Alouette

The second episode of a new (or spinoff) series is almost more important than the first. There are answers to provide (or hint at), characters to introduce, villains to encounter and the BIG MISSION to introduce if it hasn't been already in the first episode.

Norman Reedus does a very good job of adding another layer to a character he's embodied for over a decade. Because his muse (Carol) is not present, he has to carry more of the dialogue freight. It's good to see that he's more than ready for his starring role.

The backstory fill in on why/how he ended up in that boat carried lots of interesting potential storylines and the possible BIG BAD.

The secondary characters still need more depth, but the episode guest stars provided welcome texture and interest. The nun and the troublesome charge they're shepherding are still two dimensional. I'm hoping the girl's difficult nature isn't used as a means of putting the whole group in danger. We saw enough of that trope in the original TWD.

The new scenery, culture and social backdrop is a breath of fresh air.

So far, I'm looking forward to next week.

1. The French singing Alouette.

2. It's true that Mork and Mindy WAS popular in France back in the day, but it's been over 40 years, for Pete's sake.

3. "I'm an American!" Does this need any explanation?

I mean, I'm not disliking the show, but the redneck hero in France just seems in the wrong place. What made Daryl Dixon so important that he was kidnapped and sent all the way to France anyway? There better be a darn good reason or explanation for this.

Maybe they should've created this new series with new characters. I'm thinking like an ex-pat in France that got stuck there. They could've created an entirely new backstory. Just saying...

I have expected this episode to be drawn out for way too long since the teaser promised to show us the start of the apocalypse in Paris in this episode, and I feared they would make it take up an entire episode, but they went a different way.

Paris during the outbreak is being shown, Isabelle's and Laurent's characters become even more sympathetic and developed, side characters are getting more screen time, new characters are getting introduced, and the main flow of the story keeps on going. The pace is decent, and an hour passed by without me noticing it. The show somehow manages to tell us new stories about Daryl, too.

TL,DR: This show still manages to balance story-setting and action aspects, keeping up with everyone's expectations. A well-directed, well-paced episode of a show that keeps on delivering.

The second episode of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon is written by Jason Richman and David Zabel, whilst Daniel Percival directed the episode, titled "Alouette". The episode continues where the previous episode left us, the world and groups have been introduced, now it's time to move the story forward and thus the mission has started to get Laurent to Northern France, this is an example of the badass and child duo which was made famous by Lone Wolf and Cub, The Hound and Arya but also Joel and Ellie. Before the title sequence is a flashback scene from when the outbreak started, a scene which had suspense and tension from start to finish. We learn Isabelle was a illicit drug user and thief, and how she escaped with her boyfriend Quinn and her pregnant sister Lily. It's a great way to start the episode because we get more insight on the characters, giving Clémence Poésy more time to shine with her performance, I wrote in my previous review I loved her strong performance and after watching episode 2, I find her even better in the role. Like Norman Reedus himself, I can't see anyone else playing the role of Isabelle. Norman Reedus gives us a terrific performance, even better than the previous episode if you ask me as this episode has him say more lines of dialogues and more scenes where he can act dramatically; joining him are; Clémence Poésy as Isabelle, Louis Puech Scigliuzzi as Laurent, Laïka Blanc-Francard as Sylvie, Anne Charrier as Genet, Romain Levi as Codron and finally Adam Nagaitis as Quinn. I still find it weird how Laurent, a twelve year old, is acting like a teenager. You could argue it's because of his intelligence but it's just strange, Louis Puech Scigliuzzi's performance is still quite

Daryl, Isabelle, Laurent, and Sylvie face trouble on the road. Isabelle remembers the day the hungry ones appeared. Laurent struggles to fit in.

Great establishing shots, the production and art design were fantastic. The mise-en-scene was also quite great, they set up each shot so perfectly and I think the steadicam and the lens choice is perfect for the show. The cinematography is truly amazing. Everything around the filmmaking was great in my opinion, I really like the writing much better in this episode as everything has been introduced. David's writing is very cinematic, focusing on telling a story like a film in a way. The flashback scenes contribute to the show, the pacing is good and I would say it's nicely edited (like the rest of the episode). The set design, costume and makeup department, lightning, composition, and so on. Everything is brilliant. I found the direction to be quite great actually, mostly the visual storytelling. What's interesting about this episode is how Daryl Dixon and company come across this group on the road which reveals to be living in a pre-school which just made so much sense. Would children leave a preschool if their parents wouldn't come, no, because they feel safe there. It's a nice little subplot which develops the characters, leaving them time to get to know each other better and grow as individuals. The episode is full of these little moments which are just so perfect. They save the action sequence to last, which is not only there for entertainment, but character development too. It's a great sequence, I won't spoil it here but it gave me hope for this show because of how different it was to The Walking Dead. It felt more personal, the writing and direction made the action feel meaningful and impactful for the characters. We know Daryl Dixon is great at killing zombies, being a bad ass, but here we see something else other than that. I think it's how the action scene was written and directed.

I think this is a better written episode, overall a much better episode than the premiere as what I didn't like there is not found here. Maybe too much focus on the flashbacks, could have possibly trimmed it down a bit. Laurent is still a character I dislike but the writing is getting better though, with the preschool and the children/teenagers he met there, made him understand that he's not like everyone else, as to be honest I think he have never met another child in his life. With this stop on the road, I think Laurent could become more likeable in the upcoming episodes, I just hope the actor improves. This was a great episode!

Isabelle recalls the havoc on the day of the apocalypse zombie in Paris, when she was a party girl and thief. Her friend Quinn rescues her and gives a ride to her pregnant sister Lily. He wants to go to the house of a friend of his outside Paris, but Lily needs medical attention and Isabelle steals his car to flee with Lily. Daryl, Isabelle, Laurent and Sylvie ride a mule wagon through the street of a village when a herd of walkers arrive. Daryl releases the mule, and the walkers chase her, while they escape with their goods. However, they are attacked and captured by a gang of youngsters that bring them to a former school. They learn that they were students and Isabelle tells them that they are religious people and Daryl is a priest, and they are released. Daryl wants to know who has a mule, and the leader of the kids, Lou, tells him that the owner of a nearby castle has. However, he is an evil man and they do not approach to him. Daryl lies to her and tells that the woman who raised them, the old Madame Dubois who is near-death on the bed, need medicine and they may bring it from the castle. Lou goes with Daryl to the castle, where he finds who the owner is.

'Alouette" is an episode of "The Walking Dead" spin-off "Daryl Dixon", with the origin of Laurent explained through flashbacks. The past life of Isabelle is also shown in the show, where she was a thief. The action of the show is good, with Daryl resolving the situation, but the conclusion is unreasonable since the kids remain in the former school. Why not move to the protected castle that was abandoned with provisions and medicine after the death of his owner? My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Alouette"