Our little ragtag team of survivors are trying to make their way north, and we learn from Isabelle about the day the hungry ones first appeared in France. Hopefully, we will also learn more about the burner walkers and how Laurent will save the world.
Alouette
I always try to figure out how the title of each episode ties in with the TWD story. Alouette is a diminutive of Old French that means skylark…a bird…it is a general name for several types of singing birds. The song has a darker meaning about capturing, plucking, and eating the bird…which fits in nicely with tonight’s episode, which was written by Jason Richman and David Zabel.
This episode of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon gives us so much backstory on how the people of France dealt with the walker apocalypse, and it is done primarily through Isabelle’s memories. Isabelle (Clemence Poesy) wasn’t always a nun. She was a party girl who spent her nights drinking, snorting, and flirting. The scars on her wrists reveal the sorrow in her heart. In what I can only describe as a flashback to World War Z (I freaking loved that film, and the book), Isabelle observes the chaos as the disease swiftly spreads through the city. She is quickly rescued by a lover who drives her to pick up her pregnant sister Lilly (Faustine Koziel). Not going into too much detail, Isabelle and Lilly escape the boyfriend and arrive at the Abby, but not before Lilly is bitten by a walker.
I truly wasn’t expecting too much from this spinoff, but the gods that be in charge have given us an amazing actress worthy to walk by Daryl’s (Norman Reedus) side. Clemence Poesy’s acting was superb to the fact that she stole the whole episode. If you were wondering why Isabelle and the other nuns were so protective of the boy, and why they think that he is the Messiah, this episode gives us the downlow. Lilly turned while delivering the boy. The priest had to do a caesarean to save the child. I will get back to this part of the story.
The School
In between Isabelle’s flashbacks, we find Team Daryl on the road with the Abbey’s mule and a shoddy wagon. Before they can get too far, they are met by walkers. Finding their way to a school that used to be a daycare, Team Daryl meet some of the smartest kids I’ve ever seen in TWD universe. Because the children are afraid of Daryl, Isabelle tells the children that Daryl is a priest. We even get to see Daryl pray.
Lou (Kim Higelin), one of the teenagers in charge, tells Daryl that their beloved teacher is sick, but the Lizard aka RJ has stolen all the meds and supplies from the town and has kidnapped two of the school’s boys. Daryl is only interested in getting the Lizard’s horse, but he and Lou go on the quest to get supplies. These kids are staying alive because they are working together to farm their food, mend their clothes, and learn their school lessons.
The storyline doesn’t talk too much about the sick teacher, but she must have been a miracle worker to raise these toddlers to be so self-sufficient.
Conclusion
There is the customary battle between Daryl and the Lizard; surprisingly the man was an American trapped in France and unaware that this disease has wiped out most of the people at home. I would have loved to learn more about the Lizard’s backstory but there aren’t enough episodes to delve into interesting characters.
I know that I’ve given a lot of spoilers in this review, but you need to watch this episode because of Clemence Poesy and because it shows how isolated Laurent (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi) was at the Abbey. When the boy finally begins to bond with the other children, it is time for Team Daryl to leave. The boy is upset, as are the children.
Why did the nuns think that Laurent is the key to saving the world? Is it because the infection was passed to him via placenta thus giving him immunity to a bite, or is it more like the plot for World War Z? Does Laurent’s blood make him invisible to walkers? This mystery is key to making this one of the finest spinoffs yet, and I am here for the whole ride.
