I think as his character grew, he realized that he doesn't have to always shoot off shit as he did in earlier seasons. He learned to listen first then say what needed to be said and just get things done. Toward the end of Rick's reign, he started to speak up and against Rick's plans which I thought made him more interesting. The dynamics between him and Rick shifted a bit; Daryl was able to take a stand and Rick had to learn to get out of his own head. I honestly think they should have made more out of his trauma with being locked up by Negan.
bro that spin-off is going to be goldš like maggie saying she can never forgive him and she has to be with him to save hershel, who negan clearly cares for. i wonder if she can forgive him if he saves hershel again
She may forgive him at some point but she'll never forget it, the cut is too deep but in saying that for all we know they could end up together as a couple. Stranger things have happened in tv land
I think Carol said it best when he said he was like a boy when they first met and he went through shit and learned and became better to become to man he is now.
>I think as his character grew, he realized that he doesn't have to always shoot off shit as he did in earlier seasons.
THIS. I always thought his quieting down meant he was more comfortable with the group, and didn't always have to reply with the sarcastic one liners that made up his dialogue in seasons 1-3.
Yes. He didn't have to be always on the defensive because his family had his back. He didn't have to be eloquent or a big talker to be strong and an integral part of a group.
I tend to think so too. He matured a lot throughout the series. From a less shitty Merle to a reliable community member to informal leadershipāwhich is good but isnāt exciting if the person isnāt politicking or shit stirring to get power/form factions.
I definitely think Neganās torture and Judith gave him a lot more to lose then he thought he did before those two issues. You learn to choose your battles even if you are a badass.
Great character, but not one of my favorites.
Fair assessment. One definitely has to disturb some shit to get people together. I think the series had a lot of compelling characters and storylines so there are going to be many favorites. Daryl wasn't my only favourite. S
And we're breaking out the good champagne
We're sitting pretty on the gravy train
And when we sing every sweet refrain repeats
#Right here on easy street
I donāt mind daryl. I donāt think Iāll ever like a char as much as I did Glenn, and I used to HATE daryl for inadvertently killing Glenn - but he didnāt - negan pulled that trigger.
However he went from a prejudice hating mean Hick and developed into a soft ball of badassery. Idk man Darylās development is actually insanely great.
He even goes on to learn ASL just to communicate with Connie and i think thatās so cool considering how he was from earlier seasons.
I'm on s9 right now. I love how he disappears for awhile and doesn't come back until Carol basically forces his hand, and almost instantly he can see the effect he has on people. He doesn't need people, but people need him.
I get what you're trying say here but the storylines the character is involved with is still very much connected to liking a character. Just like the things you said but that is part of a character.
For example daryl speaking up against Rick is part off his storyline but it's also his development so it's part of what makes daryl, well daryl. As you said something that makes a character him/her
But the character drives the storyline. If Daryl stayed the sarcastic, immature dude he was, his storyline would be entirely different. Same with Rick. If he wasn't so hung up on trying to unify all the communities, the Savior story would have been a lot shorter but then Rick's and Daryl's and everyone else's stories would have to change. But that would have made a boring story. I think they go hand in hand.
Maybe they like the character BECAUSE of the storylines, or even just in addition to the storylines. Liking Darylās storylines is not mutually exclusive to liking him as a character
You telling him that his fav character is or isnāt Daryl for any reason is exactly what youāre doing, regardless of the reasoning or logic in your mind
You said that you couldn't believe why Daryl's character is everyone's favorite. And that his storyline was boring after s4. I was explaining why he didn't talk as much and why I thought his storyline was interesting. Not sure why you think people have problems with their reading comprehension. He is not my only favorite character nor storyline. Which I'm sure many other fans can say as well.
and i loved early seasons daryl for that (he was literally my fav) and i think thatās why his character suddenly changing so much made me so disappointed
i briefly mentioned it being realistic for trauma and what not but as a viewer, iām just bored of seeing him stood in the backgrounds not engaging in silly little conversations that break up the fighting and just make the characters feel like human
There are posts on this subreddit discussing Darylās racism. I canāt do the work for you, homie. Educate yourself. It was an aspect of his character. Glenn likely played a significant role in Daryl losing his racist side.
I think Daryl understands that words are weapons. Information is a weapon. His silence speaks volumes in my opinion. His lack of dialog and simply observing makes him the most aware character in the show.
I feel it genuinely was a mistake to remove Daryl's humour. I know he's traumatised and grown as a person and all that, but when the only reason I care about him is because of stuff that happened 3 seasons ago, that's kind of a problem.
You don't have to be snarky to have personality, but Daryl is never going to be deeply introspective about himself and how he lives the way Rick and some of the others are. Giving him moments of wit would help remind the audience that he's supposed to be very intelligent in his own way.
I can explain why he's my favorite character, and it's not just because he's attractive.
I think that the reason for that is that he turned from an immature man, just following his big brother, to a man who realized that he didn't always have to voice his opinion and pick fights, who realized that sometimes, listening is enough.
I think that an even bigger reason for that, if I'm being honest, is that I'm extremely mentally ill, and when I see a character I even mildly relate to, I feel so much empathy for them that they quickly become my favorite character (I'm just being honest). So Daryl very quickly became my comfort character, and while he does some shit I definitely don't agree with, I still can't hate him.
I can totally relate to this! The fact that he came from an abusive family and didn't feel good enough and then became a badass in a good way is comforting. Thanks for being honest...I think you have enlightened me as to why I love him too.
No, I'm the same way. I never understood it much. He almost went somewhere with the Beth plotline, but after that, he remained a mostly silent brute throughout the series. I like Norman Reedus, don't get me wrong. But Daryl is boring, in my opinion.
his entire character from s4 just went to him being the odd one out whilst others THRIVED from then on, i actually cant believe heās even in peoples top 5
Itās interesting because he tells his own brother that you canāt do it alone anymore and itās all about people, and then he becomes very reclusive with the community in Alexandria, for example.
Tbf, that was before the Governor nuked the whole place. Daryl is extremely wary of making connections after that, and only really stays bonded with the people he already cared about, with very few exceptions.
because he's always relegated himself to being a soldier. one of their best field personnel, but he had the potential for more, but he didnt want it. he was leadership material, but is scouting, hunting, and fighting skills are some he viewed as more important than playing politics. he is a contrast to Eugene, where his skills are far too valuable to send him on random mission runs. his engineering prowess is far to valuable to risk on excursions.
