Love in the Time of Walkers: Relationships in The Walking Dead

[Ohwell]

It also means that she can take over Alexandria and train all the kids to be the best fighting force the ZA world has seen! Depends upon your preference of course.

It goes without saying that some of us dislike Carol as much as those of you who like her.  

[Nashville]

It goes without saying that some of us dislike Carol as much as those of you who like her.

Apparently not.

(ducking)

<here hee hee hee hee...>

[kj4ever]

I don't understand why people think Michonne is being slighted because they aren't hooking her up with Rick.  He's a mess, and was a mess before all this stuff happened according to Lori.

 

Is it because he is a white man with power? 

[NoWillToResist]

Since this thread is ostensibly for all relationships, not merely romantic ones, I have to say that I love Eugene and Tara's friendship. I would have expected a guy like Eugene to ignore Tara once he learned that there was no way sex would be in the offing, but instead, they've developed an adorable bond based on acceptance and trust. I love that Eugene values Tara so much that he overcame his usually insurmountable fear to save her life, something I don't believe he could have done for anyone else. I love that Tara truly believes that Eugene is capable of being a better person despite being fully aware of his misdeeds.

 

Anyway, they are awesome. BFFs for life.

 

Yay for platonic relationship unencumbered by shipping!!! :D

 

I too love that Eugene is kind of a scaredy cat but was able to be brave to save Tara. I love that she tries to encourage him and support him. They're both kinda dorky but sweet at heart.

 

Platonic-wise, I also love Carol/Rick and Michonne/Rick.

 

I would very much like Carol and Michonne to spend more time together. They are both kickass and pragmatic. They've also had quite tragic personal backstories. I think they'd get along great and could probably sort out this whole Alexandria situation by themselves. They also appear to know their way around a shower and personal grooming, unlike Rick and Daryl...;)

[Eyes High]

Yay for platonic relationship unencumbered by shipping!!! :D

 

I too love that Eugene is kind of a scaredy cat but was able to be brave to save Tara. I love that she tries to encourage him and support him. They're both kinda dorky but sweet at heart.

 

Yay!

 

Eugene and Tara's actors both bring a sort of sweetness to their roles which is compounded when the characters interact. I don't know that Eugene and Tara come off as all that endearing on the page, especially Eugene, but the actors are able to breathe likability into these characters. That makes their relationship all the more touching, in my opinion. Eugene's unbounded platonic love for Tara also keeps him from being a cartoon. I also like that Eugene is attracted to Tara but isn't secretly in love with her...because that happens! People can be BFFs with people to whom they're attracted without falling in love with them. It's nice to see that represented on TV.

 

Eugene grinning like a fool at Tara when she regained consciousness while she's cracking wise about his hair was one of the most adorable moments on the show to date, in my opinion. There doesn't seem to be much room on the show for relationships that aren't fraught with angst or some sort of tension, so it's great to see BFFs being BFFs.

 

Platonic-wise, I also love Carol/Rick and Michonne/Rick.

 

I love that Rick's most trusted lieutenants are women. As the great philosopher Jidenna once said, "The ladies on my elbow ain't for the show / Every madame on my team is a top general."

 

Do we have any kind of sense how Michonne and Carol feel about each other?

Edited November 25, 2015 by Eyes High

[Bad Example]

I hate being shallow, but Morgan's got weird legs.  They bow outwards from the knees downward.  

 

Hey, mine do, too!  People with weird legs deserve love, too!  And if it were me, I'd kick that little Wolf-boy's butt and then, as suggested above... I'll run Alexandria with Carol and Michonne.  I can be the weird-leg part of that triumverate.  We'll let Rick do stuff and thangs, then we'll clean Daryl up and keep him for a pretty pet.

[Mattipoo]

Would be interesting if Daryl and Aaron became lovers, after Aaron's current boyfriend dies. Daryl seems to really get along with Aaron.

