Now that The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon has confirmed the timeline between The Walking Dead to the start of the spinoff, Daryl’s original ending is as pointless as ever. The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon has been a successful spinoff of The Walking Dead, earning a 70% on Rotten Tomatoes and two additional seasons. Audiences have evidently enjoyed seeing Daryl’s exploits in France, where the zombie virus first took root. However, The Walking Dead’s ending seems strange, especially now that it’s understood that Daryl Dixon takes place mere weeks after The Walking Dead’s final episode.

In a recent interview, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon creator David Zabel clarified the Daryl Dixon season 1 and 2 timelines. In particular, Zabel revealed that the spinoff takes place “only three or four weeks after [Daryl] left the Commonwealth on his bike.” This means that The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon picks up almost immediately after The Walking Dead’s finale. Apparently, Daryl Dixon season 2 will also continue right from the end of Daryl Dixon season 1. On one hand, this new information is interesting, but on the other, it messes with the integrity of The Walking Dead’s ending.

Daryl Dixon’s Spinoff Timeline Confuses Daryl’s Reason For Leaving The Commonwealth

Daryl Didn’t Need To Leave The Commonwealth At All

At the end of The Walking Dead, Daryl leaves the Commonwealth in order to search for Rick. However, now that audiences know Daryl goes to France immediately after, this ending feels like it has no point. Daryl was shown returning home in season 1, which indicates that he had already given up on finding Rick. The Walking Dead’s ending made it feel like Daryl was going to go on a specific adventure, yet he ended up going on a completely different one. Daryl’s decision to leave no longer makes sense, since nothing actually came from it.

In reality, Daryl didn’t need to leave the Commonwealth at all. He could have been kidnapped just as easily on a routine supply run. There was no reason to force his character away from those he cares about, as that development could have been saved for Daryl Dixon. If Daryl had stayed in the Commonwealth at the end of The Walking Dead, his ending might have felt more satisfying or comforting. Rather than splitting up The Walking Dead cast, the characters could have stayed together and been more or less happy.

Daryl Dixon’s The Walking Dead Ending Already Felt Forced

Daryl Didn’t Need Such An Obvious Setup

The other reason why Daryl Dixon’s timeline hurts The Walking Dead’s ending relates to how it went against the trajectory of Daryl’s story. Daryl’s exit was slightly overdramatic, and was obviously a set-up for Daryl Dixon’s spinoff that went against his current goals, which were looking after R.J. and Judith. However, this could have worked better if Daryl’s exit made an impact on the start of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, but it didn’t. The Walking Dead could have kept Daryl right where he was and nothing would have changed.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 2 is set to premiere on September 29, 2024.