"La Justicia Fronteriza" is the fourth episode of the third season of AMC's The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. It is the sixteenth episode of the series overall. It premiered on September 28, 2025. It was written by Shannon Goss and directed by Paco Cabezas.
Plot
Daryl and Carol disagree on how to move forward; a surprise attack changes everything.
Synopsis
In Solaz del Mar, Daryl stares at a clock, reminding him of a similar shaped dartboard from a trailer park in his childhood. In a flashback, a young Daryl runs away as glass shatters in the trailer and a man yells at him.
Roberto frantically bangs on the door of Fede's house as Antonio tries to restrain his son, calling the village leader out and insisting that Justina would never volunteer for the sacrifice. Sergio comes out and orders the young man to leave as Daryl tells Carol that "it's not our fight." Devastated, Roberto tells Daryl and Carol that they had seen him and Justina. Justina loves Roberto and she wouldn't just leave him. The two Americans are why Roberto and Justina had come back to Solaz and now she's gone. After Roberto leaves, Fede, who had been watching from a window, looks at an old picture and then at himself in the mirror with a haunted look on his face. Marga reassures her son that they had both had kept his promise to Justina's parents to look after her.
Daryl and Carol pack up and Daryl wonders if they'll ever stop moving. Carol is sure that they will as soon as they make it back home. Antonio informs Daryl that the solar panel is outside, pointedly asking if he had taken anything useful. Carol quips that they're pretty well stocked thanks to Sticky Fingers Dixon. Daryl promises to return Antonio's tools when they leave which will be once they finish fixing up Julian's Boat. If the weather holds up, Daryl guesses that they'll be leaving in about a week.
Daryl leaves to give Carol and Antonio a moment and Carol apologizes, feeling like their presence has caused a lot of trouble. Antonio reassures her that Justina and Roberto were a problem before she came. Justina is a sweet girl, but her and Roberto together is not a good thing and the situation is too complicated for Antonio to even begin to try to explain it to Carol.
Outside, the despondent Roberto refuses to join Daryl and Carol in fixing the boat. Although Daryl is still willing to take Roberto, even without Justina, the young man doesn't see the point without the woman that he loves. "I can't live without her." With a final look at Antonio and his son, Daryl and Carol leave.
At Costa da Morte, the boat is raised up onto a makeshift dry dock for repairs to begin. Cooper teaches Daryl how to tie nautical knots while Valentina teaches Carol how to navigate using an astrolabe and Rodo and Daniel work on the boat. Carol, Cooper and Daniel lift the new rudder into place while Daryl puts a new handle on it inside of the boat. Seeing the new rudder moving smoothly, the group celebrates their success.
Roberto and Antonio work on fixing a broken fence together. Roberto points out that this is the third or fourth time that it's had to be fixed and the boars will keep on breaking through it. Antonio simply states that accepting the things that you can't change are a part of life, but Roberto questions why his father can't accept Roberto and Justina's relationship. Roberto knows that it's not because they're too young to get serious, and accuses Antonio of refusing to accept it because he hates Fede over some old grudge that only Antonio and Fede even care about anymore. Antonio calls his son immature for planning on running off to America with Justina when the world is so dangerous, but Roberto refuses to be stuck in Solaz like his father, giving up on everything, including ever being happy. Antonio insists that Solaz is their home, and their life is here until the Trials end. Roberto insists that there could be a better life somewhere else and if he could get to Justina, he would. Antonio warns his son that Fede is watching Roberto, and he won't be able to just leave. Antonio pleads with him not to do anything foolish.
Daryl works on the hole in the boat's hull while a distracted Carol scrapes barnacles off of it. Carol blames herself for Justina leaving, believing that she had put the idea into Justina's head while trying to reassure her the night before. Daryl insists that they're finally going home, and Carol needs to let it go, but Carol remembers how when she first saw the young couple in the creek, they had looked so innocent and in love and it was like a mirage. Such love is an endangered thing in this world, and it had kind of made Carol want to root for them. "Yeah, well. That was your first mistake. That shit that you're thinking is a mistake. The same mistake I made back in France. It's the same mistake we're always making. We're always fighting everyone's fights. Sometimes we have to fight for ourselves." Carol points out that if anything is worth fighting for its two young people who just want to be together. Daryl admits that he does care, but "Justina's gone. There's nothing we can do about it. She ain't coming back. Hell, none of them are coming." Frustrated and clearly upset at the memory of the people he lost the last time he got involved, Daryl storms off.
