9 Problems With The Walking Dead Nobody Wants To Admit: A Counterpoint

Counterpoint #5: Daryl is more interesting than we give him credit for.

In what might have been the most controversial point on his list, Jules had said that Daryl, one of the most beloved Walking Dead characters, isn’t that interesting.

Oh…dear.

Now, my relationship with Daryl is, well, fairly neutral. I don’t hate him by any means, but, I’m not so enamored with him that I think the show is dead without him (Check out my article on who needed to die on the season premiere for proof). That said, I don’t think saying that Daryl is boring is entirely accurate.

For example, Jules referenced “Chupacabra”, an episode which featured Daryl spending an afternoon initially searching for Sophia, but finding hallucinations of Merle instead. Jules seemed to dislike this episode, but, I found it to be an interesting take on Daryl’s internal struggle between who he was, and who exposure to Rick’s group was making him.

Additionally, Jules described Daryl as having muddied motivations, at least when he’s on his own. I disagree.

I’ve usually found Daryl’s motives clear, even when he was alone. The more we’ve learned about Daryl, the more clear his behavior becomes.

Why was he searching for Sophia? He didn’t want her roaming the wilderness alone like he had to as a kid. Why was he burning himself on the road to Washington? Because he blamed himself for Beth’s death (Similar to how he was after Glenn’s death).

Maybe I was misinterpreting what Jules said, but, Daryl’s motives seem kind of obvious to me. In any event, I think Daryl has more dimension than we give him credit for.

Next: The World HAS Gotten A Whole Lot Bigger.