The third season of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon has finally arrived, and with all the recent story developments and setups that occurred within only the first episode, it’s obvious the best is yet to come in the remaining ones. Even though the fans are anxious to see where Daryl and Carol’s perilous journey takes them next as they wonder a new territory in Spain, there was one specific aspect of the season premiere that I personally believe deserved to be explored further. After crossing over France to England, the duo briefly found themselves in London, England, where a new and unexpected ally made his way into their orbit. The season premiere featured a special guest appearance from famed British comedian Stephen Merchant in the role of Julian Chamberlain. As fun as it would’ve been to see this character explored more deeply throughout the rest of the season, his story arc on the show came to a sudden and tragic end just as it was beginning.
Although it was disappointing to see Merchant exit the world of The Walking Dead so soon, I think there might still be a way to bring him back in the future. With all the spinoffs that the franchise has split off into since the ending of the original series, it’s made for some incredibly engaging and creative opportunities to explore just how the zombie apocalypse has affected the rest of the world. Watching the origins of Julian’s character, seeing his fight for survival against the downfall of all civilization in England, and even his lonely days up until his meeting with Daryl and Carol, I think could make for a really compelling “I am Legend” kind of story for Merchant to take part in.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Has Shown the Global Effect of the Zombie Apocalypse
Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) and Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride) appear in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon
Image by Jordan Iacobucci
For over fifteen years, The Walking Dead franchise has explored the impact and the societal decay brought upon by a zombie apocalypse. The original series that started it all, and its subsequent spinoffs, such as The Walking Dead: Dead City and Fear the Walking Dead, have explored the impact of the walkers across different regions of North America, from Georgia to New York City, and even from Los Angeles to various parts of Canada. Now in its third season, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon has taken that exploration of the walkers’ impact to a global scale, with Seasons 1 and 2 taking place primarily in France, after Daryl finds himself mysteriously washed up on the shores of Plage de Sainte Croix.
Seeing the more global impact and how different cultures of different countries approach this post-apocalyptic way of living is something that has helped breathe new life into the franchise. Not only has it brought about endlessly new and creative settings and conflicts, but it has also introduced several new characters and cast several international actors that most American audiences have likely never heard of before.
The first episode of Daryl Dixon’s third season furthered this exploration, switching locations from the isles and beach areas of France to the land of Angles in England. Even though the Walking Dead franchise has had plenty of British cast members (some putting on American accents for their characters, while others don’t), the franchise had yet to show just how exactly the other side of the pond was dealing with the walker outbreak, but the Season 3 premiere finally provided an answer that’s just as tragic as it is humorous.
Daryl Dixon’s Season 3 Premiere Introduced a New Character That Would’ve Been Worth Exploring Further
Stephen Merchant plays a new character in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 3.
Image via AMC.
In the Daryl Dixon Season 3 premiere, “Costa da Morte,” while the fate of Codron currently remains up in the air, Daryl and Carol are seen crossing over from France to England via the underground Channel Tunnel. Arriving in the City of London, which initially seemed to be completely devoid of any possible survivors, the duo managed to evade a massive horde of walkers nicknamed the “Squid” by hiding out in an abandoned apartment, before realizing they weren’t alone in the city after all. They suddenly find a new companion with the character of Julian, a lonely and self-deprecating man who is believed to be the last surviving Englishman.
As it turns out, despite their best efforts, the British weren’t all too well-equipped to handle the walker outbreak, with pressures leading the people to turn on one another before the entire population ultimately turned to the undead, leaving Julian trapped and forced to fend for himself for several years within his own I am Legend scenario. Despite the optimism that Julian had found in their company and assistance in being able to finally sail out of the city, that hope soon came to a heartbreaking end after taking a fatal blow to the head during the oceanic storm that led them to Spain, and being buried at sea after taking one last hit in his walker form.
While Merchant was as funny in his role as one would usually expect, playing Julian with a lighthearted self-deprecation, it was also quite a surprise at just how much he managed to nail such an unexpected dramatic turn from him as an actor. He truly captured the crushing feeling of loneliness and isolation of the character, but simultaneously brought a warmhearted and friendly attitude to the season premiere that was much needed after all the intensity seen in the Season 2 finale. It is quite a shame that Julian didn’t live to see a second episode, but Merchant’s limited availability at the time sadly kept showrunner, David Zabel, from using him more than he may have wanted to, as revealed in an interview for The Walking Dead’s official YouTube channel:
The producers said, ‘Steve, do you want to be in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon?’ I said ‘I can only give you one episode.’ They went, ‘we’ll kill you off at the end’. I went ‘See you on Monday.’
It could’ve been quite interesting to see how he could’ve navigated the ruins of Spain with Daryl and Carol; perhaps he could’ve even found that special someone to settle down with, after discussing with Daryl his initial plans to do so before the walkers arrived. As sad as it was to see him go just as soon as he arrived, however, I think a prequel exploring Julian’s origins and initial fight for survival could serve as the perfect chance to bring him back and give him the deeper exploration and development of his character that he deserved from the start.
A Spin-Off Surrounding Julian and the Downfall of England Could Make For an Entertaining New Direction For the Walking Dead Franchise
Julian’s revealed as a walker in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon.
Image via AMC.
As excited as I and so many other fans were at the news that Stephen Merchant would be joining the cast, there was a unanimous sense of disappointment at the fact that he was killed off so early. One of the major highlights of Merchant’s guest appearance was his monologue given during his dinner scene with Daryl and Carol, as even though it starts off slightly humorously, its tone does a complete one-eighty as he explains what led to the collapse of England’s entire population and civilization. Merchant really managed to sell the tragedy of Julian’s situation with his performance, but since viewing the episode, it’s also had me wondering just how much more interesting it might be to actually see it all happen on-camera.
Even though AMC has yet to formally announce any further spinoffs within The Walking Dead franchise, the fact that its fictional world continues to expand in ways that most fans couldn’t have even fathomed over a decade ago has certainly helped open the door for many more stories with new and intriguing characters. With that in mind, seeing how Daryl Dixon has introduced such a fascinating piece of lore to its world with the tragically desolate state of England, why not take the opportunity to bring Julian back to explore the origins of it all from his own perspective?
Even though the fan-favorite spinoff has managed to showcase the zombie apocalypse’s impact in other parts of the globe, it’s also important to point out that it so far has only done so through the perspective of its original American characters. As much as the franchise has been given a new and fresh feeling of originality thanks to this particular series, it has also yet to explore that impact from the sole perspective of any non-American characters, and making one the protagonist of a new series set in a totally different country is something that I think can help recapture the attention of fans who may have since given up.
This hypothetical show would also have to take Merchant’s availability into account for its production, but given how much fun he clearly had with just his one and only episode, who’s to say for sure that he wouldn’t be willing to commit to becoming a series lead if it means he gets to reprise that particular role? Although nobody really knows what’s to come next in the world of The Walking Dead, I can only hope that the head of the franchise, Scott Gimple, realizes the kind of opportunity that’s created for itself in this case and pursues the idea much sooner than later.