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Character, Daryl Dixon, riding a motor cycle away from “walkers” during “The Walking Dead.”

“The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” season finale is a force to be reckoned with, and a phenomenal end to an action-packed, brooding and bloody season. 

The spinoff to the fan-favorite AMC original “The Walking Dead” took fans by storm, wrapping up six episodes worth of plot lines into one last success and a monumental cliffhanger. It began airing on AMC+ Oct. 15.

The series started with main character Daryl Dixon, played by Norman Reedus, washing ashore on the coast of France. He is severely injured and is trying to piece together how he got there and why. 

The show only gets to this in the last two episodes, however, which kept the audiences waiting a little too long for any sort of answer. 

Dixon is found by a group of nuns in the “Abbey of Saint Bernadette,” who are also a part of a union called “l’Union de l’Espoir,” or “The Union of Hope.”

Sister Isabelle, played by Clémence Poésy, reveals to Dixon that a boy at the abbey, Laurent, played by Louis Puech Scigliuzzi, was born to revive humanity, due to his immunity to the walker virus. Isabella tells Dixon that he is the man to help Laurent on his journey to the Union in Paris. 

The penultimate episode ends with Laurent and Dixon captured, with Dixon in a gladiator fight with one of the scientist’s “enhanced” walkers.

This action sequence had me on the edge of my seat, waiting for something to go wrong. Dixon escapes the pit, running through the dungeons trying to find Isabella and Laurent. 

By the time Dixon finds the duo, they’re separated by iron bars, with Dixon scrambling trying to find a solution on getting them out. A walker appears from behind Isabelle, later revealed as Laurent’s father.

In the most gut-wrenching scene, the walker attacks Isabelle, pinning her against a wall. Dixon is still behind the iron bars, helpless, trying to get Laurent to save her. Laurent reluctantly strikes his walker father across the head, saving Isabelle. This scene was powerful and shows the beautiful development of Laurent’s character. Once a timid boy who only honored God’s wishes, he is now a brave young man who is able to protect the people he loves.

The group makes it to “The Nest,” a wonderful and serene community that was made for children like Laurent.

Isabella wants Dixon to stay, but he needs to get back home to his family. In a heated argument, Dixon leaves for his boat without saying goodbye to Laurent.

The finale ends on a nail-biting cliffhanger, leaving audience members, myself included, on the edge of their seats. Unfortunately, Dixon and Laurent enthusiasts will have to wait until next year for season two.

Showrunner David Zabel carries over the themes from the original show to the spin-off effortlessly: loyalty and found family.

In a post-apocalyptic world, it’s hard to find people to trust, even more so when you don’t know them. Dixon’s character is known for being incredibly loyal, even to people he doesn’t know.

This is a common theme with Dixon in the original show and in the spin-off. He finds people that need his help and he graciously offers them help, and always feels guilty leaving them.

He created a special connection with Isabelle, and I almost felt her frustration when Dixon left them, almost acting like nothing happened and he didn’t risk his life for her or Laurent, time and time again. 

Laurent and Dixon have one thing in common: they both grew up without a prominent father figure in their life, the two characters figuring out how similar they are to each other in the final act, before it’s too late.

This finale was a whirlwind and a perfect ending for a perfect season. I cannot wait to see what season two has in store for Dixon, and whether his future lies in America with his family, or in France with his new family.