Daryl: Your Leading Man and Norman Reedus: the Actor

[ghoulina]

Can we talk about Daryl's propensity for stressing the last word in a sentence? I always get (from season 2) - "You don't know that GIRL! You can't get on that HORSE!" stuck in my head. LOL

[AngelaHunter]

Can we talk about Daryl's propensity for stressing the last word in a sentence?

 

Funny, but one of the things I like most about him is the way he talks. "My ASS was so ITCHY." Heh...

[ghoulina]

Oh, I don't dislike it. It just really cracks me up.

[kikismom]

I like when Daryl says Rick Griiiiiiiimes?

Speaking of Rick, I always choke when he talks about people dying from "kense-er" Or when he's saying "the CDC is our best chense!"

[GreyBunny]

Of all the Rick-isms, nothing beats "KUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRL!"

 

 

Funny, but one of the things I like most about him is the way he talks. "My ASS was so ITCHY." Heh...

 

Oh I know!  "mumblemumblemumble...ASS...mumblemumblemumble...ITCHY"

[NoWillToResist]

I think Norman killed it during the Carol/Daryl reunion. He conveyed a Daryl so overwhelmed by relief and joy that his walls didn't even have a chance to keep the flood of emotions at bay (IMO).

 

Not sure what killed me more: him running towards Carol, his blink-and-you-miss-it smile before he collides with her, him gripping her so tightly, him picking her up, him stumbling around with her because they refuse to let each other go, or him bowing his head and leaning towards her when she puts him away from her a little. He was like a cat butting up against her. So adorable. So endearing. Such a far cry from the man who shied away from Carol's gentle touch back at Hershel's farm.

 

Also thought it was sweet when he shuffled back a bit when he realized that Rick was behind him, waiting for his turn to greet Carol.

 

I will be very interested to see if Daryl basically glues himself to Carol's side now. :D

Edited October 14, 2014 by NoWillToResist

[Iguessnot]

 

Not sure what killed me more: him running towards Carol, his blink-and-you-miss-it smile before he collides with her, him gripping her so tightly, him picking her up, him stumbling around with her because they refuse to let each other go, or him bowing his head and leaning towards her when she puts him away from her a little. He was like a cat butting up against her. So adorable. So endearing. Such a far cry from the man who shied away from Carol's gentle touch back at Hershel's farm.

 

Aren't DVR's great? Pause, rewind, repeat, slow motion.

[NoWillToResist]

 

Aren't DVR's great? Pause, rewind, repeat, slow motion.

 

I have no idea what you're talking about. I haven't watched that scene over and over and over again at all!!! ;)

[RedheadZombie]

I'm so glad that the show has been backing away from the MarySue Daryl characterization.  I really loved Daryl, but he slowly became the designated savior of all children.  With only him gone, the entire prison almost fell, until Daryl swoops in and rescues Rick.  When the formula arrives - formula that both Daryl and Maggie risked their lives for - it's Daryl who mixes the bottle and feeds Judith her first bottle.  It became overkill to me, because it was the socially-awkward, politically incorrect underdog that made me love him.  In the season four opener, it was all hail rock-star Daryl.  High fives for all.  By the end of last season, it's Tyreese who's saving the children.  It's Rick who's saving them from the rapists, which was carried over to the season opener where Rick saved them at the trough, and Carol providing the distraction that allows them to escape.  I like these reminders that Daryl is a great fighter, but he cannot lead.  He makes a perfect right hand man to Rick.

[TexasChic]

I'm so glad that the show has been backing away from the MarySue Daryl characterization.  I really loved Daryl, but he slowly became the designated savior of all children.  With only him gone, the entire prison almost fell, until Daryl swoops in and rescues Rick.  When the formula arrives - formula that both Daryl and Maggie risked their lives for - it's Daryl who mixes the bottle and feeds Judith her first bottle.  It became overkill to me, because it was the socially-awkward, politically incorrect underdog that made me love him.  In the season four opener, it was all hail rock-star Daryl.  High fives for all.  By the end of last season, it's Tyreese who's saving the children.  It's Rick who's saving them from the rapists, which was carried over to the season opener where Rick saved them at the trough, and Carol providing the distraction that allows them to escape.  I like these reminders that Daryl is a great fighter, but he cannot lead.  He makes a perfect right hand man to Rick.

Also, in a dirty, gritty, social misfit kind of way, he's hella hot.

[diebartdie]

With all the talk of Daryl in the Beth thread, I thought I should chime in here in his thread. I don't understand why so many people think he's so hot, he looks gross, he has a permanant welt under his eye big enough to land a 747 on it, he hardly ever displays any emotions other than anger and that hair is just weird. Dont get me wrong, I think he is one hell of a tracker and a huge benefit to the group, he's just not at all attractive to me (I'm female but not hetero-oriented). Also, and I know some will find this controversial but I seriously believe he is gay.