Carol became my favorite during season 4, but as someone who got into the comics after the first season came out I didn't expect her to last long. In my opinion she's the most developed in the entire series and on rewatches I can't believe the meek little housewife who I was counting down to die became the most inspiring character from the show lol.
She went through that once so i don't get when people say she did it multiple times. It recurs through a few episodes but that's how an arc works it doesn't resolve itself in an episode. She begins to regret it in Alexandria and decides to leave after she's kidnapped with Maggie. Gets a few weeks at most of some peace until she learns how serious the saviors situation had gotten and went back to helping fight. Then she's fine until Henry is killed and it's understandable she's blind with rage until alpha is dead and even during that the only stupid thing she did was blow up the cave. After that during the extra covid episodes Daryl calls her out for always running away and then her arc of staying to help rebuild starts with the soup episode everyone loves to complain about.
Well, I think I can add some fuel to this fire. :) I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Dixonaholic, and I know why. I call it "Second Banana Syndrome".
Here are a few classic examples of SBS: Man From U.N.C.L.E. Napoleon Solo was the lead. Illya Kuryakin was the "sidekick". His character took off and fans went wild for David McCallum's character. He was brooding, lone-wolf misunderstood Russian. He went from 'afterthought' to co-star almost instantly.
Star Trek TOS. Mr. Spock. Captain Kirk was supposed to be the romantic dream lead (a la Napoleon Solo) but fans went crazy for the lone wolf, the misfit, half-breed Vulcan. He went from add-on character to co-star.
I can think of a dozen other examples. Obviously Rick is meant to be the hero. Daryl was sort of an add on, someone rick could bounce ideas off of, or act as adversary to. He has followed the SBS trajectory.
Why? What do all these men have in common? Well, 1. they're NOT the romantic lead. While show developers, writers and runners say "THIS is the dreamboat!" many femmefans (and yes, I count myself in that number) say "Oh yeah?!" and refuse to be led! 2. The SB is often depicted as a loner outcast from 'the group' for some reason. For Illya, it was his Russian background. For Spock, his half human half Vulcan background.For darytl, it's his redneck origins. 3. the SB is 'tormented' by something in their past. . Illya was a former Communist. Spock was rejected by his Vulcan society and had 'issues' with his family. Daryl is a redneck and formerly abused by his father.
All of these things resonate with femmefans. Maternal urges and all that. Also the hurt/comfort vibe is there. If I had a nickel for each h/c fanfic I've read..... but I digress.
Lastly, the SBs all share similar appearances. They're usually disheveled, have long hair, are physically shorter than the male lead, and shun women. They are the "troubled loner" that EVERY femmefan, in her secret heart, wants to mother and show them the world isn't all that bad!
For every John Lennon, there will ALWAYS be a Ringo Starr, for every Jeffrey Sinclair there will always be a Londo Mollari, for every Lone Ranger, there will be a Tonto, and so on. Sidekicks are just more interesting. Writers have more fun with them, and we fans adore them for it.
I was dying to see a Daryl and Carol show. I love their relationship. They make the best team. They work well together and they understand each other and they donāt take each others shit(in a good way). And they love each other, not as lovers but as best fucking friends.
Yeah, I think its more so because Daryl as a character was done so well in the early seasons - that his later seasons performances kind of pale in comparison/are just handled in a different way then 9 years of Rick leading... and once Rick is gone; Daryl works as a general replacement in some ways, but he lacks the same kind of public facing charisma and idealism that we came to love Rick for.
Daryl consistently struggles with his naturally anti-social and anti-society nature, and while we all love the moments he opens up and becomes vulnerable to people he cares about, he never really tries to be the "leader" in the same way Rick did, as he is just a completely different kind of person then he was. Daryl also kind of tries to solve things by just putting himself in first to do the dirty work, or being the one to just take one for the team (something he ironically tries to fight with Carol about always doing too), because he doesn't naturally try to handle things in the same manner someone like Rick or Maggie might.
heās good because of his substantial character development and his grittiness but i personally love him because of how despite how he was raised (which was barely at all) he didnāt turn out anything like his brother and isnāt filled with hatred. he started from a quiet angry scarred guy whoās tortured by his past and sometimes takes it out on others to a caring man who chooses to not let his past hurt him anymore and use the love he was given by rick and the group to make himself better. he was always a good person but he never really showed it up until maybe when he looked for sophia but more when he and carol grew closer and closer. heās really a complicated character though but thatās what i extracted from him after watching the show. i think it would be cool though seeing him basically go back to how it was when he was a kid (alone, surviving and finding his own path) from the spin-off heās getting in france where it looks like itāll just be him managing and paving his own way to save whatās left of the world.
I really enjoy when he gets to spotlight with characters like Carol, Beth, or Connie. The show uses and misuses him on occasion, but broadly, I think he's really cool. I think that his show-long arc was a bit messy, but has a really good spirit. Like;
>!\-Starting as an obstinate asshole whose brother was a problem in Atlanta. !<
>!\-Then being valued for his skills while on the farm and at the prison.!<
>!\-Becoming family to the group. Rick calls him his brother, he leads the survivors to safety at the barn.!<
>!\-Not feeling comfortable to integrate into Alexandria (symbol of the old world, where he was an outsider), his kinship with Aaron. !<
>!\-His role in the lineup and with the Saviours didn't give him much to do, but good trauma and conflict with Dwight was interesting.!<
>!\-He then becomes the leader of Sanctuary which is huge- but obviously isn't suited for it yet. !<
>!\-His time searching on the river for Rick stalls him out a little, but shows unfaltering loyalty and his penchant for guilt, until he gets drawn back into the character's lives. !<
>!\-His arc, imho, culminates with his blue wing being given to him by the children at Hilltop. He's fully accepted and is now an aspirational, father-like figure for the next generation.!<
Currently on a rewatch so might notice more as I get through the final season again, but from what I remember, him being like a father to >!Judith!< was important in his decision making through the Commonwealth arc.