At sunset, Carol practices her navigation which she thinks she's getting the hang of. Nearby, Daniel and Rodo work on patching the hole in the boat. Watching Daryl walk off, Valentina notes that she's never gotten mastered the skill of letting people have space when they need it. Carol admits that she hasn't mastered it either and Valentina tells her that as a result, she lives alone. Carol has tried being on her own a few times and while she thought that it was the answer, it wasn't. Valentina reveals that she's coming up on ten years living in the lighthouse and it's the longest that she's ever lived anywhere on land. Valentina spent most of her adult life at sea and the ocean is home to some of her greatest memories. Carol can't relate, although she does love a blanket of stars. Valentina feels that the world is hard, but there's no reason not to have companionship. "Of course you understand that," comments Valentina with a look at Daryl.
The next day, Cooper continues his lessons with Daryl. Valentina calls Daryl over and, having learned from Carol that Roberto's not coming, suggests having Cooper join Daryl and Carol on their trip back to America. Cooper grew up on the coast of California, he's been wanting to get back for awhile and see who he can find. Daryl refuses, but Valentina points out that even if Daryl and Carol were proficient sailors -- which they're not -- crossing the Atlantic Ocean will be extremely difficult. Carol agrees with Valentina, reminding Daryl that they didn't do so well the last time. Valentina suggests that Cooper might've been able to get them through the storm that had wrecked Daryl and Carol in Spain in the first place. Carol offers Valentina to come with them, but while there's a lot that the old woman misses about her old life, but things have changed for her, and Valentina is content where she is. However, Valentina's point still stands that they should take Cooper, but Daryl continues to refuse. "Your boyfriend sure doesn't like taking advice, does he?" asks Valentina. Valentina is both confused and amused to learn that there's never been anything romantic between Daryl and Carol and she tells Carol to think about her suggestion about taking Cooper.
As Roberto works on the fence again, Fede approaches him, and Roberto thinks that he's there to talk about the young man's punishment for his actions. However, Fede is only there to tell Roberto how sorry he is that Justina is gone. While he never wanted the young couple to be together, Fede also never wanted her to go. Roberto wonders why Fede didn't stop her if he had made a promise to protect Justina, but Fede tells him that Lord knows he tried, but when Justina sets her mind to something, she can't be stopped. As Antonio returns, Roberto wonders why Justina would break their vow to each other. "Well... we rarely get to know the deeper reasons why people make the choices they make. Even the ones we love keep secrets," states Fede with a look at Antonio. Fede leaves the two, noting that the father and son have a lot to talk about.
Working on the boat with Daryl, Cooper is excited to have heard from Valentina that Daryl and Carol have agreed to let him sail with them. Calling himself a banana slug through and through, Cooper tells Daryl that he has always dreamed of dipping his toes in Monterey Bay again. Cooper wants to see if his mother survived, but he had no idea how he was going to do that until Daryl and Carol showed up with the boat. Cooper is sure that he can help Daryl and Carol get back to America and he guesses that the trip will take them two to three weeks depending on the weather. Cooper has Daryl let out the patched sail which looks good.
Suddenly, Cooper is shot through the chest by an arrow and falls off of the boat, dead. As a group of Primitivos rush onto the beach in an attack, Daryl grabs a hammer and rushes off of the boat. Daryl strikes a Primitivo rushing up the stairs twice with his hammer. A second Primitivo grabs Daryl's rifle, but Valentina shoots him with her spear gun. Grabbing the rifle, Daryl kills a Primitivo rushing up on Valentina as she reloads and then finishes off the two that he and Valentina had wounded. Grabbing rifles, Daniel and Rodo each kill an attacker while Carol kills another two with a revolver. In the aftermath, the group notices Cooper reanimating. While Carol holds Valentina, Daryl walks over and shoots Cooper in the head, putting him down.
Sitting on the Solaz wall, Paz looks at an old picture of herself and Elena. Hearing engines, Paz notices a convoy full of Primitivos approaching Solaz. Having been alerted by Paz, a man frantically rings the town's bell while Fede passes out weapons to the residents, ordering everyone who can fight to position themselves on every rooftop and along the wall. Terrified residents run through the streets as the gates are closed and Solaz prepares itself for an attack.
On the beach, the group is digging a grave for Cooper when they notice the sound of bells in the distance. Valentina realizes that it means that Solaz is under attack.
Making their way back to Solaz, Daryl warns Carol to try not to do anything stupid when they arrive, but she can't make any promises. Daryl wants to check on Roberto and Antonio and then leave which she reluctantly accepts. As a vehicle approaches, the two quickly hide on the side of the road. A tractor driven by a Primitivo goes by, hauling a large piece of machinery covered in a tarp along with a net full of walkers.
