The second season of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol picks up where it left off. While Carol (Melissa McBride) follows clues to find her best friend who is now in France, Daryl (Norman Reedus) struggles with his decision to stay with Laurent (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi) not to return to the US, which causes tension among those at the Nest. Meanwhile, Genet continues her own search for Daryl, as her movement gains traction, leading Pouvoir on a crash course with the Union of Hope over the future of France.

Recently, Scigliuzzi and Eriq Ebouaney, who plays Fallou, spoke with the press about what fans could expect in season two, what it was like meeting McBride, how Carol will impact their characters, and much more.

Read the full transcript below, and tune in to the premiere, tonight on AMC and AMC+.

SCIFI VISION:   Hi guys, good to talk to you again. So my first question is, what was it like when you first met Melissa and got to work with her, for both of you?

ERIQ EBOUANEY:   I mean, I was thrilled to have her back on the show, because she's the part of the original, and she brings back the vibes of the previous and the first Walking Dead. So, it was awesome.

LOUIS PUECH SCIGLIUZZI:   Yeah. I mean, she's such a sweet and kind of loving person. She brings such a good emotion on set. You think like, “Man, who's going to be on set today?” And then you see the call sheet, and that Melissa is going to be there.

ERIQ EBOUANEY:   So sweet and tender.

QUESTION:   My question is for [Louis], let's talk about Laurent and his practicing fighting with Daryl, the skills he's learned. What do you think he could learn from Carol?

LOUIS PUECH SCIGLIUZZI:   You know, I have no idea, but I think, in my opinion, it would be to never give up, because you've seen Carol trying to find a way to come back and to take [Daryl] back to America and, you know, to the Commonwealth. She hasn't given up ever. That's a really important thing that she can teach Laurent.

QUESTION:   I also want to ask, I mean, fans have been asking for so many years, what is the nature of the relationship between Carol and Daryl? Are they friends? Are they soulmates? How would you personally define the relationship between the two of them?

ERIQ EBOUANEY:   I personally think they're soulmates, you know, and Carol's soul was looking for Daryl's soul. So, now [are] just bonded in Europe and in France, two soulmates. Yeah. Very, very good to watch them [reunite].

LOUIS PUECH SCIGLIUZZI:   Yeah. I mean, they're just like best friends forever, aren't they?

ERIQ EBOUANEY:   Yeah…It's just a connection and an immense and huge friendship.

QUESTION:   This is a very deep season with a lot of great philosophy and a lot of great messages, and I'm very curious what message you hope the audience takes away from season two.

ERIQ EBOUANEY:   Wow. I mean, my name is Fallou on the show, and I'm the leader of Union of Hope. And I think for me, the message, the ultimate message, is don't give up the hope.

LOUIS PUECH SCIGLIUZZI:   Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it's really it's spreading hope around the world. And also we see it with everybody arriving at the nest, and it's always about hope and never giving up in your dreams.

QUESTION:   How important is it for them to feel connected to a community and to have that sense of community?

LOUIS PUECH SCIGLIUZZI:   I think that's really important for them, because, really, it's a way of being all connected all the time and all along the way of the story. Yeah, I think that's about it. But it's really important for them to really communicate in being part of a community that is able to spread hope everywhere.

ERIQ EBOUANEY:   Yeah. Especially in those moments of post-apocalyptic time. You need to find a community. You need to find a nice bonding. You need to find a family to be in confidence to fight against the world and to be ready for anything. So, it's very important to have nice bonding, a good family and a nice community around you.

SCIFI VISION:   I had asked you both about meeting Melissa, but now let me ask you, talk about your characters meeting Carol, kind of what their first impressions are of her and maybe how she changes them a bit.

ERIQ EBOUANEY:   I think my character, I mean, my first meeting was with Daryl, and Daryl brought me something, gave me a mission to shepherd the kid. Watching Carol coming and trying to fulfill her own mission to bring Daryl's home taught me that maybe you should never give up. You should never give up. She's so full of of dedication, and she's full of emotions that she taught me a lot.

LOUIS PUECH SCIGLIUZZI:   Yeah, you see it, because the reason why she is there is her love for Daryl. And it's a really important thing that she's trying to spread, I guess, because what I've realized is Laurent really sees like a figure, you know, with Daryl, but also he's starting to see that a bit with Carol, too. She's a really inspiring person for him, and he's really intrigued.

QUESTION:   Yes, my question's for Eriq. Fallou always seems to show up when Daryl needs him the most, and oftentimes they're in the most climactic moments of the episode, including intense fight scenes and things like that. How does it feel to film those scenes? Do they feel as chaotic as they look?

