Now that more Walking Dead spinoffs are releasing after the main show’s conclusion, it’s time for a new take on the franchise, which is something the The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon offers. The same can’t be said for Dead City, as it doesn’t follow through with The Walking Dead’s promise. Although it’s comforting to watch something familiar, the same themes and ideas get repetitive, even for popular, successful franchises like The Walking Dead. It was only a matter of time until changes had to be made by introducing new characters, exploring darker themes in the apocalypse, or showing a different country completely.
The first episode of Daryl Dixon makes quick work of implementing such changes. Set in France, a location never seen before in The Walking Dead, it’s clear from the start that Daryl’s spinoff is going to be different in the best way possible. These Walking Dead spinoffs are supposed to bring something new to the table, from developing existing characters to incorporating darker storylines into the narrative. Fortunately, Daryl Dixon’s spinoff keeps The Walking Dead’s promise of future evolution, which sets a high standard for other upcoming shows.
Dead City Wasn’t The Walking Dead Evolution AMC Promised
The Walking Dead: Dead City doesn’t introduce anything new in terms of the visuals, themes, and storylines, making it an average spinoff that fails to follow through on the evolution AMC promised. Although Dead City is successful at bringing back the nostalgia of the original Walking Dead, it lacks unique themes and characters. One positive aspect of the series is that Negan and Maggie find themselves in an urban environment, which is different from the countryside and homely communities in the later seasons of The Walking Dead. Seeing New York in its decaying state is interesting, but it’s not enough to make this spinoff stand out.
Despite the missed opportunity in Dead City, there is still a chance for current and upcoming spinoffs to fulfill the long-awaited promise. Daryl Dixon seems to be leading this charge, and even though the first season hasn’t finished, it’s clear from the early episodes that audiences will see a different side of The Walking Dead. The same could happen in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, another upcoming spinoff centered on Rick and Michonne. If these shows set high standards for the franchise, then it’s possible Dead City season 2 will follow with more exciting, dissimilar developments.
Daryl Dixon’s Spinoff Is A Much Bigger Departure For The Walking Dead
Daryl Dixon’s spinoff is finally straying from The Walking Dead nostalgia and trying something new, which is a risk worth taking. In fact, there are now gloomy visuals and much darker themes in Daryl Dixon, making it stand out against other spinoffs in the franchise. Seeing as the show is set in France, there is already a significant difference, as audiences are used to watching the apocalypse play out in the United States. From the premiere, a depressing tone is quickly introduced through unsaturated shots, decaying corpses on the ground, and a new Walking Dead zombie threat called burners. Instantly, these changes made the spinoff more appealing.
Aside from the visuals, The Walking Dead did one of the darkest things in episode 2 of Daryl’s show by revealing a reanimated woman giving birth to her baby. Darker scenes like this make Daryl Dixon more realistic, and in turn, increase the tension. It’s about time that a spinoff honors The Walking Dead’s success without copying it too much, as audiences deserve to see something fresh after many years of watching the same characters fight normal zombies and encounter different villainous groups. That’s not to mention that Daryl Dixon is finally acknowledging the so-called variants other spinoffs have teased in the past.
Why Daryl Dixon’s Walking Dead Differences Are A Good Thing
Even though nostalgia is comforting, it can prevent a spinoff from reaching its full potential, especially when it comes to the world of The Walking Dead. This franchise has so much to explore, and with Daryl Dixon delving into new territory, audiences can witness unique storylines that change the universe completely. Daryl ending up in France is the first change, but now characters like Laurent have entered the picture, and he seems to be very important. Laurent being The Walking Dead’s first immune character already marks a massive divergence from the main show, promising to reveal more about the virus and a possible cure.
Of course, there are still nostalgic elements within Daryl Dixon’s spinoff, including Easter eggs that call back to earlier seasons of The Walking Dead. However, that doesn’t stop it from being creative in terms of visuals and unexplored themes in an apocalypse. These changes are a good thing, with future episodes promising insights into the zombie variants, experiments in France, and interesting knowledge about the outbreak. The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon clearly wants to try something new by honoring AMC’s promise about The Walking Dead’s evolution, which is a commitment Dead City fails to achieve in season 1.
