Warning: SPOILERS ahead for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 1 finale!
Summary
- Codron’s surprising turn in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 1 finale shows that he has a core of redemption and empathy, despite the bad things he has done.
- Codron’s decision to let Daryl and his group escape may cost them the safety they found, as Genet learns of his betrayal and likely tortures him for information.
- Codron’s survival in season 2 seems inevitable, but it remains unclear if he will bring danger or tension to the Nest, where Daryl and his group are seeking refuge.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon showrunner David Zabel has explained Codron’s surprising turn during season 1, episode 6 and what it means for his character going forward. During the season finale, Pouvoir soldiers corner Daryl and his group, with Codron being ordered to kill Laurent in front of them. However, he is unable to kill the child, instead shooting the other soldiers and letting Daryl and his group escape.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Zabel opened up about Codron’s surprising turn in the season finale, and how it sets the stage for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 2. The showrunner discussed why Codron killed his own men, even though he knows he’ll be punished by Genet for doing so. Check out what Zabel had to say below:
So Codron has this turn because he’s so sorry. He’s on a journey of his own because he’s redeeming the murder of his brother. So even though he does a lot of bad things, there is a core there that we can empathize with. And I always want a villain that I can partially empathize with, that I can understand, and that I emotionally know where they’re coming from.
And that inner core of Codron that’s been buried under a lot of other strong violent stuff that comes out again in this moment you’re talking about when they’re on the road and his job he realizes is to kill Laurent and everybody else — he doesn’t have that in his heart. He doesn’t have it in his heart to kill the child. And he realizes to some extent the errors of his ways. And so he chooses a different course at that point. He’s going to have to pay for that choice because he didn’t do what he was supposed to do. But he has a moment of real redemption where he does the right thing.
How Codron’s Action Tie Into Daryl Dixon Season 2
While The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 1 ended with Laurent safely at the Nest, Codron’s decision to let them escape may cost them the safety it will provide. When he returns to Genet, she is able to tell he killed her men, and that he discovered the location of the Nest. His final appearance in the episode shows Pouvoir soldiers dragging him away, likely to torture the information out of him.
Even though he managed to save Daryl and his group, he is now considered an enemy by Genet, meaning she will use every method she can to find out where the Nest is. It’s unclear if he will be able to escape her clutches before giving her the information, but his survival in season 2 seems inevitable. However, that survival could allow the Pouvoir to find out where Laurent is if he decides to go there seeking refuge.
Though The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon‘s finale was ambiguous, it seems Daryl will be staying in France for the foreseeable future. If Codron decides to go to the Nest in that time period, he could either bring danger in the form of the Pouvoir, or tension over his unfulfilled quest for revenge. Whatever happens surrounding the complex antagonist, it seems season 2 will provide more details about how his story will continue.
Source: EW
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
