The Walking Dead Daryl Dixon Season 3 Episode 1 called Costa da Morte, thats a lot of words to present and episode, but it finally dropped and honestly I was not expecting much after how season 2 turned out, but damn this episode suprised me with its character building, its like they took everything that made season 1 work and decided to throw in some fresh energy while keeping Carol and Daryl together which is exactly what this show needed. The episode starts with them walking through what looks like the english countryside and you can tell right away that the production quality went up big time with more practical effects and less CGI putting more craft into it, the cinematography looks amazing specially when they get to London and see all those zombies covered in vines and vegetation, it really makes you feel like this world has been abandoned for years and nature is taking everything back. Daniel Percival did an incredible job directing this episode and you can see his vision in every single shot, from the way he captures the post apocalyptic London to how he makes even simple scenes feel cinematic, the art direction and set design are probably the best things about this first episode and it shows they really put effort into making this feel different from what we got in France, I think that was the key for me making it more cinematic.
- IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13062500/
- Platform: PRIME VIDEO
Seeing Daryl and Carol together again felt great because their chemistry is only match by Rick and Michonne, feels so natural and you can tell Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride know these characters inside and out after playing them for over a decade, from all this spin off the more natural and probably healthier relationship. The script feels much better this time, no more of that weird way of speaking that made characters sound like they were reading philosophy books instead of talking like real people it was probably because of the region and been in France, everything was probably more dramatic and now its more American??, both actors probably had input on their lines and it shows because everything feels more authentic. When they get trapped on that balcony surrounded by walkers you can feel the desperation but also this sense of them being tired of always running and fighting, Carol even says something about how this might be their time and its one of those moments that even makes you feel like its probably time to go down since these characters have been through so much hell. The zombie action sequences are pretty good too although they are not the main threat anymore and thats good too but keep them in the mix.
Then Julian Chamberlain shows up and Stephen Merchant is fantastic in this role I remember him a lot from those Big Bang Theory episodes, he plays this awkward lonely guy who calls himself the last englishman and you immediately like him even though you know exactly whats going to happen to him, die. This is where the show becomes predictable because anyone whos watched The Walking Dead for years knows that when they introduce a likeable new character like this he is basically dead meat, Merchant is charming and eccentric that you actually care about Julian even knowing his fate, but I also have to admit at first didnt know if he was going to play the nice guy role or been freaky for been alone for so long. The whole exposition about London being sealed off and how everyone died feels a bit rushed though, like they wanted to get through the backstory quickly so they could move on to the boat stuff, I think it would have been more interesting to spend more time in London and really explore how England dealt with the apocalypse instead of just glossing over it. The dinner scene with the rabbit and alcohol is nice because its where Carol tries to play tricks on Julian but he was easy to convince plus the alcohol, but then you remember this is The Walking Dead and nothing good lasts long, Julian mentions his boat and you can see Daryl and Carol thinking this might be their way home but its a bit cringe how they make it so obvious as they both throw away their drink while keeping Julian sipping one after another
The boat scenes are where things get interesting because Julian admits he doesnt really know how to sail properly which should have been a red flag but Carol and Daryl are so desperate to get home that they ignore the obvious problems with this plan, after all they were going to take the risk anyways. When they do make it onto the water theres this brief moment where they all seem hopeful and Julian talks about making it to America in 11 to 17 days, Carol even mentions being excited about whats coming next which is probably the most optimistic they have been through the previous two seasons where everything seem like deep troubles since episode 1, but then the storm hits and everything goes to hell as expected, that whole sequence with the big waves and Julian getting knocked around by the boom looks pretty good for a TV show budget, I say this because England was one thing but then the scenes at sea specially at night were not as good, you can tell where the money was spend the most and was not on the ship rekt. The flashback scene with young Daryl running around yelling for someone was a nice but frustrating, when are they going to give more context of his childhood? probably they did on the OG series but I dont remember anymore, I think the series never really get to see much of his childhood, though I hope they do more with those flashbacks as the season goes on because theres so much story potential there. I already know the season eventually develops in Spain that feels more like Mexico so I knew that when they wake up on the beach in Spain, they didnt make much progress toward getting home and are basically back to square one again, which is frustrating but also a new location for this season is a cool touch.
Carols injury from the metal shard looks dumb honestly, it didnt look that bad and it gives the episode some medical drama tension that doesnt last that much considering how easy Daryl patch her up, yeah she was burning up with fever but it didnt look that bad and only took her one night to get better. The whole scene where she confronts him about hiding his feelings and he finally opens up about seeing Isabelles ghost back in the tunnel was good character development, though I still think they rushed through some of that emotional stuff instead of letting it breathe naturally. Finding out they are in Spain through that map was probably too easy too, not some big dramatic reveal just them realizing they didnt get very far from where they started and the spanish countryside with all those walkers hanging in nets like trophies creates this dark atmosphere and you know humans are going to be the main threat. The ending with Carol disappearing after that military vehicle drives by is your typical cliffhanger that felt void, I just didnt like it, she heard some kids and probably went away with them but she was clear head by now, at least it promises more action in the next episode instead of just more walking around talking about feelings. Overall this episode works way better than most of season 2 did, mainly because it gets back to what made this show good in the first place which is Daryl and Carol working together and surviving in new environments, but the entire TWD universe is already too repetitive so its hard to get people exited about it, at least new viewers. The writing still has issues and some plot points feel rushed or just too predictable, but the production quality is what keeps the series up float for the most part, definitely higher and you can tell they tryng to make this feel like a real continuation of The Walking Dead instead of just a cash grab spinoff. I give this episode a solid 7 out of 10, its not perfect but it shows promise for the rest of the season if they can keep this momentum going.
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