[Eyes High]

Would be interesting if Daryl and Aaron became lovers, after Aaron's current boyfriend dies. Daryl seems to really get along with Aaron.

 

Tragically, Daryl is heterosexual...at least according to Robert Kirkman. If I were matchmaking dudes for Daryl, though, Aaron is whom I would pick. Good-looking, good-hearted, sexy voice, more stable than Rick, good chemistry, rolls with Daryl's weirdness...what more could he want, if he were into dudes?

 

To be honest, Daryl doesn't have much of a sexual presence to me. Norman Reedus is a decent-looking guy and all, but Daryl doesn't exactly exude sexuality to me, and it's not just because he hasn't shown any whiff of sexual interest in anyone (male, female or otherwise). You know those characters who are just walking, talking sex even if they never openly hit on anyone or get involved with anyone? You know those characters who just smoulder?...Yeah, well, to me, Daryl is the opposite of that.

Edited November 25, 2015 by Eyes High

[AwesomO4000]

To be honest, Daryl doesn't have much of a sexual presence to me. Norman Reedus is a decent-looking guy and all, but Daryl doesn't exactly exude sexuality to me, and it's not just because he hasn't shown any whiff of sexual interest in anyone (male, female or otherwise). You know those characters who are just walking, talking sex even if they never openly hit on anyone or get involved with anyone? You know those characters who just smoulder?...Yeah, well, to me, Daryl is the opposite of that.

 

Heh. Daryl isn't the opposite of that for me, but he's no Spike* either: a character who was interesting for me in that I actually found him even more sexy with all of his clothes on, because he absolutely owned that outfit, in my opinion.

 

* I realize Spike is not an example of this for everyone and might be in the "ugh" category for some, but for me Spike was entirely that character.

[nodorothyparker]

That's actually a huge part of why I've never understood all the vehement shipping wars over Daryl with anyone.  And I say that as someone who loves whatever his friendship/relationship with Carol has been back when they actually had scenes together.  I would have been okay with it had they hooked up somewhere along the line, although I'm not a shipper and have never clamored for them to get together, but I also would have been okay with it had he had hooked up with anyone else that didn't involve a lot of terrible acting and felt organic.

 

I'm honestly not even sure if it's deliberate or unintentional on the actor's part.  Or if maybe it's how the character's being written.  Norman Reedus is an attractive enough guy, or at least he would be if he would get a big boy haircut and not continually look like he'd been dipped in grease and rolled in dirt onscreen.  But since season 3 he's read more like an overgrown Boy Scout than a man with a man's sexuality.  I look at him with his lack of sleeves and his leather and it doesn't scream sex, it screams costume specifically designed to appeal to a demographic without anything to back it up.

[JBody]

I'm going to throw it out there even though a lot of fans were upset by it, but NR said he was (or would be) playing him as "prison gay" and Darabont (who created the Daryl and Merle characters) thought it was a great idea. I don't know if they ever went with that though.

[nodorothyparker]

I don't think I even know what that means in this particular context.  Because he's reading almost as asexual in dressup.

[ghoulina]

I've read so many things about Daryl's sexuality - he's asexual, he's a virgin, he's gay. I know Reedus loves to troll the viewers, so I never know what to make of any of it. 

[JBody]

Yeah, it is ambiguous at best.  I think the closest Daryl got to anything onscreen was his little chat with Beth in the funeral home, at the table, before he stupidly let all the zeds in through the door.  That was NR's "butterflies in the stomach" moment, supposedly -- but yeah he trolls all the time with the fans so who knows.

[ghoulina]

Well, thanks a lot. I had sufficiently blocked that funeral home episode out of my mind. Until now.....

 

 

:P

[Eyes High]

I'm going to throw it out there even though a lot of fans were upset by it, but NR said he was (or would be) playing him as "prison gay" and Darabont (who created the Daryl and Merle characters) thought it was a great idea. I don't know if they ever went with that though.