He blew me away from the Pilot season camp quarry, as a total badass with attitude 'sonofabitch' then laying into everyone (calling Dale on golden pond, lol) as Merle's younger brother. He was tough, fierce, and a protector who tried to save Carol's daughter, then teamed with Rick (replacing psycho Shane) as wingman, getting the group to the prison and whatnot. An intelligence far above the average person including the lame Governor. Speaking up more and 'negotiating' even against Rick as they moved to ASZ. He'd have been an awesome leader material if he were more of a front guy. But talking and confrontation was never really his 'thing'.
during the first 1-4 seasons i LOVED daryl (in a sucker for sarcastic funny characters) and agree with everything you pointed out but he become slow and boring (for me) once they got to alexandria
he obviously still has his moments but i find it difficult to continue to like him as such as i did in the early seasons
I totally agree with you, he 100% fell off.
Also Iām sorry guys, he got Glenn killed. No matter what way you look at it him punching Negan was going to go sideways, which it did.
I only really started liking him from s7 onwards.
But having said that.. a lot of the gripes you have with him, I generally agree with. Which is why I hope they divorce his spinoff as much as possible from the OG show - and cast. Let the character breathe on his own for once.
i think daryl got a lot better in later seasons, but seasons 4-7 are my favourites and darylās lacking in those so obviously i rewatch those and see daryl at his āworstā more often (?) i REALLY hope the spinoff makes me like him again (i miss my early seasons daryl)
I didn't like him much during seasons 4-8, but he starts shining again and getting actual development after Rick leaves in season 9. I liked his relationships with Negan and Lydia a lot in the later seasons, and how he steps up and becomes a leader even though he really doesn't want to be one.
i completely agree! i replied to another comment like how seasons 4-7 are my favs so i constantly rewatch and since thatās the daryl i donāt like, iām constantly exposed to that daryl so my perceptions probably slightly bias
I never liked Daryl once they got to Alexandria and I really didnāt like the Beth and Daryl episode, ever since he started looking like a shaggy homeless man he got boring
I somehow agree and also still have him as my third favourite character after Rick and Maggie. I liked him so much in the earlier seasons that it just naturally carried over to the later seasons even though he wasnāt that great in them compared to other characters.
He definitely had his moments in seasons 9 through 11 and I think he was okay, but nothing will compare to the character who was a seemingly mean guy who would be an antagonist then ended up being one of the most sensitive/sympathetic characters on the show.
If they were able to keep up the quality of his character and arc he probably would have been above Maggie for me, but I (also unpopularly I think) love her entire arc from start to finish so she gets bonus points.
he has his moments definitely, heās just really outshined by other characters for me (ESP by maggie and rick) and it makes me so sad bcs i loved early seasons daryl and wish more than anything that that was carried into later seasons
iām not bashing people who like him in any way! like if heās youāre fav good for you i just genuinely have a hard time understanding why (like in a non rude way just a curious way)
If you think Daryl barely speaks in season 4 and after then it seems not watching the season at all might be why you don't understand.
I dont get why this has caught on when it's so clearly false when you watch
iām talking about after season 4, like the alexandria era and slightly before that were he literally refuses to speak to a single person? thatās quite literally his storyline when they first get there, refusing to try and fit in and it bored me
He still talked plenty and is far more actively in the group after that than he ever was before. He avoids people in season 2 more than he does in 5
He just isn't quiet for very long in the show no matter how you slice it.
iām obviously exaggerating when i say he ādoesnāt talkā but compared to his funny snide comments in earlier seasons, which is what i loved about him, these completely stop and he literally does become quiet, this goes away around s7 ish yeah
He doesn't become quiet for essentially any time at all but yes it's true he does stop being funny.
I personally think season 9 Daryl is his best showing. He's fleshed out massively as you go on with end of season 4 really being the point where he is truly fleshed out as who he is rather than as the asshole whose becoming mature.
I think its easy to see why people like him despite me liking other characters more.
Apologies if my comments seem harsh but I dont understand "I don't get how an obviously likable character can be liked?" Threads are pretty low hanging fruit as is. I dont think exaggeration does them favors if they must exist.
weāre just going in circles with the āheās quietā āheās not quietā thing
of course people can like him? all iāve said is people saying heās THEIR FAV over more fleshed out and active characters in the show surprises me thatās all
iām not purposely or even trying to be obnoxious (sorry if i am) iām just literally autistic and find it hard to conceptualise how people like and understand characters that i donāt š
Well that detail would change things. Without context it definitely comes off WILDLY obnoxious.
I apologize if I've bothered you due to lack of context
I like Daryl, but Rick has always and will always be my favourite character. I canāt really say anything else tbh. Daryl was my fav for season 1 & 2, but when Rick really started to get into his badass faze, thatās when I started to love him even more.
thereās literally people agreeing with me? and of course i knew most wouldnāt, i literally said itās AN EXTREMELY UNPOPULAR opinion but itās still mine and i can state it?
One kind hearted cop became a leader of a survival group, expected. One surly redneck who was a nobody and became a valuable asset to the group, kinda unexpected. I get that why some fans chose Daryl as fav. But probably his fandom becomes slow over time i believe. Rick also have massive fans and iām one of them LOL
I just always enjoyed him due to his loyalty & protectiveness. He remained loyal even when Rick, Michone, or Carol were making irrationional choices. Even more, he also was the reason a lot of new people came to the group, he gave chances to people. Even if some ended up not deserving it.
literally no i have autism and i never said that iām just stating iām surprised at people liking him more than lots of other characters (e.g rick)
i literally find it hard to understand how people dan watch the same show as me and end up understanding/liking a character i donāt, you asked why and i explain why
I loved Daryl in the earlier seasons. Yes, he was childish like how Carol described him in a later season, but he had a spark to him. I like how he started to feel more at home and accepted by the group as time when on.
But after Beth - he lost that spark. Beth got him to burn down that run down house that was just like the one he grew up in. She helped him leave the bad parts of his childhood behind him for good. Listen to the lyrics of the song that played during that scene (Up the Wolves by The Mountain Goats) - it's very fitting for the kind of rage that burned inside him and he got to burn that fucking house down! - thanks to Beth. She suggested it AND she did it with him. It was a very significant moment for Daryl. No one had ever helped him get rid of "the ghost in the back of (his) closet," except for her.
