Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 3 Episode 3.
After a thrilling season premiere of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon that had Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Carol (Melissa McBride) landing in London, before escaping on a sailboat owned by a man named Julian (Stephen Merchant), our heroes crashed on a beach in Spain. The second episode, “La Ofrenda,” settles into a slower pace, as Daryl and a concussed Carol are taken in by the residents of Solaz del Mar. Here, there is no threat from the walkers, but although Daryl and Carol have made some new friends willing to help them, this peace won’t last.
Solaz del Mar is held together by a mayor named Fede (Óscar Jaenada), and his town is working with Guillermo (Gonzalo Bouza), a member of the Spanish monarchy who trades protection for one of the village’s young women, who are married off into his group, El Alcazar, through a lottery. Rather than let it be, Carol lets her negative feelings about the tradition be known, while Daryl gets even more involved by hunting down and killing the men who attacked Roberto (Hugo Arbues) and Justina (Candela Saitta). What will happen once the residents of Solaz del Mar find out in Episode 3, “El Sacrificio”?
Daryl and Carol Have Different Concerns in ‘The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon’ Season 3 Episode 3
As the episode begins, an angry-looking Guillermo and his armed men are marching through town right toward Fede’s door. He’s discovered that several of his men are missing and wants to know what kind of town this is. One man yelled at him, Carol questioned him, and now this! He senses distrust and wonders if Solaz del Mar still deserves the benefits of the Alliance. Fede swears that they are valued, but Guillermo demands that he prove it, or they’ll leave and help other towns instead. Knowing that several of Guillermo’s men were killed by the river where the Americans saved Justina and Roberto, Fede begins to wonder if the two incidents are connected, so he asks one of his men to find out. As for the Americans, the sooner they leave, the better.
Back at Antonio’s (Eduardo Noriega) home, the host tells Carol that she upset a lot of people with her outspokenness the night before, but he liked seeing someone have the courage to speak their mind. After he leaves, Carol and Daryl talk. The latter is focused only on fixing the boat and getting out of there, while the former is still getting too involved in issues that aren’t about her. She’s glad that Justina wasn’t chosen in the lottery, but she’s worried about Alba (Hada Nieto), the girl who was. Not Daryl, who only says, “Who the fuck is Alba?” Meanwhile, Justina is worried about Alba too, but Roberto knows there’s nothing they can do. He’s too busy planning how they will get out. They kiss, and as Daryl sees them, a look of pain crosses his face. We know exactly who he is thinking about.
Carol Is Getting Close to Antonio in ‘The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon’ Season 3 Episode 3
As Daryl and Roberto head out to fix the boat, they pass armed men looking for the missing. Daryl plays dumb, although it probably doesn’t matter, as Roberto admits he hates them all. They arrive at a lighthouse in the middle of nowhere where a ship’s captain lives. The driveway to it is blocked by a gate, so Roberto yells out that he has brought olives. At this, several people with shotguns pop out, including a gray-haired woman. She and Roberto are friends, and with her thirty years of experience commanding cruise liners, along with her own hatred for El Alcazar, she can be trusted to help. She’ll do just that in exchange for five kilos of gunpowder. That’s all well and good, but Daryl’s jaw drops when he watches her go right up to her two guards and passionately kiss both of them on the mouth.
In town, Carol is eyeing a solar panel she’s thinking of stealing, when Antonio notices that her wound is still bleeding and brings her in to patch her up. He talks about his son, Roberto, and his wife, who passed away, and we can’t help but notice how uncomfortable Carol gets when he looks at her. Could romance be in the air? Alone later, Carol hears screaming coming from a building, so she arms herself with a weapon and creeps in, only to find Antonio watching an old movie on his projector setup. A small cinema has been constructed, and he asks Carol to join him. Carol is impressed that Antonio was able to build this cinema and acquire so many movies. He risked his life to get them, but it was important because this is the history to pass down to the next generation. That makes Carol smile.
Daryl, Roberto, and the ship captain go to the wrecked boat. She tells them that they’ll need a new rudder from a similar boat if they’re going anywhere. Daryl is ready to go now, but Roberto has demands: he’ll only help if he and Justina can go with them. Daryl’s not down with that, but the woman offers him her truck and ethanol if he will. This proposition gets him to rethink his decision real quick. Back on the road, they notice a statue of a saint that has been written on, with objects left beside it. Roberto says this is where people go to leave things for their loved ones and pray for them. The next time we see the statue, Daryl is leaving one of Laurent’s toys behind.
Back at her home, Paz (Alexandra Masangka) wakes up in bed with Elana (Greta Fernández). They miss each other, but Elana knows she has to leave before Guillermo comes looking for her. As she dresses, Paz sees a scar on Elana’s shoulder, but she quickly dismisses it as a horse riding accident. The two lovers hold hands, and Paz asks her to stay. Elana will be here for a few days and will see Paz again, but for now, she must go.
Justina Decides To Take Alba’s Place in ‘The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon’ Season 3 Episode 3
At an old shipyard, Daryl finds a boat in the water that could be what they’re looking for. As they begin banging on the rudder to remove it, the sound causes something to stir beneath the shallow waves. A bloated walker comes up and Daryl shoots it dead, but as they retreat to the beach, several more appear. With Daryl taking them out, Roberto goes back to the boat to get the rudder, which has fallen into the water. He’d better be quick, though, because the horde is becoming too much. Roberto himself is almost a goner when several more walkers come out of the water, but badass Daryl, like always, is able to handle them until none are left. And they’ve got their rudder.
Meanwhile, Justina is in Fede’s office, looking for medical supplies after cutting her finger, when she finds several pieces of fabric with her name on them. Anxious, she goes looking for Roberto, but since she’s not around, she cries on Carol’s shoulder, who is more than willing to listen. Justina can’t stop thinking about Alba, and how she and her mother won’t survive without each other. The guilt of not being chosen is crushing her. Carol tells her there’s nothing she can do to fix it, but the look in Justina’s eyes as she walks away says that she doesn’t agree. That evening, Antonio fixes dinner for Carol. It’s then that he tells her that he’s worried Justina’s guilt will cause her to volunteer to be the one to leave. It’s night as Carol and Antonio walk the streets, in a rush to find Justina. They end up at Fede’s doorstep, where a crowd has gathered. What they feared is happening, as Justina has volunteered herself and now rides off in a carriage with Elana. Carol barely knows this woman, but the tears tell us she’s not going to let this stand.
- Release Date
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October 1, 2023
- Network
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AMC
- Showrunner
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David Zabel
- Franchise(s)
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The Walking Dead
Pros & Cons
- The walker attack in the water is terrifying.
- It’s sweet to see Carol given a romance storyline.
- Outside of one attack, the walkers aren’t even part of the series.
- Daryl and Carol spend most of the episode apart.
- The subplot around Justina takes away from the main storyline.