 

I think Kirkman clarified Daryl's sexuality as straight because of the "prison gay" revelation and the rumours flying around about Daryl hooking up with a dude. I think that was the conception for the character at one point, but Darabont's a few showrunners ago these days.

 

 

 

Heh. Daryl isn't the opposite of that for me, but he's no Spike* either: a character who was interesting for me in that I actually found him even more sexy with all of his clothes on, because he absolutely owned that outfit, in my opinion.

 

The type of character I'm thinking of--the anti-Daryl, in my mind--is sometimes referred to as a character who would have sexual chemistry with a screen door. Spike and Faith were the closest BTVS/Angel ever got to that, in my mind. Also, Keller (Chris Meloni) on Oz. I don't know if TWD has any examples of characters like that. Even the characters who are capital-s Sexy--and there are a lot of good-looking people on TWD, don't get me wrong--aren't particularly sexual.

 

Having read the source comic by Robert Kirkman, I have to say that the source material wasn't exactly brimming with sexuality, either. Characters make cow eyes at each other and hook up, but the whole business has a bit of a perfunctory, businesslike feel. I get the sense that if Kirkman felt he could get away with it, he would make everyone asexual and focus on what really seems to excite him as a storyteller: survivalist trivia (growing crops, e.g.), worldbuilding, philosophical debates, etc. (This attitude towards sexuality as a messy, distasteful impediment to the "good stuff" seems to be a pretty common affliction with science fiction writers, particularly male science fiction writers, in my opinion.) Maybe that's bled over to the TV show. 

Edited November 25, 2015 by Eyes High

[JBody]

Well, thanks a lot. I had sufficiently blocked that funeral home episode out of my mind. Until now.....

 

 

:P

 

Sorry Ghoulina :)  But you know I'd rather watch the golf club/funeral home episodes over the Grady episodes, that's how much I loathed the Grady episodes....

[rab01]

I know this is the wrong thread but I never quite figured out why the Grady episodes sucked so hard. It should have been a good setting for conflict - an almost functioning post-ZA society that's not eeeeeeeevil but very dark gray whose interests conflict with those of CDB.  Why didn't it work?

[Yolapukka]

 

Why didn't it work?

 

Dawn sucked so bad. Terrible character, worse actress and it was just really frickin tiresome to watch all that in service of Beth/Emily Kinney, another unfortunate combination of writing and performance.  All the performances in that setting, except for TJW, were really stilted and off. If Dawn had worked and they had mixed the Grady-only episode with some other scenes of the main cast it would have been tolerable, even enjoyable. At least it culminated in an end to all the creepy shipping of Daryl + Beth.

 

Episodes like this past one are a lot easier to enjoy, even if you fervently dislike a particular character, they aren't the whole story and you are probably going to see something of one you do appreciate. It's riskier storytelling for sure to lift a character or characters out of the main cast and focus on them, especially in an unfamiliar setting and risk doesn't always pay off in kind, sometimes it's just a great big fail.

Edited November 25, 2015 by yuggapukka

[JBody]

I know this is the wrong thread but I never quite figured out why the Grady episodes sucked so hard. It should have been a good setting for conflict - an almost functioning post-ZA society that's not eeeeeeeevil but very dark gray whose interests conflict with those of CDB.  Why didn't it work?

 

Yeah, what thread is the "All Seasons" or All Purpose thread?  I have a theory about the overall show and its glorious end.  This is likely wishful thinking, however.

 

Why the Grady arc sucked, from my perspective (obviously): it sucked because it was shoe-horned into the overall narrative in a ham-fisted way, as a blatant and misguided attempt by Gimple et al to elevate a second/third tier character into someone the audience would root for and identify with, and then be devastated with their inevitable death.

 

Other reasons it didn't work for me:

 

1.  I didn't care about Beth at the farm, I didn't care about Beth at the prison, I didn't care about Beth at the funeral home....

