Daryl Dixon - The Book of Carol, Norman Reedus and fans react to THAT kiss!

In season seven of The Walking Dead, fans witnessed "the smack heard round the fandom" when Olivia (Ann Mahoney) smacked Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) for his inappropriate comments. Even Negan fans knew he deserved that smack! Now, the fandom has received another shocking moment, "the kiss heard round the fandom," when beloved character Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) kissed Isabelle (Clemence Poesy) in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon - The Book of Carol.

Viewers who have watched The Walking Dead since early days know that anytime Daryl's sexuality, relationships, or love interests become a topic, the fandom has views. Many believe he deserves to find love, others believe he has found that love in Carol (Melissa McBride) or Connie (Lauren Ridloff), and other are content with Daryl just being single.

During the second episode of season 2 of the Daryl Dixon series, "Moulin Rouge," Daryl asks Isabelle, a nun he met when he first arrived in France during season 1, to come with him when he begins his voyage home. This wasn't too surprising as they both have Laurent's (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi) best interests in mind. That means removing him from the Nest, the home base of Union of Hope, who believes Laurent is destined for something miraculous and has plans for a ceremony that could harm him. She initially rejects his offer, but after they discover new information, she agrees to come with him. This leads to a kiss between the characters, which has flooded social media with much chatter.

Daryl Dixon kiss

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Reedus weighed in on the kiss and the hype surrounding it.

"“I think it was an experiment,” the star tells Entertainment Weekly. “It was, ‘What is this?’ It wasn't a ‘This is it!’ It's a ‘What is this? And what would that look like and how does that feel?’ I don't think there was an intention to get to second base. I think it was more of scarily parting these curtains to look at the idea of it.”"

- Norman Reedus

While quite a shock, the kiss didn't seem unnatural or forced. The story begins by planting seeds of a possible connection between Daryl and Isabelle after they arrive at the Nest in season 1. They could finally relax a bit, and things took a turn between them. I don't think this kiss has cemented any relationship between them or declares Isabelle + Daryl forever, but it is a natural step during a highly emotional time. Daryl profoundly feels the loss of his family, and his emotions are running high; kissing Isabelle is not something he would do on a whim. The remainder of the season will prove very interesting with this new development.

Fans also had their opinions. While it seems the majority of the posts regarding the kiss were negative, some did like this moment for Daryl.

The comment below references Fleur Delacour, the character actress Poesy portrayed in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005). @shaunastai wasn't impressed.

@castielfolklore was another fan who didn't approve of this moment.

@kristinupnorth was grief-stricken by Daryl's kiss with Isabelle, calling out, "Whoever made that decision."

@Castielfolklore felt that the kiss came out of nowhere. I respectfully disagree with this, as it seemed the showrunner was trying to create a connection between the pair in season 1 after they arrived at the Nest.

@Fabfork seems to forget that Daryl had a short, strange, relationship with Leah (Lynn Collins) in season 10 of The Walking Dead.

Many fans knew that Carylers, the group who ship Carol and Daryl, would not be pleased with this scene.

@EzekielsPayton was pleased with the scene and prospect of love for Daryl.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon - The Book of Carol returns on October 13 with episode 3, "L'Invisible."

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