Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol episode 4.With the importance of zombie variants continuing to increase in The Walking Dead, the franchise has finally delivered a long-overdue scene two years later. Given how crucial variants were throughout season 11, it seemed inevitable that they would play a big role in the finale, but the show’s last-ever episode failed to deliver one epic moment that thankfully happened in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. The spinoff show hasn’t been shy about using unique forms of the undead, as Daryl Dixon‘s zombie variants have played a major part in the story, which was emphasized by season 2, episode 4.

Having created an army of variants using some form of injection, Daryl Dixon‘s villains have been able to use these modified zombies to their advantage numerous times during the spinoff. However, Pouvoir’s use of variants in “La Paradis Pour Toi” created one of the franchise’s most iconic scenes, proving The Walking Dead season 11’s finale missed a golden opportunity. While it’s great that the spinoffs are still introducing compelling action scenes and coming up with new ideas, the original show would have benefited from this fantastic zombie moment, making it bittersweet that this didn’t happen two years earlier.

Daryl Dixon Season 2, Episode 4 Includes A Full Horde Of Running Zombie Variants

The Zombie Horde Helped Create One Of The Walking Dead’s Most Terrifying Scenes

Daryl Dixon season 2, episode 4 contained an exciting yet terrifying scene involving a group of fast zombies invading the Nest. Despite The Union’s stronghold being well protected, Pouvoir was able to blow a hole in their defenses, creating the perfect entry point for a horde of variants to attack. With Carol and Codron narrowly avoiding being turned into variants themselves, they unintentionally lured the horde right into the Nest, but this gave Carol the perfect opportunity to navigate her way through the settlement as she attempted to find Daryl while the chaos ensued around her.

Not only did this lead to Daryl and Carol’s Walking Dead reunion, but it created the sort of high-stakes action that was missing from the main show’s finale. Watching a group of zombies run after Carol and Codron created plenty of suspense, and if the franchise’s main survivors had to defend against such a horde, there likely would have been some casualties. The variants were able to tear through the Nest due to their speed, making their invasion the sort of scene that would have been better suited to season 11’s finale, despite how well it worked in Daryl Dixon.

The Walking Dead’s Series Finale Badly Underused Variant Zombies

After Plenty Of Build Up, Zombie Variants Felt Lackluster In The Show’s Finale

Considering the presence of variant zombies continued to grow as season 11 went on, their limited role in the finale felt underwhelming. While the episode did feature a zombie smashing through glass with a brick, it was the only real use of variants that had any major implications on the plot. The glass being smashed allowed a horde to enter the medical facility where Judith was being kept, sparking some interesting drama, but there was a severe lack of impact from any smart zombies or climbers during the rest of the finale, which feels even more disappointing after Daryl Dixon.

While the large hordes in enclosed spaces did make for some tense moments, this would have been amplified if The Walking Dead included some other zombie variant types like fast zombies or burners. It would have prevented the usual guts trick from being so effective while adding an extra sense of danger, and climbers could also have had a bigger impact, especially after their role in the penultimate episode. The finale still had plenty of high points, but given how significant variants were throughout season 11, the payoff didn’t feel quite as good as it could’ve been for the undead.

Daryl Dixon Season 2’s Running Horde Makes Zombies Terrifying Once Again

Zombies Had Become Far Too Easy To Deal With In The Walking Dead

Alongside being a great visual, the fast variants chasing after the protagonists made zombies feel like a truly viable threat once again. Over the years, The Walking Dead‘s central survivors have found a variety of techniques to overcome even the largest zombie groups, resulting in the undead feeling less intimidating every season. By the main show’s finale, the only real times the characters were troubled was when dealing with massive hordes that they couldn’t prepare for, but Daryl Dixon‘s running zombies have changed this, as they are far more difficult to deal with than any other variant.

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

Not only do they have the pace to keep up with survivors, but it’s unclear if they become fatigued, meaning they could potentially outrun most characters. In addition, the guts trick won’t work around these zombies, as they attack other walkers, meaning the only real option is to find shelter or fight them off. Knowing there isn’t an easy solution – at least not yet – when it comes to dealing with these variants makes the undead feel threatening once again, proving that Daryl Dixon‘s epic scene was a significant moment for The Walking Dead‘s future.

Episode
Release Date

“La Gentillesse des Étrangers”
September 29

“Moulin Rouge”
October 6

“L’Invisible”
October 13

“La Paradis Pour Toi”
October 20

“Vouloir, C’est Pouvoir”
October 27

“Au Revoir les Enfants”
November 3