2.  I knew that Grady was dead end and was likely populated by red shirts or people I would never see again (other than Noah, thanks for that Show).

3.  I do not like blatant attempts at manipulation.  Subtle attempts much preferable.

4.  The fan theories I read about Grady were WAY more interesting than what actually appeared on screen.

 

That's all I got, off the top of my head.

[Ocean Chick]

NR is a good looking guy, and I think he could be really sexy when he wants to be.  But I've always gotten a feeling that he wants to be appreciated for his acting, not his sex appeal, so he deliberately plays Daryl as asexual as possible.  And as dirty and disgusting as possible.  And gets (understandably) frustrated when people still concentrate only on who Daryl is going to bone.  So NR trolls the shippers as his revenge for only caring about his penis and not his performance.

 

That's my theory, anyways.

 

Grady didn't work because is was focused on a weak character we didn't care about, played by a weak actress who didn't bring anything to the screen.

[HalcyonDays]

Yeah, what thread is the "All Seasons" or All Purpose thread?  I have a theory about the overall show and its glorious end.  This is likely wishful thinking, however.

 

JBody, we don't have an All-Seasons thread or All-Purpose thread, but you can put your theory in either one of these two threads. Each of these threads can be used to discuss your theories - just pick the one depending on whether you will reveal actual WD spoilers or not.

 

Watch Duty - Spoilers and Spoiler Speculation.

 

Speculation with Spoilers

 

We already have so many threads that are pretty much lost and forgotten in forum I don't want to add another one that'll end up with a few posts, and lost on page five of this forum.

[NoWillToResist]

To be honest, Daryl doesn't have much of a sexual presence to me. Norman Reedus is a decent-looking guy and all, but Daryl doesn't exactly exude sexuality to me, and it's not just because he hasn't shown any whiff of sexual interest in anyone (male, female or otherwise). You know those characters who are just walking, talking sex even if they never openly hit on anyone or get involved with anyone? You know those characters who just smoulder?...Yeah, well, to me, Daryl is the opposite of that.

 

I'd add "Josh Holloway" to the smoulder list. :)  But yes, I agree; I get a big ole NADA from Daryl regarding sex, and I don't think it's due to the dirt and grease. He just...isn't playing him as interested in people that way, IMO. It's oddly refreshing but it makes all the shipping ballyhoo that much more annoying that usual.

 

That's actually a huge part of why I've never understood all the vehement shipping wars over Daryl with anyone.  And I say that as someone who loves whatever his friendship/relationship with Carol has been back when they actually had scenes together.  I would have been okay with it had they hooked up somewhere along the line, although I'm not a shipper and have never clamored for them to get together, but I also would have been okay with it had he had hooked up with anyone else that didn't involve a lot of terrible acting and felt organic.

 

It occurs to me that we haven't had a Daryl/Carol scene all season. That makes me sad. I miss their interactions. If there's time for hook ups with Alexandrians who will be probably be dead next week, why can't I enjoy two of my favourite originals sharing screen time? :(

 

I too enjoy(ed) whatever their relationship is and, while the show's track record for romance is crap (IMO), I can at least appreciate that if they did hook up, at least I'd feel that it was earned and didn't come out of the blue.

[JBody]

JBody, we don't have an All-Seasons thread or All-Purpose thread, but you can put your theory in either one of these two threads. Each of these threads can be used to discuss your theories - just pick the one depending on whether you will reveal actual WD spoilers or not.

 

Watch Duty - Spoilers and Spoiler Speculation.

 

Speculation with Spoilers

 

We already have so many threads that are pretty much lost and forgotten in forum I don't want to add another one that'll end up with a few posts, and lost on page five of this forum.

 

Thanks HalcyonDays.  I'm def not into creating another thread.  What if my theory involves plot points to another show/movie -- should I spoiler tag those, or because it's not TWD, can I speak openly about it? 

