Why a Daryl-and-Carol romance won’t happen on The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead fans hoping to see Carol and Daryl get together will likely be disappointed.

Well, let me backtrack for a second there: if that is what you desire, you can run wild with the hopeful theories, but according to regular Walking Dead veteran and director Michael Cudlitz (Abraham), he just doesn’t see it happening. “I see it the way I see it,” he said on Skybound’s Talk Dead to Me podcast. “I see them as kindred spirits because of what they’ve been through. Personally, I don’t see a [romance], I see a loving friendship. I don’t personally see a relationship. Others do, and I think that’s great. Do what you do, you know?”

Personally, I’ve always loved the idea of Carol and Daryl just remaining the best of friends; Cudlitz is right that they have a bond that’s always been there. They love each other, but it doesn’t have to be in the romantic way. They’ve been through the trenches of the apocalypse together! Daryl has seen Carol go from the reluctant, introverted woman to the badass warrior she, while she’s seen him step up as a leader. They just get each other in a way that others won’t and don’t, and I respect and adore that.

Despite not seeing Daryl and Carol getting together on The Walking Dead, Cudlitz is very respectful of those still holding out hope. “We make it, we have a script, we shoot it, we put it together, and we put it out there. After we put it out there, it’s yours to do with what you want,” he said. “If you want to have them get together, I think they should hope for that. […] That’s what they’re getting out of it – they didn’t make it up out of nowhere, so that’s their experience. I’m like, ‘Knock yourselves out, that’s great.’ I think it’s all great. It’s all correct.”

Let’s not forget that fans wanted a Rick and Michonne romance for years, and that did happen, so never say never.

However, for the last season or so, I’ve been shipping Daryl with another character entirely: Connie. There’s something there that feels romantic, not platonic. I’m hoping to see come together at some point.

Showrunner Angela Kang even said during an interview with Insider that whatever is going on between Connie and Daryl may be worth exploring, and I agree! “I think we’ve always tried to portray that Connie and Carol actually really like each other. I think that we’ve shown that Carol thinks that Connie is maybe a good person for Daryl.”

Make it happen, Walking Dead writers!

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h/t Digital Spy