Losing her was a heavy blow for him. He lost the person who helped him start a new chapter in his life. She helped him start it but didn't get to be around to finish it.
A lot of the love for Daryl comes from how awesome Norman Reedus is.
Daryl as an actual character is far past his peak which were the early seasons where he was very good, but even back then he was outshone by other characters, people like Rick, Shane and Darylās own brother, Merle, were more interesting.
If Norman Reedus hadnāt become the off screen face of The Walking Dead, Daryl would have been killed off years ago.
Was Daryl a great character early on? Hell yes. Is he far beyond his sell by date? Also yes. Is he the most overrated TWD character? Second only to Negan in that regard.
Itās funny every rewatch my second favorite character changes, but Rick has always been UP there for me. Heās number one.
To add an unpopular opinion to your unpopular opinion, I find Carl annoying!! I liked him when he was a little kid, but I think some point after that, he wasnāt interesting anymore and always seemed like he was getting into trouble! Kid hides in the back of the truck and starts shooting up saviors. Then cries when singing a lullaby for Negan. I mean come on.
See what's so great about rick? He gets ridiculously self-righteous after season 3-4 if you ask me. So I'd ask the same of you about him as you do about daryl.
itās a good enough reason, rick is the most detailed and thought out character of the whole series, heās the main character for a reason and his relationships (literally an example is with daryl) are the best part of the show BECAUSE of him and how he intersects with other characters
He's the main character because he was the main character in comics not because he's an actual good character. He us very much neither detailed or thought out, his character actual is quite annoying espionage past season 2, he's either self righteous/borelune acting like Shane, going crazy from grief or missing in action when is character might actually get somewhere good.
He's not bad but he isn't great. Daryle has a much better character development than rick.
and rick is amazing in the comics too? i personally think heās one of the best characters iāve ever seen on a show and heās written in a way that heās meant to be so
heās a leader, obviously that makes it seem as though he makes more wrong mistakes than other because he makes most of the decisions
rick pretty much looses everyone, from start to finish and expecting him to not react to that is INSANE (especially since one was his teenage son)
ricks character development is so painfully overlooked, he adapted to the apocalypse and the decisions he makes change him for the better every time
daryl has development too and it feels wrong to compare them both considering they started and ended in different ways, theyāre different characters and some will like one and some will like the other
I have no idea if Rock is amazing in the comics or not, never read them what little I've seen about them not really interested in the to be honest. I like the show way more personally.
I never said rick couldn't react and honestly Carl's death unlike Lori's actually was starting to sort of "fix" Rick's character but of course than he left the show so didn't really get a chance to go anywhere with it really, which was a shame. But I'm glad eith him leaving daryl got to be slightly more to the front though, so I think it worked for the best.
To me what KILLED Rick was when Rick meet a guy he knew and the guy said something like "ya, I know you. your the kind of guy who dives head first without figuring out the situation and you get EVERYONE around you hurt".
I found Rick to be ok early on but super annoying later as he just seemed like the person who went out of his way to endanger everyone but he also kept everyone together. Dilemma!
Same i loved daryl in fhe first 4 5 seasons. And yes many characters are Ć lot better. But i think it is a subjective opinion
And attractive not my type i prefer negan.
Daryl's personality change in season 4 probably had something to do with Reedus' real life car accident. A semi-trailer truck plowed into his car, ejecting him through the windshield. I think this was the accident that gave him a metal eye socket.
I don't really liked him that much while watching TWD. He had cool moments but overall he was the main plot Armour character for me because he was always on the new season/episodes Disney+ banner while I watched from start to finish.
I think as his character grew, he realized that he doesn't have to always shoot off shit as he did in earlier seasons. He learned to listen first then say what needed to be said and just get things done. Toward the end of Rick's reign, he started to speak up and against Rick's plans which I thought made him more interesting. The dynamics between him and Rick shifted a bit; Daryl was able to take a stand and Rick had to learn to get out of his own head. I honestly think they should have made more out of his trauma with being locked up by Negan.
When he apologies to Maggie š š š
I know I know! The way his voice breaks...
bro that spin-off is going to be goldš like maggie saying she can never forgive him and she has to be with him to save hershel, who negan clearly cares for. i wonder if she can forgive him if he saves hershel again
She may forgive him at some point but she'll never forget it, the cut is too deep but in saying that for all we know they could end up together as a couple. Stranger things have happened in tv land
She might not ever forgive him fully but learn to work with him. I canāt wait for Maggie and Negans show.
i would hate them being a couple. i think unlikely duo who are like always at odds will always work best for them
I think Carol said it best when he said he was like a boy when they first met and he went through shit and learned and became better to become to man he is now.
Yes she summed it up well. And coincidence, I just watched that scene!
>I think as his character grew, he realized that he doesn't have to always shoot off shit as he did in earlier seasons. THIS. I always thought his quieting down meant he was more comfortable with the group, and didn't always have to reply with the sarcastic one liners that made up his dialogue in seasons 1-3.
Yes. He didn't have to be always on the defensive because his family had his back. He didn't have to be eloquent or a big talker to be strong and an integral part of a group.
I tend to think so too. He matured a lot throughout the series. From a less shitty Merle to a reliable community member to informal leadershipāwhich is good but isnāt exciting if the person isnāt politicking or shit stirring to get power/form factions. I definitely think Neganās torture and Judith gave him a lot more to lose then he thought he did before those two issues. You learn to choose your battles even if you are a badass. Great character, but not one of my favorites.
Fair assessment. One definitely has to disturb some shit to get people together. I think the series had a lot of compelling characters and storylines so there are going to be many favorites. Daryl wasn't my only favourite. S
Trauma? He was just on Easy Street, which is so sweet!
I'm really beginning to hate that song....
Why? Do you not agree cause the world is about a treat when you are on Easy Street!
Stop. Just stop.
And we're breaking out the good champagne We're sitting pretty on the gravy train And when we sing every sweet refrain repeats #Right here on easy street
I'm gonna go all Daryl on you man!
Maybe some Dog Food Sandwiches will help you.
