We’re five episodes into The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon and out of those five I’ve only really liked Episode 2. Episode 5—Deus Amours—gives us a bit more insight into how Daryl (Norman Reedus) made his way from the US to France, but nothing about it makes any sense.

In a series of flashbacks we find Daryl take on a job delivering zombies to an outpost in Maine in exchange for fuel. Things go poorly when he gets into a heated confrontation with some of the other zombie-fetchers and a scuffle breaks out. This is where things get a little odd.

The leader of the outpost breaks up the fight, telling his people to kick them out for breaking the rules. Daryl and the guy he was fighting are hauled away. But I guess they’re not just kicked out, but rather taken to a ship bound for France. The whole operation was apparently set up so that the French could take back both zombies and living prisoners from the US to France, because I guess they don’t have zombies and people to cull in Europe or something.

It’s very odd that they didn’t even show us what happens between the outpost and the ship. We just cut directly there and Daryl isn’t even putting up a fight. I’m struggling to make any sense out of it at all.

As I’ve noted in previous reviews, a ship this size would require thousands of gallons of fuel per day. Even if Genet’s organization has found a way to make lots of gas, it’s unlikely that they’d squander it all on an overseas voyage to . . . bring back people and zombies for their tests.

A few other head-scratching bits about this episode:

But hey, the super-zombies were fun! I’m a little annoyed still that they’re only super because of some bizarre French Captain America serum, but they’re still cool to see in action. I’m a little confused since it appeared we were getting naturally evolving zombies in the main show, but here they’re the results of science experiments, but I guess I shouldn’t expect much consistency out of The Walking Dead.

Daryl meets the first super-zombie on the ship as he escapes. It runs and climbs and dodges and doesn’t go down nearly as easily as a normal zombie. He meets his second super-zombie at Gelent’s fortress, where the episode ends on a cliffhanger with Daryl about to fight one arena-style. Of course, it’s not really a cliffhanger since we know Daryl will win and be just fine given the enormous plot armor that’s been bestowed upon him.

There was some cool action also. Daryl’s escape from the ship was exciting and not just because of the super-zombie. I really liked the bit where he’s struggling with the guards, grabs the rifle and blasts the guy with it right in the head. That was the kind of fast, brutal violence that we need more of in The Walking Dead.

I know the Carol cameo is supposed to be this big deal, especially since she said that someone has come back. That’s designed to make us think that Rick or Michonne have returned but it’s probably not either of them. It’s probably Morgan, come to think of it.

You know what it is.

I think I’m a little bitter and jaded over how often The Walking Dead pulls cheap tricks to toy with fans’ emotions, but this whole radio garble tease just bugs me more than anything.

Nothing about this show makes sense. Daryl being in France is silly. The Laurent-as-chosen-one stuff is preposterous. The bad guys expending so much time and so many resources to capture these two is absurd. Gelet is just another mustache-twirling super-villain with no depth. The notion that Daryl can just get a boat and make his way back to America is as silly as him getting to France in the first place.

Why isn’t this a show about Daryl in America tracking down Rick and Michonne? Why isn’t this leading toward something with them and the CRM? Hell, you could have built this whole thing around Daryl and Judith if you really wanted to knock off The Last Of Us.

Oh well. Whatever enthusiasm I once had for this show is all but dried up at this point. The sets and costumes and production value are all terrific, but you can’t sell a show on looks alone

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Previous Daryl Dixon Reviews: