The episode begins with Laurent’s musing and prayers - grappling with his position within the Nest. Doubts fuel his anxiety about becoming the savior of humanity. Laurent wants only to remain a child with a sense of home with Isabell, and he wants Daryl to guide and stay with them. During a lesson, Losang acknowledges Laurent's doubt, and counsels: “Doubt is the question that faith answers. You doubt because you’re special, not because you aren’t.”
“Moulin Rouge” – THE WALKING DEAD DARYL DIXON THE BOOK OF CAROL, Pictured: Louis Puech Scigliuzzi as Laurent - The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon _ Season 2, Episode 2 - Photo Credit: Emmanuel Guimier/AMC @2024 AMC Inc. All Rights' Reserved
Jacinta, one of Laurent's teachers., questions Losang about his and Laurent's readiness. She doubts Daryl's willingness to stay at the Nest and is, therefore, certain Laurent might leave with him. Jacinta verbally fences with Losang, stating, "Even the faithful have grown tired of waiting for deliverance. The solution to defeat is not faith but evidence.” Losang's parry is to tell Jacinta, "Daryl will come around, and doubters can leave if they don't support our mission." Unfortunately, Losang is overcome by his doubts. He decides to move up the ceremony to test Laurent’s specialness. Jacinta affirms that the test will send a signal, removing follower’s doubt that Laurent is a messiah.
Losang watches Daryl and Isabelle playing baseball with Laurent. This is a pivotal moment in their relationship, Daryl tells Isabell Laurent doesn't believe in some of the things he's been taught. Isabelle says this is healthy. He also tells her that she's not like the others at the Nest; she's more like "us/him." Isabelle questions what this means. In my opinion, she’s doubting their relationship status. Isabell explains that she and Laurent are supposed to be at the Nest, and it's what keeps them going. Daryl suggests, "Maybe that’s all it was. Something to keep you going,” but they could choose differently. Less confident, Isabell explains why leaving is impossible. She says, "People make choices for reasons that make sense to them. There is always doubt. Sometimes, faith can make up the difference. You understand; how else do you get on a boat to the other side of the world?"
While the unfolding story at the Nest is intriguing, Carol feels forced into Daryl's world, not unlike Cinderella's stepsister trying to stuff her foot into Cinderella's glass slippers. The trip strains credibility, making it difficult to believe Carol and Ash's story. Regardless, Carol and Ash's plane crashes due to a busted fuel line, forcing them to stop in Greenland. They encounter two strange women who have been surviving in a climate research facility, Hanna and Eun. The women save them from the Tupilag, or bog-walkers.
Isabelle sounds the alarm that Laurent is missing. Jacinta reports two men climbed over a wall and took him. Daryl assembles Emile, Sylvie's love interest, Fallou, Isabell, and others from the Nest to rescue Laurent. Emile, who has been acting strangely, tries to dissuade Fallou from going. Losang tries to sway Isabelle from participating. But they both go with Daryl. Losang commands everyone to follow Daryl, showcasing another leader willing to share power as Rick did in the flagship show.
Ash and Carol face a dire situation with Hanna and Eun. Hanna believes that the ZA is Mother Nature's way of fighting back, while Eun wants man to survive by repopulating the earth. Hanna tells Carol, "I'm supposed to kill you, but I don't want to." Carol, with gallows humor, responds, "It's unanimous." When Eun returns to find Hannah hasn't killed Carol, things go sideways. Hanna kills Eun. Carol agrees to take Hanna to France. Eun told Ash that Hannah would kill Carol, so when he saw them approaching, he didn't realize she was no longer a threat. Just as Hanna wistfully talked about her hopes for a future outside of Greenland, Ash kills her. He and Carol continue their flight to France.
“Moulin Rouge” – THE WALKING DEAD DARYL DIXON THE BOOK OF CAROL, Pictured: Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon - The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon _ Season 2, Episode 2 - Photo: Emmanuel Guimier/AMC @2024 AMC Inc. All Rights Reserved
Doing his tracker thing, Daryl leads the group to the Moulin Rouge (Red Mill). At the Nest, Sylvie discovers that Laurent was not taken. Daryl's group encounters an ambush, quell suprise, by saboteurs from the Nest. Daryl, Isabell, and Fallou overcome them. Emile, part of the plot to kill Daryl, explains that people feared Laurent would leave the Nest, which threatens the Union's mission. Emile tells them about Losang's intention to test Laurent's ability to withstand a walker bite. As he talks, Emile touches the charm Sylvie placed around his neck. Isabell inhales, then we hear the shot.
Ash and Carol are in France, with Carol promising to return soon. Ash agrees to stay and make fuel. He bids Carol "bonne chance (good luck)." Plot wise Carol has great luck as she walks straight into Madam Genet's hands. The writers effectively depict Genet's efforts to break Union supporters. She seduces them with “hot food, wine, warm beds, and a return to order.” Carol fearlessly or foolishly ends up as one of Genet's volunteers.
“Moulin Rouge” – THE WALKING DEAD DARYL DIXON THE BOOK OF CAROL, Pictured: Laïka Blanc-Francard as Sylvie - The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon _ Season 2, Episode 2 - Photo Credit: Emmanuel Guimier/AMC @2024 AMC Inc. All Rights Reserved
Daryl, Fallou, and Isabell return to the Nest to retrieve Laurent. Continuing their pivotal conversation from earlier, Isabell laments, "All these years, I believed the Nest was the one place that would save humanity." Daryl reaffirmed, "You gotta believe in something." They share a conversation about the French word 'depaysant,' which means a change in environment or seeing things differently. Isabell agrees to leave with Daryl if the offer is still open. Any viewer who doubted the romantic pairing between Isabell and Daryl was misguided. Indeed, their passionate kiss serves as evidence. Oh, là là!
Losang and Jacinta continue to thrust and parry. Jacinta accuses Losang of having doubt about the plan to test Laurent. Losang counters her attack, invoking Descartes, reciting, "Doubt is the origin of wisdom." Losang is conflicted when Jacinta reveals she "amended the order." Daryl, and probably Isabell and Fallou, would not be returning because they are dead. Jacinta emphasizes that they had come too far to be foiled by (Losang's) weakness. Bereft, Losang asks familiar refrains in the TWDU: "Is this who we are? Is this who we want to be?" Jacinta, rather coldly says, "What we all want is to be certain. Without that, everything falls apart."
“Moulin Rouge” – THE WALKING DEAD DARYL DIXON THE BOOK OF CAROL, Pictured: Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier - The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon _ Season 2, Episode 2 - Photo Credit: Emmanuel Guimier/AMC @2024 AMC Inc. All Rights Reserved
Carol's story becomes more interesting as she is loaded into the back of a truck as one of Madam Genet's volunteers. She meets a former English teacher who fills her in on where they are going. The Frenchman questions why they separated him from his husband. Carol knows that nothing good will come from this separation. We hear torture sounds. Madam Genet tells Stéphane (the guy with the face tattoo) a story about her waitress mom. Ostensibly equating Stéphane to a wine cork, he sits covered in blood and bruises, listening to Genet say, “The secret to removing a stuck cork is patience. You don’t pull too gently or too hard. You must tease it out.” The information Madam Genet seeks about the nun, the child, and the American is inside Stéphane. It will eventually leak out. Menacingly, the final shot is of a pocket watch engraved with the Nest.
Now that Carol is ready to talk to Madame Genet, the Book of Carol is getting better. After this episode, what do you doubt and what do you know for sure? Send me a message. I'd love to talk to you.
Overall Rating:
9/10
Lynette Jones