[kikismom]

This was the moment for me:  http://i.ytimg.com/vi/OFyJCKMehas/0.jpg

 

I've seen pictures of him before the terrible car accident where he got the titanium eye socket that left that "welt"---he was very pretty.

I don't like pretty for men.

J R Martinez has burn scars over 80% of his body including head and face, he's very physically attractive to me, as well as magnetic personality. http://www.midwestsportsfans.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/jr-martinez.jpg

 

If I was given a choice of that global pin-up dreamboat Justin Bieber or JR Martinez,  Bieber would be seeing nothin' but taillights from the curb.

 

Different strokes and all.

Edited October 18, 2014 by kikismom

[JBody]

I'm going with Darabont's idea that Daryl is closeted. Reedus liked it. Daryl is Darabont's character anyway. Sorry if I already posted this. MIL is coming over for dinner & I've already polished off a bottle of white (VQA gertz/chard kinda sweet but good).

[nodorothyparker]

Of course he liked it.  The question mark about him has fueled endless speculation and ridiculous shipping wars focused on his character to the point that it's annoyingly showed up in interviews with other cast members and he doesn't have to lift a damn finger.  I recently saw an interview with Steven Yeun and seriously half the questions were about whether Daryl would ever find love.  At this point it's coming off like a character stuck in suspended adolescence, which I guess appeals to the comic fanboys who just want to see how many cool kills he can rack up this week without any messy character growth.  But we're in the fifth season now, not the first, and these early season characters shouldn't be such a big mystery by now.

 

So deep breath, rant over.  Believe it or not, I generally do like the character and the actor.  I just wish Norman Reedus would come to terms with the reality that he's 40-something and get a haircut resembling one found on a human.

Edited October 18, 2014 by nodorothyparker

[NoWillToResist]

Oh man, if they made Daryl gay, that would be awesome.  Nice blow to the typical Hollywood gay character stereotype and a flaming flip off to the increasingly toxic and annoying "Beth or Carol" debate at the same time.

 

Heaven forbid that a man forms a strong, non-sexual/romantic bond with a woman! That's crazy talk! *sigh*

[SoSueMe]

Of course he liked it.  The question mark about him has fueled endless speculation and ridiculous shipping wars focused on his character to the point that it's annoyingly showed up in interviews with other cast members and he doesn't have to lift a damn finger.  I recently saw an interview with Steven Yeun and seriously half the questions were about whether Daryl would ever find love.  At this point it's coming off like a character stuck in suspended adolescence, which I guess appeals to the comic fanboys who just want to see how many cool kills he can rack up this week without any messy character growth.  But we're in the fifth season now, not the first, and these early season characters shouldn't be such a big mystery by now.

 

So deep breath, rant over.  Believe it or not, I generally do like the character and the actor.  I just wish Norman Reedus would come to terms with the reality that he's 40-something and get a haircut resembling one found on a human.

Wasn't his hair dirty blond/light brown in Season One? It looks jet black (or really filthy) now. It needs work.

[nodorothyparker]

Yep.  It's gotten progressively darker, longer, and shaggier with each season.  By season six at the rate he's going, he may look like a dirty mop on a stick.

[blueridgerobin]

The guy sure isn't what anyone would call classically handsome, but that doesn't matter.  For some reason, he's just smoking hot.  Even with the bags under this eyes, the hair, the dirt, and the fact that his age is beginning to show in his face....he's hot.  Go figure.  I'm another one who never liked pretty boys.

 

I don't want to see him portrayed as gay.  I want him straight and I want him with Carol (ideally).  I seriously doubt they're going the gay route.  Every time I've seen someone ask Reedus about it, he sidesteps and gives a generic response that involves Daryl and females.

[kikismom]

I can't see how having Merle as an older brother would make it possible for anyone, male or female, to be wanting a hook-up with a man.

The actor Michael Rooker is sexy, and I love his performances in many projects...but Merle's constant skanky needling would make you phobic about men. Unless you were like a masochist.

[SoSueMe]

I can't see how having Merle as an older brother would make it possible for anyone, male or female, to be wanting a hook-up with a man.

The actor Michael Rooker is sexy, and I love his performances in many projects...but Merle's constant skanky needling would make you phobic about men. Unless you were like a masochist.

Gosh, Rooker played that part to perfection. I wish it didn't require such a suspension of disbelief when they brought him back the second time. Otherwise he was great ( and totally awful).

