The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon: Norman Reedus’ new zombie spin-off makes a DRAMATIC debut as he gets caught up in a bloody massacre at a NUN SANCTUARY in France

Fans of The Walking Dead finally got their Daryl Dixon fix on Sunday night as the beloved zombie franchise debuted its latest spinoff series.

The very first episode of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon saw the main character washed up on the coast of France all alone after “encountering bad people” during his travels, who eventually put him on a boat.

It wasn’t long before Norman Reedus’ character was killing zombies – but when he encountered a young French woman and an older man, Daryl was nearly dead after they tricked him into thinking they were harmless.

After being rescued by a nun, Daryl woke up in a remote sanctuary and it soon became clear that Isabelle Carriere (played by Harry Potter star Clémence Poésy) had an ulterior motive for saving him.

It is revealed that Isabelle and the rest of the nuns are harboring a young boy named Laurent (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi) who they believe is the “messiah” sent to “lead the revival of humanity” after the zombie apocalypse.

Clémence Poésy takes on the role of a nun named Isabelle Carriere in the new AMC show

Daryl is a fan favorite from the original Walking Dead series, which came to an end in 2022

Isabelle begged Daryl to lead them to the north of France to hand Laurent over to their leader, a Buddhist monk, so he could “raise him and nurture him to be who he was born to be,” but Daryl was having none of it. and set out again on our own.

However, upon leaving the shrine, Daryl was forced to hide when Codron (Romain Levi) and his men arrived – determined to find him.

Not one to leave anyone in danger, Daryl decided to stay. When Codron and his men stormed into the sanctuary, a bloody massacre ensued.

Desperate to keep Laurent a secret, the nuns hid him in a locked room, but when he emerged a fight broke out when Codron insisted they leave with him.

Daryl ensured this did not happen and appeared just in time to kill one of Codron’s men, allowing Isabelle to escape with Laurent – but the fight led to many of the other nuns being killed.

When Daryl and Codron finally came face to face, the beloved character almost suffered a similar fate, but was saved by Isabelle, who reemerged at just the right moment to prevent Daryl from being shot dead.

He then managed to point the gun at Codron, but wasn’t quick enough to prevent the soldier from getting away – meaning the duo will undoubtedly cross paths again as the Frenchman is determined to avenge his brother’s death.

The season premiere ended with Daryl admitting to Isabelle why he left America, telling her, “I thought there must be something worth finding out there,” before agreeing to deliver Laurent safely north .

Daryl ends up on a mission to deliver Laurent (right) safely to another part of France

Romain Levi’s character Codron seems to be on a mission to destroy Daryl

Daryl could be in serious danger if he encounters “bad people” and ends up in France

At the very end of the episode, viewers were introduced to Marion Genet, who serves as the main antagonist in the new series and it seems like she could be a dangerous threat to Daryl.

Genet visited the captain of the ship Daryl was traveling on, and was subsequently thrown overboard, and was clearly frustrated by the fact that he was simply ‘presumed’ dead.

“If he’s not dead, find him,” she told her men, before seemingly ordering the death of the captain responsible for dumping Daryl in the ocean.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon continues Sundays at 9 PM ET on AMC and AMC+