Warning: spoilers ahead for Daryl Dixon season 2, episode 4.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixonis boldly pushing the idea that Daryl and Carol will link up romantically in the very near future, despite the controversy that would inevitably follow. Norman Reedus' Daryl Dixon and Melissa McBride’s Carol Peletier have always shared one of the most unique and fascinating relationships acrossall shows inThe Walking Dead’s universe. Calling their bond a friendship feels like an understatement, and while comparing the pair to siblings feels more accurate, even that fails to properly convey the depth of understanding between Daryl and Carol.
Naturally, the closeness Daryl and Carol share has sparked plenty of theories that both survivors are suppressing some kind of romantic flame for each other, and are destined to become post-apocalyptic lovers at some point inThe Walking Dead’s timeline. Stranger things have happened, certainly within the wild world ofThe Walking Dead, but the main show never offered any real suggestion that passion was on the cards.Daryl Dixonseason 2, however, gives the most overt hint yet that Daryl and Carol will return to the United States hand-in-hand as a proper couple.
Daryl Dixon Season 2, Episode 4 Feels Like It’s Teasing A Daryl & Carol Romance
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Isabelle’s blood is barely drywhenDaryl Dixonseason 2 beginsdropping subtle clues that could potentially push Daryl and Carol toward the verge of confessing their love. The foreshadowing begins immediately after Reedus and McBride’s protagonists take refuge with a French couple, Theo and Didi, and their hosts wrongly assume Carol is Isabelle. This case of mistaken identity immediately creates a setup worthy of a post-FriendsJennifer Aniston movie, whereby the French couple believe Daryl and Carol are secretly in love, and the guests must act coy in order to avoid giving away Carol’s real name.
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Within that overall premise, several specific moments fromDaryl Dixonseason 2, episode 4, “La Paradis Pour Toi,” stand out as promoting the idea of Daryl and Carol falling madly in love. The first comes when Carol is chopping vegetables with Didi, the latter still convinced her culinary assistant is Isabelle. Laurent informed Didi all about how Daryl and Isabelle were refusing to admit their love, and Didi repeats this to Carol, who deftly tries to change the subject with, “It’s a little more complicated than that.” The wise and insightful Didi is undeterred, hitting back with, “Not to a child… and not to me.”
“Not to me” implies thateven if Didi believes Carol is Isabelle at this point, she still senses romantic vibesbetween her two guests. The line suggests that Didi, an experienced woman well-versed in love at this time in her life, has seen enough of Daryl and Carol in the flesh to detect a certain frisson bubbling beneath the surface.
Other Moments From Daryl Dixon Season 2, Episode 4 That Suggest Daryl & Carol Are Headed For Romance
It Isn’t Just Didi Who Thinks Daryl & Carol Aren’t Being Honest About Their Feelings
Continuing her agony aunt role, Didi also points out,“sometimes children see things we’re afraid to look at.” At a glance, this line refers to Daryl being torn between settling down with Isabelle and returning to his friends back in the United States. It could, however, apply just as readily to Daryl and Carol refusing to seriously acknowledge what their relationship has been throughout their time together sinceThe Walking Dead’s zombie outbreakbegan.
The Walking Dead’s French spinoff is dropping strong hints that its two main characters love each other.
“La Paradis Pour Toi” then doubles down on Daryl and Carol as a potential couple. Attempting to start a car, the pair begin bickering with Carol occupying the driver’s seat and Daryl under the open hood.Their back-and-forth gives the impression of an old married couple, and just to underline the similarity, Theo emerges from the house and makes that exact observation.
None of this evidence is concrete, of course. Nevertheless, by placing Daryl and Carol with two aged lovers who are well-versed in the ways of the heart, and then having those characters point out the romantic aspects of Daryl and Carol’s friendship,The Walking Dead’s French spinoff is dropping strong hints that its two main characters love each other.
Not Everything Has To Be A Love Story
From one perspective, Daryl and Carol’s staunch refusal to hook up is one of the last unresolved plot points fromThe Walking Dead’s ending. From another angle, however, that platonic connection is somethingDaryl Dixonwould be foolish to meddle with.The tether linking Daryl and Carol is unlike anything else inThe Walking Dead, and the fact that it’s so difficult to define using conventional social labels is a major factor in why the chemistry between characters is so compelling.
In Daryl and Carol,The Walking Deadholds a golden opportunity to cast aside those tired tropes.
A lone wolf and an unassuming mother-turned-killing-machine becoming inseparable companions defies convention, blood, stereotypes, and even death itself, as Daryl and Carol stick together against the odds to create an unbreakable force. That story represents one of the most powerful character progressionsThe Walking Deadhas ever pulled off, perfectly highlighting the importance of “found family,” as well as of having a companion who will fly across the Atlantic in a plane literally held together by tape in the name of love and loyalty.
The Walking Deadis filled with love stories, from Rick and Michonne to Eugene and Stephanie, while an entire spinoff could be spent chronicling Gabriel’s trouble with women. To lump what Daryl and Carol have into that same category would feel awfully reductive, effectively taking something that has no parallel and diluting it into the kind of dynamic that occurs multiple times in every season ofeveryThe Walking DeadTV show.
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To sour the truffled eggs even further,Daryl and Carol getting together would feel painfully predictableagainst the backdrop of a wider storytelling landscape. Despite the progress that has been made in terms of diversifying roles for women, movies and TV shows retain an unshakable habit of rarely letting male and female leads forge a bond without their clothes coming off somewhere along the way. In Daryl and Carol,The Walking Deadholds a golden opportunity to cast aside those tired tropes and simply focus on two characters who would cross the globe for each other, but have no desire to share a bed.
Daryl Dixon’s Showrunner Hints Romance With Carol Will NOT Happen
A Definitive Answer From Daryl Dixon’s Big Boss
Curiously,the notion of Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier getting together has been shot downby none other than the spinoff’s own showrunner, David Zabel. Speaking ahead of Carol’s comeback,Zabel went so far as to admit Daryl and Carolbecoming a boyfriend-girlfriend couple would be a “mistake.” As well as acknowledging that the trope is well-worn by this point, Zabel also pointed out how typical love has never been what defines the protagonists' relationship, arguing, “there was never a question that [their bond] was something other than what it is.”
As someone who loves Daryl in a more platonic way, Carol could begin reassessing their friendship inThe Walking Dead: Daryl Dixonseason 2.
Given the strength of Zabel’s comments, it is somewhat surprising to hear “old married couple” jokes thrown in Daryl and Carol’s direction duringDaryl Dixonseason 2, and for Didi to allude toward a spark she notices between the pair while they stay in her home. Such moments inevitably raise the question of romance, and will only fan the flames of speculation that already exist amongThe Walking Dead’s audience.
Perhaps the real intention, however, is not to foreshadow Daryl and Carol becoming lovers, but for Carol to question where she stands when Daryl finds someone he does love romantically. Dead she may be, butIsabelle captured Daryl’s heart in France, and Carol can see that plainly. As someone who loves Daryl in a more platonic way, Carol could begin reassessing their friendship inThe Walking Dead: Daryl Dixonseason 2, pondering whether their unconventional, indefinable dynamic can compete with real, true love.
“La Gentillesse des Étrangers”
“Au Revoir les Enfants”
November 3
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon
In a post-apocalyptic France, the series follows Daryl Dixon as he navigates the complexities of a new landscape. Separated from his familiar world, Daryl faces unexpected challenges and forges new alliances while confronting the lingering threats of a walker-infested reality.