[mightysparrow]

I think the 'Daryl is gay' stuff started as a way to get the character off the hook vis a vis Beth/Carol.  Fans of both characters are duking it out all over the internet and it's gotten ugly. If Daryl is gay, then neither fan base is alienated and Reedus doesn't get buried in hate tweets. I don't think they're going to go that route either but I don't think  Reedus or the show want him with Beth OR Carol, so it's going to be interesting.

[mightysparrow]

Yep.  It's gotten progressively darker, longer, and shaggier with each season.  By season six at the rate he's going, he may look like a dirty mop on a stick.

I just saw a picture of him at Walker Stalker and I have no idea what he or hair/makeup is thinking. It looks awful. Rick has shaved and cut his hair but Daryl hasn't which makes no sense.  I can't believe the man who was with the divine Helena Christiansen could walk around like that. It's like a middle aged guy who wants to be 'cool' but has no clue. He's probably going grey and wants to cover it up. Norman should just bite the bullet and go grey. Anything but what he has now.

[nodorothyparker]

Pulling this excellent post from Kikismom from the Beth thread because it's interesting to me:

 

Personally, in view of the fact that he's Merle Dixon's little brother, I tend to think Merle might have taken him to a whorehouse for a birthday present , and it's been a long dry spell since then.

You read my mind. I always thought Merle's constant smutty mouth would make it impossible for him to have a younger brother that he didn't see as a project to introduce to trashy sex. Plus, we have the Daryl remark that Merle was "shacked up with some cocktail waitress" when 9 year old Daryl was lost. And when Daryl is hallucinating Merle in "Chupacabra", Merle refers to "after all the time I spent trying to make a man of you?!"

 

I don't think Daryl is a virgin...I've said I don't think he's ever taken a girl on a date or asked a girl to dance, probably not even called a girl on the phone. But that would be because he'd grow up really inhibited by the way Merle had to jump into everything and make it sordid. If a girl wasn't scared off by Merle she'd run off with Merle and either way Daryl didn't need one more nasty loss to his brother.

 

Hell, I even think if Daryl liked anything...reading a book, listening to a song, having one good shirt to wear---he'd never let it be known because Merle would pounce on that vulnerable reveal like a jackal.

 

 

This has always been very much my take on the character too.  You get a pretty good idea from the scenes Daryl and Merle have had together and things Daryl has said that Daryl had his hands full just trying to live in Merle's shadow.  Merle is that guy who's fun to watch from a safe distance where he's someone else's headache to actually have to deal with because he's so off the wall and erratic.  But living with him would have been exhausting.  Still, with little in the way of positive parental influences (we know his mom burned herself up with a lit cigarette in bed probably when he was still younger than Carl and dad was abusive and often absent) and probably not any real prospects, he likely didn't know what else to do.  We know Daryl is a follower, not a leader by nature.

 

My hunch also is that he's probably never had the kind of relationship most people think of when they think of relationships.  He strikes me as one of those guys who probably hooked up with whoever happened to hanging around getting drunk wherever they happened to be and he's never really figured out to move beyond that framework.  Merle likely wouldn't have given him too much grief about something like as opposed to finding out he liked a girl.

I really do think he's a very unconventionally good looking guy.  There is just something about him.  But the hair, the hair has gotten completely ridiculous.

[NumberCruncher]

I think the 'Daryl is gay' stuff started as a way to get the character off the hook vis a vis Beth/Carol.  Fans of both characters are duking it out all over the internet and it's gotten ugly. If Daryl is gay, then neither fan base is alienated and Reedus doesn't get buried in hate tweets. I don't think they're going to go that route either but I don't think  Reedus or the show want him with Beth OR Carol, so it's going to be interesting.

 

*I* don't want him with either one (or anyone).  Why does he need a love interest at all?  And I agree with the post @kikismom made about how Merle and his buddies probably screwed him up so badly as a kid that the last thing he probably wants is male attention (or anyone's, for that matter).  Along with that, I could easily see how abandonment issues caused by his mother probably did the same in terms of ever allowing himself to be sexually vulnerable with female.  I'd be happy in seeing him start to connect better to those around him (his reaction to seeing Carol again was a good start) because being stuck in permanent adolescence emotionally doesn't make the character the least bit interesting to me.  I just don't need to see some sweeping love story because it would seem artificial given what we know of him.  Also it's the ZA so who has time for that shit?

[diebartdie]

I can't see how having Merle as an older brother would make it possible for anyone, male or female, to be wanting a hook-up with a man.

 

lol, being gay doesnt work like that.

[AngelaHunter]

I never understood all the fangirling over Daryl, but he just kind of grows on one. I used to find him gross and unappealing and couldn't believe the actor was a model, but now I see it. Yes, very unconventional given the drooling over smooth, chiseled, picture-perfect pretty boys these days, but there's just...something about him, aside from those gorgeous broad shoulders (a weakness of mine), and foxy looking blue eyes,  I mean. One doesn't need to be conventionally handsome to be sexy, IMO.

 

The shaggier and more grizzled he gets, the better I like him. He's very masculine and I'm just a woman who loves that kind of thing!

[kikismom]

lol, being gay doesnt work like that.

It wasn't so much a treatise on being gay as being the target of a malignant narcissist. I don't think anyone could also be interested in a heterosexual hookup after being the bulls-eye of a pecking party.

Have you ever read those awful newspaper articles about cops finding a mother with like 4 kids who were fed and dressed and cared for...and yet she kept the fifth one locked in a closet on a urine-soaked mattress eating dog food? Or the lovely showplace home with perfect mom and dad and kids...but one daughter is being raped by the dad and the mom knows the whole time and just lets it sail on?

Being straight doesn't work that way...but those kids are never going to grow up and be able to just have a healthy love with someone.

 

[note that I did say "anyone, male or female"]

Edited October 19, 2014 by kikismom

[JBody]

Yeah I don't have a horse in this race. Reedus said he plays him as "prison gay" after a convo with Darabont after the first season. It is interesting that this little nugget was thrown out there in the September issue of GQ. All concerned must be getting kinda sick of the shipper wars.

[Seawolff]

Daryl seems to be so evolutionary right now! So many people have left him or been lost to him in his life: mom, dad, Merle....Sophia, Carol, Beth. It seems as though the men have left him purposefully, and the women have been lost, leaving him feeling responsible.

Once his brother was gone he turned to Rick as a father/brother figure. Daryl looks to Rick's judgement calls and how Rick parents Carl....and is very attached to Judith (interesting how he had little attachment to Lori who was always asking others to mind her son, or for Andrea who nurtured no one ) He was hurt more than anyone that Sophia did not return. Searching for a lost innocent girl in the woods may have seemed like just another thing to do for a tracker, but he was clearly invested in rescuing her. The parallels between Sophia and his own being lost in the woods were fueling his hope.

When Daryl found Merle and left with him Rick asked him to consider Carol's feelings, but he knew Carol would understand his choice. He expected Rick to understand and he expected it to all work out when he chose to bring Merle back to the prison. (He really did have to choose his brother, 1. Merle had been left, and lost, and Daryl is loyal to a fault. 2. Daryl had to give it a shot. It took one day to confirm that he'd really prefer to support Rick than babysit Merle.) It's interesting to consider that the choices he made in that whole incident may have been the first time he was the one calling the shots with the brother who dominated him and the partner who relies on him. Tangent: both Rick and Daryl exchanged long term childhood partnerships for each other.

Back to rant: when Carol was taken, he had only a moment he had only moments to react before he was compelled to focus entirely on the confrontation with the governor and then survival. He didn't just run into the woods. He called to Beth and told her she needed to go with him. They ran, but once they cleared imminent danger it was Beth who was telling Daryl he needed to go with her. So now Daryl is getting more opportunities to understand that while you need physical survival, that survival isn't much without emotional survival.

So he lost Carol, He lost Rick! And everyone else including Beth, just as he was finding the friendship compelling. At the same time we are getting flashbacks to when he found Bob. Daryl had the three questions for Bob. Bob had no questions and didn't care what kind of people Daryl and Glenn were because any people was better than being alone.

The next people he sees actually compel him to be with them. The claimers claimed him for either his use or his gears use once they tired of him. Daryl resigns himself to this for a few days, all along knowing his distaste for them as well speaking up for his own personality within the parameters of not getting dead. He almost left before finding Rick, and that was a lesson in itself. Seeing the claimers quest to the end (from a distance) enabled him to offer his life as a sacrifice for the people he'd rather not live without.

The journey of Terminus could have been the big story of the series. Certainly For the Terminus people, their world was every bit as much of a journey as that of our heroes. For camp dinner bell and friends it served to funnel them to one place, stop those who were ahead so those behind could catch up, solidify them as a bad ass team that does it's very best not to leave anyone behind and give them the reward of reunion and hope. Daryl's reunion with Carol was the greatest demonstration of how valuable the reward was for everyone. They aren't a couple, they aren't related, they aren't even old friends. They represent the new society of people who as unlikely of cohorts as they seemed in the beginning have become strong friends.

