You could hardly expect the good guys to cruise through the obstacles in the final episode of the third season of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. But the way Daryl, Carol, and Paz dodge the gargantuan dangers that come their way seems awfully lucky. So you know that their luck had to run out some time. Daryl and Carol’s passage home is now more complicated than ever in the 7th episode. Where’s a boat when you need one?
Spoiler Alert
Does Daryl destroy El Alcazar?
Daryl and Paz were never going to abandon their fight for love. When their last mission failed, and the refugee camp in Barcelona lost people in the chaos, Daryl could have changed his route and gone back. But he’s come too far to leave Justina to the mercy of El Alcazar. Now that they’re almost there, the morbid glimpses of what happened to her the last time she was here don’t scare Paz. Instead, the images of being beaten up, stabbed, and left for the dead fuel Paz’s fight against post-apocalyptic Spain’s royal lineage. Lucky for Daryl and Paz, they get to be driven into El Alcazar with their own men. They happen to have arrived on the day of the matching ceremony–the event where the girls El Alcazar steal in La Ofrenda are either chosen by men or forced into a life of slavery. It’s easy enough for Daryl and Paz to blend into the crowd of people joining the workers’ crew heading to El Alcazar. It’s not going to be long before Justina’s fate will be up for a gamble. Elena is with her in El Alcazar. But the future queen of Spain lives entirely in fear of upsetting her husband, Guillermo. It’s not that Guillermo hadn’t noticed the tension between Elena and Paz when they were in Solaz, and also when Paz attacked the convoy, but fear and love are synonymous to him. As long as Elena is under his thumb, and she’s wearing that agreeable smile on her face, Guillermo can convince himself that she loves him. That’s certainly not the image of a future that excites Justina. But as she sees the plight of the girls unchosen in La Ofrenda–slaving away and being beaten up for taking a breath–Justina can see why Elena thinks she’s lucky. El Alcazar’s hubris is the poison that rots it from within. They believe themselves to be so above the ordinary people that the workers are told to wear masks so the royalty doesn’t have to see their faces. I don’t see Daryl and Paz complaining. They sneak in and take their positions by the time the ceremony is kickstarted by a garish puppet show where the Walkers dance for the guests’ entertainment. Daryl and Paz are handling things as they come. They don’t necessarily have a plan even when it’s time for the event everyone has been waiting for. We’ve met the King and Queen of Spain. And from the little we hear from the King about the future they look forward to, it’s no surprise that he endorses his tyrant son as the next King. Guillermo has Elena on a tight leash. It’s important for Guillermo that his wife, the first girl who was ever picked in La Ofrenda, looks happy for the girls who are about to find their matches. Justina has no wish to be married to a stranger. But she knows that, for the moment, it’s better to be picked than to be shoved aside. So she lets her hair loose for the last man who was almost about to pick another girl. He picks Justina not just because she’s beautiful, the fact that someone as beautiful as her actually made an effort to be picked by him must’ve made him feel pretty good about himself too. Justina knows how to play coy and sneak a table knife inside her sleeve at the same time. But how long can Daryl let this go on? Thankfully, the people of El Alcazar have made all sorts of arrangements for their own doom. None of them see it coming when Daryl lets their undead entertainment loose on them. Dinner’s served, I guess! As the hungry Walkers cause a big enough mayhem, Justina gets away with the man who picked her. Pointing a knife at him and asking him to help her get free is really the only option she has. She’s quickly tackled because he’s stronger than her. But thankfully, he’s no match against Daryl. Justina can’t believe her own eyes when Daryl saves her life. But things have gotten complicated in Elena’s room. Elena never told Paz that she has a son with Guillermo. But when Paz meets little Pablo, she doesn’t see Guillermo in him. She understands that Pablo is the reason Elena has had to stay behind. But now that Paz is here, ready to take her and her son away to a life they’ve always dreamed of, Elena isn’t scared of running. I’m not gonna lie, I was almost expecting a heartbreak when Guillermo’s men found Paz. The flashback tells us that he is the man who almost killed her the last time she was here to rescue Elena. I’m sure he means to finish the job this time, but Elena’s done living her life for him. She takes her life back when she stabs Guillermo. Paz finishes the job. And I think this is it for the Spanish monarchy. The King and the Queen have been chomped on by the Walkers. And with Guillermo dead, there’s no one to carry their shameful legacy forward. Daryl’s taken an extra step to make sure of El Alcazar’s destruction and lit it on fire. I doubt that he even knows how he does it. But he’s somehow managed to save Justina, Elena, Paz, Pablo, and the other girls who were taken in La Ofrenda.
What happens to Carol and Antonio?
