The Walking Dead: This Weekend, Daryl, His Dog, & a Potential Lover?

MAJOR POTENTIAL SPOILERS… KIND OF

This weekend’s The Walking Dead  episode will focus on Daryl, his dog, and a mysterious woman.

We’re going to learn more about the six years between Rick’s disappearance and the current state of affairs with a Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) centered episode. Actress Lynn Collins has been cast to star opposite Reedus in the episode. Will Daryl FINALLY have a love interest on the show? Will we learn how Daryl came to have a dog named Dog?

After an unconfirmed rumor on Twitter last week that Daryl and a new character hook up, fans (especially Caryl fans) are losing their minds!

Collins has made television appearances in True Blood (2008) and Manhunt: Unabomber (2017), and is recognized for her roles in films such as X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) and John Carter (2012).  While her character on The Walking Dead remains mysterious, the characters name is Leah.

The episode, Find Me, according to the synopsis, will be about:

“An adventure for Daryl and Carol turns sideways when they come across an old cabin. It takes Daryl back to the years when he left the group after Rick disappeared as he relives a time that only the apocalypse could manifest.”

Daryl was on his own during this six year period. He was away from the group and trying to reconcile the loss of Rick and what the future would bring.  Yet Daryl also got Dog and the episode will explore the origins of that story.

On a previous episode of Talking Dead, Reedus said about Rick’s disappearance, “I think he’s been looking for this body. ‘If he died, where’s his body? … I think he needs closure. There’s a piece of this puzzle missing.” Obviously, Daryl didn’t get that closure and, at this moment, he’s not aware that Michonne located some clues that Rick may still be alive.

Practically since the first appearance of Daryl Dixon on The Walking Dead, fans have been hoping for an on-screen love interest for the character.  However, now through practically 10 full seasons, there hasn’t been even a tease of romance for the character played by Norman Reedus. That’s until now, as the man in charge of The Walking Dead Universe, Scott Gimple, recently teased that something may finally on the horizon.

In an interview with Looper, Gimple discussed Daryl Dixon and the potential for love in the apocalypse.

LOOPER: An animal point of view version of Walking Dead starring Dog and Skidmark? That’s interesting. So, next question. I know fans have been clamoring for this for years, but will Darryl finally find love or get laid?

GIMPLE: I love how you make that a binary sort of question there. [Laughs]

LOOPER: Well, I joke about it now because it’s been so long for the guy. I feel like at this point, little Judith is going to grow up and beat Daryl to getting some action, because he’s been so sex-deprived since season one.

GIMPLE: Oh my God, oh my lord. What a way to put it!

LOOPER: It’s been 10 years! And I know a lot of fans root for Daryl and Carol to hook up. In my personal opinion, I feel like she flirted with him a little bit in season three, but then they developed this brother-sister relationship. So, for me personally, I feel like it would be incestuous at this point. Where you stand on the whole Daryl and Carol romance idea? And does Norman Reedus have a say in this?

GIMPLE: Without going too deep into it, I would say Daryl and Carol have one of the most intimate relationships that we’ve seen on the show. I’ll just say that. And then as far as Daryl and love, again, you know me, I’m not about spoilers. But I will say that we will be looking at other dimensions of Daryl’s character that we’ve never seen before on the show coming up very soon. And it’s going to be… I can’t wait to see those other dimensions of Daryl Dixon.

Last week, somehow, fans came to the conclusion that Leah and Daryl would be sexually intimate and fans lost their minds.  Especially fans who have forever shipped Daryl and Carol.  When Daryl sexually connected with a character not named Carol, Twitter became a fire storm.  Even The Walking Dead Official Twitter account had to finally come up for air!

daryl’s character is known for his lack of intimacy. we have watched every character on the show connect with someone, in some way, other than him. for them to imply daryl hasn’t been with anyone for AT LEAST twelve years & then spring this out of nowhere, is weird to me (2/2)

— tom (@cocosrosita) February 2, 2021

This!! In a way it shows that Daryl can fall for someone. With the way he’s been acting around Connie and how he acted at the cave, it’s clear he’s has feelings for her. #TWD #TWDFamily https://t.co/efEH9RNwKA

— Bucs Are Super Bowl Bound! (@Grimes_fam420) February 2, 2021

Apparently, during the time jump, Daryl hooked up with a new character named Leah. Also, In the present, he blames Carol for Connie being trapped and some Carylers are being dramatic. They say that they would rather have Carol dead than treated like this

— Nani (@NaniOQ) February 3, 2021

I can see the Leah Daryl thing similar to pre-Richonne. In that the writers had to show Rick willing to fall in love after Lori by having a small thing with Jessie. It just proves Daryl is willing to being in love
Still all in for #Donnie#TheWalkingDead #TWD

— (@Gundam00_nut) February 3, 2021

i love slow burn ships where u watch two ppl fall in love and i just rlly wanted that for daryl.. but now his and leah’s love story is gonna be cramped into one episode. how are daryl fans supposed to feel anything for this ship or get a connection from them? if daryl and leah

— cait ♡ (@dixonsgreene) February 2, 2021

imagine thinking someone’s gonna care about daryl and leah lmao it’s the delusion for me jfjdk if he wants to look for leah in nm he can do that on his own bye

— carol supremacy ☄️ (@peletierswd) February 2, 2021

https://t.co/ZzafJOJbEF

— Lynn Collins (@lynncollins7) February 3, 2021

What happened when Daryl was looking for Rick? #TWD returns on February 28th. pic.twitter.com/CvGJtoUeVh

— The Walking Dead on AMC (@WalkingDead_AMC) February 3, 2021

The Walking Dead posted a tweet, which expressed their exhaustion with the all of the fuss on Twitter.

What a day

— The Walking Dead (@TheWalkingDead) February 3, 2021

Check out a table read of Collins and Reedus for the upcoming episode below. Let us know your thoughts on this new character and Dog in the comments below!