The following contains spoilers for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 2, Episode 1, “La gentillesse des étrangers,” which premiered Sunday, Sept. 29 on AMC.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 1 ended with an uncharacteristic version of Daryl. At the last minute, Norman Reedus’ character decided to ditch his one shot at a ride to America to stay with Isabelle and Laurent Carrier in France. For any other lone wolf just starting their arc in a television series, this is the rightful turning point as a form of exposure therapy. For Daryl, who’d already had his “I want companionship” epiphany, this moment felt forced. Now it’s the Season 2 premiere’s job to amend the Season 1 finale’s verdict.

“La gentillesse des étrangers” tells a split story between now two protagonists: Daryl and his friend Carol Peletier. Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol kicks off not too long after Daryl decided to remain in the country. His presence in Laurent’s life adds a snag to Losang’s already precarious situation being at war with the Power of the Living. Across the Atlantic Ocean, Carol follows in Daryl’s footsteps with a few tricks up her sleeve she’s acquired over the years in the apocalypse. Daryl and Carol aren’t reunited quite yet, but the premiere of a complicated Season 2 sets the stage for it to happen — with a few bumps in the road foreshadowed.

America and France Share the Screen in the Season 2 Premiere

Daryl Dixon Shows Off American and French Scenery

Daryl Dixon has mostly stayed in France for most of its run — other than the flashbacks in Season 1, Episode 5, “Deux Amours.”It takes some readjusting to get acquainted with the American landscape and drawn-out accents in the Season 2 premiere, but those moments feel right at home for The Walking Dead fans. Carol’s ride along the deserted road in Maine resembles The Walking Dead‘s rural Georgia in its most barren state. The characters she meets along the way boost the Americanism of her road trip. Carol’s short stint at the car shop with the mechanic brutes is a funny scene to ease the tension just because of how modernly American these characters are. They’re slow to the draw and quick to dismiss Carol, who is probably the only woman they’ve seen in months. Nobody would ever see these characters in classic Western films, unless they’re stereotyped as the town drunks — and they’re not even drunk here.

Things in France are more elegant on the surface, but what’s underneath hides dirtier intentions. The Mont-Saint-Michel is its own character in the episode, letting Daryl Dixon take advantage of its isolated exterior beneath France’s clear blue sky or spacious medieval interior. A fight sequence between the Union of Hope and the Power of the Living takes place in a normal town in France, which is a change of pace from Daryl Dixon showing off the grandiose spectacle of turning iconic locations into deprecated ruins. As far as people go, it’s almost as if they take themselves too seriously in France. Carol can have an ironic breakdown over a meditative tape stuck during a car ride, but nobody in France is allowed that type of humor. There’s also less obvious religious imagery in this episode compared to the first season. The allusions to the Union of Hope’s devout commitment are just subtle enough: conservative wardrobe, Losang’s “defensive over offensive” stance, and a preference for philosophy lessons over weapons training.

Daryl Dixon Season 2 Passes Over Isabelle for a New Charming Sidekick

As Ash Mesmerizes the Audience, Isabelle Sits on the Sidelines

Clémence Poésy isn’t given a lot to expand on in the premiere of The Book of Carol. Isabelle mostly resorts to reacting to situations in a glum manner, as if she is holding back her true feelings to prevent conflict. The one time she speaks on her own behalf is when she tells Daryl that she’d be happy at the Nest, but it’s only to persuade him that he’d be content as well. Isabelle had the charisma of a protagonist in Season 1, so for her to be watered down to a passive female character is disappointing. But in Daryl Dixon‘s defense, this is only the first episode of a six-part season. Isabelle is obviously a big factor in Daryl’s French vacation, and his value of her word foreshadows her rising once again to great importance.

Isabelle’s smaller part in “La gentillesse des étrangers” could also be chalked up to the introduction of a new supporting character of equal standing: Ash. Manish Dayal’s newcomer character is everything people want in a Walking Dead character: he’s kind and charitable, but also a cautious and capable survivor who will raise his voice when necessary. These esteemed qualities come with a curse in The Walking Dead franchise; innocents with very few flaws are almost always destined to bite the dust. Let’s hope Ash doesn’t follow in Glenn’s footsteps.

Ash: if you’re not moving forward, then you’re dying.

For the time being, though, Ash and Carol’s dynamic is more potent than the prospect of Daryl and Carol’s reunion.Daryl and Carol have an unconditional friendship like no other in the TWD franchise — yet newer characters add a complicated layer to these established characters. Carol revisiting the death of her daughter Sophia is maximized by Ash’s resistance to letting go of his deceased son. Both her unresolved trauma and obsession with finding Daryl brings out the worst in her, which she’s buried for years. Carol’s unrepentant about using Ash’s loss to her own advantage, but she’s lost in grief herself.

The Season 2 Premiere Is a Solid Prologue for What’s to Come

Daryl Dixon Season 2, Episode 1 Sets up New Hurdles for Daryl and Carol

Carol lying to Ash that Sophia is alive in France may be taken as a sign that she’s morally corrupt. It took years for Carol to brush off the part of herself that would psychologically torture a child to keep them safe, and come to a place where she could balance necessary viciousness with tenderness. But the silent guilt that McBride portrays in her eyes conveys Carol’s softer side. McBride doesn’t play Carol as heartless; she plays her as troubled and desperate for tranquility. It never has to be stated that Carol is bored by normalcy and tormented by her loneliness. McBride’s precise performance says enough. The same could even be said for Daryl and Isabelle, who only touch the surface of how they truly feel. Instead, they leave shifty body language and awkward staging of their characters to tell the truth. The application of “showing not telling” is a vast improvement from the first season, which overexplained character motivations far too frequently.

There’s also something suspicious going on with Losang and his partner-in-crime Jacinta, whose relationship is undefined. Jacinta didn’t even have a name in the first season, but has risen to become an influential character for Losang. The camera turns to her in Losang’s moments of uncertainty; she is clearly certain about her standing with a confident smile. Losang is reserved as the Union of Hope’s leader — like Carol, he’s battling his own demons that he’s not assertive enough to express. His back-and-forth verbal battle with Daryl about Laurent’s purpose is like watching a tennis match between two all-stars. Religion vs. practicality is a passive-aggressive theme in the Season 2 premiere, but how long will it take until it becomes actively aggressive?

“La gentillesse des étrangers” has some clunky moments that are incorporated to conveniently move the plot along. For instance, Genet narrowly escaping her death because Daryl didn’t take the perfect shot immediately is frustrating. Otherwise, the Season 2 premiere lays the foundation for future tragedies. Carol’s lie to Ash will surely be exposed when they land in France, and Losang is slowly dipping into religious fanaticism. It would’ve been better if Isabelle had been on the other side of the court, questioning Losang to show her progressively doubting her faith. But Daryl at least has a firm purpose in the story as the “bad influence” on Laurent in Losang’s eyes. Alas, his decision to stay in France may have shifted the war entirely. Sooner or later, Daryl will have both the Power of the Living and the Union of Hope targeting his back.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 2 airs Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET on AMC and AMC+.