The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – Vouloir, C’est Pouvoir

By starrymag | November 3, 2024

By: Kelly Kearney

 

 

 

Last week’s big Caryl reunion, topped off with an emotional goodbye to Isabelle, sets the stage for the penultimate episode. Daryl and Carol are on a mission to find Laurent and fulfill his aunt’s hopes for him, but Losang teaming up with his enemies means he has the resources to find the boy and he won’t stop until his faith in Laurent is real. Daryl and Carol are juggling two rescue missions: one for Laurent and another for Ash, who found himself trapped in a deadly situation he needed help getting out of. Now they’re racing to find both the boy and their pilot, who might not be thrilled with Carol’s new passenger. What will happen when Ash realizes Carol lied? Will he agree to fly her, Daryl, and Laurent back to America or will that trust the two built during their travels be too broken to repair? Get ready for drama, more death, and broken hearts in “Vouloir, C’est Pouvoir.”

Just Like the Old Times

 

The episode opens with moody shots of Daryl (Norman Reedus) sitting in a broken-down car in the French countryside. Carol (Melissa McBride) delivers the bad news: the battery is fried, and from the looks of it, so is her bestie’s mood. Daryl is still feeling the weight of his goodbye to Isabelle (Clémence Poésy) and must be worrying about telling Laurent. After a moment, he pulls himself together and breaks more bad news: it looks like he and Carol will have to continue their journey to Laurent (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi) on foot. We see the kid has made it to Fallou’s (Eriq Ebouaney) rooftop hideout in Montmartre–a seemingly safe place for now, so Daryl and Carol need to find him and then Ash if they hope to fly out of France and away from Losang (Joel de la Fuente).

At the rooftop hideout, there’s a knock on the door, and it’s a battered Codron (Romain Levi) who Fallou drags in at gunpoint. After the last time they met, he is ready to take Codron out, as he assumes the man is still working for Genet (Anne Charrier). Laurent steps in to vouch for Codron by telling everyone making a scene that the man saved him, Isabelle, and Dary when Genet ordered him to kill them. With the kid’s approval, the guns are lowered, and Codron admits he came to deliver some heavy news: Losang was captured during a raid at Mount Saint-Michel, and many people didn’t survive. When Laurent asks about Isabelle and Daryl, Codron can only say he’s unsure if they got out alive–having no clue the Union of Hope’s leader was holding them captive. He does mention running into another American looking for Daryl, and the observant Laurent figures that must be Carol.

As our favorite duo navigates the ruined city and bridges, it feels nostalgic for those early Atlanta days. With time to kill and miles to walk, Daryl and Carol catch up on everything since their heartfelt goodbye at the Commonwealth. He talks about being honest with Laurent about how Isabelle died, but when the conversation turns to Ash (Manish Dayal) being cool with Laurent coming along for the ride, Carol gets visibly nervous. She wants to talk to Ash alone but Daryl looks around the perimeter of the racetrack and doesn’t think it is safe without back-up. No matter what she says he insists on third-wheeling this meet and greet-forgetting the fact Carol crossed the ocean in a tin can gassed up on corn; he won’t let her take the risk. Carol still hasn’t shared the full story about her friendship with Ash or the lies she told him to get to France, so she offers up a half-truth, saying she had to embellish a bit to convince Ash to fly her over. She is nervous, which just ignites Daryl’s teasing side, as he forges ahead to meet with Ash, and Carol practically trips over herself to get there first. The focus on them as friends and not as two people surviving one war only to fight another takes their bond from the original series and fleshes out the familiar while adding layers to it. With that ever-growing cast and limited screen time. highlighting their unique bond was what was missing in the first run and it is what excited Caryl fans hoped to see in the spin-off. Daryl guesses–slightly offended that Carol must’ve told Ash he was her brother, and then they both cringe at that thought. Slowly, and I mean decades in the making, they’re getting closer to defining their relationship but at least we now know they think a sibling bond is laughable. It’s the same response when a jealous Daryl assumes her tension over meeting Ash must be due to some crush. “It’s nothing like that,” she rolls her eyes but admits she cares about him as a friend. In this world, those are hard to come by. Eventually, through teasing and prodding her, Carol tells Daryl the truth. He is shocked to learn she brought Sophia into this. When he asks her why, Carol isn’t sure, other than the fact the death of her daughter is a tie that binds their friendship and represents everything they’ve been through together. Daryl gets it, but he is surprised by how far she is willing to go to get to him.

Ash is on the Run But Laurent is at Home

When Daryl and Carol finally make their way inside the racetrack where Ash hid the plane, Carol remarks on how busy her friend has been. He has fortified the doors and rigged booby traps to deter any would-be plane thieves. His paranoia paid off too; they discover two dead intruders and one barely clinging to life. Carol demands to know where Ash is, but the dying man tells her that no one was there when they came looking for the plane. He then begs them to end his suffering. Daryl steps in and puts the man out of his misery so Carol doesn’t have to. The silver lining is that Ash seems to be alive, though his whereabouts remain a mystery.

