Warning: spoilers ahead for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 2's finale.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon's season 2 finale gives the strongest clue yet that Daryl and Carol are more than friends. Despite being members of The Walking Dead's original cast, Norman Reedus' Daryl Dixon and Melissa McBride's Carol Peletier only began gravitating towards each other during season 2, around the time of Sophia's death. Since then, Daryl and Carol have evolved into one of the zombie apocalypse's strongest partnerships, but, as is human nature, the relationship has been endlessly cross-examined for signs of potential romance.
The duo never overtly strayed into such territory, but speculation that Daryl and Carol love each other has never been completely silenced either. Said speculation will inevitably be fueled by a key moment in Daryl Dixon season 2's ending. As the Pouvoir/Union alliance is attacking, and it becomes clear that Ash's plane must take off abruptly, Carol boards the aircraft while Daryl stays behind. They share a telling look packed with meaning, but exchange no words. Daryl breaks the silence with, "I know," but the intention behind their lingering locking of eyes goes unaddressed, allowing for a degree of interpretation.
Daryl Dixon's "I Know" Line (Probably) Isn't Confirmation That He Loves Carol
The Scene Is Open To Interpretation
Daryl Dixon's "I know" line comes across Han Solo-esque, and, as such, could be viewed as two companions admitting they love each other romantically without uttering the phrase itself. After spending more than a decade as near-inseparable friends, and with neither character known for their heart-on-sleeve mindset, it makes sense that Daryl and Carol might struggle to admit loving each other using words - if, indeed, they felt such emotions. From that perspective, the "I know" scene could certainly be touted as evidence of the hidden love Daryl and Carol fans have been pointing out continuously since 2011.
On the other hand, there is a more plausible explanation. Putting love aside, Daryl and Carol rarely discuss any sort of inner feelings in an open way, and their entire relationship has been built upon a foundation of unsaid things: trust, respect, love in a platonic sense. Since parting ways in the Commonwealth, Carol has crossed an ocean to reunite with her closest companion, and when she climbs back aboard Ash's plane in Daryl Dixon season 2's finale, the distinct possibility that they may never meet again appears to dawn on her.
" I know " is simply Daryl reassuring Carol that she shouldn't feel compelled to express her gratitude, admiration, and deep friendship while coming under intense gunfire.
The charged look between them, therefore, could be one of unwavering, unconditional, eternal friendship. Carol may wish to thank Daryl for supporting her through hard times and never letting her down, to tell him he's the closest friend she ever knew - before or after The Walking Dead's outbreak - and to reassure Daryl that he should carry on without ever giving up. Daryl, meanwhile, could want Carol to know how grateful he is that she traveled all the way to France, that her friendship has saved him countless times over the past 14 years of undead horror, and how she too must find something to live for.
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Even before romance enters the equation, there are plenty of other unsaid truths Daryl and Carol might want to express before their paths again take them into completely different countries, and this is more likely the reason behind their meaningful exchange of glances in Daryl Dixon season 2's finale. Saying "I know" is simply Daryl reassuring Carol that she shouldn't feel compelled to express her gratitude, admiration, and deep friendship while coming under intense gunfire. The fact that Daryl also gets to avoid talking about his feelings is a welcome bonus.
Daryl Dixon's Showrunner Isn't A Fan Of Daryl & Carol As A Romantic Pairing
Another Sign Daryl & Carol Aren't In Love
Adding further weight to the idea that Daryl and Carol's "I know" scene in the Daryl Dixon season 2 finale is not romantic in nature, the showrunner himself is not in favor. Discussing the topic, David Zabel argued, "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."
The Walking Dead is, therefore, keeping its options open when it comes to Daryl and Carol's relationship.
With Zabel clearly not a fan of Daryl and Carol as a boyfriend-girlfriend couple, it feels unlikely that the romance would be confirmed in his own story. The plane farewell scene may still be open to a degree of interpretation, but Zabel's position on "Caryl" pushes the needle closer toward the alternative answer - that the emotive moment spoke directly to Daryl and Carol's closer-than-siblings friendship.
Despite having a member of the anti-Caryl alliance as showrunner, Daryl Dixon still avoids ruling out the possibility of romance completely. Even after Carol exits the plane and joins Daryl taking the long road home from France, they never circle back to their previous exchange and discuss what Carol wanted to say when she thought she was flying back to the United States with Ash and Laurent. Because Daryl Dixon stays on the fence, another The Walking Dead spinoff featuring Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride could feasibly take a different direction and establish the characters as lovers.
Daryl and Carol are both confirmed to return in Daryl Dixon season 3.
Oddly, Daryl Dixon season 2 already dropped a few breadcrumbs leading to that outcome in episode 4, when Daryl and Carol stayed with a French couple who assumed Carol was actually Isabelle. One of their hosts suggested that she could sense Carol's true feelings for Daryl, while the other curiously likened the two survivors to an old married couple. The Walking Dead is, therefore, keeping its options open when it comes to Daryl and Carol's relationship.
Why The Walking Dead's Daryl & Carol Work Better Without Romance
Even if no firm conclusions about the true nature of Daryl and Carol's The Walking Dead relationship can be drawn, there is a strong argument in favor of avoiding a romantic twist. One of the oldest tropes in movies and TV dictates that male and female characters can very rarely share a close bond without a semblance of romance or sexual chemistry developing between them. The mutual sense of affection and co-reliance between Daryl and Carol across 14 years of The Walking Dead has boldly circumvented that stereotype. To flip the script after so long would unavoidably cheapen the uniqueness of what Daryl and Carol share.
If Daryl and Carol are secretly wanting to tear each other's clothes off, their whole story immediately becomes considerably less powerful.
Adding a sexual element would also risk damaging what Daryl and Carol's friendship has come to represent in the wider context of The Walking Dead's timeline. As friends, Daryl and Carol prove that two individuals who would have absolutely nothing in common in the normal world can forge a deep and everlasting connection during the worst of times.
That is an undeniably powerful message, and a vital tenet in The Walking Dead's hopeful undercurrent. If Daryl and Carol are secretly wanting to tear each other's clothes off, their whole story immediately becomes considerably less powerful and vital. Because The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon's "I know" scene plays to both crowds, however, it can simultaneously be interpreted as a moment that highlights the individuality of Daryl and Carol's partnership, or a moment that shifts them into a less platonic gear.