ERIQ EBOUANEY:   Really chaotic as they look. Especially before, because I'm such a lazy guy. I hate sports. I hate fighting. I hate all those things. Even if I look tough, I don't know. It's like it's my DNA, but I don't like them. So, it was a hard time being with Norman, because Norman is a tough guy. He's a real tough guy. He's used to all those fight scenes, and he's used to all those fun scenes as well, and it was tough for me. I was sore all over my body every night after those scenes. But Norman's so funny, because in between shots, he was cracking jokes. So, we laughed a lot.

QUESTION:   So, if Daryl had not come into your lives, what do you think your characters would have been doing at this point?

LOUIS PUECH SCIGLIUZZI:   [We’d] probably be dead.

ERIQ EBOUANEY:   No, we’d stay with the nuns.

LOUIS PUECH SCIGLIUZZI:   Yeah, yeah. I think I think my character would still be in the Abbey, honestly, and they wouldn't have been able to go to the Nest, and that would have changed a lot in their life.

ERIQ EBOUANEY:   Yeah, we kept fighting as a warrior, as a, you know, a fearless warrior against all those people, all those generous people and all those in this post-apocalyptic world.

QUESTION:   Without spoiling, what are you the most excited for the audience to experience this year?

LOUIS PUECH SCIGLIUZZI:   Wow. Why don’t you start?

ERIQ EBOUANEY:   I mean, there [were] exciting moments. I mean, having Carol back is just such a great moment, and don't forget that this season's called The Book of Carol, so, everything is around Carol. She brings back emotion. She brings back her great soul. She brings back energy. I mean, she's fearless as well. She's a badass. So the thing is, we're just surrounded by this badass. We're having such a beautiful moment, because it's just an inspiration for us.

LOUIS PUECH SCIGLIUZZI:   Yeah, yeah. I mean, she really does bring that sort, she brings that friendship back in the show, and hat's really exciting for all the fans.

ERIQ EBOUANEY:   Yeah. And we shot in those iconic locations in France as well, you know, the Louvre, Mont Saint-Michel, Pont du Gard, and all those places. Watching them destroyed like that, I mean, myself as an actor, I was a bit sad, but on screen, it's just awesome.

QUESTION:   In The Walking universe, there's always decisions, and in your character's case, it’s staying or going. Talk about the internal process for them to make those decisions and maybe the impact of those decisions. Does that weigh on them?

ERIQ EBOUANEY:   Should I stay or should I go? I think it's, yeah. I mean, that's life. You always balance between all those two things, you know, and black and white and those different side of the coins. But in those moments, I mean, my character has got a mission. It’s to shepherd and to protect Laurent, Louis’ character, and to help Daryl Dixon find his way back home. So, I do my best to succeed on that mission. And with the fact that Carol is here, I think I've got a huge mission to fulfill.

LOUIS PUECH SCIGLIUZZI:   Yeah. I think really Laurent is trying to, he's still figuring it out if he wants to be the messiah or not, even though he probably does not have a choice. But yeah, he's still in the middle of it, because really, [there’re] a lot of things in his mind all the time, because he has to be responsible for everything he does and give hope to everyone.

ERIQ EBOUANEY:   So yeah, I think you want the messiah or the regular kid.

LOUIS PUECH SCIGLIUZZI:   Yeah…Maybe he just wants to be a simple child, but it's probably not going to happen.

SCIFI VISION:   This is actually sort of continuing on that. If they would potentially end up in America down the road, how do you think they'd be able to deal with that? And also as actors, would you two want to change it up and come over here?

LOUIS PUECH SCIGLIUZZI:   I'd be really excited to, you know, meet America properly and kind of see what Laurent would do if he were there. Yeah, I think that would be a really intriguing thing to see. And also all the different characters, because, you know, Laurent, especially Laurent, he's never been out of France ever. That would be such a big change, but also an exciting one. He'd want to discover everything there.

ERIQ EBOUANEY:   Yeah. Is it worse over there or better? Never say never. We will see. Yeah.

QUESTION:   Yes, my question is for Louis. You recently attended Comic-Con and it was your first trip to America. What was that experience like, your first time in America and Comic-Con? Because it can be a little overwhelming.

