The Walking Dead 811: Best Daryl we’ve seen in a while
The Walking Dead 811 episode “Dead Or Alive Or” was the best Daryl episode we’ve had in a long while. Let’s break down the best Daryl moments.
Daryl has had a rough time on The Walking Dead since the beginning of season 7. He has been struggling for a while, but he shone brightly in “Dead Or Alive Or” when he took charge and led the surviving Alexandrians to the Hilltop.
From the look of things, Daryl has really stepped up after Carl’s death. He took Judith and the Alexandrians out of the sewer pipe on a trek to the Hilltop, and he took that responsibility seriously. He knew Tara had it out for Dwight and he had no trouble shutting her down when she threw a Walker at him. While he has no love for Dwight, he also realizes that this is not the time, or the place, to settle scores. The focus is leading people to safety, and that’s what he’s going to do.
When Dwight suggests that they use the swamp route, Daryl is willing to listen to him. He hears what Dwight says and he takes Tara’s argument into consideration before acting. When they arrive and realize that they will have to clear it out, he delegates roles and gets the job done.
Later, when Dwight appears to have defected, Daryl loses his temper but he reins it back in when he sees Judith. Instead of dwelling on it, he tells the group that they have to keep going. This is relatively new for Daryl, who in the past would have focused on that instead of the task at hand. Instead, though, he tells the group to keep going.
When they arrive at the Hilltop, it’s Daryl who walks in with Judith and tells everyone about Carl. Daryl succeeded in his mission and reminded himself that he is capable of being a leader. That’s why Rick trusts him so much.
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After so much time spent focusing on revenge, it appears that Daryl might have regained some of the confidence that got knocked out of him when he was captured by the Saviors. Seeing that he could successfully lead the Alexandrians to safety will hopefully enable him to keep moving forward instead of spending so much time focused on what happened in the past.
The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9pm on AMC