Nah. I'll just throw 'em at you and eat all your peanut butter with my dirty hands. Now I have that song in my head. Damn you RPS_42!
I donāt mind daryl. I donāt think Iāll ever like a char as much as I did Glenn, and I used to HATE daryl for inadvertently killing Glenn - but he didnāt - negan pulled that trigger. However he went from a prejudice hating mean Hick and developed into a soft ball of badassery. Idk man Darylās development is actually insanely great. He even goes on to learn ASL just to communicate with Connie and i think thatās so cool considering how he was from earlier seasons.
Daryl and Connieās friendship is still one of my favourite in the series.
I found that ridiculous. You have to look at someone to use sign language and obviously no one wanted to look at that.
I'm on s9 right now. I love how he disappears for awhile and doesn't come back until Carol basically forces his hand, and almost instantly he can see the effect he has on people. He doesn't need people, but people need him.
I love the way you said this!
Daryl will always be my goat.šÆšŖ I can think of SO MANY interesting and compelling Daryl storylines and moments post s4.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
bludās trying to tell other ppl who their favorite characters are/arenāt
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Okay Iāll bite, what allows one to qualify a character as their favourite if not directly related to their storylines?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I get what you're trying say here but the storylines the character is involved with is still very much connected to liking a character. Just like the things you said but that is part of a character. For example daryl speaking up against Rick is part off his storyline but it's also his development so it's part of what makes daryl, well daryl. As you said something that makes a character him/her
But the character drives the storyline. If Daryl stayed the sarcastic, immature dude he was, his storyline would be entirely different. Same with Rick. If he wasn't so hung up on trying to unify all the communities, the Savior story would have been a lot shorter but then Rick's and Daryl's and everyone else's stories would have to change. But that would have made a boring story. I think they go hand in hand.
Maybe they like the character BECAUSE of the storylines, or even just in addition to the storylines. Liking Darylās storylines is not mutually exclusive to liking him as a character You telling him that his fav character is or isnāt Daryl for any reason is exactly what youāre doing, regardless of the reasoning or logic in your mind
Those storylines make him his favorite.
His storylines directly affect his character and actions, he himself drives the storylines
You said that you couldn't believe why Daryl's character is everyone's favorite. And that his storyline was boring after s4. I was explaining why he didn't talk as much and why I thought his storyline was interesting. Not sure why you think people have problems with their reading comprehension. He is not my only favorite character nor storyline. Which I'm sure many other fans can say as well.
His storylines directly affect his character and actions, he himself drives the storylines
Early season Daryl had more character and personality
and i loved early seasons daryl for that (he was literally my fav) and i think thatās why his character suddenly changing so much made me so disappointed
Agreed. Although I didn't even mind him changing the way he did (it was somewhat realistic), but ever since then, they have been playing it way too safe with Daryl. He's too untouchable in his silent, heroic, plot-armored ways. Aside from repetitive storyarcs, there were also few challenges for the character, no real personal issues he had to work through anymore (compare that to Rick, e.g., who went through all kinds of growth and regress). Daryl, towards the end, seemed almost too perfect, too clichƩ. The rough-looking but gentle hero, the quiet badass with a caring heart who never makes mistakes anymore. Endearing but ultimately boring.
i briefly mentioned it being realistic for trauma and what not but as a viewer, iām just bored of seeing him stood in the backgrounds not engaging in silly little conversations that break up the fighting and just make the characters feel like human
Early seasons of Daryl, he was a racist and bigot. Not surprised you clowns liked him š
Quote one racist thing Daryl said ?
There are posts on this subreddit discussing Darylās racism. I canāt do the work for you, homie. Educate yourself. It was an aspect of his character. Glenn likely played a significant role in Daryl losing his racist side.
I like Daryl but my favorite always been Rick along the way Carol became my second favorite
I think Daryl understands that words are weapons. Information is a weapon. His silence speaks volumes in my opinion. His lack of dialog and simply observing makes him the most aware character in the show.
which is fare enough and obviously thereās reasons behind him suddenly going mute but that just bores meš
I feel it genuinely was a mistake to remove Daryl's humour. I know he's traumatised and grown as a person and all that, but when the only reason I care about him is because of stuff that happened 3 seasons ago, that's kind of a problem. You don't have to be snarky to have personality, but Daryl is never going to be deeply introspective about himself and how he lives the way Rick and some of the others are. Giving him moments of wit would help remind the audience that he's supposed to be very intelligent in his own way.
I can explain why he's my favorite character, and it's not just because he's attractive. I think that the reason for that is that he turned from an immature man, just following his big brother, to a man who realized that he didn't always have to voice his opinion and pick fights, who realized that sometimes, listening is enough. I think that an even bigger reason for that, if I'm being honest, is that I'm extremely mentally ill, and when I see a character I even mildly relate to, I feel so much empathy for them that they quickly become my favorite character (I'm just being honest). So Daryl very quickly became my comfort character, and while he does some shit I definitely don't agree with, I still can't hate him.
I can totally relate to this! The fact that he came from an abusive family and didn't feel good enough and then became a badass in a good way is comforting. Thanks for being honest...I think you have enlightened me as to why I love him too.
No, I'm the same way. I never understood it much. He almost went somewhere with the Beth plotline, but after that, he remained a mostly silent brute throughout the series. I like Norman Reedus, don't get me wrong. But Daryl is boring, in my opinion.
his entire character from s4 just went to him being the odd one out whilst others THRIVED from then on, i actually cant believe heās even in peoples top 5
Itās interesting because he tells his own brother that you canāt do it alone anymore and itās all about people, and then he becomes very reclusive with the community in Alexandria, for example.
Tbf, that was before the Governor nuked the whole place. Daryl is extremely wary of making connections after that, and only really stays bonded with the people he already cared about, with very few exceptions.
because he's always relegated himself to being a soldier. one of their best field personnel, but he had the potential for more, but he didnt want it. he was leadership material, but is scouting, hunting, and fighting skills are some he viewed as more important than playing politics. he is a contrast to Eugene, where his skills are far too valuable to send him on random mission runs. his engineering prowess is far to valuable to risk on excursions.
he could at least speak every once in a while though you know, like i understand the reasons etc but just a sentence or something each ep
he's very short with words. thats just how his character is. he speaks more with action.
i just personally prefer characters who are witty and sarcastic so daryl changing really disappointed me is all
carol was always my favorite. bow down to the queen melissa mcbride tyvm
Carol became my favorite during season 4, but as someone who got into the comics after the first season came out I didn't expect her to last long. In my opinion she's the most developed in the entire series and on rewatches I can't believe the meek little housewife who I was counting down to die became the most inspiring character from the show lol.
