Fans of The Walking Dead franchise are excited about the upcoming Season 2 of Daryl Dixon, titled “The Book of Carol,” which will be released September 29th, 2024. Though Melissa McBride’s Carol dropped out of the spin-off before its production, the final episode of Season 1 concluded with her in search of her missing friend. The upcoming season will likely continue Daryl’s storyline and outline how Carol ends up in Europe.

This is a thrilling prospect for Walking Dead viewers, who will once again get to appreciate the dynamic duo of Daryl and Carol. From the beginning, these two have had a unique relationship that developed through loss, grief, triumph, and mutual respect. There are a few special relationships throughout the franchise, but their friendship has withstood every harsh reality of their post-apocalyptic world. Throughout their timeline, some key events outline Carol and Daryl’s unbreakable bond.

10Daryl Tells the Cherokee Rose Story to Comfort Carol

Season 2, Episode 4

The group finds out Carol’s daughter Sophia is dead in Season 2, Episode 7, “Pretty Much Dead Already.”

Daryl didn’t really integrate into the group until later in The Walking Dead‘s second season, preferring to stay separated and only get involved when they needed his manpower. The first person he befriended was Carol, especially after he dedicated his time and risked his life in search of her daughter. When she is scared and grieving for Sophia, Daryl tells the story of the Cherokee Rose and how they grew from the tears of Indigenous women who were losing their children during the Trail of Tears.

One of the most shocking scenes in The Walking Dead is when Sophia emerges from the barn as a walker a few episodes later. However, through tragedy, these two began an unbreakable bond. They both felt lost and outsiders in their group, which pushed them to confide and lean on each other.

9Carol’s Dirty Jokes Clarified Their Comfort With One Another

Season 3, Episode 1

At the beginning of Season 3, several months have passed since the group was run off the Green farm. In the first episode of this season, they find the prison after months on the road.

When the group settles down inside the prison’s fences, the group is comforted with being safe and relaxed with one another, highlighting the bonds that had developed in the time gap between seasons. One of the obvious relationships that had strengthened was Daryl and Carol. In a scene when they stand on top of an overturned bus, Carol makes sexual innuendos, such as asking him if he wants to “screw around.”

There was no real indication that Carol and Daryl would have a romantic relationship. On the contrary, these funny and teasing scenes between the friends showed their comfort with one another. While Carol is finding herself in a world without her child and abusive husband, she begins to open up and reveal her humorous side, especially when having a conversation with her closest friend.

8Daryl Finding Carol in the Prison Was a Win for the Whole Group

Season 3, Episode 6

In Season 3, Episode 6, “Say the Word,” both Lori and T-Dog, original members of the group, die when the prison is overrun with walkers.

The group is still trying to establish themselves in the prison when walkers get into their area of the property, separating the group as they fight against the undead. This event is best known for the death of Lori Grimes and the birth of Judith. However, this was also the moment T-Dog heroically saves Carol, after being bitten by a walker, holding a couple of walkers off so she can escape.

She gets trapped in a remote part of the prison still infested with walkers, but Daryl finds her in the next episode, giving the group a win after a day of tragedy. While this is considered one of the overall best seasons in The Walking Dead franchise due to the formidable villain, it was also the season that established the group as a true family that cared about everyone’s survival, not just the people they have a familial or romantic relationship with.

7Searching for Beth Was an Epic Team-Up

Season 5, Episode 6

When the prison is destroyed in Season 4 by The Governor, the group is separated when they flee. Carol isn’t at the prison but ends up with Tyreese and three girls (including Judith). Daryl ends up surviving with Beth until she’s kidnapped by the group at Grady Memorial Hospital.

In this episode, the group is reunited after surviving on their own and escaping Terminus. Daryl and Carol go off on their own when they see a car from Grady Memorial, and Daryl recognizes it’s from the group that took Beth. When they reach Atlanta, they scope out the area and encounter an escaped Grady Memorial hostage, Noah, who steals their weapons. When Carol aims her revolver at Noah fleeing, Daryl stops her.

An important context in this episode is before Daryl finds her, and they go off on their mission, Carol is debating leaving the group. At this point, Carol begins her long journey of struggling with how her dedication to the group forces her to do heinous things like kill people. It’s the people who ground her and allow her to be her true self that comfort Carol, emphasized in this sequence when the friends open up about their abusive pasts.

6Daryl Lies to Protect Carol’s Peace in an Endearing Reunion

Season 7, Episode 10

In Season 7, Episode 2, “The Well,” Carol is injured, and Morgan brings her to The Kingdom for medical care. This is when she separates from the original group for a long period, living outside The Kingdom in isolation.

After the first battle with the Saviors, Carol flees Alexandria, fearful of getting involved in another conflict that would result in many deaths. She wasn’t present during the first encounter with Negan and was, therefore, unaware of Abraham and Glenn’s deaths. She leaves The Kingdom when she’s recovered from injuries, taking up residence in a nearby cottage, and is there when Daryl becomes involved with The Kingdom.