Cut to Ash, who is running from a ravenous pack of walkers outside the Maison Mere. He manages to break into a car for safety but inadvertently knocks himself out by hitting his head on the door. Though he is safe for the moment, he’s dazed and vulnerable as the dead swarm his car like subway rats over a slice of New York pizza. It’s a feeding frenzy, and he can’t save himself.

Meanwhile, at Montmartre, Daryl and Carol arrive, and the reunion with Laurent brings relief to everyone. Carol watches the bond between Daryl and the boy, and is charmed by Laurent’s immediate recognition of her. It’s a bit of proof that eases her mind; Daryl didn’t forget about her. However, their smiles fade once Laurent asks about Isabelle. Daryl quickly takes him aside to break the news of his aunt’s death and what it all means for their future. Surprisingly, Laurent takes the news remarkably well, commenting that Isabelle is now with his mother as he gazes at a crumpled photo of the woman–the only reminder of her he has.

This prompts Daryl to reassure Laurent that he’s not alone and can still come to America to live in the Commonwealth—he still has family. But Laurent longs for a normal life where he can learn to ride a bike and meet kids his own age. He acknowledges that while the Commonwealth could offer that, so could this hideout, which keeps him close to the people he has lost. The weight of multiple tragedies has drained this boy’s spirit, so he decides to stop running and stay in Paris, claiming he is at peace now. This shift in Laurent’s attitude leaves Daryl struggling with guilt over everything the boy has endured since he entered his life back at the abbey. Daryl knows that Fallou and his friends could act as family and keep him safe, but it’s not what Isabelle wanted, and it definitely isn’t what he wants. He is not ready to say goodbye to the boy who has quickly found a place in his heart and Carol can see it written all over his mopey face. She tries to comfort him as he admits that he made mistakes that could have led to Isabelle’s death and fears that Laurent blames him. Carol disagrees; the reason why they’ve survived this long and people like Isabelle haven’t is just good old fashion luck. It seems that throughout this journey, Carol has found some clarity, finally putting the ghost of Sophia to rest and looking forward to a future that is still undefined. Daryl, on the other hand, is still weighted down by his guilt that likely dates back to his failed search for Sophia or even earlier in his troubled past with his father. Those feelings are deeply buried and seem to surface only in times of grief.

As the conversation shifts back to finding Ash, Fallou reminds Daryl that there is only one place that deals in information—and he knows where that is. It’s a place where he’s “not too popular,” and that catches Carol’s attention.

Caryl Goes Clubbing

With Laurent at Montmartre, Daryl and Carol say their goodbyes and set out to search for Ash. Their journey leads them to Anna (Lukerya Ilyashenko) at Club Demimonde—a place where anything or anyone can be bought for the right price. Carol’s reaction to this underground club, particularly the exotic dancers who rub against her and Daryl, is a moment viewers—and Carol herself—never expected to witness. It’s been fun watching her navigate this new world outside of Ohio, and the confusion on her face as she reads the room is priceless. As they chat, Carol becomes distracted by Anna’s men hanging the Mona Lisa on the wall, but it’s the sight of a leashed gimp that catches Daryl’s attention. With Genet dead, Anna has filled in her gap and now the club’s rules have loosened; anything goes in Paris once again! When Daryl fills Anna in on Isabelle’s death, she tears up, reflecting on her possible role in what they all just went through. She has a soft spot for the boy, so Daryl reassures her that he is alive and safe, but if she is feeling guilty she can make it up to him by helping them find another American friend. Apparently, these Yankees are everywhere!

Curious, Anna asks how Carol arrived in France, noting that a plane was spotted landing west of the city. She hints at the many people in France looking for a way out–that plane is the Holy Grail that everyone wants. In fact, she even sent men to search for it—those thieves who fell victim to Ash’s trap. While Daryl remains tight-lipped about their encounter, Carol stays hyperfocused on her surroundings until she is forced out of her seat and to the bar when she spots a familiar plastic canister. It’s one Ash used for ethanol gas! Anna tells them it’s from Maison Mere—Genet’s compound. That means they will need wheels and weapons if they want to survive that fortress full of super walkers to find Ash.

Meanwhile, back at the rooftop community, Laurent shares a heart-to-heart with Codron about his desire to kill Daryl. Codron explains, “Anger is a disease,” and after Daryl killed his brother, that anger morphed into a thirst for revenge. Meeting Laurent changed him; the boy’s words—“God loves us all”—made him realize he could choose to be someone his brother would be proud of. Laurent’s influence transformed Codron’s vengeance into hope and now the man is determined to protect him.

While the two talk upstairs, chaos erupts downstairs when Losang and his new faction kick in the front door. Instinctively, Codron hides Laurent and helps him escape, but not before Losang spots his Rubik’s Cube. He threatens Fallou to give Laurent up. He refuses and instead accuses Losang of turning Laurent into a martyr to feed his own hunger for power. As doubts about Losang’s beliefs begin to surface and faith in Laurent wanes with his people, so too does his security as their leader.