Los Primitivos attack begins with the Solaz defenders, including Fede, Roberto, Antonio, Paz, Gustavo and Sergio firing from the wall. Paz opens the gate to one of the walker pens, releasing the herd upon the invaders who are forced to fight them off. A few Primitivos fall to gunfire and a few more to the released walkers. Gustavo complains that Los Primitivos are relentless, but Paz tells him that they are too as she shoots a Primitivo. Daryl and Carol join the fight, Daryl attacking with his knife and Carol with a bow that she took from a dead Primitivo at the beach. At one point, Daryl grabs a Primitivo and uses him as a shield to push his way through the crowd of invaders and walkers before killing the man. Suddenly, a Primitivo drives a jeep straight at the gate and, despite Daryl and Antonio both trying to stop him, successfully crashes through the gate.
With the invading army now entering Solaz itself, the residents retreat inside to protect their homes. Chasing Los Primitivos, Daryl, Carol, Paz and Gustavo attack a group of them from behind. Daryl and Carol both kill several, including two that reanimated, while Paz and Gustavo kill the rest. As Daryl kills a Primitivo chasing two Solaz residents in the distance, Gustavo is devastated when a zombified Alonzo approaches him. Seeing the man struggle to bring himself to put the walker down, Carol shoots Alonzo in the head to spare Gustavo from having to do it. Paz explains that Alonzo was Gustavo's nephew and goes with Daryl to check on Roberto while Carol stays with Gustavo, promising to meet Daryl at the square.
Outside of Antonio's house, Solaz residents and Primitivos fight with a few of the residents being killed. Roberto kills a Primitivo with a spear and runs to help people who had fled inside, killing another Primitivo who is attacking a Solaz resident. Antonio kills two Primitivos and puts down the one that Roberto speared as the Primitivo reanimates. Daryl stays to help him while Paz goes to help the young man who is cornered by two Primitivos. Paz pulls one away from Roberto with her whip and the four fight each other. Finally, Paz stabs the one that she's fighting in the head and flings a Throwing Knife into the back of the second one who Roberto throws out of the window to his death.
In another part of Solaz, Primitivos and residents fight, with Fede killing several of the invaders. Carol and Gustavo join the fight with the man brutally going after Los Primitivos with a vengeance. As Fede kills one, another Primitivo stabs a resident. Rushing to his aid, Fede knocks the Primitivo away and orders the man's companion to run. Recovering, the Primitivo kicks Fede against a pillar and stabs him in the shoulder. Another resident kills the Primitivo and goes to the aid of the injured man.
As night falls, Antonio finishes off a last Primitivo. Daryl, Antonio and Paz go to load up on ammo and rejoin the fight, but Roberto goes off on his own to check on Alba and Carmen.
Carol helps Fede who repeatedly rejects her insistence that they need to get him inside to help. A final Primitivo charges the two and Carol misses with her last bullet. As Carol and Fede brace themselves with Fede's sword, Marga shoots the Primitivo from a nearby balcony to protect her son. With the battle seemingly over, Marga rushes to check on Fede who reassures his mother that he's alright. Paz notices the quiet, but Daryl senses that something isn't right.
From the wall, Roberto notices a fireball being launched from a catapult in the distance. More fireballs rain down on Solaz, releasing flaming walkers upon the town. The herd quickly falls upon residents of the town as the defenders fights them with guns and melee weapons, struggling with not getting burned as they fight the walkers. More Primitivos arrive in a jeep to join the fight. Fede calls for Antonio to release the ballista and he takes Carol with him. Daryl runs out of ammo and switches to his sword before Carol tosses him a machine gun. Fede mans a gatling gun which, combined with the ballista, kills several more Primitivos and sends the rest into retreat while the herd is eliminated by the gatling gun, ballista and Daryl. Hearing screaming in the distance, Daryl and Paz go to check it out.
With the battle over, the shell-shocked residents survey the carnage, and Alba holds her crying mother. Fede orders Antonio to clean up the remains of the burned out walkers and bring Solaz's dead to the cemetery. Fede orders Sergio to add the dead Primitivos to the town's walker patrol as a lesson to others. "So this is what we give our girls away for? Lucia, Josefina, Sandra, Valeria... and now Justina? For this? El Alcázar is supposed to keep us safe!" Roberto angrily confronts Fede. Fede tells the crowd that what they experienced was unprecedented, but this new threat proves that their alliance with El Alcázar is more important than ever. Fede insists that without the weapons El Alcázar brought like the gatling guns and the ballista, Solaz would not have survived the attack. "Survived?! Is that what you call it?" The argument is interrupted by the arrival of Daryl and Paz with a Primitivo who they caught. As the man is taken away, Roberto demands to know how Fede can say the Alliance is working when this is a disaster.
