Why The Walking Dead 1018 upset shippers
By Dawn Glen
“Find Me” condenses 5 years into one episode
It may be that the lack of visual proof of the intimacy and amount of the relationship onscreen was done so as not to offend or put off Caryl or Donnie (Daryl and Connie) shippers by not showing Daryl kissing and having a love scene with another woman. Yet by trying to appeal to everyone, they have fallen between two stools and risked appealing to no one.
Shippers hate it because of what it is, even if they don’t see the full details on the screen, and non-shippers who want to see Daryl’s sexuality explored feel cheated they didn’t get to see the relationship in full.
"“Daryl’s such an interesting character that way because in some ways, when it comes to romantic relationships, he’s not a person that I think trusts easily, and a lot of that has to do with his backstory, which is filled with so much trauma. He was physically abused, as well as in other ways. There’s sensitivity there for him. And I think he’s also just a person who it’s hard for him to trust anybody enough to connect with them really, really deeply. It’s a long, slow process for him in a lot of ways to get into any kind of a romantic thing.” – Angela Kang, Comicbook"
By condensing the years of Daryl and Leah’s acquaintance and growing friendship into several minutes, the writers got around the issue that Daryl takes a long time to trust anyone enough to get into a relationship. However, by not having Leah as a main character, by not having the character be on screen for a long-time, the audience doesn’t feel that weight of time. Many viewers struggle to get behind the relationship or understand the connection in any meaningful way.
Fans feel there is no explanation for why Leah is different. Why Leah and not Rosita or Carol or Beth? He was close to all of them during times when he felt low and alone, yet no romantic relationship formed with them during those times.