Daryl Dixon season 2 continues to improve with week three’s
offering, “L’Invisible.” While I wasn’t particularly excited about
Carol and Daryl’s reunion, I was pleasantly surprised when she met Madam Genet.
Here’s why.
I adore when showrunners reveal consequential characters’
origins. The episode begins with Madame Genet’s backstory. Like King Ezekiel, a
humble zookeeper, Madam Genet was a janitor who cleaned up after ill-mannered
schoolchildren at the Louvre. A job where she was invisible. As the janitors
discuss a possible strike, Madame Genet (Marion) remarks that the government
will only screw people over.
“L’Invisible” – THE WALKING DEAD DARYL DIXON THE BOOK OF CAROL, Pictured: Anne Charrier as Genet, Tatiana Gousseff as Sabine. Photo: Emmanuel Guimier/AMC @2024 AMC Inc. All Rights Reserved
In S5:E12 of the TWD, ‘Remember’, Carol counted on being
invisible when she arrived in Alexandria. As a result, Deanna Monroe gave Carol
a job cooking dinner for older residents. When Carol arrives at Maison Mere,
the man immediately assigns her to the kitchen because he could not see the
warrior woman she embodied. Once inside Genet’s compound, Carol witnesses the
execution and immediate reanimation of individuals by injection. Before she’s
discovered, she hears a researcher say, “We need soldiers we can
control.” Carol uses her position in the kitchen to somewhat recklessly
ask if anyone knows the American, Daryl Dixon. Given that the season consists
of only six episodes, it is necessary to expedite Carol and Daryl’s meeting.
Therefore, we can forgive Stéphane’s (the guy with the face tattoo) two-minute
revelation to Carol about the purpose of Madam Genet’s torture. Daryl is at the
Nest, and Carol tells her English-speaking professor that she will leave
immediately. She does—only to be caught because her English professor friend
traded information about her to Madam Genet to save his husband.
“L’Invisible” – THE WALKING DEAD DARYL DIXON THE BOOK OF CAROL, Pictured: Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier. Photo: Emmanuel Guimier/AMC @2024 AMC Inc. All Rights Reserved
At the Nest, Sylvie prays for courage to protect Laurent.
Regrettably, she raced around, shouting for him. Trapped and fighting, Sylvie
plunges over a wall. Sylvie’s death felt like the old Walking Dead, which
regularly killed off characters you’ve come to admire. It’s affecting. Losang,
the spiritual leader of the Nest, exhibits more brokenness than I had
anticipated. His interpretation of Sylvie’s death is, “Her faith was
weak.” Moving forward with Laurent’s celebration, Losang explains that
because Sylvie loved Laurant, using her as the ‘hungry one’ made the test more
poignant. Losang manufactures a valerian root-honey drink for Laurent, which he
initially refuses. Losang insists, “Drink it anyway,” ostensibly
drugging the boy. Based on his actions, I wonder if Losang’s faith was as
strong as Sylvie’s.
Daryl, Isabelle, and Fallou blended into the celebration
crowd by this time. Losang pulls Sylvie to attack Luarent. Daryl kills her.
Isabell and Fallou grab Laurent, and a chase ensues. Daryl orders Laurent to
wake up and take Isabell and Fallou to their secret training spot. Daryl
injures and kills countless Nest residents. Fallou and Laurent get away. Daryl
and Isabell do not. They end up in chains, separated by a thin stone wall.
Daryl tells Isabell about his faith in their return to America and Laurent’s
happiness. Daryl confides that he was once a man who was searching for the
unknown and discovered something—depaysant. Isabell says Je t’aime more herself
than Daryl. Daryl remained silent. Was she heard? Did he understand her? Does
he feel the same way?
“L’Invisible” – THE WALKING DEAD DARYL DIXON THE BOOK OF CAROL, Pictured: Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon. Photo: Stéphanie Branchu/AMC @2024 AMC Inc. All Rights Reserved
Betrayed by the English professor, Carol tells Madame Genet
the truth about her search for Daryl. She recounts tricking Ash into flying her
to France to find her daughter, landing in Greenland, and barely escaping
psycho-environmentalists. It doesn’t matter what Carol said because Madam Genet
knows where Daryl is. When questioned about her reasons for searching for
Daryl, Carol shrewdly responds that she wants to kill him. Carol’s gambit is to
make herself an instant ally by sharing a common interest with Madame Genet.
Madam Genet agrees to take Carol to the Nest. On the road, Madam Genet
describes Paris’ decline amid the viral outbreak. She recalls her confinement in
the museum, surrounded by religious artworks depicting suffering. She says she
only understood these works after the ZA. She explained that art seeks to make
sense of chaos and destruction in the world. Madam Genet says, “Prayers
didn’t help then and don’t help now. Religion is not hope; it is control.” It
is evident that Madam Genet harbors a dangerous distrust towards both the
government and religion. Lack of faith in others and in institutions often
leads to anti-establishment radicalism. Carol sees this in Madam Genet’s
actions, such as killing ‘volunteers’ to create super-soldier walkers and
making people eat off the floor. But will Carol’s realization be too late?
Laurent feels shaken when he considers all the people who
lost their lives as a result of the stories told about him. Faith is vital
because it brings hope, says Fallou. Laurent replies, “Daryl never
believed.” What does Laurent’s acknowledgement mean for Fallou and the
Union? Losang takes Isabell because she has always been faithful and open-minded,
unlike Daryl. Losang and Daryl discussed faith earlier. Losang condemns Daryl,
saying, “It must be hard living without faith, living only for
yourself.” Losang believes the Nest and Union are fuelled by the hope
faith provides, but faith is running out. Laurent ought to replenish it. Daryl
asks Losaang, “What if you’re wrong?” Like many cult leaders, Losang says,
“Then there is no point going on.” As they take Isabell, Daryl panics
and offers to reveal Laurent’s hiding place, but his pleas are ignored.
“L’Invisible” – THE WALKING DEAD DARYL DIXON THE BOOK OF CAROL, Pictured: Louis Puech Scigliuzzi as Laurent. Photo: Stéphanie Branchu/AMC @2024 AMC Inc. All Rights Reserved
I enjoyed L’invisible. Apart from the speed at which Carol
found her way to Daryl in France, the story was well plotted and well executed.
I found beautiful symmetry between the episode’s focus on the Mona Lisa’s
portrait and Marion’s origin story. Da Vinci’s masterwork depicts the Mona
Lisa’s smile as concealing something invisible and mysterious. Similarly,
Madame Genet’s values and emotions influence her behavior, but they are
invisible to others. This is also true for Carol. This is true for us all,
which is why The Walking Dead, in all its forms and fiction, is so relatable.
How are you liking Season 2 so far? At the end of the show,
Madam Genet is seen killing people outside the Nest, including Carol, most
likely to make super walkers. We know that Carol and Daryl will get back
together, but what will happen to Isabell? Does Daryl ever say “I love you
back”? Send me a message, and we’ll talk about it.
Overall Rating:
9/10
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