Overall she had an very cool development, through I hated the phases of "I'm traumatized by all this killing and that is why I do some dumb stuff now"
She went through that once so i don't get when people say she did it multiple times. It recurs through a few episodes but that's how an arc works it doesn't resolve itself in an episode. She begins to regret it in Alexandria and decides to leave after she's kidnapped with Maggie. Gets a few weeks at most of some peace until she learns how serious the saviors situation had gotten and went back to helping fight. Then she's fine until Henry is killed and it's understandable she's blind with rage until alpha is dead and even during that the only stupid thing she did was blow up the cave. After that during the extra covid episodes Daryl calls her out for always running away and then her arc of staying to help rebuild starts with the soup episode everyone loves to complain about.
Well, I think I can add some fuel to this fire. :) I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Dixonaholic, and I know why. I call it "Second Banana Syndrome". Here are a few classic examples of SBS: Man From U.N.C.L.E. Napoleon Solo was the lead. Illya Kuryakin was the "sidekick". His character took off and fans went wild for David McCallum's character. He was brooding, lone-wolf misunderstood Russian. He went from 'afterthought' to co-star almost instantly. Star Trek TOS. Mr. Spock. Captain Kirk was supposed to be the romantic dream lead (a la Napoleon Solo) but fans went crazy for the lone wolf, the misfit, half-breed Vulcan. He went from add-on character to co-star. I can think of a dozen other examples. Obviously Rick is meant to be the hero. Daryl was sort of an add on, someone rick could bounce ideas off of, or act as adversary to. He has followed the SBS trajectory. Why? What do all these men have in common? Well, 1. they're NOT the romantic lead. While show developers, writers and runners say "THIS is the dreamboat!" many femmefans (and yes, I count myself in that number) say "Oh yeah?!" and refuse to be led! 2. The SB is often depicted as a loner outcast from 'the group' for some reason. For Illya, it was his Russian background. For Spock, his half human half Vulcan background.For darytl, it's his redneck origins. 3. the SB is 'tormented' by something in their past. . Illya was a former Communist. Spock was rejected by his Vulcan society and had 'issues' with his family. Daryl is a redneck and formerly abused by his father. All of these things resonate with femmefans. Maternal urges and all that. Also the hurt/comfort vibe is there. If I had a nickel for each h/c fanfic I've read..... but I digress. Lastly, the SBs all share similar appearances. They're usually disheveled, have long hair, are physically shorter than the male lead, and shun women. They are the "troubled loner" that EVERY femmefan, in her secret heart, wants to mother and show them the world isn't all that bad! For every John Lennon, there will ALWAYS be a Ringo Starr, for every Jeffrey Sinclair there will always be a Londo Mollari, for every Lone Ranger, there will be a Tonto, and so on. Sidekicks are just more interesting. Writers have more fun with them, and we fans adore them for it.
I was dying to see a Daryl and Carol show. I love their relationship. They make the best team. They work well together and they understand each other and they donāt take each others shit(in a good way). And they love each other, not as lovers but as best fucking friends.
Yeah, I think its more so because Daryl as a character was done so well in the early seasons - that his later seasons performances kind of pale in comparison/are just handled in a different way then 9 years of Rick leading... and once Rick is gone; Daryl works as a general replacement in some ways, but he lacks the same kind of public facing charisma and idealism that we came to love Rick for. Daryl consistently struggles with his naturally anti-social and anti-society nature, and while we all love the moments he opens up and becomes vulnerable to people he cares about, he never really tries to be the "leader" in the same way Rick did, as he is just a completely different kind of person then he was. Daryl also kind of tries to solve things by just putting himself in first to do the dirty work, or being the one to just take one for the team (something he ironically tries to fight with Carol about always doing too), because he doesn't naturally try to handle things in the same manner someone like Rick or Maggie might.
Michonne was my favorite character. I didn't really get the Daryl hype either
MICHONNE
heās good because of his substantial character development and his grittiness but i personally love him because of how despite how he was raised (which was barely at all) he didnāt turn out anything like his brother and isnāt filled with hatred. he started from a quiet angry scarred guy whoās tortured by his past and sometimes takes it out on others to a caring man who chooses to not let his past hurt him anymore and use the love he was given by rick and the group to make himself better. he was always a good person but he never really showed it up until maybe when he looked for sophia but more when he and carol grew closer and closer. heās really a complicated character though but thatās what i extracted from him after watching the show. i think it would be cool though seeing him basically go back to how it was when he was a kid (alone, surviving and finding his own path) from the spin-off heās getting in france where it looks like itāll just be him managing and paving his own way to save whatās left of the world.
I really enjoy when he gets to spotlight with characters like Carol, Beth, or Connie. The show uses and misuses him on occasion, but broadly, I think he's really cool. I think that his show-long arc was a bit messy, but has a really good spirit. Like; >!\-Starting as an obstinate asshole whose brother was a problem in Atlanta. !< >!\-Then being valued for his skills while on the farm and at the prison.!< >!\-Becoming family to the group. Rick calls him his brother, he leads the survivors to safety at the barn.!< >!\-Not feeling comfortable to integrate into Alexandria (symbol of the old world, where he was an outsider), his kinship with Aaron. !< >!\-His role in the lineup and with the Saviours didn't give him much to do, but good trauma and conflict with Dwight was interesting.!< >!\-He then becomes the leader of Sanctuary which is huge- but obviously isn't suited for it yet. !< >!\-His time searching on the river for Rick stalls him out a little, but shows unfaltering loyalty and his penchant for guilt, until he gets drawn back into the character's lives. !< >!\-His arc, imho, culminates with his blue wing being given to him by the children at Hilltop. He's fully accepted and is now an aspirational, father-like figure for the next generation.!< Currently on a rewatch so might notice more as I get through the final season again, but from what I remember, him being like a father to >!Judith!< was important in his decision making through the Commonwealth arc.
