September is here, and that means The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 2, The Book of Carol, is just a few weeks away! The season will mark the triumphant return of Melissa McBride's Carol Peletier, her first appearance outside of the main show. The relationship between Daryl and Carol is one of the most popular dynamics in The Walking Dead Universe, and The Book of Carol will double down on their bond.
Both Daryl and Carol are part of a small group of characters who have been involved with the series right from the start. Only Morgan Jones and Rick Grimes have the same status. Daryl and Carol — or Caryl, as fans have come to call them — have been an inseparable duo for many years at this point. In the later years of The Walking Dead, specifically season 10 episode, "Diverged," the show really started to hone in on their relationship, paving the way for their spinoff.
Many fans are shipping Daryl and Carol, expecting a potential romantic relationship to blossom. However, according to showrunner David Zabel, while there may be some sparks between them, there's no romance there yet. "The obvious thing to do, and the easier thing to do would be, 'Okay, now they're falling in love and they're a couple.' But I always felt like that would be a mistake, because it would feel like you were going into the TV book of tricks," Zabel told SFX Magazine.
Zabel went on to tease a potential budding romance between Daryl and his new companion Isabelle (Clémence Poésy). Isabelle was one of the first people Daryl met after washing up in France. Since then, the two have been fighting side-by-side. And it seems that going from allies to lovers is certainly a possibility.
"There are moments of friction, but there are obviously moments of mutual interest, and more than friendship that seems to be developing," Zabel explained. "Norman and I talked about this, that we wanted to draw a mature, adult relationship between a man and a woman and see where it went. Let's just put these two characters, who are very different in very interesting, intriguing ways, force them together by the story facts, and then see what happens."
""What happened in season one was that you could see a connection forming, for sure. We didn't manufacture that but we left room for it. A lot of season two is about the development of that and where that relationship goes, and that little surrogate family of Isabelle, Daryl and Laurent.""
We already know that staying in France isn't the ultimate answer for Daryl, Isabelle and Laurent. Even returning to the United States doesn't appear to be a valid option. The show is currently filming its third season, which sees both Daryl and Carol venture to sunny Spain. The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon — The Book of Carol premieres September 29 on AMC.
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and Twitter account, sign up for our exclusive newsletter and check out our YouTube channel.