Though she knows about the conflict with the Saviors, Daryl only gives her the bare minimum of their circumstances, leaving out his imprisonment at the Sanctuary and the demise of their two dear friends. This is an endearing moment of their friendship, with Daryl lying to Carol because he knows she will get involved in the conflict if she knew the whole truth despite not wanting to cause any more death.

5Carol Getting Pookie’s Approval is a Casual Heart-to-Heart

Season 9, Episode 1

In Season 9, it’s revealed that Carol and Ezekiel have been in a relationship for several months.

At the beginning of Season 9, over a year has passed since Rick defeated Negan. A new world order has been established between Alexandria, the Hilltop, the Kingdom, Oceanside, and the Sanctuary. The communities work together, but each leader prioritizes the needs of their people over alliances. While Carol is helping Ezekiel rule the Kingdom, now a couple, Daryl is controlling the hostile environment of the Sanctuary.

When Daryl expresses a desire to no longer be in charge of the former Saviors, Carol offers to step up, mentioning how Ezekiel keeps proposing to her, and the commitment makes her uneasy. In an adorable moment, placing aside politics, Daryl says Ezekiel is a good person. Carol responds by saying she’s glad she has “Pookie’s approval,” a callback to their previous humorous interactions. During this time of uncertainty, it’s touching to see Daryl still put aside strife to support his friend being happy.

4Daryl Comforting Carol When They Find the Pike Heads is Heartbreaking

Season 9, Episode 15

When Alpha creates her borders she expects the other communities to abide by, she puts 10 heads on pikes. These victims include several side characters and two long-running characters, Tara and Enid, as well as Carol’s adopted son, Henry.

During their conflict with Alpha, the villain initially gets the upper hand, using a horde of walkers to threaten them into submission. She creates a border they’re supposed to not cross and marks the border with the heads of their allies, including Carol and Ezekiel’s adopted son, Henry. While there are many sad deaths throughout the Walking Dead Universe, the “Pike Heads” were among the most shocking and devastating.

When their group walks up to the pikes after being released by the Whisperers, Daryl runs up to Carol and tells her not to look at the severed head of her son. This is also a callback to Season 2 when an undead Sophia emerges from the barn, and Daryl stops Carol from running to her deceased child. The depth of their love for each other is clear in this scene, featuring a friend trying to protect another from a heartbreaking visual.

3Reuniting After Tragedy is a Moment of Unbridled Emotion

Season 5, Episode 1

In Season 4, Episode 4, “Indifference,” Rick banishes Carol after learning she killed two people to prevent a disease from spreading throughout the prison.

Arguably, Carol’s most iconic moment is when she single-handedly infiltrates Terminus, blowing up a tank that allows a horde of walkers to overpower the community, helping her group to escape. In the woods outside Terminus, Carol approaches the survivors, and Daryl is the first to notice her. He runs to her, hugging his friend and even lifting her off the ground in exuberant joy.

Seeing so much emotion from a character that rarely shows emotions is thrilling and heartwarming. The extent of his joy is emphasized when he steps out of the hug and rests his head on her shoulder, overwhelmed with relief. After the devastation at the prison and Daryl’s encounter with the Claimers, this tear-jerking reunion clarified the extent of their connection.

2Their Heartfelt Goodbye Solidified an Unbreakable Bond

Season 11, Episode 24

At the finale of The Walking Dead, it was announced that Melissa McBride would not be joining Norman Reedus in Season 1 of the Daryl Dixon spin-off.

The end of the original series was only the beginning of a series of Walking Dead spin-offs that have propelled the franchise into a new era. However, the conclusion of The Walking Dead had several significant scenes, especially regarding the upcoming shows. One important moment is when Carol and Daryl say their goodbyes, now having their own separate jobs within the allied communities.

Before Daryl goes off on a mission to find other groups (with a side mission to find Michonne and Rick), the two share a heart-to-heart. Carol starts crying, and when Daryl assures her they’ll see each other again, she says, “I’m allowed to be a little sad. You’re my best friend.” No matter how far or how long they’re apart, these two know their bond will never be diminished.

1Their Campfire Talk of Friendship is as Touching as it Gets

Season 10, Episode 1

Carol and Daryl reuniting in Daryl Dixon could be a sign the series eventually travels from Europe back into the United States.

It’s touching when Carol calls Daryl her best friend in the finale, but she’s not the first person to label their relationship. In Season 10, following the devastation in Season 9, the two go on a hunting trip together. By the campfire, Daryl tells her she’s his best friend. Carol immediately makes jokes about friendship bracelets, which is ironic considering Daryl then offers her a bracelet of string, which she accepts without hesitation.

It can’t go without saying that Carol repeatedly denied Ezekiel’s proposal of marriage in Season 9 before accepting, but she doesn’t hesitate to accept a physical representation of her and Daryl’s friendship. In this scene, the two also daydream about running away and finding more people like them, which is a foreshadowing of their upcoming adventure to Europe (even if they both get there separately).