[mightysparrow]

Daryl seems to be so evolutionary right now! So many people have left him or been lost to him in his life: mom, dad, Merle....Sophia, Carol, Beth. It seems as though the men have left him purposefully, and the women have been lost, leaving him feeling responsible.

Once his brother was gone he turned to Rick as a father/brother figure. Daryl looks to Rick's judgement calls and how Rick parents Carl....and is very attached to Judith (interesting how he had little attachment to Lori who was always asking others to mind her son, or for Andrea who nurtured no one ) He was hurt more than anyone that Sophia did not return. Searching for a lost innocent girl in the woods may have seemed like just another thing to do for a tracker, but he was clearly invested in rescuing her. The parallels between Sophia and his own being lost in the woods were fueling his hope.

When Daryl found Merle and left with him Rick asked him to consider Carol's feelings, but he knew Carol would understand his choice. He expected Rick to understand and he expected it to all work out when he chose to bring Merle back to the prison. (He really did have to choose his brother, 1. Merle had been left, and lost, and Daryl is loyal to a fault. 2. Daryl had to give it a shot. It took one day to confirm that he'd really prefer to support Rick than babysit Merle.) It's interesting to consider that the choices he made in that whole incident may have been the first time he was the one calling the shots with the brother who dominated him and the partner who relies on him. Tangent: both Rick and Daryl exchanged long term childhood partnerships for each other.

Back to rant: when Carol was taken, he had only a moment he had only moments to react before he was compelled to focus entirely on the confrontation with the governor and then survival. He didn't just run into the woods. He called to Beth and told her she needed to go with him. They ran, but once they cleared imminent danger it was Beth who was telling Daryl he needed to go with her. So now Daryl is getting more opportunities to understand that while you need physical survival, that survival isn't much without emotional survival.

So he lost Carol, He lost Rick! And everyone else including Beth, just as he was finding the friendship compelling. At the same time we are getting flashbacks to when he found Bob. Daryl had the three questions for Bob. Bob had no questions and didn't care what kind of people Daryl and Glenn were because any people was better than being alone.

The next people he sees actually compel him to be with them. The claimers claimed him for either his use or his gears use once they tired of him. Daryl resigns himself to this for a few days, all along knowing his distaste for them as well speaking up for his own personality within the parameters of not getting dead. He almost left before finding Rick, and that was a lesson in itself. Seeing the claimers quest to the end (from a distance) enabled him to offer his life as a sacrifice for the people he'd rather not live without.

The journey of Terminus could have been the big story of the series. Certainly For the Terminus people, their world was every bit as much of a journey as that of our heroes. For camp dinner bell and friends it served to funnel them to one place, stop those who were ahead so those behind could catch up, solidify them as a bad ass team that does it's very best not to leave anyone behind and give them the reward of reunion and hope. Daryl's reunion with Carol was the greatest demonstration of how valuable the reward was for everyone. They aren't a couple, they aren't related, they aren't even old friends. They represent the new society of people who as unlikely of cohorts as they seemed in the beginning have become strong friends.

 

Comments like this are like a slice of freshly baked bread. So satisfying!  And so much better than, 'oh Daryl, he's so schmoopy'. 

 

I find the character compelling and it has little to do with his appearance. NR is an attractive man but he's definitely not my type and there isn't enough bathwater in the continental USA to make me even consider wanting to fuck Daryl. But Daryl is loyal and strong and resourceful and yearning and I find those things attractive.

 

I wish tptb would drop the mannish-boy theory of Daryl Dixon.  I don't think they saw either Caryl or Bethyl coming. MMB has said that Caryl is strictly a fan created phenomenon. I think Beth was put in Daryl's orbit to get him out of Caryl, with no real intention for any kind of relationship between a forty something man and a teenager. But once again fans took over and ran with it. I suspect that they emphasize Daryl as an emotional and sexual infant to keep the character from having to pull the trigger on Carol or Beth and endure the ensuing shitstorm.  I say 'damn the torpedoes'. Like others, I don't believe that Merle would allow Daryl to stay a virgin, even if he had to pull a gun on him and MAKE him fuck a woman. 

 

I've always wondered what happened between Daryl and Michonne when they went off to search for the Governor. Two healthy, strong, single, attractive people alone in the ZA? Why wouldn't they fuck, if only to pass the time? I think they did a couple of chem tests in seasons 4a, but Danai started getting some ugly emails and might have pulled out.

 

I think the most important relationship in Daryl's life is the one he has with Rick. That's the one I want to see more of because that's the one that allows Daryl to grow up.

