Our favorite moments from The Walking Dead season 3
By Sonya Iryna
Daryl puts down Merle
Season 3 episode 15: “This Sorrowful Life”
Joe says:
Another season, another emotional moment where a family member of someone in the group has to be put down.
This time, Daryl discovers his brother Merle already turned after his failed battle with the Governor. We saw throughout these first few seasons that Daryl and Merle did not always get along, but there is no denying that the two had a connection as brothers. The fact that Daryl was still so heartbroken over losing his last remaining family member despite the toxic nature of the relationship made the scene hit me that much harder. In a show that focuses so much on family – both by blood and the ones you find along the way – this moment sticks out.
By all accounts, Merle was not a good person. Whether it was his blatant racism, reckless behavior, originally working with the Governor, or just all around being a bad guy, Merle’s only real redeeming feature for most fans was his relation with Daryl. Merle’s apparent suicide mission to end the Governor once and for all was the first time that he actually did something to benefit someone other than himself. To see such an evil character finally make a choice to do the right thing and try to take out the Governor slightly redeemed Merle despite his past misdeeds.
In the end, this moment stands out as the most noteworthy of season 3 because of how it impacted Daryl Dixon. The resident “tough guy” on the show was reduced to tears as he was forced to put down the only family he had left. This moment drove Daryl to come face-to-face with his fear and hatred of what the world has become. Just as Merle may have been turning a corner and could reestablish a relationship with Daryl, he was taken away from his younger brother. That forced Daryl to rely more on his found family, like Rick, Glenn, and Carol for support – whether he wanted to or not.
With Daryl now the main protagonist of The Walking Dead going into season 10, this was a defining moment that helped show the emotional complexity of the character we all know and love.