[HalcyonDays]

Thanks HalcyonDays.  I'm def not into creating another thread.  What if my theory involves plot points to another show/movie -- should I spoiler tag those, or because it's not TWD, can I speak openly about it? 

 

If it's a TV show or movie that's long been around, you don't need to spoiler tag it. Like, The X-Files or say Lost finished long ago - if one hasn't watched it yet, bets are one won't, and sucks to be them. But if it's something much more recent, like say this season's GoT, or the latest Hunger Games movie, it's pretty recent, so people maybe haven't had a chance to watch it yet, but will soon, so it would be mean spoiling them unnecessarily. Like, some people will watch TWD live, but binge watch another show in a month or so, so you risk spoiling them.

 

How about...if it refers to something that aired in 2015, spoiler tag. If not, like I said, sucks to be them. If we had to protect everyone from every spoiler, every post in every thread would be spoiler tagged.

[Mu Shu]

It also means that she can take over Alexandria and train all the kids to be the best fighting force the ZA world has seen! Depends upon your preference of course.

Come on man. The first rule of kiddie knife club is never speak of kiddie knife club.

Too bad the Lizzie character wasn't grown. She was one messed up little monkey.

[Jack Kerouac]

I don't understand why people think Michonne is being slighted because they aren't hooking her up with Rick.  He's a mess, and was a mess before all this stuff happened according to Lori.

 

Is it because he is a white man with power? 

 

I don't think ascribing racist motives to people without any proof is very generous.

 

Heh. Daryl isn't the opposite of that for me, but he's no Spike* either: a character who was interesting for me in that I actually found him even more sexy with all of his clothes on, because he absolutely owned that outfit, in my opinion.

 

* I realize Spike is not an example of this for everyone and might be in the "ugh" category for some, but for me Spike was entirely that character.

 

I prefer my 'smoldering' characters to NOT be rapists, but YMMV.

[NoWillToResist]

 

I prefer my 'smoldering' characters to NOT be rapists, but YMMV.

 

Wasn't he an attempted rapist? Small distinction, I grant you, but still... ;)

[AwesomO4000]

I prefer my 'smoldering' characters to NOT be rapists, but YMMV.

 

I didn't say that Spike wasn't evil. I said that, in my opinion, he fit the type of character that had a sexuality to him. In the way that he walked and talked. Even interacted with a door. He was evil, and it was implied that he was a rapist, but to me he still had an onscreen sexual chemistry. Angelus was also evil and also was a rapist, but for me, he didn't have that same sense of sexuality. Angelus talked in a sexual manner, but he came across as more scary to me. So, you are right that miles vary.

 

Interestingly the other character in that universe who also had that sexuality - Faith, as Eyes High mentioned - was also technically a rapist. You might also count Vampire!Willow - who was also likely a rapist (and definitely a sexual molester at the least). For some reason, that seemed to be a thing in Buffy/Angelverse.

 

Wasn't he an attempted rapist? Small distinction, I grant you, but still... ;)

 

Actually it was implied that Spike had been a rapist in the past during a scene in season 7. His confession to Buffy on why she should kill him so that he couldn't escape and hurt anyone contained dialogue that could be interpreted as that he had done so in the past (while soulless). But like Buffy, I loved soulled Spike and believed that he atoned for what he'd done by fighting to get his soul and accepting all of the consequences and pain that came with that. I know a lot of fans were disappointed at losing evil Spike, but for me, like Carl, I considered Spike to also be a very complex character, and I enjoyed his entire journey throughout the series and thought that he had to grow and change (again like Carl) so as not to be a one-note character.

[CletusMusashi]

Good god, is there really no escape from Spike arguments?

Besides, for a Buffyverse character that truly radiates pure sexuality, the anti-Daryl you seek would be Lilah.

I do quite agree about Daryl coming off as asexual.