[RedheadZombie]

I think the writers never expected Daryl to be a break out character.  I had no use for him until he saved T-Dog, and searched for Sophia.  Norman is the reason the character became so popular.  I think he deserves all the credit.  BUT, I think he's responsible for some of the confusion, as well.  Norman seems to be a method actor, and he makes up a lot of the back story - as method actors tend to do.  I think the whole "Daryl is a virgin" started with Norman.  I may be wrong, but I remember reading that Norman choses to portray Daryl as a forty-something socially-awkward virgin.  He made this acting choice before Chupacabra and the return of Merle, so some of it ended up not ringing true.

 

I've often wondered what Kirkman thinks of the character.  I only know him from TTD, but he seems to be arrogant and possibly an egomaniac (I guess I would be too in his place).  To have the breakout character not be one he created in the comics ...... I wonder if it stings.

[ghoulina]

I think the most important relationship in Daryl's life is the one he has with Rick. That's the one I want to see more of because that's the one that allows Daryl to grow up.

 

I so agree with this. I avoid shows that are heavy on the romantic relationships for a reason, and on a show like this I find too many very off-putting. I like seeing the other types of relationships. Rick and Daryl are a favorite, but I also liked Glenn and Hershel. Michonne and Carl is a great one, as is Rick and Carl. I love Daryl and Carol's relationship, because even if it doesn't get romantic it's still awesome.

 

I never understood all the fangirling over Daryl, but he just kind of grows on one. I used to find him gross and unappealing and couldn't believe the actor was a model, but now I see it.

 

I was kind of the opposite. I've been a of big fan of NR for years, and he was the only one other than DeMunn that I was familiar with before the show. I knew WD was popular, but I had no idea Daryl had a legion of fangirls until I was well into the second season. He was instantly my favorite character on the show, but then I was like - ew, overly trendy. Must die. 

 

Haha, I jest...I still love Daryl. But I have found him less and less attractive as the seasons go on. 

[NoWillToResist]

 

NR is an attractive man but he's definitely not my type and there isn't enough bathwater in the continental USA to make me even consider wanting to fuck Daryl. But Daryl is loyal and strong and resourceful and yearning and I find those things attractive.

 

I would want to be around Daryl (he's strong, loyal, protective, competent and not skeevy). I would probably be a bit like Carol; trying to reach him emotionally and just bond with him. But yeah, no to the sex with Daryl thanks (at least in his current incarnation); I think he would run screaming in the other direction... :)

[Emily Thrace]

. 

I've always wondered what happened between Daryl and Michonne when they went off to search for the Governor. Two healthy, strong, single, attractive people alone in the ZA? Why wouldn't they fuck, if only to pass the time? I think they did a couple of chem tests in seasons 4a, but Danai started getting some ugly emails and might have pulled out.

 

I think the most important relationship in Daryl's life is the one he has with Rick. That's the one I want to see more of because that's the one that allows Daryl to grow up.

I think you just answered your own question there Mighty Sparrow. Rick has had a connection  with Michonee since she arrived and Daryl would never get in the middle of that. I think the writers were toying with the idea of some kind of Rick/Michonne/Daryl/Carol  quadrangle but changed their minds once the realized the chemistry between EK/NR and AL/DG was stronger than Dichonne.

 

My hunch also is that he's probably never had the kind of relationship most people think of when they think of relationships.  He strikes me as one of those guys who probably hooked up with whoever happened to hanging around getting drunk wherever they happened to be and he's never really figured out to move beyond that framework.  Merle likely wouldn't have given him too much grief about something like as opposed to finding out he liked a girl.

This pretty much what I've pictured as well. I also think its a big part of why he and Beth actually make sense, when it comes to relationships they're at the same level. Carol and Michonne are closer to his age but they are a lot more experinced than he is. Especially since Carol experience is so bad it would easy for them to fall into a bad pattern. Beth at least know what a good relationship is supposed to look like.

 

I think it all comes back to Daryl's whole feeling that women want to control him.  Daryl likes to think of himself as independent he "nobodies bitch". I tihnk Daryl feel like Carol might want make him one or at the very least try to change him. Carol would need to feel in control to be in a relationship with someone due to her history. She couldn't be involved with someone who wouldn't do it on her terms. I think that's why he's always backed off from any sort of romance.

Edited October 20, 2014 by Emily Thrace

[AngelaHunter]

He strikes me as one of those guys who probably hooked up with whoever happened to hanging around getting drunk wherever they happened to be

 

I think so too, and think he may have been intimidated by the women in the "group" - women who, pre-ZA, would not only NOT have given him the time of day, but might actually have crossed a street to avoid him. I'm sure he felt, and probably stills feels, beneath them and not worthy.

