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"La Gentillesse Des Étrangers" is the first episode of the second season of AMC's The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. It is the seventh episode of the series overall. It premiered on September 29, 2024. It was written by Shannon Goss and directed by Greg Nicotero.
Contents
- 1 Plot
- 2 Synopsis
- 3 Other Cast
- 3.1 Co-Stars
- 3.2 Uncredited
- 4 Deaths
- 5 Trivia
- 5.1 Episode Highlights
- 6 References
Plot[]
Carol maps a path toward Daryl; Daryl, Isabelle, and Laurent define their roles at the Nest.
Synopsis[]
On a beach, five walkers approach Laurent who manages to take out two of them before falling over and calling for help. Suddenly, the walkers are yanked back by Daryl using a contraption that he has them attached to. Daryl and Laurent are on a beach near the Nest where Daryl has been teaching the boy how to fight the undead. Daryl puts down the remaining walkers with a spear and chides Laurent that he could've gotten one more, but Laurent states that he had lost his footing. Daryl explains that it had happened because Laurent backed up, and you must never back up. Laurent is sure that he'll never be as good as Daryl, but Daryl reminds him that only two weeks have passed.
Laurent tells Daryl that Père Jean had believed that walkers still had souls, and Daryl recognizes that his young friend recognizes his old mentor. Laurent admits it, but he likes it here at the Nest and "home is wherever the people you love are" which is what the kids had told him back when Daryl's group had stayed at the elementary school. Gilbert runs up, yelling that the boy is late for his philosophy lesson. Laurent is reluctant to go, but Gilbert tells him that Losang insists and that Daryl should head back as well because Losang would like to speak with Daryl.
In a meeting, Losang reveals that they have received a troubling report from Paris. The Union of Hope camp there, which was being rebuilt, was raided by the Power of the Living and three of their people were captured. Jacinta lists them as Martin Fournier, Fallou Boukar and Emile Thibault, causing Sylvie distress due to her romantic relationship with Emile. Sylvie tells Losang that Emile is her friend, and Isabelle explains that Emile and Fallou had helped Daryl's group to get out of Paris. Jacinta realizes that Genet will use them in the hopes of locating the Nest, but Isabelle doesn't think that they know the Nest's precise location. Jacinta points out that they can't be certain and Mathis tells Losang that he hopes to have a report from his scouts soon.
Sylvie argues that they have to save their people which Losang promises to do, but he advises patience. However, Daryl tells everyone that patience won't work because Genet will just kill their people if she can't get anything from them. Seeing how dour the mood is, Losang promises that they will do everything that they can with caution and dismisses the meeting, asking for Daryl to stay behind. Losang recognizes that Daryl thinks that it's a mistake not sending a team in right away, and Daryl points out that Genet's ruthless, meaning that if Losang waits, their people will die. However, Losang counters that if he acts impulsively, then they will all die, so he has to act prudently for the greater good. Sometimes that means resisting the urge to go on the offensive. Daryl argues that "sometimes you gotta be willing to throw the first punch," but Losang prefers to throw the last one instead. Losang shows Daryl a thangka, a Buddhist way of recording and teaching. It takes many years for the work to be acceptable, and Losang is still only a beginner.
Losang asks how long Daryl intends to stay at the Nest, but Daryl doesn't know and asks Losang how long it will take him to find Daryl another ride home. Losang admits that it could take a bit, and Daryl states that he'll stay until then. Losang knows that Daryl has been training Laurent to defend himself, but feels that it has become a distraction as Laurent is meant for much more. Losang confirms that what Laurent is meant for is more than just staying alive and he is worried about the impact that repeated violence will have on the boy and his ability to maintain empathy. Everyone at the Nest has a place if they choose to seek it out, and Losang hopes that Daryl will find his there too. Daryl leaves the room without another word.
Outside, Daryl tells Isabelle that Losang wants him to stop training Laurent and that he says that Daryl is too violent. However, Isabelle thinks that Daryl simply does what's necessary, even when no one else is willing to do it, "especially then, in fact." Isabelle suggests that what Losang means is that now that they've made it to the Nest, Laurent needs something else from him. Daryl isn't sure if the Nest is the place that he's supposed to be and Daryl isn't sure if he could be happy here while Isabelle thinks that she could be. Daryl can't stop think about all of the people that he had left behind in America and he wonders if they're still thinking about him.
