‘The Walking Dead’: Norman Reedus On Daryl Dixon’s Lie, Reunion With [Spoiler]

The Walking Dead Season 7, Episode 10, titled “New Best Friends,” aired last night on AMC. Although most scenes involved Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and Jadis (Pollyanna McIntosh), leader of the Scavengers, other characters were seen as well. One of those was Daryl Dixon, portrayed by Norman Reedus. He ended up reuniting with someone. However, he told this person a lie, and fans are wondering why. The actor explained the reasons for hiding the truth.

TWD spoilers are ahead. If you have not seen the February 19 episode and don’t want to know any details, then do not continue reading past this point.

After Ezekiel (Khary Payton) decided to not to join the fight against the Saviors on The Walking Dead, Daryl was left at the Kingdom. He escaped the Sanctuary, which means Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and his men will be looking for him. Since the Saviors are not allowed to enter the Kingdom, everything thinks Daryl will be safe there. At one point, he came across Richard (Karl Makinen). Both want to get rid of the Saviors, and Richard gives Dixon a crossbow and asked for his help.

Daryl was interested in helping Richard, but then something made the character change his mind. He mentioned that traces of the attacks wouldn’t lead back to the Kingdom. Instead, they would lead the enemy to a house a woman was living in. When Daryl pressed for more information, Richard said that it was someone Ezekiel cared for. However, her isolation made Richard think her life didn’t have value. At the very least, he believed she would never be missed. In his mind, she wasn’t really living life anyway. When Richard finally revealed her name, all bets were off.

The woman Richard was referring to was Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride). Last night on The Walking Dead, Daryl and Carol were finally reunited. It was an emotional moment, and like a lost little boy, Dixon asked why she left. It was explained that she couldn’t lose anyone else, especially Daryl. McBride’s character added that if anyone hurt her family, she would have to get vengeance. Carol didn’t think she would be able to come back from that.

During the conversation, Carol asked about the Saviors. With tears in her eyes and expecting to hear bad news, she wanted to know if everyone was safe at Alexandria. After a long pause, Daryl lied and said they were all just fine. TWD fans are wondering why he didn’t tell Carol the truth about Negan and the Saviors. Why didn’t he reveal that Abraham, Glenn, Spencer, and Olivia were murdered by the group? A portion of an interview with Norman Reedus aired on Talking Dead, and the actor explained the reasoning behind the lie. He stated that right now, Carol needs to hear that everyone is okay.

“If I tell her otherwise, she is gonna want to fight and that’s the last thing she wants to do. She’s trying to find herself and I realize she needs to hear that. So, I tell her what she needs to hear. I care so much about her, I don’t want her to come fight and get hurt and f**k her up.”

Rick’s group could really use Carol’s help with Negan and the Saviors. As Lennie James noted a few months back, Melissa McBride’s character is a “ninja killer.” She is the best and toughest warrior that they have. If she knew what had happened, Carol wouldn’t hesitate to fight. However, Seth Gilliam brought up the fact that Daryl cares about McBride’s character and wants what is best for her. Carol’s well-being and peace of mind are more important to him right now.

Toward the end of The Walking Dead Season 7, Episode 10, Daryl ended up leaving the house. He went back to give her another tight embrace and headed to the Kingdom. Morgan found him hanging out with Ezekiel’s pet tiger, Shiva. Without saying a word, Morgan already knew that Daryl decided not to tell Carol what the Saviors had done.

However, the truth is going to come out eventually. The Alexandrians are planning war. Even if Ezekiel never joins the battle, the Saviors won’t be content meeting outside the community. They always want more, enjoy intimidating people, and Richard is right – one day, they will not honor their part of the bargain. Let’s just hope that if that happens, it won’t be too late.

What did you think of “Caryl” reuniting? Do you believe Daryl Dixon did the right thing by lying about the Saviors? What will Carol Peletier do when she finds out what Negan and his men did to her ZA family on The Walking Dead?

[Featured Image by Gene Page/AMC]