[Anithe1]

I'm a latecomer to the show (binge-watched Seasons 1-4 over summer) and it FINALLY hit me who the Daryl character reminded me of - Eddie Dean from Stephen King's Dark Tower series, who also started out as a guy who loyally followed his jackass of an older brother in a variety of unproductive endeavors. Whew. That was bothering me.

[RedheadZombie]

Then you have Carol who, I feel, was the type of mother I'd be in a ZA: my child stapled to my side at all times. Unless clips I've seen online have been manipulated, there were occasions which seemed to suggest that Daryl witnessed/observed several instances of Carol mothering Sophia. It was a cruel twist of fate which separated Sophia from Carol and then the child was gone. I think Daryl stepped up because he subconsciously wanted Carol to be rewarded for being such a caring, attentive mother. I don't think it's coincidence that he behaved like an asshole to her when she gave up on her daughter. I think that hit a bit close too home for Mr Dixon.

 

Quote from Carol's thread.  Is that why Daryl lashed out at Carol?  I thought it was because she was making him feel things he hadn't felt before.  She told Daryl he'd done more for Sophia than Ed had ever done.  She told Daryl he was important and she didn't want him to die in a fruitless quest to find Sophia.  Daryl had made himself vulnerable to her - with the searching, and the rose.  I think Carol really touched him and that's why he called her a "stupid bitch".    And even though he had lashed out at her, he was the only one to reach for her when Sophia walked out of that barn.  The fact that he just held her is moving, because that's just not Daryl's thing, and it wouldn't have come naturally.  With the way the reunion was portrayed, I'm hopeful that they will keep this special friendship a priority.

[ghoulina]

I think Daryl's lashing out was a combination of both. I think it's quite true that through the search for Sophia he made himself a bit vulnerable to Carol. So I think that's partly why he got pissed when she was telling him the search had become futile. Not only was he mad that SHE gave up, but he's like - "Damn, I've been out there every day, actually caring and feeling for you and your daughter, and now it's all for nothing?"

[NoWillToResist]

 

even though he had lashed out at her, he was the only one to reach for her when Sophia walked out of that barn.  The fact that he just held her is moving, because that's just not Daryl's thing, and it wouldn't have come naturally.

 

God I loved that scene. I cried like a fucking baby. Between MMB's heartbreaking reactions to seeing Sophia and moody Daryl just clinging to Carol to first protect and then comfort her, I was DONE.

[kj4ever]

Lots of great Daryl moments:  http://www.mtv.com/news/1959918/the-walking-dead-daryl-dixon-17-best-moments/

[kikismom]

God I loved that scene. I cried like a fucking baby. Between MMB's heartbreaking reactions to seeing Sophia and moody Daryl just clinging to Carol to first protect and then comfort her, I was DONE.

And props to Bear McCreary for the music in that scene; counter-intuitive choice or sweet light orchestral instead of horror-movie track.

 

 

Lots of great Daryl moments:  http://www.mtv.com/news/1959918/the-walking-dead-daryl-dixon-17-best-moments/

Love it! (Although I can't resist saying that in the feeding-a-bottle-to-Judith scene-----that is one big-ass newborn!!!

[RedheadZombie]

God I loved that scene. I cried like a fucking baby. Between MMB's heartbreaking reactions to seeing Sophia and moody Daryl just clinging to Carol to first protect and then comfort her, I was DONE.

 

Every thing leading up to that scene spoke to me.  From Shane's justifiable rage at how stupid it was to keep walkers in the barn, to his reckless action of unleashing those walkers, to the look of eagerness on that first walker's face as he comes bursting out.  Andrea and T-Dog calmly stepping up with Shane to kill the walkers.  Hershel collapsing in anguish, unable to free Rick from the walker-on-the-stick.  Glenn getting the okay from Maggie, but still torn about killing her friends and family.  Shane, matter-of-factly killing Rick's walker.  Rick enraged at Shane, but stepping forward to shoot walkers.  Dale, somehow missing everything, walking up with a WTF look on his face.  Lori, as much as I didn't hate her I have to say it, standing nearby like an imbecile, not a weapon in hand, and shoves Carl behind her body - like that will save him from the barn of walkers.

 

Then that scene.  Sophia comes out, blinking at the bright light.  Then for an instant, everyone is almost motionless, and the camera slowly pans across the entire group.  I don't want to call the director a Spielberg, but that scene strikes me as very similar to the ending of The Color Purple, when Celie's children and sister come driving up, and the camera pans across Celie and her friends and family - standing still like statues.

