When The Walking Dead First introduced in 2010, the show centered on the conflict between humans and zombies (known as “walkers”), centered on a man-versus-nature narrative. After several seasons and spin-offs, the conflicts have expanded significantly. Those who live pitted Rick Grimes and Michonne against the world's largest army, the Civic Republic Military, and Dead City takes the fight out of the woods and into the big city. But one thing none of these shows did was take their conflict to another country outside of America like by Daryl Dixon.
After his accident in France in the first season of the series, Daryl Dixon found himself unwittingly drawn into the ongoing war between his people in the country. The author of this war is the Power of the Living, also known as “Pouvoir Du Vivant”, led by its commander, Madame Marion Genet. In short, the organization's goal is to control all of France and its people, but it may have had good intentions before rotting in corruption. It is important to remember that there is much that by Daryl Dixon has yet to reveal the origins of the Power of the Living. For example, the series has not discussed how Genet came to power, nor when she began her experiments on walkers. The timeline of the conflict in France is pieced together from information scattered throughout the first season through conversations and speeches.
The Power of the Living was born as an anti-elite initiative
There is no evidence of this in the series yet, but there is reason to believe that the Power of the Living was responsible for the assassinations of the last scientists of La Biomédicine DDMI. The laboratory and research center was mentioned in the first season of The Walking Dead and present in the post-credits scene of The Walking Dead: World BeyondAccording to CDC scientist Dr. Edwin Jenner, the French were the last to work on a cure for the Wildfire virus, until they lost contact with him.
Unbeknownst to Jenner, the Primrose team of scientists from La Biomédicine accidentally created the Wildfire virus in an experiment. Since the Primrose team was in America at the time of the outbreak, French vigilantes killed the Violet team from La Biomédicine, who were working on a cure but ended up creating a worse walker variant with enhanced strength and speed. Fast forward several years, and Genet gives a speech to his supporters, blaming the elite and powerful of the old world for the Wildfire virus:
They took everything, bringing pain and suffering to those who could least bear it, profiting from it. Finally, out of greed and arrogance, they unleashed this plague upon the world. They made us pay for being poor, vulnerable, meek. But remember what the Bible says about the meek. We are no longer meek! The world is ours now. So today, our enemies will pay!
This is by no means an explicit confirmation that the man who murdered the Violet team scientist was a member of the Power of the Living. But it is a great coincidence that his motivation is in line with Genet, and his behavior was very similar to that of a Guerrier, a soldier of the Power of the Living. If the theory is trueThe Power of the Living's war against France began with a war against the scientists who created the apocalypse in the first place, and has since escalated. At the very least, the vigilante was inspired by the ideology of the Power of the Living.
To gain control of the virus that Genet claimed the elite were using against the “mites”, he began experiments to create a new variant that would be stronger, but easily controlled by humans. His intention was to create an army of roaming soldiers because “their disease can also be our cure”. Irony is often added to the purpose of the experiments. The Power of the Living was built on principles that oppose the elite scientists who destroyed the world through a reckless experiment. Now Genet is doing the same thing and the result could be the same.
The Power of the Living Promises to Restore Order in France
Over the years, the Power of the Living has taken control of Paris and is currently extending its influence to the rest of France. Genet promises the remaining survivors that, under their leadership, he will restore an order similar to the old world, only better. She has already stated that they live in the Sixth French Republic. According to her, there will be no aristocrats or conceited intellectuals who will walk on the shoulders of the working class. The people will take over, but as Season 1 has shown, this is far from reality. In fact, she has turned into the person who terrifies.
In his Season 1, Episode 5, “Deux Amours” speech, Genet praises ordinary survivors in France for their courage and resilience in the face of hardship, but it is the placement of his listeners that shows his inner classism. The ordinary, everyday survivors wearing shabby clothes and struggling for food and safety stand at a distance and are heavily monitored by armed Guerriers. The people he shelters at a safe distance are dressed in flashy jewelry and an exorbitant wardrobe for the apocalypse. Genet's ambition to create an equal society for France may have been real at one point in the past, but it is now a facade.
Additionally, the Power of the Living uses Warriors and propaganda to instill fear in the survivors. Warriors actively patrol the streets looking for recruiters, usually young boys who can be trained from an early age. Survivors only turn to them for safety if they are willing to tiptoe around them. Otherwise, trouble is just around the corner.
A new conflict arises in 2022 between the Union of Hope and the Power of the Living
France was in a state of violence long before Daryl Dixon showed up, but his arrival triggered a new phase of war. Daryl inadvertently made himself enemy number one of the Power of the Living, not once, not twice, but three times. The first time was before he had even set foot on the French coast, when he was captured in Maine for experimentation. On the cargo ship bound for France, he unleashed all the potential test subjects and walkers who were essential to Genet's experiments.
The second time was purely a misunderstanding, but he was wrongly accused by two French survivors of killing Stéphane Codron's brother. The third act of defiance officially placed Daryl as the most hated American on Genet's list, and that was when he killed several Guerriers in defense of the Abbey of Sainte Bernadette. When Genet learned of Laurent's fame among the members of the Union of Hope, he declared war on the group.
Both Laurent and the Union of Hope threatened his power in France and ordered Laurent's execution. His statement set off a series of events that jeopardized the Union of Hope's mission several times, but also showed Genet's true colors. Genet could see a loss of power coming by Daryl Dixon Season 2 if the Union of Hope becomes the supreme organization in France.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 1 is available to stream on Netflix and AMC+. Season 2 premieres September 29, 2024 at 9:00 p.m. ET on AMC.