In Maine, Carol Peletier rides Daryl's Bike and finds Fuller's Auto Repair, observing the repair shop through a pair of binoculars. Carol enters Fuller's and asks if they could help fix the motorcycle, claiming that she got it from a buddy of hers who had gotten it from Fuller's in return. Jones asks if she's Mick's lady, but tells Carol that he doesn't know anything about bikes so he can't help her. Carol asks about the guy who had the bike before Mick, suggesting that he can help. Jones asks Grady and Drew if they know who had the bike before Mick, and Grady tells him that it was the guy who got mixed up with Juno, causing Drew to remember as well. The two confirm that the previous owner of the bike was Daryl, and call him an asshole.
As Grady goes to help Drew, he puts Daryl's Crossbow down on a car which Carol instantly recognizes. Carol asks if Daryl can fix a transmission and if the men know where Daryl is now as she really needs to get the bike looked at. However, Jones tells her that lots of guys come through here, work, and move on, and he suggests that Carol do the same thing. Carol grabs the crossbow and turns it on the men, shooting Drew in the foot with it when he challenges her to shoot and insults Carol by calling her a bitch. Jones asks to know if she's crazy, and Carol calls herself certifiable, demanding to know where her friend is. Grady insists that they don't know, but Carol warns him that she has five more shots. Jones throws something at the crossbow, causing it to fire into the bike's front tire, but Carol breaks Grady's nose with a blow from the crossbow when he tries to charge at her.
Carol quickly reloads, and Grady finally explains that Daryl had gotten into it with their brother and both Daryl and Juno had gotten themselves thrown onto a boat to France. Jones insists that Grady's telling the truth, and that Daryl bought himself a free European vacation. Gesturing at the Power of the Power of the Living flag still flying over Fuller's, Jones explains that the boat had belonged to some French guys who had come looking for American walkers. They rounded up the walkers and got paid, end of story. Jones doubts that they're coming back as it's the only boat that they've seen in years. Jones tells Carol that the boatyard is just a few miles north and Carol can check it out for herself. With the bike disabled, Carol takes Drew's car with a warning for the men not to follow her. She also reveals that there's an old Dodge about a mile up the road with Mick in the trunk, and Carol guesses that he's only got about an hour of air left give or take.
Carol drives to the abandoned boat yard which is overgrown and full of wrecked and rusted ships and looks out at the Atlantic Ocean. Leaving the boatyard, Carol drives along listening to various songs in Drew's tape collection. Carol finds a tape on meditation which gets stuck in the cassette player as she tries to eject it, and Carol can't turn off the radio either. Carol lets out a scream of frustration before noticing a small plane flying overhead. Distracted by the plane, Carol has to swerve in an attempt to unsuccessfully avoid a walker in the middle of the road and she crashes the car into a sign for an old drive-in movie theater, hitting her head on the steering wheel. Getting out of the car, Carol quickly puts down two walkers that approach her and follows the sounds of the plane through the drive-in, passing a skeleton in the ticket booth. Carol eventually sees the plane flying low overhead for a landing off in the distance.
At night, Carol sneaks up on the farm where the plane landed at and observes Ash, quickly hiding when she accidentally steps on a branch and draws Ash's attention. Carol finds the main gate locked with a keycode and witnesses a rabbit hit a tripwire, causing a metal grating to swing down and kill the rabbit. Near the grating are two decayed corpses who had also triggered the trap, presumably either walkers or intruders. Stepping carefully around the trap, Carol places herself behind the grating and yells for help. Ash warns Carol that she's going to draw walkers, and Carol calls it a very secure perimeter. Ash demands to know what she's doing snooping around his property and Carol insists that she doesn't want any trouble, explaining that she had crashed her car and asking if Ash has a first aid kit. While Ash has no reason to help her, he seems like a really nice person and Carol would like to think that even in the world that they live in, they can rely on the kindness of strangers. After Carol swears that she's alone, Ash agrees to get her fixed up, but then she must leave. Ash opens the main gate with a remote and he warns Carol that he will shoot her if she makes one false move.