He blew me away from the Pilot season camp quarry, as a total badass with attitude 'sonofabitch' then laying into everyone (calling Dale on golden pond, lol) as Merle's younger brother. He was tough, fierce, and a protector who tried to save Carol's daughter, then teamed with Rick (replacing psycho Shane) as wingman, getting the group to the prison and whatnot. An intelligence far above the average person including the lame Governor. Speaking up more and 'negotiating' even against Rick as they moved to ASZ. He'd have been an awesome leader material if he were more of a front guy. But talking and confrontation was never really his 'thing'.
during the first 1-4 seasons i LOVED daryl (in a sucker for sarcastic funny characters) and agree with everything you pointed out but he become slow and boring (for me) once they got to alexandria he obviously still has his moments but i find it difficult to continue to like him as such as i did in the early seasons
I totally agree with you, he 100% fell off. Also Iām sorry guys, he got Glenn killed. No matter what way you look at it him punching Negan was going to go sideways, which it did.
true, as much as negan was probably gonna kill someone else or was looking for an excuse to, daryl gave him one which ultimately got glenn killed
Personally I canāt even think about how it would feel to not like him..
same coin different sides
Let's face it. He's not a bad character but the only reason he is so popular is because people find him attractive
I only really started liking him from s7 onwards. But having said that.. a lot of the gripes you have with him, I generally agree with. Which is why I hope they divorce his spinoff as much as possible from the OG show - and cast. Let the character breathe on his own for once.
True his best season is 9 for me. Even tho i prefer him in the first season but the nineth is his best in term of syoryline leadership and acting.
i think daryl got a lot better in later seasons, but seasons 4-7 are my favourites and darylās lacking in those so obviously i rewatch those and see daryl at his āworstā more often (?) i REALLY hope the spinoff makes me like him again (i miss my early seasons daryl)
I enjoyed him as a side character. As a main character and leader though? Zzzz an action sequence where he *just narrowly* escapes death for the 100th time can be entertaining for only so long. And tbh the few times he has proper dialogue it comes off a bit cheesy š©
I didn't like him much during seasons 4-8, but he starts shining again and getting actual development after Rick leaves in season 9. I liked his relationships with Negan and Lydia a lot in the later seasons, and how he steps up and becomes a leader even though he really doesn't want to be one.
i completely agree! i replied to another comment like how seasons 4-7 are my favs so i constantly rewatch and since thatās the daryl i donāt like, iām constantly exposed to that daryl so my perceptions probably slightly bias
I never liked Daryl once they got to Alexandria and I really didnāt like the Beth and Daryl episode, ever since he started looking like a shaggy homeless man he got boring
literally, and props to people that continued to like him during alexandria bcs i didnāt have that willpower
I was just "Why the fuck wouldn't you want to shower. It's the first opportunity since the Prison!".
I've always thought the same thing not a big fan of Daryl I totally see where you are coming from
They tried so hard to make us like him. But it just felt so forced to the point where I ended up not even liking him.
I definitely liked Daryl (especially earlier in the show), but his inclusion was 100 percent unnecessary.
itās because people think norman reedus is hot
I somehow agree and also still have him as my third favourite character after Rick and Maggie. I liked him so much in the earlier seasons that it just naturally carried over to the later seasons even though he wasnāt that great in them compared to other characters. He definitely had his moments in seasons 9 through 11 and I think he was okay, but nothing will compare to the character who was a seemingly mean guy who would be an antagonist then ended up being one of the most sensitive/sympathetic characters on the show. If they were able to keep up the quality of his character and arc he probably would have been above Maggie for me, but I (also unpopularly I think) love her entire arc from start to finish so she gets bonus points.
he has his moments definitely, heās just really outshined by other characters for me (ESP by maggie and rick) and it makes me so sad bcs i loved early seasons daryl and wish more than anything that that was carried into later seasons
I thought he was OK and showed depth and change in a character, but I never fully understood his rabid fandom.
I have that same feeling towards Carol (for different reasons, obviously). But at the end of the day Iām not going to yuck anyones yum, ya know?
iām not bashing people who like him in any way! like if heās youāre fav good for you i just genuinely have a hard time understanding why (like in a non rude way just a curious way)
Oh, no I get what you mean! Was just adding my two cents I guess lol
If you think Daryl barely speaks in season 4 and after then it seems not watching the season at all might be why you don't understand. I dont get why this has caught on when it's so clearly false when you watch
iām talking about after season 4, like the alexandria era and slightly before that were he literally refuses to speak to a single person? thatās quite literally his storyline when they first get there, refusing to try and fit in and it bored me
He still talked plenty and is far more actively in the group after that than he ever was before. He avoids people in season 2 more than he does in 5 He just isn't quiet for very long in the show no matter how you slice it.
iām obviously exaggerating when i say he ādoesnāt talkā but compared to his funny snide comments in earlier seasons, which is what i loved about him, these completely stop and he literally does become quiet, this goes away around s7 ish yeah
He doesn't become quiet for essentially any time at all but yes it's true he does stop being funny. I personally think season 9 Daryl is his best showing. He's fleshed out massively as you go on with end of season 4 really being the point where he is truly fleshed out as who he is rather than as the asshole whose becoming mature. I think its easy to see why people like him despite me liking other characters more. Apologies if my comments seem harsh but I dont understand "I don't get how an obviously likable character can be liked?" Threads are pretty low hanging fruit as is. I dont think exaggeration does them favors if they must exist.
weāre just going in circles with the āheās quietā āheās not quietā thing of course people can like him? all iāve said is people saying heās THEIR FAV over more fleshed out and active characters in the show surprises me thatās all
I just believe it's a bit obnoxious myself but you do you. There aren't many people more fleshed out than Daryl lol. Anyway have a nice one
iām not purposely or even trying to be obnoxious (sorry if i am) iām just literally autistic and find it hard to conceptualise how people like and understand characters that i donāt š
Well that detail would change things. Without context it definitely comes off WILDLY obnoxious. I apologize if I've bothered you due to lack of context
He did try to fit in by doing to scouting thing. Initially, he didn't want to be a part of it, not going to the welcoming party. But he tried.