Carol didn’t want to accept a version of their plan where Antonio stayed behind. Because of Antonio’s sacrifice, which Fede will surely make him pay for, Carol and Roberto are safely tucked away at Valentina’s lighthouse. In Roberto’s mind, the reason behind his mother’s death is still fresh. He can’t even consider forgiving a person whose actions led to his mom’s death. But Carol can see things more clearly than Roberto can right now. He’s hurt, and he’s going to need time before he can look Antonio in the face and not be filled with pain and anger. But while Roberto might be okay with the idea of leaving his father behind in Solaz, Carol knows that Antonio’s life is in danger ever since he threatened to out Fede’s secret. And she’s right. Fede and his men have been torturing Antonio to get him to speak the truth. It doesn’t please Fede to see Antonio unfazed. All he wanted was to make sure that Roberto was safe. He doesn’t mind being hurt in the process. Dona Marga really shouldn’t trust her son as blindly as she does. Very clearly, it’s her affection for him that blinds her. Fede doesn’t even need to try too hard to manipulate her when she asks him about the rumors–the rumors of her son being a liar. Fede knows just the words to get Dona Marga off his back. But by asking him to clear the air between his people and himself, Dona Marga has given Fede the worst idea. By the time Carol sneaks into Solaz in the back of a truck, Fede’s hung Antonio on one of his torture devices. He wants his people to think of the Americans as the reason for all the trouble that’s come their way, and Antonio is supposed to wear the title of the traitor. Even with the help of Valentina’s men, Rodo and Daniel, Carol’s path to freeing Antonio isn’t easy. They’re quickly caught when she frees him from the device. The only people who come to their aid as Fede’s men shower bullets in their direction are Alba and her mother, Carmen. And when it’s time for them to move, Jaime leads them through a secret passage. Fede sets his dogs on them. And in Solaz, the dogs are Walkers. With Jaime and Gustavo’s help, Carol and Antonio take care of the horde that Fede set on them.
Is Daryl And Carol’s Ship Destroyed?
If Daryl hadn’t rescued her, Justina would’ve spent every second of her life trying to get back to Roberto. She’s never seen anyone as giving and kind as Daryl. He didn’t have to risk his life for Justina and Roberto, so on their way back to the lighthouse, Justina had to ask him why he risked everything for other people. It looks like Carol’s words struck Daryl when she’d told him what Roberto and Justina’s love meant in this messed up worth. Their love is a rare thing, and even though Daryl can’t have it, he will do anything to help the people who do have it and want to protect it. But their happiness is short-lived. When Justina and Daryl reach the lighthouse, they walk into the trap that Fede set for them. It’s just two guys, so they manage to get out of danger pretty quick. Valentina fills them in on the bad news. Fede’s men came, shot her, and took Roberto. This is the hook that Fede needed to punish the Americans and Antonio for messing up his picture perfect life built on the graves of other people’s lives and loves.
Back in Solaz, things haven’t worked out great for Carol and Antonio. Remember how Gustavo jumped in to help them? He was working for Fede, so all he did was hand them over to him. What choice did he have, really? His wife is sick, and Fede won’t give him the medication that she needs unless Gustavo does him a huge favor. You can see the madness in Fede’s eyes when he sets Carol and Antonio free. His grin says that he’s proud to have been able to make things terrible for the pair of them. So when he tells them that he doesn’t think they’ll leave Solaz, you know he can’t mean anything good. When Carol and Antonio come outside, they’re met with the horrifying sight of Roberto being tied up in chains with Rodo and Daniel attached to him. They’re dead, so it’s only a matter of time before they turn. Completely defenseless, Carol and Antonio try to hold off the undead Rodo and Daniel, but this isn’t bad enough for Fede. He’s set another horde on them. And he’s such a sadistic freak that when Alba throws a knife down for Carol, he shoots it away. Seeing Antonio risk his own life for him changes everything that Roberto has been thinking about his father. What matters now is that his father loves him more than his own life, and he couldn’t be more broken over his mother’s death. Things would’ve turned really bad for all of them had it not been for Daryl and Justina showing up just in the nick of time. Daryl takes care of the Walkers while a valiant Justina walks into the chaos to force her uncle’s hand. When Justina is in danger, Fede has to take up the gun and finish off the horde. But that doesn’t keep Justina from telling everyone, including Dona Marga, the truth about her uncle. The slap Fede gets from his mother for trying to sacrifice his niece to El Alcazar and lying to everyone is worse than the humiliation that awaits him in the street. Solaz has rejected him. Defeated and brought to his knees, Fede is lucky that Justina shows him mercy to signify the victory of kindness over violence. He’s to spend his life in the dungeon. When it comes to Fede, physically containing him isn’t enough. He is a liar and a manipulator.
So in Daryl Dixon season 3’s ending, Dona Marga makes a terrible mistake by merely talking to Fede. Like I said, he always knows what to tell her to get what he wants. Dona Marga has lost a son before. That’s the pain that Fede uses to his advantage when he begs his mother to free him so that she doesn’t lose another son. We don’t see it happen, but the fact that Fede attacks Daryl by the beach in the ending of this week’s episode suggests that his mother gave in. Things were about to be wonderful for everyone. Daryl and Paz have destroyed El Alcazar, so the people of Solaz are now free. Antonio, Roberto, and Justina can look forward to a new life in America. And for Daryl and Carol, the last night in Spain is grand enough for that can of hot dogs. Daryl was just about to bet on hope when Fede attacked him with a gun. He’s obviously not strong enough to kill Daryl, especially with so many people around. But the worst thing that happens in the process is that Fede’s bullets hit the ship’s tank and start a fire. They do manage to take care of Fede, but their ship is destroyed in the explosion that follows. It looks like Daryl and Carol are stuck in Spain for the time being. And that’s all the more interesting because Codron is now in Spain. The finale started with Codron finding Laurent’s Rubik’s Cube, so we can assume that he now knows that this is where Daryl is. In the ending, Codron sees the ship explode from afar. It can’t be too long before he finds Daryl and Carol. Things took a turn for the better between Daryl and Codron in the second season of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, and if Codron found a way into Spain, he might also be able to show Daryl and Carol a way out.