LOUIS PUECH SCIGLIUZZI:   Yeah. You know what? The first time I arrived at the airport, it was just like, wow, this is massive. I just I feel like the fan base in America is just so different. I remember getting out of the airport and maybe 15 people were just waiting for me with pieces of paper and pencils for me to sign autographs and [take] pictures with them. I was just like, “Wow, is this what it's going to be like America and Comic-Con?” And when I was in Hall H with all the other actors and Greg Nicotero and everybody else, I was just so overwhelmed by seeing all those people there and supporting what we're doing. I remember Greg, before we came on stage, they were showing the trailer. So, Greg and I just peeked. We were watching the trailer without anyone knowing where we were. I just saw a whole bunch of people, maybe like 7000, a bit less, I guess. It was just so exciting also, but stressful, because I was like, what if I mess it up? What if I do something wrong? And like, you know, in the end, it was all well. Yeah, it was cool.

QUESTION:   I mean, get used to it. I think you're going to be attending more of those.

ERIQ EBOUANEY:   We're going to New York for the Comic-Con in New York. Yeah.

QUESTION:   Why do you think the audience keeps coming back to this show after, you know, how many ever years it's been, maybe 15 years now? Why do you think the show is still so popular?

ERIQ EBOUANEY:   I think it's not only because of the walkers and the zombies, it’s the human beings. I think this show shows you the all the turmoil of a human being, and the good and the bad. We can have those two sides, as we said earlier, and I think they can relate because of that, mostly because of that. And Melissa, Norman, they're so amazing. I mean, we're getting addicted to them.

LOUIS PUECH SCIGLIUZZI:   Yeah, that's for sure. Also, I mean, you see all the friendship with all the people from the…Commonwealth. I mean, as Norman told us, and I've seen it in Comic Con, when you see Laura Cohen, the actress who plays [Maggie], the actors who play Maggie and Negan, and they're like, also sweet and nice people. It's just everyone gets on so well, and that's why the friendship between all those characters is so real and realistic.

QUESTION:   I'm curious, as actors, what you're most proud of when it comes to your performances this year?

ERIQ EBOUANEY:   I'm most proud of my fight scenes. Watching the show and watching myself fight with all those people, it was just, I mean, I couldn't believe it. Even my kids were so impressed. I'm proud of that as well.

LOUIS PUECH SCIGLIUZZI:   For me, I think my favorite performance, it might have been in the opening scene of the second season. I remember shooting it in the studio. I mean, it was shot at Mont Saint-Michel, but I had to do a voice, you know, you heard my voice without me being there. I really liked that scene, that opening scene. Yeah, I think I'm really proud of that one. And of course, I mean, there's that scene that we shot with Norman, where he shouts at me, because I cut the rope that was holding the boat. That was still a scene that was kind of unforgettable.

ERIQ EBOUANEY:   Yeah, yeah, and pretty touching as well.

LOUIS PUECH SCIGLIUZZI:   Yeah. Yeah. And I've never seen it to this day. I've never seen it ever.

ERIQ EBOUANEY:   Even on set that day, everybody was scared because Norman was just out of his head. He was shouting on him. Yeah. Wow.

LOUIS PUECH SCIGLIUZZI:   It felt really real.

ERIQ EBOUANEY:   Yeah, really. But they gave each other a hug afterwards.

QUESTION:   Take us back to the very first time you saw your first walker.

ERIQ EBOUANEY:   Oh, I mean, well, how about you? I mean, you knew the show before. I know you were too young, but I couldn't, I can't stand shows with too much violence, first of all. I couldn't stare at them. But the first time I saw them, it was a lunch time. They were [at] catering, all of them full of blood and eating. It was so scary. So scary. I couldn't believe it. It wasn't real world for me. It was like real, so real. Then they started laughing at each other. And I was like, “OK, I should be focused without laughing when I try to kill them.” But it was so scary watching all of them, all these group of extras with the costume and everything full of blood and try to eat food.

LOUIS PUECH SCIGLIUZZI:   I remember the first time that I ever saw a walker I was talking to Greg Nicotero. It was my first or second week on set ever of season one. We were shooting at the school. So, that was kind of the first time I kind of experienced being an actor and what it was like. So, I was just sitting down with Greg on our chairs, and we see walkers like walking just casually. And I'm like, is this real? I just I kind of got creeped out, because before I used to be afraid of zombies when I used to be a kid. It was always something that really shocked me. I think it's because of the Michael Jackson video, and I think that really shocked me. I was always scared of zombies.

ERIQ EBOUANEY:   But I mean, not now, of course, because I'm still scared of zombies after nearly 60.

LOUIS PUECH SCIGLIUZZI:   Yeah, yeah. But I remember seeing them. I was just impressed with how well it was done, because it was just the first time for me to see actual zombies next to me. So, yeah.

QUESTION:   Yeah. There's some disgusting ones this year. I will say that.

ERIQ EBOUANEY:   Yeah. And pretty hectic. I mean, yeah, they upgraded all the zombies in this season. Yeah.