At a small mirror, Carol cleans her head wound up and the two introduce themselves to each other. The power goes out, and Ash explains that he has problems with his generator and the power goes out from time to time. Ash gets the power back on, and Carol asks if he's ever hit a walker with his car, calling him lucky when Ash says that he hasn't as Carol thinks that she smashed the radiator on her car. Hearing this, Ash offers to let Carol spend the night as there's no use in walking now. Ash leads her to the barn, causing Carol to have a flashback of a zombified Sophia emerging from the barn on Hershel's farm which mixes with a hallucination of the present day Carol seeing Sophia approach her and touch her mother's arm before a shot rings out. Ash notices her strange reaction, but Carol just brushes it off. Carol spots the plane that she had seen flying overhead earlier outside of the other end of the barn and Ash directs her where to sleep. Ash confirms that he's the pilot of the plane, stating that while the noise attracts the dead, it's worth it just to get up above everything for a little while each day.
The next day, Ash wakes Carol up and gives her a bowl of food. Carol asks Ash if he can help her with her car today, explaining that she had crashed it about a half mile down the road at the drive-in. Ash agrees to take look this afternoon, telling Carol that when he takes his plane up at 3:00 he'll look for abandoned cars for parts to fix it up with. Carol hopes that she's not keeping him, guessing that Ash has better things to do than to fly around the area looking for car parts. Ash admits that he never ventures too far because, while he could go anywhere, he has everything that he needs here. Ash's watch alarm suddenly goes off, causing Ash to panic and run to his greenhouse.
Ash takes off for his daily flight, drawing a herd to the gates with all of the noise. Carol takes advantage of Ash being gone to look around, although she is unable to get into the locked greenhouse. Carol locates a world map, and she finds France on it before the power goes out again, causing the gate to open, letting the herd in. Rather than restoring the power, Carol -- unaware of the danger -- takes advantage of the power being out to enter the greenhouse where she finds a large tree surrounded by candles and children's toys, the initials "A.P." carved into it, and a picture of a young boy displayed: the boy's grave. Carol plays with an old music box that plays "You Are My Sunshine," reminding Carol of her lost daughter, making her cry.
Hearing Ash's plane returning, Carol goes to leave, only to have the herd enter the greenhouse and break in through the glass panels. Quickly becoming surrounded, Carol barricades herself in between a group of shelves and then climbs them to break out a skylight in order to escape. Outside, Ash furiously demands to know what the hell Carol did. After the two dispatch the herd, Ash removes the bodies from the greenhouse, rejecting Carol's attempts to help him. Ash demands to know what Carol was thinking as she had no right to come inside of the greenhouse. Carol apologizes and tries to reassure Ash that nothing had happened to the grave, but he doesn't care. Ash finally agrees to let Carol clean up, ordering her to get out once she does. Once Carol finishes removing the bodies, she finds Ash at the grave and tells him that all of the bodies are outside of the perimeter now and she explains that she was curious about him. While it's not an excuse, Carol just thought that if she knew him better, they could become friends which is something that Carol has been missing: a friend. Ash tells Carol that friends aren't what he misses, and Carol promises to be on her way once she's finished cleaning up.
Ash finally opens up to Carol, revealing that the grave is that of his son, Avi Patel. Avi died when he was 7 on April 19th at 8:23 am. Every morning at that exact time, Ash sits with his son, and he apologizes for letting Avi wander off, not being able to save him and for not protecting him like a parent is supposed to protect their child. When Avi died, Ash made a place for him here to keep him safe. Avi's mom left when he was a baby, so it was all up to Ash to raise and protect his son. Avi loved planes and Ash came across a crashed Beechcraft in a nearby field about a month after he died, and it felt like a sign to him. As a result, Ash brought it back one piece at a time, found some manuals, and figured out how to put it back together. Carol realizes that Ash doesn't want to leave his son and that's why he just flies around this area. "It was never about going anywhere in particular. Just up... high enough so that when I look down, I can almost trick myself into thinking the world is... still the same. Almost," states Ash. Carol boards up the broken windows and asks Ash if she can head out in the morning instead. Ash tells Carol that he's about to sit down for dinner, and he invites her to join him.