 

Then Carol, with the weakest little voice, "Sophia", as she comes creeping from the back.  Because that was Carol back then - weak, fearful, hiding behind others.  Then Daryl grabbing on to her as she collapses to the ground.  And ultimately - Rick - the only one who can put down Sophia.  Maybe because he felt responsible, maybe because he didn't want anyone else to bear that burden, maybe because he was the leader.  It just killed me.

[ghoulina]

Thanks RedheadZombie. I am bawling over here, as if I just watched the scene itself. Beautiful description, and yes - it gets me every time. I will admit, the first time I didn't even think for a second Sophia would be in there. I was under the impression she was dead by now - but I figured she was off somewhere in the woods. Or maybe completely devoured. When I saw the smaller shoes coming, I thought for some reason it was Hershel's stepson (I wasn't clear on how old he was supposed to be on that first watching). As the camera panned up, my mouth fell open. And I just lost it. 

 

And I agree, Daryl was amazing in that scene - as were most of them. But, yes - LORI! Gah. And I defend her a lot. But damn. It was obvious what was about to go down. Take your child and run for the house! Was she so intent on not missing any of the action? And since they were all down there, there was no one to pawn Carl off on like she normally did? Egads, woman. 

[mandolin]

That scene (I think it's about 6 or 7 minutes long) is one if not my favorite on the show. I get chills watching. From Shane's "you're right man, that is enough" to Rick shooting Sophia, I'm riveted every time. Whenever I watch that ep, I usually rewind a few times to see it over and over. So freaking good.

And I keep noticing details that just add to it. Love.

Eta: I just read ghoulina's response re: Lori. Totally agree. As awesome as that scene is, it further cements my poor opinion of Lori.

Edited October 25, 2014 by mandolin

[kikismom]

I think that is the scene to show someone who hasn't watched TWD, and they will be hooked.

[NoWillToResist]

 

Then Carol, with the weakest little voice, "Sophia", as she comes creeping from the back.

 

Oh, she didn't creep...she fucking RAN towards her zombified daughter. Probably would have run into the arms of her own death if Daryl hadn't heard/sensed her approaching at a run, threw his weapon the ground and then wrapped himself around her. The force of her run knocked them both to the ground. She was even trying to crawl towards her daughter after that IIRC...Daryl had to practically haul her back and just hold on. :(

 

Shit. I just realized that you were talking about Sophia creeping from the back of the barn...not Carol creeping from the back of our group. Sigh. Never mind. :) I'll leave the comment in though since it does at least talk about Daryl's actions in that scene...

Edited October 25, 2014 by NoWillToResist

[AngelaHunter]

But, yes - LORI! Gah. And I defend her a lot. But damn. It was obvious what was about to go down. Take your child and run for the house!

 

"Don't look, Carl!" she screams, as she holds his head in a vise-like grip, aiming his eyeballs directly on the scene.

[kikismom]

Oh, she didn't creep...she fucking RAN towards her zombified daughter. Probably would have run into the arms of her own death if Daryl hadn't heard/sensed her approaching at a run, threw his weapon the ground and then wrapped himself around her. The force of her run knocked them both to the ground. She was even trying to crawl towards her daughter after that IIRC...Daryl had to practically haul her back and just hold on. :(

 

Shit. I just realized that you were talking about Sophia creeping from the back of the barn...not Carol creeping from the back of our group. Sigh. Never mind. :) I'll leave the comment in though since it does at least talk about Daryl's actions in that scene...

 

Then Carol, with the weakest little voice, "Sophia", as she comes creeping from the back.  Because that was Carol back then - weak, fearful, hiding behind others.  Then Daryl grabbing on to her as she collapses to the ground.

I'm sorry. But if you're going to start us all crying...I just have to do this.

 

Edited October 25, 2014 by kikismom

[AngelaHunter]

I just have to do this.

 

Oh, hell. Nice angle...hahahaha!

[NoWillToResist]

*snicker*

 

I confess I was surprised by the...location of his arms. Usually someone is grabbed around the middle; it's easier to anchor them. Yet Daryl is all up in Carol's upper torso and boob area. Heh. Who grabs someone from behind ABOVE their boobs? Perhaps he noticed her ample assets when she was running towards him when they thought he was a zombie... ;)

 

 

weakest little voice, "Sophia"

 

Oh, man. She just sounded so fucking broken there. It ripped my heart out. Such amazing acting. And I loved how Daryl just held her through it all. Quiet, stoic, supportive, protective. And apparently a little gropey, considering the pic above... ;)

 

I'm trying to figure out how they decided on that. Like, when the director told them all to get into position before yelling "action!", did Norman and Melissa discuss their positioning, or did he just sidle up and nest behind her,, then slip his arms around her boob area, all "ready!" :D

Edited October 25, 2014 by NoWillToResist