A Super Plan to Save Ash

After saying their goodbyes, Daryl and Carol make their way to Genet’s compound, where she finds that tape Daryl made in Genet’s office. She listens to it and it confirms what Laurent already told her: Daryl never forgot her or home. She pockets it like a souvenir and meets Daryl in a room full of super walkers crowded behind a fortress of glass. Carol desperately searches their faces for Ash, but none are familiar; it looks like the pilot managed to escape. Just then, they spot a car surrounded by hungry walkers outside, and they both think the same thing: that must be where Ash is.

Proving why they deserve their own spin-off, Carol and Daryl spring into action, easily dispatching some of the undead until they can reach the car. Inside, they find a concussed Ash, who is surprised and grateful to see Carol. Though dazed, he quickly notices that Sophia looks like a middle-aged man and questions it, but there’s no time for explanations. Now all three are locked in the car, with walkers still attacking from all sides. The car battery is dead, preventing them from driving through the horde, but Daryl has a better idea. He finds a super walker injection gun in the backseat and climbs through the sunroof to shoot a few in the distance. They sit and wait for the effects to take hold. Like a bomb going off, the super walkers obliterate the regular walkers in their path to get to the three people trapped.

That’s when juiced-up walkers break through the passenger seat window, forcing Carol into Ash’s lap. She quickly shoots the super walker in the head, while Daryl takes care of the other threats. Once the coast is clear, they practically carry Ash across a sea of bodies and back to the racetrack. Carol does her best to deflect any questions about Daryl by remaining focused on getting the injured man to safety.

 

The Truth Comes Out

Back at the plane, Carol patches Ash up and encourages him to rest while she quietly discusses with Daryl how and when to tell the pilot the truth about Sophia. She keeps postponing the conversation, using the excuse that she wants him to be healthier before breaking his heart. In the meantime while he is resting, they’ll need gas for the trip home. Carol estimates they’ll require about 50 more gallons, which means Daryl will have to head back to the Demimonde and cut a deal with Anna. Carol decides to stay behind to look after Ash and that’s when the truth comes out. When the pilot wakes up from his nap he offers Carol his sympathies regarding Sophia—believing the girl is dead. The weight of lies is suffocating for Carol, especially after Ash admits that bringing her to France helped him cope with the loss of his own son. The truth is on the tip of her tongue, but as tears stream down her face, she swallows it down.

Over at the club, Daryl runs into Codron and Laurent, learning that the rooftop community was raided by Losang. He is thankful that his former enemy protected the boy, but this only reinforces his desire for the boy to leave with him. Laurent continues to refuse, but Anna agrees to get Daryl fuel, giving him some time to persuade him to change his mind.

Eventually, Laurent breaks down and confesses that he doesn’t want to lose Daryl, which is why he can’t go with him. It seems this boy struggles with the same issues Daryl and Carol do—keeping people at a distance out of fear of loss. Their conversation is interrupted when Losang and his men show up. Anna quickly directs Daryl and Laurent to a secret door leading into the underground Parisian catacombs. The dark and winding paths are filled with skulls, and unfortunately, Losang and his soldiers too. They followed right behind them so Daryl hides Laurent between some rocks while he lures Losang into a fight. Meanwhile, Codron is fighting Jacinta (Nassima Benchicou) and manages to knock her out by throwing her up against a wall, but Losang proves to be a tougher opponent. Daryl eventually gains the upper hand—or I should say, skull, by grabbing a loose one from the walls and pounding Losang to death with it. Laurent watches the entire scene unfold, likely realizing that his former leader’s faith did not save him.

At the racetrack Ash finds Carol cleaning the plane, and she can no longer hold back the truth. She confesses that she came to France searching for Daryl and reveals that Sophia died twelve years earlier. To calm his rising anger, she tells him that the loss of her daughter doesn’t feel a decade away, that pain is still fresh. This only confirms it; she manipulated his grief for selfish reasons and it enrages him. His pent-up anger erupts, and he screams at her for pushing him to sacrifice everything, even his son’s memory, for a lie. Their bond and comforting friendship shatter in that moment, and he decides to leave without her as soon as the plane is ready to go. In his fury, he grabs a tool and begins smashing a workbench to release some of his rage but when he turns to look at Carol, she flinches, still haunted by the echoes of her past abuse. Seeing her fear of him, he storms off, leaving her a worried mess.

In the episode’s final scenes, Daryl and Laurent are finally free from Pouvoir and Losang, even though Jacinta is still alive. While Laurent is hesitant about going to America, Daryl leaves the decision to him, reminding him that Isabelle wanted him to leave. Ultimately, the smiling teen chooses Ohio over France, and this new family over his fears.

When they return to the racetrack to check out the plane, Laurent is awestruck by the aircraft. It’s a relic from a world that from his view is as mystical as the pyramids. His youthful enthusiasm is infectious so when an angry Ash shakes his hand, the fire of his rage toward Carol begins to cool. No matter how charming this kid is or how many cans of gas they have, when Ash learns of their plan to take the boy with them he has to rain on the kid’s parade. The plane can only accommodate three people–not four, which means someone must stay behind in France. After Carol’s long journey to find her friend, I can’t imagine this choice will be an easy one.