 

Over the years, I've sort of "tried him on" mentally as various other things. I was shipping him and Carol as recently as early Season 5, but eventually I had to conclude that it just wasn't that kind of chemistry. I also played with him being gay, and even toyed with there being a shameful brother on brother secret between him and Merle, since they did come from a very screwed up family. But none of those appear to have been the story that the writers were telling. It truly seems like they are deliberately writing him as asexual, which is kind of a weird choice for the character who they continue to dress up the way they do, but if there was supposed to be anything between him and Beth besides friendship, then it was horribly written.

 

It's hard, in recent seasons, to separate "it looks like x because the writers intended x" from "it looks like x because the writers tried to draw y but failed." But if we assume "they intended x," then my take on the emo cigarette burning scene was that Daryl is hiding miserably in an asexual closet, and wishes that he had normal sexual urges, but doesn't. In his mind, a real man would have been in love with Beth after all their time together, and would therefore be even more bothered by her death than he, as a friend and surrogate older brother was. So he was making himself feel a bit more, as self-loathing punishment.

 

My take on the scene would be similar, of course, if it was revealed that he was gay, but for that reveal to work, he would have to show an interest in males. He doesn't seem attracted to anyone. Except maybe that dead rabbit back at Joe's camp.

 

This will probably continue to be my impression of that scene, and on him in general, until the writers finally give in to fan pressure and pair him up with somebody, thereby revealing that x was, in fact, a badly drawn y all along.

Edited November 26, 2015 by CletusMusashi

[Bad Example]

t's hard, in recent seasons, to separate "it looks like x because the writers intended x" from "it looks like x because the writers tried to draw y but failed." But if we assume "they intended x," then my take on the emo cigarette burning scene was that Daryl is hiding miserably in an asexual closet, and wishes that he had normal sexual urges, but doesn't. In his mind, a real man would have been in love with Beth after all their time together, and would therefore be even more bothered by her death than he, as a friend and surrogate older brother was. So he was making himself feel a bit more, as self-loathing punishment.

 

I don't know if I agree, but I think you've got a very interesting theory that fits what we've seen.  But it's probably too in-depth for TPTB.

[NoWillToResist]

I do quite agree about Daryl coming off as asexual.

 

Over the years, I've sort of "tried him on" mentally as various other things. I was shipping him and Carol as recently as early Season 5, but eventually I had to conclude that it just wasn't that kind of chemistry. I also played with him being gay, and even toyed with there being a shameful brother on brother secret between him and Merle, since they did come from a very screwed up family. But none of those appear to have been the story that the writers were telling. It truly seems like they are deliberately writing him as asexual, which is kind of a weird choice for the character who they continue to dress up the way they do, but if there was supposed to be anything between him and Beth besides friendship, then it was horribly written.

 

It's hard, in recent seasons, to separate "it looks like x because the writers intended x" from "it looks like x because the writers tried to draw y but failed." But if we assume "they intended x," then my take on the emo cigarette burning scene was that Daryl is hiding miserably in an asexual closet, and wishes that he had normal sexual urges, but doesn't. In his mind, a real man would have been in love with Beth after all their time together, and would therefore be even more bothered by her death than he, as a friend and surrogate older brother was. So he was making himself feel a bit more, as self-loathing punishment.

 

My take on the scene would be similar, of course, if it was revealed that he was gay, but for that reveal to work, he would have to show an interest in males. He doesn't seem attracted to anyone. Except maybe that dead rabbit back at Joe's camp.

 

This will probably continue to be my impression of that scene, and on him in general, until the writers finally give in to fan pressure and pair him up with somebody, thereby revealing that x was, in fact, a badly drawn y all along.

 

I'm curious to know whether the lack of interest from Daryl's side *is* intentional. I would be endlessly tickled if the one male character who seems to be the focal point of so much rabid shipping is the character who will never be paired up. :D

 

It appears that shippers in general  are quite passionate and I wouldn't put it past TPTB to throw all sorts of people (likely ladies, considering the blowback on the Aaron/Eric smooch) at Daryl, just to feed the shipping frenzy with no plans to make anything develop from them...

