The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Recap: “La Dame de Fer”

The last we saw Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus), he was falling through a roof and plunging into darkness. Episode 4 opens with Daryl looking for Laurent (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi), only to find the boy trapped on the other side of a locked gate. Laurent is swarmed by les affamès, the hungry ones, with no way out. Daryl screams and rattles the gate, but the dead descend on Laurent as he clasps his hands in prayer. Daryl’s light illuminates the huddled mass of hungry ones surrounding Laurent… and sees the zombies part and walk away. Laurent, still silently praying, is unharmed. He smiles and walks away, leaving Daryl to call out for him in the darkness. Is Laurent immune to zombie bites? Is he the messiah, as prophesied? Is this a miracle?

Suddenly, Daryl’s eyes open. He’s under water, walkers clutching at his feet. Daryl stabs the hungry ones gnawing at his boot and swims for the surface, almost as if being baptized. Daryl is in the sewers beneath Montmartre. Nearby, Codron (Romain Levi) and the Guerrier question Sonia (Sabine Pakora), the grieving widow who was comforted by Laurent when Fallou (Eriq Ebouaney) brought his group into the Union de L’Espoir’s network to connect them with The Nest. Codron learns the American is in service of the Union, on a mission to deliver the boy. “He’s not some ‘kid,’” Sonia tells Codron. “He has a greater purpose.”

Madame Genet (Anne Charrier), leader of Pouvoir des Vivants, is surprised to learn the Union’s supposed messiah actually exists. “I heard about a special boy. From Lourdes. His birth was deemed amiracle. I thought it was a rumor. A foolish tall-tale you alldesperately wanted to believe,” Genet says, cradling a mother’s crying baby. “The fools are the ones who put their faith in you,” Sonia says defiantly. “Because Laurent will save us all. Even you.” 

Genet replies, “The weak, the submissive, the credulous… it’s people like you who got us into this mess.” When Codron asks if the boy is a danger to the Pouvoir, she explains Laurent “gives them false hope. It’s a disease that must be rooted out.” Codron vows to find the boy and the American.

Elsewhere in Paris, pigeon trainer Antoine (Dominique Pinon) alerts Daryl that the Guierrer are after Laurent. “They came back later in the night. They took people, and the rest, we run,” he says in broken English. “We are their… what’s the word? Enemy. Et Laurent is our hope. You must go to them.” Antoine will show Daryl the way to Rue Manuel, where he’s supposed to rendezvous with Laurent and Isabelle back at her old apartment. But when two Guierrer try to take Antoine’s beloved birds, he’s gunned down. Daryl quickly avenges Antoine, tossing his blade into the driver’s trigger finger before finishing off his compatriot. “The birds, free. Let them free,” Antoine says, dying as Daryl releases the birds from their cage.

At the apartment, Isabelle tells Daryl she searched all night for Laurent and couldn’t find him. Daryl figures he’s running and hiding, but Isabelle says he doesn’t know Paris. “Where would he go?” Daryl has an idea. Back at the Demimonde, Quinn (Adam Nagaitis) is preoccupied with ex Isabelle — to the dismay of club singer Anna (Lukerya Ilyashenko). “She’s gone, Quinn. For good,” Anna tells him. “Women need a damn good reason to come back. And sometimes, we need a damn good reason to stay.” One of Quinn’s men report that the Guerrier are after the American and Laurent. Quinn’s son.

In Paris, Daryl and Isabelle follow his lead on Laurent. They make up for their argument at the Demimonde that caused Laurent to run away. Isabelle admits she should have been honest with her nephew a long time ago. Meanwhile, Laurent arrives at La Dame de Fer: the Eiffel Tower, its decaying metal groaning with the wind. He stands where Lily once stood to pose for the only photograph Laurent has of his mother. Laurent peers behind a barricade and sees hundreds of hungry ones walled off inside, which then burst free just as Daryl and Isabelle arrive. They fight off a wave of walkers as Laurent hides… only for a walker to kneel down and grab at him. While they fight their way out of the horde, Daryl and Isabelle fail two stop two men from abducting Laurent. As the car speeds away with the boy inside, one kidnapper is eaten alive. The other will wish for such mercy.

Daryl and Isabelle take their prisoner to a garage to play good cop, bad cop. Isabelle tells Armand (Genc Jakupi) she’s a nun and asks if his necklace means he’s a disciple of God. He used to be. “You’re not a Guierrer, are you? A Pouvoir officer, then? Do you work directly for Genet? The violence and the killing… they must take quite a toll.” He stonewalls every question, failing to heed Isabelle’s offer to walk away knowing he’s “still capable of grace and mercy.”

