From the camp in Atlanta to the destruction of the Commonwealth’s government, Daryl Dixon and Carol’s Walking Dead friendship prevailed through the hit AMC drama series’ intense timeline. Years later, Carol returned in the final scene of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 1 to join Daryl in his own spin-off series. The event that truly sparked the dynamic between these now fan-favorite characters was a horrifying situation in TWD season 2: Carol’s daughter Sophia got separated from the group after being ambushed by a horde of walkers, completely shattering the group’s hopeful journey toward a better life. Sophia’s disappearance not only changed the course of The Walking Dead, but also sparked the emotional connection between her mother Daryl Dixon.
How The Disappearance Of Carol’s Daughter Sparked The Walking Dead’s Best Relationship
Daryl Risked His Life To Find Sophia And Never Looked Back
Daryl, played by Norman Reedus, is one of the few major characters in The Walking Dead that did not exist in Robert Kirkman’s comic series. For the betterment of the show, certain stories were tweaked and some Walking Dead characters saw completely different endings from their comic counterparts, like Carol, who died in issue 42 of the comics, but Daryl simply did not appear in the run at all. He and his brother, Merle Dixon, were introduced in The Walking Dead season 1 as original characters, but Daryl’s lone wolf attitude and aggression toward Rick and the rest of the group was not well received.
Shows in the TWD Universe
Release Year
No. Of Seasons
The Walking Dead
2010
Fear The Walking Dead
2015
8
The Walking Dead: World Beyond
2020
2
Tales of The Walking Dead
2022
1
The Walking Dead: Dead City
2023
1 (2 confirmed)
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon
2023
1 (3 confirmed)
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live
2024
1
Nobody expected Daryl to become such an integral part of the story, but he now stands as one of the most iconic television characters ever. He wouldn’t have garnered that success had series creator Frank Darabont not showcased Dixon’s soft side in his second season. After Sophia went missing, Daryl ventured out to pick up the pieces and offer Carol some hope, barely making it back in one piece. This was the first time that the audience saw Daryl’s true colors, but it wouldn’t be the last, as this created an emotional bond between the two legacy characters.
The Events At The Farm Changed Everything, But Daryl and Carol Prevailed
The Walking Dead Wouldn’t Be The Same Without This Friendship
What all started with some metaphors about a Cherokee rose in light of Sophia’s disappearance, became a friendship of love and affection. Carol’s daughter’s unfortunate fate was revealed in The Walking Dead season 2, episode 7, “Pretty Much Dead Already,” when Rick Grimes had to put down the walker version of Sophia. Daryl was there to comfort Carol at a moment that damaged the entire group, and changed the course of The Walking Dead. At this point, Daryl was still an outdoor cat, casting himself away in fear of everything going wrong, but Carol served as a guiding light and kept caring for him, just as Daryl had done for her.
In season 5, it is revealed that Carol has been studying a book about dealing with abused and broken children, suggesting that she was finding a way to have the most impact on Daryl. While it angered him to be seen in this light, he had been lost and distant for so long, and Carol needed to develop a better understanding of what he was going through. There are obvious layers to this complex friendship, but it became one of the biggest and best dynamics in the series. Despite losing each other on multiple occasions, they were always there for each other in the end, a trend that continued when Carol returned to show a new side in Daryl Dixon season 2.
Why Daryl And Carol’s Relationship Being Platonic Was The Right Decision
They Both Explored Love, But Found Nothing As Strong As Their Friendship
After Andrew Lincoln hung up his coat as Rick until The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, and Danai Gurira followed in his footsteps by exiting her role as Michonne shortly after, Daryl and Carol became the prominent leads that fought for a better future. Their alignment as platonic best friends had officially prevailed through the entire series, but many questioned why the writers never took the dynamic to the next level. The hopes of a romantic blossom between Daryl and Carol still follows them into The Book of Carol, where Melissa Mcbride’s Carol will set an impressive record of Walking Dead franchise appearances.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 2: The Book of Carol airs Sunday, September 29 on AMC, streaming on AMC+. A third season has already started filming, with both Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride returning.
Despite some references and flirtatiousness, the friendship that sparked during a tragic time without Sophia was clearly never meant to evolve into a romance, and that was the right decision. Daryl and Carol found purpose in each other, and the love and comfort that stemmed from that is worth more than any romantic relationship could bring. They both faced this fact head-on, exploring romantic relationships with others throughout the show, but not finding anything that could last. The power behind their bond did not suffer the same fate, proving that two of the most important characters in The Walking Dead may not have been there without each other, and we definitely wouldn’t have The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon.
