As a spinoff, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon raises the question of whether it can be watched and understood without completing the flagship series. Not long after The Walking Dead concluded with season 11, the franchise released Daryl Dixon – its fifth spinoff and sixth show overall. In it, long-time original series regular Norman Reedus reprises his role as Daryl in a premise set twelve years into the apocalypse (and one year following the events of The Walking Dead). The spinoff finally gives Reedus a character-focused platform to stand on, extending past the rich history the franchise already established for him.
Reedus has appeared in nearly 150 episodes across all 11 seasons of The Walking Dead, which afforded an abundance of opportunity to develop Daryl’s pre- and post-apocalyptic life. For viewers who, at some point, fell off of The Walking Dead or started watching the franchise late in the game, the sheer amount of original series canon can seem daunting, especially in the case of Daryl. Concerning the Daryl Dixon spinoff, The Walking Dead franchise prepared to cater to new and returning viewers. However, whether the spinoff is viewable as a standalone is more complicated than a simple yes or no.
Daryl Dixon Season 1 Can Be Watched Without Finishing The Walking Dead
Daryl Dixon’s Story Supports Itself
Daryl Dixon’s foreign setting essentially serves as a new beginning for Reedus’ character, where he embarks on a journey that’s in continuity with The Walking Dead but isolated from the flagship series’ major players.
Daryl Dixon can be watched without finishing The Walking Dead, as its story supports itself. The spinoff finds Daryl washed ashore in France, the birthplace of The Walking Dead zombie outbreak, and follows him as he struggles to uncover how he got there, why, and a way to get home. Daryl Dixon’s foreign setting essentially serves as a new beginning for Reedus’ character, where he embarks on a journey that’s in continuity with The Walking Dead but isolated from the flagship series’ major players. Barring Daryl and a massive The Walking Dead cameo, Daryl Dixon consisted of all new characters.
Daryl Dixon comprises a cast of never-before-seen comrades and antagonists whose stories begin and develop within the series. Consequently, Daryl treads an unfamiliar landscape torn by conflicting autocratic and religious movements and decides which side to fight on, all by his lonesome. Daryl’s isolated journey positions season 1 of the Daryl Dixon spinoff to be viewed and understood as a standalone series; however, without having watched The Walking Dead, it’s impossible to enjoy all the spinoff has to offer within the overarching franchise and its premise may become more difficult to follow in future Daryl Dixon seasons.
Daryl Dixon Will Make More Sense If You’ve Completed The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead Enhances The Daryl Dixon Viewing Experience
By itself, Daryl Dixon’s story arc is easy enough to digest, but that doesn’t mean that Daryl’s The Walking Dead narrative should be so quickly overlooked. In fact, Daryl’s The Walking Dead narrative adds much-needed depth to the spinoff in the new relationships he forges and in the life-altering decisions or sacrifices he makes while finding a way home from France. Even more, Daryl’s history provides gratifying context to various references and details incorporated within the spinoff, making for an all-around better viewing experience of the character and the overarching Walking Dead universe.
Knowing Daryl’s story is also essential, seeing as Daryl Dixon will only get more intricate and complicated as more seasons are released. Daryl Dixon season 2 already has big plans to introduce a prominent Walking Dead figure into the fold. With little context as to who they are or how much they mean to Daryl, viewers could have trouble connecting to season 2’s story. Ultimately, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon is an effective reentry point into the franchise – but new and intermittent audience members would do well to catch up on The Walking Dead before its second season premieres.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol premieres on September 29.
News
‘We’ll Cry Together’: Cooper Andrews Dishes on ‘Shazam!’ and His Most Emotional ‘Walking Dead’ Scenes!
The Walking Dead’s mid-season premiere is fast approaching when Supa-Star Cooper Andrews a.k.a. Jerry on the hit AMC series answers his phone in the US, but he’s preoccupied with something far more pressing than a zombie apocalypse. “I’m sitting in the parking…
Beth’s Stunning Midseason Finale Death: Emily Kinney Shares Exclusive Insights!
Emily Kinney on The Walking Dead’s shocking midseason finale. [Warning: spoilers.] Frank Ockenfels/AMC The Walking Dead’s fifth midseason finale bid a gory farewell to Beth Greene, the teenager with a subtle tough streak that shone through in her final confrontation with…
Noah’s Top 5 Heart-Stopping Moments in The Walking Dead!
Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes, Michael Cudlitz as Abraham , Tyler James Williams as Noah, Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon and Sonequa Martin-Green as Sasha – The Walking Dead _ Season 5, Episode 10 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC /…
10 Worst Tropes In The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead is one of the most iconic and successful shows on television. However, that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. The show has had its fair share of ups and downs, and even its best seasons have flaws. In particular, there…
From Day One to Now: Inside Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride’s Long, Twisting ‘Walking Dead’ Adventure!
The story on how “Daryl Dixon — The Book of Carol” will connect back to the characters’ first meeting ever. Heads are swiveling to check out the guy walking into the El Patio lobby bar at the Four Seasons Madrid….
You’ll Never Guess What ‘Walking Dead’ Star Norman Reedus Is Fascinated By—Hint: It’s Not Zombies!
“We wanted to reinvent the show,” the actor said of his spinoff, “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon.” Filming in Madrid gave him time to explore the Prado. “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” is so successful that Norman Reedus is already…
End of content
No more pages to load