At dinner, Carol is briefly taken aback to see a cherokee rose on the table, remembering when Daryl gave her one, telling Carol that he believes that it had bloomed for Sophia. Ash asks where Carol intends to go and if there's anyone waiting for her, before realizing that it's not her business. Carol explains that she was married to a man named Ed and that they had a difficult marriage right from the get-go. Then their daughter Sophia came along, and Carol comments that it's funny how in life something so bad can lead to something so good. Carol lies that right before the world turned upside-down, Ed took Sophia to visit his aunt in Europe while Carol had never been to a foreign country before and she had never even had a passport, but "here's Sophia, barely 12, just flitting around France with her dad." When everything happened, Carol tried to reach her daughter a bunch of times, but she never heard from her again. Ash realizes that Carol wants him to fly her to France to find her daughter and that she had lied to him. Carol asks him if Ash knew that Avi was out there, wouldn't he do whatever it took to find him. However, Ash tells her that Avi isn't and is furious that Carol had been lying to him all along. The next day, Carol leaves with Ash barely sparing her a glance from where he's cleaning the outside of the greenhouse.
At the Nest, Losang practices fighting with staffs with two other people. Daryl enters, having heard that Mathis got word back which Losang confirms, telling Daryl that Genet is transporting her prisoners from Maison Mère to another facility in a few days and Mathis' team will intercept the transport. Daryl wants to go with them, but Losang tells him that the Union of Hope is a pacifist movement, and they resist violence when they can. Daryl states that he resists violence too when he can and Losang shows Daryl his staff which they use as a training for Aikido. Losang isn't using it as a weapon, he's using it to prepare in case he might need a weapon when he wants to punch back. Losang agrees to let Daryl go, telling him to bring their people back safely. Losang offers to go a round with Daryl, but Daryl is uninterested in fighting him with "that toothpick."
Ash drives up to Carol and tells her that he would do anything to find Avi like any parent would, but the question is would Carol search for him, to give up everything to look for somebody that she hasn't met. Carol states that if there was a hope of finding them alive, then yes, she would. Ash points out that they're talking about flying a plane across the ocean with no communication, no weather forecast, and no idea what's waiting for them on the other side, but Carol tells him that it was her only option, and she couldn't do nothing. Ash asks why she's going now, what had changed, and Carol explains that she couldn't keep waiting, feeling stuck. Carol had to move forward, she had to at least try. Ash finally agrees to help her, telling Carol to hop in the truck and that they have work to do.
Ash and Carol map out their flight plan with Ash suggesting heading north hugging the coast, pit stopping in Greenland and minimizing their time over the open sea. They can switch out the ethanol tanks in Greenland and Ash reveals that he's made a massive supply of ethanol as Ash has got a lot of time on his hands. As they work on his plants, Ash asks where Carol would even start to look, and Carol tells him that she has an address for Ed's aunt where they were staying which can act as a starting point for her search. Ash suggests that Sophia could still be there which would be amazing, but Carol will have to remind herself that there's a chance that she won't be, and she may not even be still alive. Ash is more optimistic about Sophia's chances and he's glad that Carol still has that. Once Carol turns away from her new friend, her face falls, obviously upset by her continuing to deceive Ash so that he'll help her when Sophia is actually dead, and Carol is really looking for Daryl. As Ash performs maintenance on the plane, Carol confirms with him that he's sure that he wants to do this, to leave his home and Avi. Ash tells her that when his son died, he didn't leave the house for months and when Ash did, he found the plane which saved him. "If you're not moving forward, then you're dying."
In a deserted town, Daryl, Mathis and their team set up for the ambush. Mathis tells Daryl that the convoy will arrive shortly, and the first truck will trigger the explosion which will be just big enough to blow out their front tires. Elodie and Winston will keep the first vehicle busy while Daryl and Mathis go to the transport truck which is where their people will be. They will get in and get out as one.
At the Nest, Jacinta argues to Losang that they should move the ceremony up, but Losang tells her that they still have work to do. Jacinta warns Losang that he'll never win them over, and certainly not Daryl. Losang is sure that they have time and Laurent isn't ready. Jacinta asks if Laurent isn't ready or if it's Losang that's not and, looking at where the boy is playing with Sylvie, Losang admits that they're not.
In Maine, a thunderstorm begins to move in fast, so Ash and Carol begin to load up the plane, planning to go inside afterwards. Ash tells Carol that he often wonders if Avi were still alive, would he be obsessed with planes, or if he would've moved onto something else. Ash asks Carol what she thinks Sophia's into now, but Carol doesn't know, though she does wonder, and tells Ash that there's so much that she doesn't know. A lightning strike knocks out the generator, allowing a massive herd to get through the gates and onto the property. Flying sparks ignites Ash's supply of ethanol, threatening to set the plane on fire. With the herd approaching, Carol and Ash have no choice but to fly out immediately.