[paigow]

dipped in grease and rolled in dirt

You talkin bout Daryl or Denny's Grand Slam?

[ParadoxLost]

I'm curious to know whether the lack of interest from Daryl's side *is* intentional...

I'm almost certain that Norman Reedus got a question at Comic Con at the height of speculation on whether Daryl was gay or whether Daryl would hook up with Carol and he answered in a way that sounded like the in absence of the writers having an interest in that aspect of the character, Norman decided to play Daryl as not interested in either gender or asexual.

Edited November 26, 2015 by ParadoxLost

[NorthstarATL]

Remember, though, that the actors are playing off of each other, and have seen each other cleaned up. WE see them post-ZA and assume that they have been through what their characters have been through. If Norman (or anyone else in the cast) has to "turn off" any sexual response to any other cast member in order to play Daryl IN the show's world, it is perfectly understandable to me. Some viewers, as evidenced by this thread, would think that a non-repsonse to a particular person, or to an entire gender, comes off as asexual, whereas others of us assume that any interest in sex would wait until other survival needs were met, or, again, until showers were had, which is why suddenly, since Alexandria, there are more hook-ups and potential hook-ups being considered. Except for Daryl, because, once again, hygiene.

[AngelaHunter]

Tragically, Daryl is heterosexual...at least according to Robert Kirkman.

 

Just curious - why is it tragic?

[paigow]

I wonder if this will be an intentional plot point; making Abe out to be either a self-believed 'Romeo' or 'Don Juan' - or - he's messed up in the head and believes that its his "job" to repopulate or something like that. 

"The world needs Rick Grimes" ... And the ladies need more Abe

[JBody]

"The world needs Rick Grimes" ... And the ladies need more Abe

No we don't. Ugh. YMMV.

This Daryl hygiene thing --walking around like Pig Pen from the Peanuts Gang-- is that some kind of defence mechanism thingy? I wish Carol would hose him down Silkwood-style. I sort of flip between shipping them and shipping Daryl with Michonne but most of the time I just can't, because he's so repellent (and yet, all that potential!!).

[kj4ever]

I don't think ascribing racist motives to people without any proof is very generous.

 

 

I prefer my 'smoldering' characters to NOT be rapists, but YMMV.

I didn't mean to ascribe racist motives to anything.  I was asking a genuine question because I just don't understand why people get so upset that the show isn't hooking Michonne up with Rick when he is such a hot freakin' mess.

[Morrigan2575]

No we don't. Ugh. YMMV.

This Daryl hygiene thing --walking around like Pig Pen from the Peanuts Gang-- is that some kind of defence mechanism thingy? I wish Carol would hose him down Silkwood-style. I sort of flip between shipping them and shipping Daryl with Michonne but most of the time I just can't, because he's so repellent (and yet, all that potential!!).

It's funny, I stumbled on some YouTube videos of S1 TWD and it's shocking to see the difference in Daryl S1 vs Present Day Daryl. I actually forgot he was a blonde. LOL.

[JBody]

Someone pointed out the other day the incongruity of his dark greasy mop of hair with his blonde beard. I can't remember if he has one but yeah let him be blonde already if that's what he is. I can understand Abraham and his Ronald McDonald dye job but I don't get Daryl's.

[qtpye]

I think someone said that Darryl's hair is so dark and greasy because Norman Reedus likes his hair to be dark and greasy, even if it makes no sense for the character.  I just guess Darryl's superpower is that he can always come across a box of Just for Men shoe polish black hair dye in the zombie appocalyse.

Edited November 29, 2015 by qtpye

[AngelaHunter]

And the ladies need more Abe

 

Not this lady.

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

Not this lady.