The next morning, the Primitivo is tied to a chair in Fede's office and interrogated. Fede has heard rumors of the man's people, but he dismissed them as being just folklore. Fede asks for the group's name, guessing the Primevals, but the man corrects that they're Los Primitivos. The Primitivo claims that they're from everywhere and nowhere and that there's millions of them. Fede demands to know who Los Primitivos serve, but the man says that while Solaz serves El Alcázar, Los Primitivos serve no one. Fede tells Daryl that Los Primitivos know of El Alcazar and the gifts they bring Solaz. Daryl and Carol wonder what the point of destroying everything is and the Primitivo, laughing, tells them in English "to burn it all down."
A man walks in with the news that another Primitivo is escaping in a car. Riding a motorcycle Daryl, joined by Sergio, posts himself down the road, waiting for the escapee. Daryl sees that it's Roberto in a Primitivos' jeep and lowers his gun. However, Sergio still aims to shoot Roberto, forcing Daryl to stop him, allowing Roberto to escape.
Sergio blames Daryl for Roberto's escape which Daryl defends because Sergio was going to shoot Roberto. Sergio claims that he was only going to shoot the tires, but Daryl calls Sergio a liar. Fede tells Daryl that he has made a huge problem and should not have come. Antonio comes to Daryl's defense, and Fede blames Antonio and Roberto. Fede will now have to send people out to look for the young man, but there's no one to send: they need every person they have to keep Solaz protected. Antonio volunteers to go after his son, while Fede worries that Roberto could destroy the Alliance if he gets to El Alcazar, unless Roberto gets himself killed first. Fede refuses, stating that Antonio is less able to survive than his son and questioning when the last time the man even left the village was. Carol volunteers to go with Antonio and Fede accepts as Sergio warns his boss that they're going to have to do something.
Packing up, Antonio tells Carol that she doesn't have to do this, but Carol knows from personal experience that when your kid is missing, having help is always a good thing. Antonio asks if Carol has children, but she tells him that she doesn't anymore. Daryl tells Carol that she should let Roberto go, pointing out that he was planning to run off with Justina which she was alright with. Carol points out that Roberto and Justina were together at least, and he wasn't acting crazy at the time. Daryl knows that Roberto isn't going to stop and coming back to Solaz isn't going to change anything. Daryl just thinks that Roberto's old enough to make up his own mind, but he doesn't have an answer for Carol's question of what if Roberto dies. Seeing that he can't change Carol's mind, Daryl reluctantly accompanies her and Antonio. The three set out on the road, passing through a walker infested forest. Antonio is sure that his son won't stop until he finds Justina.
At an El Alcazar campsite, Justina approaches a horse, seemingly contemplating making an escape, and spots Roberto nearby.
The Solaz residents argue about what to do with the captive Primitivo. Declaring that killing doesn't justify killing, Fede decides that the man will be punished in a way that befits him and that the Primitivo's friends will find him and be afraid to come back to Solaz again. It is not for them but for God to determine the man's fate.
Daryl finds tracks going down two different roads, but he is able to tell which way Roberto went.
The Primitivo stands in front of the walker pens, now full of zombified Primitivos. "You don't believe... in things like justice. But this... this is what we call frontier justice. Your fate is up to God. And your own stamina," declares Fede. On his signal, Paz opens the pen and releases a few of the walkers who are chained to the Primitivo as a chain gang. The man doesn't get very far before he's devoured by his former comrades.
Daryl, Carol and Antonio find Roberto's jeep crashed upside down. In a flashback, men drag Roberto and Justina away. Carol finds Justina's compass necklace, proving that the couple were together. However, the group is left wondering where they are.
