The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon is delivering one of the best seasons in the franchise.

Taking the action to France has showcased a very different world, and The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 1 Episode 5 left us with plenty to ponder as we head into the season finale.

We learned the true extent of Genet's research as Daryl got caught up in her web, thanks to her scientist scouting for walkers in Maine.

Anne Charrier, who plays Genet, is interested in discovering how far her character's resources go.

"I would say this was the uneasy way," she said of the voyage to get test subjects.

"I don't know how far she's gone, but she's breaking the borders so that she can go very far," the actress added.

One of the most pivotal scenes of the penultimate episode involved Genet capturing Daryl and Laurent just as they prepared for the final leg of the journey to the Nest.

Genet has been very much against the notion that Laurent is this savior people believe he is, and they shared a fiery scene that involved Laurent saying he thought the villain had her heart broken at one point.

It was a shocking scene that clearly hit Genet, mostly because many people don't talk back to her.

They blindly follow orders.

"I'd say all of the characters in this series are led by trauma or something that happened when the apocalypse arrived," Charrier shares.

"She's probably been completely broken, and she found a way to keep going because people were counting on her, maybe for the wrong reasons.

"Maybe she's not moving with the right reasons, but she's moving."

Charrier notes that Genet is driven by this need to keep moving, even if she's sometimes tough and a bit unfair.

Louis Puech Scigliuzzi adds that Laurent spoke from his heart during that heated exchange.

"I think he did believe" that Genet was operating on a broken heart "because, you know, Laurent, he's a very honest person."

"He never really lied, and I think he wouldn't, even to the bad guys."

Laurent's mission with Daryl to get to the Nest changed forever when the kid cut the rope on the boat because he didn't want to lose Daryl because he realized he had lost a lot of people.

Louis believes Laurent didn't regret his actions in the aftermath, knowing that it ultimately led to their capture.

That decision was pivotal because it set up the final scene, which showed Daryl being caught up in a deadly turn of events.

It was pretty crazy!

"He wanted to spend more time with Daryl. He maybe shouldn't have done that. That was a bad decision," Louis said of Laurent's actions.

"But in the end, I think it's a good thing he did it because it gives more context to the story."

I noted that before Laurent cut the rope, we saw him praying for the safety of Daryl's friends in the U.S.

Louis revealed that he doesn't think Laurent decided to get rid of the boat at that point.

With The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 1 Episode 5 ending with our titular hero in an arena with a variant walker, the stage is set for a thrilling season finale.

TV Fanatic has already screened the episode, and it successfully brings the season's most significant conflicts to a head.

There are scenes you'd never expect in The Walking Dead franchise, and we can't wait to discuss it with you.

We'll have a full review of the episode once it airs on AMC, and we'll also have interviews with the cast rounding up all of the twists and turns.

Thankfully, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 2 has been ordered, so at least there's plenty of life left in this iconic franchise.

Catch TWD: Daryl Dixon on Sundays on AMC at 9 p.m. 

Episodes are also made available earlier that day on AMC+.

Over to you, TWD: Daryl Dixon Fanatics.

What are your thoughts on that scene? What are your theories about Genet's past?

Were you surprised Laurent got rid of the boat?

Hit the comments.

Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.