The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 1, episode 3 recap “Paris Sera Toujours Paris”

While transporting Laurent to the Nest, Daryl’s quest to find access to a working radio takes the group into Paris. In The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 1 episode 3, someone from Isabelle’s past returns along with a surprising (not surprising if you are me) reveal.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 1, episode 3 recap – Side quest

Daryl’s request that the group move through Paris is constantly denied by Isabelle. It’s becoming obvious why she’s avoiding the city, and it has nothing to do with walkers.

After she and Daryl make a failed pit stop upon Isabelle’s request, Daryl has seen and been distracted long enough. Although the theater scene definitely pulled an array of emotions out of me from confusion to disgust, impressed and confused again, it didn’t reveal much outside of another example of the decay of one’s mind due to the apocalypse.

Simply put, a French theater actor I’m guessing, was able to use walkers to play instruments on the stage, with some being the actual instrument. Anyway, to Paris we go, where the show made the brilliant move to play the song “People are Strange” by The Doors in French!

As a fan of The Doors, thank you, seriously I loved it! But the group’s visit to the Paris cemetery wasn’t just to see where Jim Morrison is buried but to meet ally Fallou.

As a contact for the group to safely transport Lauren to the Nest, he welcomes them to his home where survivors can survive and flourish with a view of the city. It is there that Laurent shows his gifts to a grieving woman and where Daryl’s frustrations continue to mount.

Apparently, the best way to communicate with the Nest is by homing pigeons. After a message is sent, it could take up to a month to hear back.

Unhappy with the wait, Daryl still needs a radio.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 1, episode 3 recap – Paris

Knowing who can help and how, Isabelle returns to her old home, rummaging through her money, stolen goods and drugs from her reckless past. Daryl doesn’t judge as we know he’s been around a similar environment with Merle.

As the two leave, Isabelle finds a walker Aimee, whom if we recall in the last episode, was playing outside, informing Isabelle that her mother was worried about her father who didn’t come home the night before. By that point, Isabelle witnessed the chaos but what could she have done?

As walkers fall from the balconies (Dead City reference anyone?), Daryl uses one filled with acid to open a stubborn gate and they escape. They, alongside Fallou, Sylvie, her possible love interest Emile, and Laurent make it to an underground nightclub.

As Isabelle and Fallou try to make a deal with the stolen goods, Daryl can see that the plan is going south. Enter Quinn, who is alive and runs the place.

While he speaks with Isabelle and Daryl, Laurent finds the singer, Anna Valery, to be both beautiful and talented, admiring her necklace of the Eiffel Tower. She gives it to him as a gift.

Quinn takes Isabelle and Daryl to speak in private where it is revealed that Quinn not only saved Isabelle’s life when she attempted suicide, but he’s also Laurent’s father (it was pretty obvious). He is willing help them, if she’s willing to help him.

Knowing exactly where this is going, Daryl forces them to leave. Upon returning to Fallou’s home, the two get into several arguments regarding Laurent and Daryl’s reason to stay.

He believes Fallou’s place can keep Laurent safe the rest of the way to the Nest. But even Isabelle knows Laurent would be devastated if Daryl left.

As they argue, especially over how many lies Isabelle keeps feeding Laurent, the boy overhears everything and flees.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 1, episode 3 recap – Cliffhanger

As he’s fleeing, Codron, accompanied by a multitude of armed men arrive to find Daryl (thanks to Quinn ratting them out). Codron had left the convent and sought to fight with the political movement, Power of the Living.

This is the same group, led by Genet, who has been searching for Daryl since the season opener. After telling her about his need for revenge, as well as playing Daryl’s recording, Genet allows Codron to join.

While the two meet, an walker experiment is performed where, from what I can gather at least, the walker is injected with a substance to make it super strong before hemorrhaging and dying. Are we looking at weaponizing walkers?

Probably. As Codron and his men chase after Daryl, Isabelle cannot find Laurent.

Daryl and Codron fight one on one, with Daryl getting the upper hand, nearly killing him if it weren’t for Codron’s men. The episode closes with Daryl feeling the rooftop cave under his feet and he falls.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 1, episode 3 review

I thoroughly enjoyed this episode as from start to finish, I was intrigued what we’d see of Paris. Although there are walkers in the city, I somehow still expected to see more of them.

We don’t really know how Paris, or France as a whole, were handling the walker situation. If we look back to The Walking Dead, Atlanta was bombed by the government very quickly into the apocalypse.

This was before anyone knew that whether you are bitten or die, you turn. The Power of the Living is absolutely a CRM dupe, as they dress and act the same.

Their walker studies seem to parallel the CRM, where walker experiments are the main focus. Are they also responsible for the acid walkers?

What exactly is the end game? Weaponizing walkers is a smart idea, if you are a bad guy.

I figured it was a matter of time before Laurent either flees or gets kidnapped, as that seems to be what happens to most children in TWDU. But he needs to hear the whole truth, and Isabelle needs to understand he might not accept it right away.

As for Isabelle, Clémence Poésy and Norman Reedus have incredible on-screen chemistry! I love every scene they have together, as they both truly pull every emotion out of each other for better or worse.

Both are stubborn in their mission, both need each other in order to complete said mission, which means they’ll be needing to truly peel back the layers of themselves, which creates wonderfully vulnerable scenes. I’ve missed scenes like these, as Reedus can really dive into these moments just as well as the action-packed ones.

What did you think of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 1, episode 3? Let us know in the comments below!

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 1 episode 4 airs on October 1 on AMC.