 

Really?  Not even when he's putting on the (in his mind) dolphin-smooth moves?   lol

Edited November 30, 2015 by iRarelyWatchTV36

[Dr.Jacoby]

It's funny, I stumbled on some YouTube videos of S1 TWD and it's shocking to see the difference in Daryl S1 vs Present Day Daryl. I actually forgot he was a blonde. LOL.

Me too! I also forget why there's such a fandom fuss around Daryl until I go back & rewatch those first couple of series- he was such an attractively beguiling mixture of vulnerability and competence. I don't know anything about behind the scenes decisions but it's odd how much of what made him such an interesting character then (a good person without always necessarily being a nice person for eg) just isn't there now. Plus as mentioned his hair looks bloody stupid! Edited November 30, 2015 by Dr.Jacoby

[Eyes High]

Just curious - why is it tragic?

It's a reference to a Parks and Recreation episode where someone assumes that the lead character and her female BFF are a couple. The lead character says "Tragically, we are both heterosexual."

I'm sure Daryl's heterosexuality is a tragedy for disappointed Rick/Daryl and Daryl/Aaron fans, though.

[AngelaHunter]

I'm sure Daryl's heterosexuality is a tragedy for disappointed Rick/Daryl and Daryl/Aaron fans, though.

 

It's not a tragedy for the fan fiction writers. In that world, everyone on this show is gay. Definitively and explicitly.

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Would be interesting if Daryl and Aaron became lovers, after Aaron's current boyfriend dies. Daryl seems to really get along with Aaron.

Hmmmmmmm...

[RedheadZombie]

So I guess there is totally no "girl code" in the ZA? I suppose its possible Abe and Rosita are only Friends with benefits, in which case I suppose it is cool, but if Rosita really cares for him tnen he should be 100% off limits to Sasha. Especially considering the CDB gang consider themselves family. That would be like breaking the girl code with someone your sister once loved.

In a world where Beth's potential future partner was little Carl, I don't think there's such a thing as girl code. I've seen nothing that convinces me that Rosita and Abe were anything but friends with benefits. We've seen her worrying over whether Abe is still alive, but that's not necessarily romantic. It appeared Sasha was receptive to Abe's overtures (as long as he set things straight with Rosita first) and knowing you could die at any moment is incentive to not accept staying in a relationship that isn't making you happy.

[shoetingstar]

It's funny, I stumbled on some YouTube videos of S1 TWD and it's shocking to see the difference in Daryl S1 vs Present Day Daryl. I actually forgot he was a blonde. LOL.

 

 

Me too! I also forget why there's such a fandom fuss around Daryl until I go back & rewatch those first couple of series- he was such an attractively beguiling mixture of vulnerability and competence. I don't know anything about behind the scenes decisions but it's odd how much of what made him such an interesting character then (a good person without always necessarily being a nice person for eg) just isn't there now. Plus as mentioned his hair looks bloody stupid!

Newbie here.

 

I just marathoned Season 1 and 2. - althought I was aware of the show and characters of course by way of tumblr. And I have lots of friends who pressured me into watching lol.

 

The Daryl is a-sexual conversation really surprised and confused me. But it seems it's some writing/performance issue that comes up in later seasons? Honestly all of them seemed sexually suppressed unless it services the storyline. Otherwise they are all in anxious survival mode and sexy may seem like a luxury, particularly when their numbers dwindled down. It's a combination of "reformed redneck/badboy', great hunting and fighting skills, his sense of humor, and the tragic bulldog, who is really a damaging puppy who needs love persona that made him sexy to me - haha. I'm a sucker for that kind of character in various degrees.  (Similarly, Dean Winchester on Supernatural or John Reese on Person of Interest. And yes once upon a time Spike from the early Buffy days before Marni Noxon ruined him). So he's not A-sexual in season 1 and 2, but sex is not at the top of his list. (Also T-Dawg wasn't given any sexual play - oh yeah, but he wasn't given a storyline either in Season 2. )