The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon star Norman Reedus explains why the latest Daryl and Carol reunion feels so different. Reedus shot to global prominence playing Daryl in AMC’s hit post-apocalyptic drama The Walking Dead from 2010-2022, before getting his own spinoff show, which debuted on AMC in September 10, 2023. The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 2 premiered September 29, 2024, and saw the return of Melissa McBride, who played Daryl’s close friend Carol, setting in motion a long-awaited reunion.

During an exclusive interview with Screen Rant at New York Comic Con, Reedus touches on the reunion between the two fan favorite characters, which wasn’t exactly the warm-and-fuzzy scene many were hoping for. Explaining how the show has taken Daryl to his rock bottom, he discusses his character’s will to fight to see the only person in the world who really matters to him. Check out Reedus’ full comments on the matter below:

Norman Reedus : I think we did it really well. I think we got Daryl to a place, well, that would be the last thing on his mind, a place of true despair. He’s lost everything. He’s completely beaten, and he fights his way to finally seeing the only person in the world that he would want to see. So I think we set the tone for that, and I think it’s unexpected.

I mean, I know it’s going to happen, obviously, but I think we got to a place where we went all the way down here and we get to there and then the sound goes out, and they’re the only two people in the world. So, I think we got it where we wanted it to be incredible.

What The Latest Daryl & Carol Reunion Means For Daryl Dixon Season 2

Both Characters Are At A Crossroads In Their Lives

Both Daryl and Carol are at a crossroads in their lives, and both are different people to who they were in The Walking Dead. As Reedus’ comments show, Daryl reached a dark place in his life, and the only person who could seemingly pull him out of that was Carol. Both characters are now very much fish out of water, too, as they have to acclimate to a new culture and language, which gives their reunion an extra weight. And this could continue, with Carol and Daryl set to head to Spain for Daryl Dixon season 3.

The Daryl-Carol reunion should make Daryl Dixon feel more like a traditional The Walking Dead show.

Another important consideration is that in The Walking Dead, both Daryl and Carol had a big group of friends and allies they could rely on or lean on for support. Now, it is largely just the two of them in a foreign land, and this lends an unusual air to their pairing. The Daryl-Carol reunion should make Daryl Dixon feel more like a traditional The Walking Dead show, and could open the door for the appearance of other legacy characters.

Our Take On Daryl & Carol’s Reunion

It Has The Opportunity To Reshape Daryl Dixon Season 3

Now that Carol is back, I would expect her to take a co-leading role in the show, considering how important her character is in Daryl’s life. This could make it so that supporting characters become less prominent in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 3, to accommodate her central role. Daryl has already lost Isabelle, with whom he had developed a strong romantic bond, and having his old friend back on the scene to help him work through it is an important step for the character. That’s something I’m sure The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon will be keen to explore in the next season.