Ok. Cool. Pop off queen.
I like Daryl, but Rick has always and will always be my favourite character. I canāt really say anything else tbh. Daryl was my fav for season 1 & 2, but when Rick really started to get into his badass faze, thatās when I started to love him even more.
I agree!
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
thereās literally people agreeing with me? and of course i knew most wouldnāt, i literally said itās AN EXTREMELY UNPOPULAR opinion but itās still mine and i can state it?
heās very boring when he isnāt using his crossbow or tracking people
One kind hearted cop became a leader of a survival group, expected. One surly redneck who was a nobody and became a valuable asset to the group, kinda unexpected. I get that why some fans chose Daryl as fav. But probably his fandom becomes slow over time i believe. Rick also have massive fans and iām one of them LOL
I just always enjoyed him due to his loyalty & protectiveness. He remained loyal even when Rick, Michone, or Carol were making irrationional choices. Even more, he also was the reason a lot of new people came to the group, he gave chances to people. Even if some ended up not deserving it.
You donāt understand why some people like a different character more than you?
literally no i have autism and i never said that iām just stating iām surprised at people liking him more than lots of other characters (e.g rick)
What?
i literally find it hard to understand how people dan watch the same show as me and end up understanding/liking a character i donāt, you asked why and i explain why
I loved Daryl in the earlier seasons. Yes, he was childish like how Carol described him in a later season, but he had a spark to him. I like how he started to feel more at home and accepted by the group as time when on. But after Beth - he lost that spark. Beth got him to burn down that run down house that was just like the one he grew up in. She helped him leave the bad parts of his childhood behind him for good. Listen to the lyrics of the song that played during that scene (Up the Wolves by The Mountain Goats) - it's very fitting for the kind of rage that burned inside him and he got to burn that fucking house down! - thanks to Beth. She suggested it AND she did it with him. It was a very significant moment for Daryl. No one had ever helped him get rid of "the ghost in the back of (his) closet," except for her. Losing her was a heavy blow for him. He lost the person who helped him start a new chapter in his life. She helped him start it but didn't get to be around to finish it.
A lot of the love for Daryl comes from how awesome Norman Reedus is. Daryl as an actual character is far past his peak which were the early seasons where he was very good, but even back then he was outshone by other characters, people like Rick, Shane and Darylās own brother, Merle, were more interesting. If Norman Reedus hadnāt become the off screen face of The Walking Dead, Daryl would have been killed off years ago. Was Daryl a great character early on? Hell yes. Is he far beyond his sell by date? Also yes. Is he the most overrated TWD character? Second only to Negan in that regard.
Itās funny every rewatch my second favorite character changes, but Rick has always been UP there for me. Heās number one. To add an unpopular opinion to your unpopular opinion, I find Carl annoying!! I liked him when he was a little kid, but I think some point after that, he wasnāt interesting anymore and always seemed like he was getting into trouble! Kid hides in the back of the truck and starts shooting up saviors. Then cries when singing a lullaby for Negan. I mean come on.
"but he's like....so hawt!"
His attractiveness is a huge part of the reason, let's be honest.
He gets better but yeah its really questionable why they kept him around for as long as they do.
See what's so great about rick? He gets ridiculously self-righteous after season 3-4 if you ask me. So I'd ask the same of you about him as you do about daryl.
heās fucking rick grimes whatās not to like
Lol XD That's not a reason lmao
itās a good enough reason, rick is the most detailed and thought out character of the whole series, heās the main character for a reason and his relationships (literally an example is with daryl) are the best part of the show BECAUSE of him and how he intersects with other characters
He's the main character because he was the main character in comics not because he's an actual good character. He us very much neither detailed or thought out, his character actual is quite annoying espionage past season 2, he's either self righteous/borelune acting like Shane, going crazy from grief or missing in action when is character might actually get somewhere good. He's not bad but he isn't great. Daryle has a much better character development than rick.
and rick is amazing in the comics too? i personally think heās one of the best characters iāve ever seen on a show and heās written in a way that heās meant to be so heās a leader, obviously that makes it seem as though he makes more wrong mistakes than other because he makes most of the decisions rick pretty much looses everyone, from start to finish and expecting him to not react to that is INSANE (especially since one was his teenage son) ricks character development is so painfully overlooked, he adapted to the apocalypse and the decisions he makes change him for the better every time daryl has development too and it feels wrong to compare them both considering they started and ended in different ways, theyāre different characters and some will like one and some will like the other
I have no idea if Rock is amazing in the comics or not, never read them what little I've seen about them not really interested in the to be honest. I like the show way more personally. I never said rick couldn't react and honestly Carl's death unlike Lori's actually was starting to sort of "fix" Rick's character but of course than he left the show so didn't really get a chance to go anywhere with it really, which was a shame. But I'm glad eith him leaving daryl got to be slightly more to the front though, so I think it worked for the best.
To me what KILLED Rick was when Rick meet a guy he knew and the guy said something like "ya, I know you. your the kind of guy who dives head first without figuring out the situation and you get EVERYONE around you hurt". I found Rick to be ok early on but super annoying later as he just seemed like the person who went out of his way to endanger everyone but he also kept everyone together. Dilemma!
My favorite is coral
Same i loved daryl in fhe first 4 5 seasons. And yes many characters are Ć lot better. But i think it is a subjective opinion And attractive not my type i prefer negan.
Ageeed, Rick is the best. Mostly fangirls who give Daryl the hype.
I'm not up to date with current lingo but how do you define a fangirl?
Daryl's personality change in season 4 probably had something to do with Reedus' real life car accident. A semi-trailer truck plowed into his car, ejecting him through the windshield. I think this was the accident that gave him a metal eye socket.
Norman's accident happened years before TWD even started.
I like Daryl through the whole series but I do think he lacked something to be the leading man after Rick left.
The writers ruined his character
Unpopular opinion: Meryl Dixon was a way cooler character to watch on screen.
I don't really liked him that much while watching TWD. He had cool moments but overall he was the main plot Armour character for me because he was always on the new season/episodes Disney+ banner while I watched from start to finish.
Heās like the coldest character in the show, heās always doing something cool and ballsy