What impresses most about El Sacrificio (“The Sacrifice”) is the way it presents life in a rural Spanish coastal region plunged into its own past by the long reverberations of the zombie apocalypse. Time in this part of Spain has wound backwards, so that earlier traditions, premodern cultures and old forms of monarchical rule are once again resurgent.
That means that refugees Daryl and Carol are not simply geographically adrift in a strange land, but are travellers who are out of sync with the society into which they have been shipwrecked. Writers David Zabel and Jason Richman make good use of this sense of disconnection in an episode that offers both some decent water-based walker action and some emotionally dialed-in character development.
Daryl’s decision in La Ofrenda to come to the aid of Roberto and Justina continues to ricochet through the law of unintended consequences. Outraged at the disappearance of his men, would-be king Guillermo threatens to withdraw his protective shield from Solaz even as settlement leader Fede tries to placate him. Daryl is ignoring the gathering crisis, his focus solely on repairing their ship so that they can set sail afresh. He views the community as an asset from which he can strip the resources he requires.
Far more attuned to the rhythms of the community around her, Carol finds herself drawn to Solaz’s quiet and reflective cinephile Antonio. As she joins him for an intimate solar-powered film screening, the affinity between these two resilient and self-possessed survivors is as close as it is respectful. Eduardo Noriega is superb as the damaged but fiercely perceptive fiftysomething. The growing closeness between his character and Carol is one of several unexpected developments that auger really well for what comes next.
In Season Two, the showrunners decided to kill off the mighty Isabelle at the very moment that Daryl and Carol were reunited, in order to remove the distraction that a potential emotional ménage à trois might introduce. This new Carol-Antonio dynamic suggests there is renewed interest on the producers’ part in sprinkling a little grit into the gears of Daryl and Carol’s relationship.
Oblivious to all of this, Daryl takes Roberto on a scavenger hunt looking for replacement parts for their beached sailboat. Their search leads them to visit a striking-looking lighthouse and to draw on the expertise of Valentina, a salty sea-dog of a distinctive and unusual flavour. Her assessment in turn leads Daryl to an old boat yard on the lookout for a new rudder. The visit is the catalyst for a walker surge on the beach and in the waves. Director Daniel Percival delivers some energetic action set-pieces, as Daryl and Roberto bond in an alliance that leads Daryl to rescind his objection to Roberto and Justina joining his sailing crew.
Of course, in the world of the Walking Dead, optimism usually has a short life-expectancy. Carol’s efforts to assuage Justina’s guilt in avoiding being chosen as the offering in La Ofrenda backfire when Justina draws a sharply different conclusion from their conversation. Her counsel leads to a twist that makes conflict between Solaz and El Alcázar seemingly unavoidable, despite Fede’s instincts to appease Guillermo. All of this will complicate Daryl’s and Carol’s travel plans.
There’s a surprising nod to Daryl’s Gallic adventures after Roberto shows him a clifftop statue named Camino de Santiago, a shrine to pilgrims and travellers. Daryl leaves Laurent’s Rubik’s Cube at the site, expressing the hope that the young Frenchman reached the shores of the US courtesy of Ash Patel’s plane. As well as being a fan-pleasing continuity moment, it’s also a means to bring Daryl’s softer side back into focus.
The landscape of El Sacrificio looks fantastic throughout, as the action moves from the narrow streets and open plazas of the village, across the huge vistas of the rugged coastline, and down to the tiny coves and beaches. Whether it’s the politics, the plotting or the evocation of place, Daryl Dixon is once again able to show other — less grounded — Walking Dead spin-offs how it should be done.
The third season of THE WALKING DEAD: DARYL DIXON premiers on Sundays on AMC and AMC+ in the US and will be available in the UK on Sky Max and NOW TV from October 24th
Read our previous reviews of the third season of THE WALKING DEAD: DARYL DIXON below:
Season 3, Episode 1, COSTA DA MORTE
Season 3, Episode 2, LA OFRENDA