Genet's convoy passes through the town, but avoids hitting the trap. Although Mathis calls for them to abort, Daryl emerges and shoots Genet's driver, causing her jeep to crash. A Guerrier emerges from the transport truck and shoots one of the team members before being killed by the team's sniper. Daryl kills two more Guerrieres while Mathis shoots the two in the final vehicle.
Carol, who has never flown before, works to calm herself as she and Ash frantically prepare the plane. Ash tells Carol that there's no time for them to clear a path.
Daryl and the team help the rescued prisoners out of the transport truck and Fallou thanks Daryl. Emerging from the wreckage of her vehicle, the injured Genet laughs as she recognizes Daryl, commenting that she should've known because "angels always send their most vicious demon to do the dirty work. And here you are." Daryl reloads and prepares to kill Genet who simply stands there with her arms outstretched. However, the explosive suddenly detonates, distracting Daryl, and when he turns back, Genet is gone, having escaped.
As walkers flood Ash's property, Carol shoves one into the plane's propellor and finally boards it, trying to keep herself calm. The plane taxies through the herd, hitting several walkers and successfully taking off into the sky. Ash helps Carol to center herself and they fly above the clouds to see a beautiful sunrise.
Other Cast[]
Co-Stars[]
- Tristan Zanchi as Emile Thibault
- Nassima Benchicou as Jacinta
- Mouloud Ayad as Gilbert
- Théo Costa-Marini as Mathis
- Gilbert Glenn Brown as Jones
- Craig Gellis as Grady
- Tercelin Kirtley as Drew
Uncredited[]
- Madison Lintz as Sophia Peletier (Archive Footage)
- Unknown as Avi Patel (Photograph)
- Unknown as Walker Sophia Peletier (Hallucination)
- Ayden Casse as Walker Hunter
- Unknown as Martin Fournier
- Unknown as Elodie
- Unknown as Winston
Deaths[]
- Avi Patel (Confirmed Fate)
- 6 unnamed Power of the Living Guerriers
- 1 unnamed Union of Hope soldier
- 1 rabbit
Trivia[]
- First appearance of Gilbert.
- First appearance of Jacinta.
- First appearance of Mathis.
- First appearance of Ash Patel.
- First appearance of Elodie.
- First appearance of Winston.
- First appearance of Martin Fournier.
- Only appearance (in Daryl Dixon continuity) of Sophia Peletier. (Zombified, Hallucination)
- Only appearance of Avi Patel. (Photograph)
- The title of the episode, "La Gentillesse Des Étrangers", is French and means "the kindness of strangers". It's a reference to Carol telling Ash that she believes that even in the current world, they can still rely on the kindness of strangers.
- As of this episode, Melissa McBride (Carol Peletier) and Joel de la Fuente (Losang) have been added to the opening credits.
- Also, as of this episode, Adam Nagaitis (Quinn) has been removed from the opening credits.
- Romain Levi (Stéphane Codron) is now billed before Anne Charrier (Marion Genet).
- This episode was shown in advance at the Tribeca Festival on June 8, 2024.[1]
- For Daryl, this episode takes place approximately two weeks after "Coming Home". For Carol, it takes place immediately after the end of "Coming Home".
- In the Episode Insider, Greg Nicotero reveals that the scene where Carol pushes a walker into the plane's propellor is a homage to Indiana Jones.
- This episode features flashbacks to the episodes "Cherokee Rose" and "Pretty Much Dead Already" of The Walking Dead.
Episode Highlights[]
To be added.
References[]
v · d · e Episodes of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon | |
---|---|
Season 1 | "L'âme Perdue" • "Alouette" • "Paris Sera Toujours Paris" • "La Dame de Fer" • "Deux Amours" • "Coming Home" |
Season 2 | "La Gentillesse Des Étrangers" • "Moulin Rouge" • "L'Invisible" • "La Paradis Pour Toi" • "Vouloir, C'est Pouvoir" • "Au Revoir Les Enfants" |
Season 3 | TBA |
Episode Guide: TV Series • Fear • World Beyond • Tales • Dead City • The Ones Who Live • Webisodes |