Did The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 3 episode 1 kill off a major character? Fate of Stephen Merchant's character, explained

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 3 Episode 1, which premiered on Sunday, September 7, 2025, on AMC and AMC+, introduces audiences to the new character of Julian Chamberlain, played by Stephen Merchant.

Believing himself to be the last survivor in the zombie apocalypse in the United Kingdom, Julian joins Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier on their journey to the United States. 

Disclaimer: The following article contains spoilers from The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 3, Episode 1. 

However, Julian does not last long in the fray, as the vessel that they were travelling on gets hit by a storm and washes up on the shores of Spain. While both Daryl and Carol survive without any major injury, Julian is not so lucky.

Carol finds him standing on the beach, fully turned into a walker. He attacks and overpowers her in her weakened state, but Daryl arrives in the nick of time to finish him off. 

Following Julian’s death, the show their respect by returning his body to the water. Thus, Stephen Merchant was limited to a guest appearance on the show, but a poignant one nevertheless.

The third season of the show created by David Zabel has been appreciated by critics, earning an 80% score on the film and television rating website Rotten Tomatoes. 

All about Julian Chamberlain in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 3 Episode 1

The @stephenmerchant entrance we've been waiting for. 👏 #DarylDixon pic.twitter.com/kWyuFFGc0W

— The Walking Dead (@WalkingDead_AMC) September 8, 2025

In the season 3 premiere titled “Costa da Morte”, Julian Chamberlain, portrayed by Stephen Merchant, is introduced as a lone survivor—the self-proclaimed “last Englishman in England.”

He meets Daryl and Carol after rappelling onto the roof of their apartment during the walker-infested London apocalypse.

Julian shows them his kindness by giving them a single-malt whiskey and two rabbits.

He tells how civilization on the island finally fell into anarchy as England closed itself off via the Channel, dividing into violent tribes, and forcing him to dwell alone among the undead.

Julian adjusted over time by learning to navigate across rooftops and using Big Ben's bells to entice walkers away from him—a strategy he continues to use at present.

His boat becomes a ray of hope, suggesting that the three of them may return to America, despite his lack of confidence in his ability to sail.

Daryl is forced to put Julian down after he dies from a brain injury sustained during a storm in the sea, despite his excitement and survival skills.

This is a heartbreaking end to a character who provided hope and warmth to the otherwise bleak world.

Exploring the plot of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon is a post-apocalyptic drama following Daryl Dixon, who mysteriously washes ashore in France, separated from his allies and confused about how he got there.

Being stranded in a foreign country that has also been devastated by the zombie apocalypse, he is forced to swiftly adjust to new threats, strange landscapes, and adversarial human groups with their own goals.

Daryl meets a religious organization along the way that feels he has a higher purpose. They are especially devoted to a little kid named Laurent, who some believe to be the "key to humanity's survival."

Daryl is appointed as a protector and guide, and balances the responsibility he never desired with his seasoned survival instincts. As the story moves forward, Daryl moves on to greater adventures and ultimately sets off on his quest to make it to America. 

The series expands the Walking Dead universe by showing how the apocalypse unfolded across Europe, with new types of walkers and cultural backdrops shaping the fight for survival.

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