeper exploration of characters we’ve been following for years is very satisfying. It’s exactly what I’ve wanted from this series, and I’m now all the more hopeful season 4 won’t repeat past mistakes.