Warning: spoilers ahead for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 2 finale.
The Walking Dead: Daryl DixonThe season 2 finale gives the strongest hint yet that Daryl and Carol are more than friends. Despite being members UndeadThe original cast of Norman Reedus’ Daryl Dixon and Melissa McBride’s Carol Peletier only began to gravitate towards each other during season two, around the time of Sophia’s death. Since then, Daryl and Carol have evolved into one of the strongest partnerships in the zombie apocalypse, but as is human nature, the relationship has been endlessly interrogated for signs of potential romance.
The duo has never openly entered such territory, but speculation that Daryl and Carol love each other has never been completely silenced either. This speculation will inevitably be fueled by a key moment in Daryl Dixon season 2 finale. While the Pouvoir/Union alliance is attacking and it becomes clear that Ash’s plane must take off abruptly, Carol boards the aircraft while Daryl stays behind. They share a revealing and meaningful look, but they don’t exchange words. Daryl breaks the silence with “I know”, but the intention behind his prolonged stare is not addressed, allowing for a degree of interpretation.
Daryl Dixon’s “I Know” Line Is (Probably) Not Confirmation That He Loves Carol
The scene is open to interpretation
Daryl Dixon”I know“The line sounds like Han Solo, and as such can be seen as two sidekicks admitting they love each other romantically without uttering the line itself. After spending over a decade as nearly inseparable friends, and with no character known for their outspoken mentality , it makes sense that Daryl and Carol have a hard time admitting they love each other using words – if, in fact, they felt such emotions. From this perspective, the “I knowThe scene could certainly be pointed to as evidence of the hidden love that Daryl and Carol fans have continually pointed out since 2011.
On the other hand, there is a more plausible explanation. Leaving love aside, Daryl and Carol rarely discuss any kind of intimate feelings openly, and their entire relationship was built on a foundation of unspoken things: trust, respect, love in a platonic sense. Since breaking away from the Commonwealth, Carol has crossed an ocean to reunite with her closest companion, and when she returns aboard Ash’s plane in Daryl Dixon At the end of Season 2, the clear possibility that they will never meet again seems to dawn on her.
“I know‘ is simply Daryl reassuring Carol that she shouldn’t feel compelled to express her gratitude, admiration, and deep friendship while under intense gunfire.
The look between them, therefore, could be one of unshakable, unconditional and eternal friendship. Carol might want to thank Daryl for supporting her through difficult times and never letting her down, to tell him he’s the closest friend she’s ever known – before or since. Undeadof the outbreak – and to reassure Daryl that he should continue without ever giving up. Meanwhile, Daryl might want Carol to know how grateful he is that she traveled to France, that her friendship has saved him countless times over the past 14 years of undead horror, and how she, too, must find something to live for. .
Even before romance enters the equation, there are many other unspoken truths that Daryl and Carol may want to express before their paths take them to completely different countries again, and this is most likely the reason behind their meaningful exchange of glances in Daryl Dixon season 2 finale. Dictation “I know‘ is simply Daryl assuring Carol that she shouldn’t feel compelled to express her gratitude, admiration, and deep friendship while under intense gunfire. The fact that Daryl also avoids talking about his feelings is a welcome bonus.
Daryl Dixon’s showrunner isn’t a fan of Daryl and Carol as a romantic duo
Another sign that Daryl and Carol aren’t in love
Adding even more weight to the idea that the “I know“scene in Daryl Dixon The end of season 2 is not romantic in nature, the showrunner himself is not in favor of it. Discussing the matter, David Zabel argued: “The easiest thing to do would be, ‘Okay, now they’re falling in love and they’re a couple.’ But I always felt like that would be a mistake.”
Undead is therefore keeping its options open when it comes to Daryl and Carol’s relationship.
With Zabel is clearly not a fan of Daryl and Carol as a boyfriend and girlfriend coupleit seems unlikely that the romance will be confirmed in its own story. The plane farewell scene may still be open to a degree of interpretation, but Zabel’s position in “Caryl” approximates the alternative answer – that the emotional moment spoke directly to Daryl and Carol’s closer friendship than siblings.
Despite having a member of the anti-Caryl alliance as showrunner, Daryl Dixon yet avoids completely ruling out the possibility of romance. Until After Carol gets off the plane and joins Daryl on the long drive home from France, they never return to their previous exchange. and discuss what Carol meant when she thought she would return to the United States with Ash and Laurent. Why Daryl Dixon sits on top of the wall, another Undead spinoff with Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride could take a different direction and establish the characters as lovers.
Strangely, Daryl Dixon season 2 already dropped some crumbs that led to this outcome in episode 4, when Daryl and Carol hooked up with a French couple who assumed Carol was actually Isabelle. One of the hosts suggested that she could feel Carol’s true feelings for Daryl, while the other curiously compared the two survivors to an old married couple. Undead is therefore keeping its options open when it comes to Daryl and Carol’s relationship.
Why The Walking Dead’s Daryl and Carol Work Better Without Romance
Even though no firm conclusion about the true nature of Daryl and Carol’s relationship Undead relationship can be drawnthere’s a strong argument for avoiding a romantic twist. One of the oldest tropes in film and TV dictates that male and female characters can rarely share a close bond without there being a semblance of romance or sexual chemistry developing between them. The mutual feeling of affection and co-trust between Daryl and Carol over 14 years of Undead boldly circumvented this stereotype. Flipping the script after so long would inevitably devalue the uniqueness of what Daryl and Carol share.
If Daryl and Carol secretly want to rip each other’s clothes off, their entire story immediately becomes considerably less powerful.
Adding a sexual element would also risk undermining what Daryl and Carol’s friendship has come to represent in the broader context of Undeadtimeline. As friends, Daryl and Carol prove that two individuals who would have absolutely nothing in common in the normal world can form a deep, lasting connection during the worst of times.
This is an undeniably powerful message and a vital principle in UndeadIt’s a hopeful trend. If Daryl and Carol secretly want to rip each other’s clothes off, their entire story immediately becomes considerably less powerful and vital. Why The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixonis”I knowThe scene plays for both crowds, however, and can be simultaneously interpreted as a moment that highlights the individuality of Daryl and Carol’s partnership, or a moment that shifts them into a less platonic gear.