“They told me that it’s a real party with ‘ol Issa,” he spits. “Nonstop. But all I’m getting is bullshit about God and Jesus. But the joke is, I know you’re just a thieving little slut.” Isabelle realizes who took Laurent: Quinn. Back at the Demimonde, Laurent has figured out that Quinn is his father. Isabelle told him that his father was a hero for France who went away to fight the hungry ones. “That is a bit of a stretch,” Quinn admits, but dear old dad says he deserves credit for saving Laurent at the Eiffel Tower. “I want to take care of you,” he says. “Make up for lost time.” Laurent asks about Isabelle and Daryl. “Isabelle will join us,” Quinn answers. “We’ll be together soon.”

As Isabelle attempts to interrogate Armand in French, Daryl gets frustrated when he refuses to answer what Quinn wants with Laurent. Speaking the universal language, Daryl punches Armand in the face. Hard. And then again. “You know, where I grew up, there was this little boy lived down the street. His name was Jimmy.Jimmy was a runt.They always picked on Jimmy for being so little.His dad was a drunk.I don’t think I ever saw that guy sober.” Daryl picks up his knife. “One Christmas, Jimmy got a piglet as a present.It used to follow him around like a little dog.Even waited for him after school.And then, one Christmas, his dad says he wants him to kill the piglet and eat it for church dinner.”

Daryl gives Armand two quick stabs with the knife. “Says if he doesn’t, do it his brother is gonna get a beating. So he takes the piglet, ties it up to a tree in the backyard. He wants to make it quick, painless.” Stab stab! “The thing is, by Jimmy not trying to hurt the pig, he ends up hurting him worse.Stabbed it in the belly, in the back, in the legs, until it just bled out.And that pig screamed all night long.All the neighbours heard it.No one ever f—ed with Jimmy anymore.”

Armand spits it out: he doesn’t know what Quinn wants with the boy, but he thinks he can use the kid to get what he wants. “He’s using Laurent to get to me,” Isabelle realizes. Daryl wants to know another way into the Demimonde. When Armand says it’s “impossible,” Daryl warns Isabelle: “You might want to leave. Unless you want to hear this pig scream.” As Daryl swaps his knife for a crowbar, Isabelle says she’ll stay. A panicked Armand says it’s not so impossible, after all, but it’s dangerous. He offers to draw them a map, but Daryl decides to take him with them. He ties his prisoner to a post like a pet pig. “That little boy in the story,” Isabelle asks Daryl, “that was you, wasn’t it?” “No,” he replies. “I made all that shit up.”

Daryl and Isabelle rendevous with Sylvie, Fallou, Emile (Tristan Zanchi), Bastien (Elie Haddad), and Nadine (Chrystal Boursin). It’s decided the two nuns will go to Pont de la Tournelle — the Tournelle Bridge over the river Seine — to meet Azlan, a man from the Nest, who will be waiting for them with a boat. Fallou isn’t letting Daryl take Armand into the Demimonde alone and rallies the troops. “A threat to one of us is a threat to all of us. And so, we go into this fight as a unit. Working in defense of l’Union de l’Espoir. Go in as one, come back as one. Go in as one, come back as — ONE!” Sylvie shares a kiss with Emile.

“There’s something I wanted to tell you,” Isabelle says to Daryl. He tells her to wait until they’re at the river and leaves with Armand. Later, at Pont de la Tournelle, Sylvie asks Isabelle if she’s ever had romantic feelings for anyone since she took vows. Sylvie suspects Isabelle has those feelings for Daryl. “What you saw was concern,” she explains. “For him. For Laurent. Do you like him? Emile?” Sylvie says their kiss was nice, but confusing. She’s considering staying in Paris to be part of the community Emile is helping Fallou to build. Azlan (Hassam Ghancy) arrives and speaks the code: “Truth is hope.”

At the Demimonde, Quinn meets with Genet and Codron to negotiate for the American. Genet offers a reward: a stash of weapons, 20 bushels of corn, and a case of Calvados brandy. Quinn wants her Monet, “Japanese Footbridge,” an impressionism piece Genet hand waves as “degenerate art.” Deal. And the boy? Quinn says he doesn’t have him, but they’re searching. In private, Codron asks if she thinks Quinn will deliver the American to the Pouvoir. “Quinn is a transactional man,” she answers. “But that doesn’t solve our other problem. We can’t let that child out of Paris.”