Other Cast
Co-Stars
- Samuel Sargent as Cooper
- Anna Gras as Carmen Gutiérrez
- Hada Nieto as Alba Guerrero
- Claudio Bandini as Jaime
- Bruno Blas as Primitivo
Uncredited
- Miguel Robles as Marco
- Gaetan Caillot as Solaz del Mar Resident
- Laura Tapias Matesanz as Solaz del Mar Resident
- Ricardo Moya as Solaz del Mar Resident
- Francesc Tort as Solaz del Mar Resident
- Natalia Vermi as Solaz del Mar Resident
- Tadashi Ito Gonzales as Solaz del Mar Resident
- Sara Jannsen as Solaz del Mar Residents
- Francisco González Leal as Solaz del Mar Residents and Primitivo
- Luis Cros as Primitivo
- Angel Cobes as Primitivo
- Celia Fernandez Lopez as Primitivo
- David Escobar as Primitivo
- Victoria Boyanova as Primitivo
- Tomas Ordoñez Lopez as Primitivo
- Elsy Gomes as Primitivo and Primitivo
- Greta Fernández as Elena (Photograph)
- Tatán Selles as Martín (Archive Footage)
- Iván López as Alcázar Soldier (Archive Footage)
- Filippo Sbalchiero as Will Dixon (Voice Only)
- Unknown as Alonzo
- Unknown as Mr. de Rivera (Photograph)
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Deaths
- Cooper (Alive and Zombified)
- Alonzo (Alive and Zombified)
- Mr. de Rivera (Confirmed Fate)
- Primitivo
- At least 70 unnamed Primitivos (3 Alive and Zombified, Many Alive)
- At least 13 unnamed Solaz del Mar residents
Trivia
- Only appearance of Cooper.
- Only appearance of Alonzo. (Zombified)
- Only appearance of Mr. de Rivera. (Photograph)
- The title of the episode, "La Justicia Fronteriza", is Spanish and means "border justice". It refers to Fede telling the Primitivo that his punishment is frontier justice.
- Boré Buika (Daniel) and Javier Taboada (Rodo) are upgraded from "Co-Stars" to "Also Starring" in this episode.
- More than 70 stunt actors were used for the Primitivo attack on Solaz del Mar.
- Several stunt actors representing Solaz del Mar townspeople are seen playing 2-3 characters wearing the same outfits.
- This episode is the least viewed episode in the entire The Walking Dead franchise.
Episode Highlights
- Roberto tries to get answers from Fede about Justina leaving for El Alcázar, refusing to believe that his girlfriend would volunteer herself to be taken away in Alba's place. Daryl tells Roberto that he can still come to America with him and Carol without Justina but Roberto refuses, telling Daryl that he can't live without her.
- At Costa da Morte, Daryl, Carol, Cooper, Daniel and Rodo work on repairing the boat. The new rudder moves smoothly to the delight of the survivors. Whilst fixing a hole in the boat, Carol tries to talk to Daryl about Justina but Daryl coldly reminds her that he wants to go home and says that getting close to the people of Solaz is a mistake. Clearly still upset over the friends that he lost in France, an upset Daryl storms off.
- The next day, Cooper and Daryl work on the boat. Cooper is excited about returning home to America after Carol agreed with Valentina earlier that Cooper should sail there with them. His excitement is short lived however, as he is suddenly shot in the chest by a member of the Primitivos, starting a fight between the boat repair group and the new animalistic intruders. Cooper quickly reanimates after the fight and gets put down by Daryl.
- Back at Solaz, Paz looks at a picture of herself and Elena and is alerted by the sound of engines. A convoy of Primitivos is attacking the community. As Paz signals to a man to ring the alarm bells, Fede leads the terrified residents to safety whilst also handing out weapons to anyone who can fight. The boat repair group hear the commotion on the beach, and Carol and Daryl rush back to Solaz to help defend the town.
- Los Primitivos set a net full of walkers on fire and launch it into the town, kickstarting a battle that results in Daryl, Carol and the Solaz residents killing numerous Primitivos and walkers, though one Primitivo manages to stab Fede in the shoulder with a spear, leaving him badly wounded.
- After the battle, the residents recover from the carnage and Roberto pleads with the town to realize that the Alliance with El Alcázar isn't working out and that Solaz isn't safe anymore. The next morning, a man walks in to Fede's office whilst he's interrogating a captive Primitivo to report that a Primitivo is trying to escape.
- Daryl and Sergio go to investigate, but Daryl realizes Roberto is trying to escape in a Primitivo van and stops Sergio from shooting him. Realizing that Roberto has escaped to find Justina, Antonio, Daryl and Carol leave Solaz to find him. At El Alcázar's camp, Justina attempts to make her escape but is stopped when she spots Roberto nearby. Daryl's group finds Roberto's jeep crashed and Justina's necklace near to it, realizing that the now missing couple have found each other.
| Season 1 | "L'âme Perdue" • "Alouette" • "Paris Sera Toujours Paris" • "La Dame de Fer" • "Deux Amours" • "Coming Home" |
|---|---|
| Season 2 | |
| Season 3 | "Costa Da Morte" • "La Ofrenda" • "El Sacrificio" • "La Justicia Fronteriza" • "Limbo" • "Contrabando" • "Solaz del Mar" |
| Season 4 | TBA |
| Episode Guide: TV Series • Fear • World Beyond • Tales • Dead City • The Ones Who Live • Webisodes | |