Here’s where The Walking Dead universe stands: Rick and Michonne reunited with their kids, RJ and Judith. They are living their happily ever after, as it appears that The Ones Who Live will not be renewed.

Elsewhere, in New York City, Maggie exchanges Negan to the Croat for her son, Hershel. The Croat’s boss, The Dama, plans to compel Negan into becoming the Negan of old and raising another army. In the second season, Maggie will presumably feel guilty about trading Negan for her son and will endeavor to rescue him from The Dama.

Finally, there’s Daryl and Carol. In the first season of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, Daryl finds his way to France (don’t ask), where he meets a special kid, Laurent, who many believe holds the secret to ending the zombie apocalypse. Laurent was born to an infected mother, which might sound familiar to The Last of Us fans. He’s currently involved with a bohemian, new-age cult called The Nest, which believes in peace above all else (how it’s not being overrun is a mystery). Daryl maintains peace by kicking bad-guy ass, which doesn’t sit well with The Nest as he awaits a boat to take him back to America. He’s also a little smitten with Laurent’s aunt, Isabelle, who is a nun, but only in the loosest sense.

Meanwhile, back in America, Carol decides she’d like to track down Daryl. In the season premiere of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon: The Book of Carol, Carol finds herself in Maine, where she discovers—after some investigating—that Daryl is in France. She decides she’d like to get to France too, but there are no boats scheduled because, well, there are no schedules in the zombie apocalypse. What’s a girl to do?

Just as Carol realizes she needs to get to France, she spots a plane flying overhead, a rarity in the apocalypse. She tracks down the owner of that plane, Ash (Manish Dayal), a reclusive man who’s been living on his own for a long time. Carol manipulates Ash into using his prop plane to fly them across the Atlantic, with a stop in Greenland. The first episode ends with Carol and Ash making a sooner-than-expected departure as zombies converge.

In sum: The state of The Walking Dead universe is fine. There’s no real sense of urgency anymore. It all feels like a grim, never-ending soap opera, but it’s relatively entertaining. What really struck me, however, was the friendly, loose, and funny camaraderie between Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride in the behind-the-scenes footage of the second season premiere. I couldn’t help but think how much better not just this show — but The Walking Dead: Dead City — might be if the writers switched up the tone to something more akin to an action-comedy vibe. The cast is more than capable, and after nearly 15 years, the bleak, serious tone established by Frank Darabont from the beginning feels well beyond stale. Hopefully, we’ll see at least a little of that when Daryl and Carol reunite.