Anna realizes Quinn didn’t give up Laurent because he wants to use the boy to get Isabelle back. “I only told you about his Eiffel Tower thing so we could get the reward,” she says with venom. “Not lock him up alone in some f—ing room.” Quinn hands her a gun and tells her to keep Laurent safe. Outside, Armand leads Daryl to a hatch on train tracks. And there’s the danger: les affamés. “F—ing great,” Daryl grunts. Back inside, Anna asks if she’s supposed to babysit while Quinn finds the American. “I won’t have to find him,” Quinn says. “He’s coming to me.”

As Daryl and Armand sneak through an access tunnel beneath the Demimonde, Fallou, Emile, Bastien, and Nadine assault the front entrance of the club with gunfire and molotov cocktails. Armand strikes Daryl and makes a run for it, but doesn’t get far: Daryl trails Armand into the tunnels and finds him with his leg busted. “Damn, you’re an idiot,” Daryl tells him. Armand offers a crude swear in response and begs Daryl for help. Daryl gets directions out of the tunnel — fork left, take the tunnel to une trappe, a door— and leaves Armand for the hungry ones. “Bon appétit.”

The entrance to the Demimonde is a warzone. Emile gets shot in the thigh. Fallou wants to extract him from the tunnel entrance, but he wants to finish the job. As Daryl makes his way inside the club, Anna talks with Laurent about the Eiffel Tower. He’s sure La Dame de Fer, the Iron Lady, will be beautiful again some day. She hopes he gets to go home. “You’re nice, but you don’t want people to know that,” he tells her. Gut feeling. She smiles. “You’re a good kid. But I bet everyone knows that.”

Daryl finally finds Laurent, who asks about Isabelle. They’re leaving, so Laurent turns to give Anna back her charm of the Eiffel Tower… only to see her with a gun on them. “Just go,” she shouts. “Go!” Quinn realizes the assault on the entrance is a diversion and makes his way through the Demimonde to Daryl. They fight, but the Brit is beat by the American as Daryl slams his head into a rail. Daryl draws his knife, puts it to Quinn’s throat… and with Laurent watching, knocks Quinn out instead. Back at Pont de la Tournelle, Fallou escorts the wounded Emile to the river. In French, he warns Isabelle that Madame Genet is posting guards at the city limits. Soon there will be no way out of Paris.

Isabelle’s prayers are answered as Daryl arrives at the river with Laurent. She thanks Daryl, but with Azlan waiting, she doesn’t board the boat. “The Guerrier are overtaking the city. I need someone with influence. Someone who can make sure that they let him pass,” she explains. She needs Quinn. “He knows how to make things happen. He’ll do it for me. He’ll do it for me if I stay.”

Daryl decides if she’s staying, he’s staying with her. He can handle Quinn. “This isn’t about you. It’s not about me,” she says. “It’s about Laurent.” If it’s about Laurent, he yells, “Then get on the f—ing boat!” If she gets on the boat, none of them make it out. Isabelle staying behind with Quinn is the only way to ensure Laurent makes it past Genet’s Guerrier and out of Paris. “I know this isn’t your fight. I know you should be on your way home by now. But there’s no one else who can take him to The Nest safely. Please.”

Daryl tells Isabelle she can’t stay with Quinn, but he’s a means to an end. Once she knows her nephew is safe, she’ll figure a way out. She’s done it before. In a guarded goodbye, Daryl says “I guess this it, then,” and she says, “I hope not. But if it is, I hope you make it home.” Laurent hugs Isabelle goodbye, but he has a harder time letting go. “I promise you,” she says, meaning every word, “I will do everything in my power to get back to you.” She’s lied to him before, but she’s telling the truth. And she needs him to trust her now. The boy begs Isabelle to come with him and Daryl, but she has to stay. He appeals to Sylvie, and the answer is the same. “Goodbye, little brother. We’ll meet again,” Sylvie assures him. “I promise.” 

With that, Daryl and Laurent depart on Azlan’s boat. Isabelle returns to the Demimonde, alone, and studies Les Nènuphars — The Water Lilies — the painting she would visit anytime she was sad and lonely. At Île aux Cygnes on the Seine, Azlan’s boat crosses under the Pont de Granelle bridge. Daryl and Laurent sit in silence as they sail past the Statue of Liberty replica: Liberty Enlightening the World.

New episodes of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon air Sundays on AMC and AMC+.

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