The Walking Dead just changed Daryl Dixon forever

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Daryl Dixon Season 2, Episode 3.

Three simple words in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 2 has changed the titular character for a long time but he remains part of AMC’s post-apocalyptic universe. With half of the Eiffel Tower in the background and centuries of romance in the air, love has been brewing since Daryl Dixon stepped foot on French shores. Pairing Norman Reedus’ rugged protagonist with Clémence Poésy’s no-nonsense nun always looked like it would inevitably erupt in sparks of passion, but The Walking Dead Has played the long game, with Daryl Dixon Season 1 ended on a more ambiguous note.

Daryl and Isabelle’s story becomes much less ambiguous in season 2. As the Union prepares to find out if Laurent is immune to the zombie virus, Daryl and Isabelle plan their counterattack, taking the opportunity to admit their feelings and lock lips On the backdrop of a stunning Mont-Saint-Michel. Nevertheless, what comes after is much more important for Daryl Dixon Season 3 and beyond. Captured by the Union and occupying the neighboring cells, Isabelle quietly whispers to Daryl, “I love you.”

Isabelle admitting she “loves” Daryl makes her more than just another love interest

Things get serious in Daryl Dixon Season 2

Isabelle is not Daryl Dixon’s first romance The Walking Dead. Daryl began a short-lived affair with a survivor named Leah and flirted constantly with Lauren Ridloff’s Connie during the main show’s final seasons. It is also suggested that Daryl’s friendships with Beth and Carol hide undertones of romance that are unfulfilled. Isabelle”I love you“In Daryl Dixon Season 2, however, immediately cemented her as the most serious love interest Daryl has had since The Walking Dead started.

Carol and Beth were always speculative Daryl love interests, Leah was barely more than a hook-up, and nothing materialized with Connie. What Daryl and Isabelle have found in France is real loveAnd that totally changes the complexion of Daryl’s story. If Isabelle survives long enough to join the Commonwealth, Daryl will no longer be able to cut the same unique wolf figure he perfected through The Walking Dead. Daryl will be closer to Rick Grimes in terms of creating a family unit, sacrificing the freedom to spend months alone in the woods. This shift shakes the fundamentals of Daryl’s characterization to their core.

The strength of Daryl DixonThe French connection becomes no less significant if Isabelle finally dies before reaching the United States. Leah’s death had a minimal effect on Daryl, not least because he was the one who shot her. how so The Walking Dead Has never properly shown Daryl dealing with a woman he loves to deathAnd losing Isabelle could trigger a transformative process for the long-haired protagonist.

Daryl’s grief over Isabelle could look similar to what Rick went through after Lori died, or what Maggie experienced after Negan killed Glenn. No character was quite the same again, and Daryl finally found love in Daryl Dixon Season 2 may be about to wade through the same ocean of grief if Isabelle doesn’t survive.

Why Daryl doesn’t say he loves Isabelle back

Daryl has a strong excuse to keep quiet

When Isabelle tells Daryl she loves him, she repeats the phrase under her breath and in French, meaning that Daryl almost certainly doesn’t understand, and can’t even register that his cellmate is speaking. The bigger question is what Isabel chooses to say”I love you” Secretly, and in a way she knows that Daryl can not respond to.

Simple reasons must be considered, such as a fear of being rejected or wanting to wait for a more appropriate moment, but a stronger explanation is that Isabelle chooses not to burden Daryl with the knowledge of her true feelings. As Daryl describes the fireflies and the beautiful day-to-day normality of The Walking Deads Commonwealth, he sounds convinced that Isabelle will experience it for herself soon enough. Isabelle is less confident, almost conceding that the Union has won and escape is impossible.

Isabelle perhaps feels that if something bad is about to happen, it would be unfair to tell her the truth. If the worst were to happen, Daryl would feel even more heartbroken because Isabelle loved him. By hiding the true depth of their affection, however, Isabelle is able to spare Daryl some degree of pain as they both sit perched on the Union’s chopping block. There is, tragically, one flaw in Isabelle’s thinking. If Daryl hears Isabelle mutteringI love you“In French but he can’t understand it, he can eventually find the translation later, possibly another character says the same thing.

Isabelle’s “I love you” makes it more likely she will die in Daryl Dixon Season 2

Isabelle’s future in The Walking Dead looks uncertain

Isabelle doubting whether a future with Daryl could happen couldn’t be completely unfair. A doomed character making a last-minute confession of love is a classic story trope, and even more so in The Walking Deads world, where character deaths come so easily. Isabelle’s sudden declaration may feel ominous for her character’s future but, in fact, the signs were there long in advance. Carol is back in Daryl Dixon Season 2 puts Isabelle’s main companion status in jeopardy from the start, and Clémence Poésy is not listed among the initial cast for Daryl Dixon Season 3.

While Isabelle’s story looked highly unlikely to ever stretch further Daryl Dixon Season 2, therefore, it was plausible that she could adopt a reduced role, or that she and Daryl would part-time before eventually reuniting. Wow, watching Isabelle say drill”I love you” adds credibility to the rather less happy theory that she will die sooner The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 2 ends.