Daryl Dixon - The Book of Carol: Why won't Daryl admit his love for Isabelle

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon - The Book of Carol is the second season of the spinoff that premeire in September. On Nov. 3, the season finale will close this chapter of the story. But never fear, there is more Daryl Dixon to come in the announced third season and possible fourth. The most recent episodes of the series have run Daryl through a gamut of emotions.

Tread lightly as this article contains spoilers for season 2 of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon - The Book of Carol.

Daryl Dixon is a character not featured in The Walking Dead comics, created by Robert Kirkman. He was a character created for actor Norman Reedus who auditioned for the role of Merle, Daryl's brother, which had been cast by Michael Rooker. Reedus' audition was so impressive that the series creators came up with Daryl to include him in the story.

When Daryl was first introduced in the season 1 episode "Tell It To the Frogs" he was surly and impulsive and negatively influenced by his brother Merle. They had made plans to rob the original Atlanta group, a group that would eventually become Daryl's found family.

After it was assumed that his brother died, Daryl could carve out a new life among the other survivors. A special bond was formed between him and abuse victim Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride). This bond would continue to grow and become vital to their story, as seen in the Daryl Dixon series, where Carol travels to France to locate him.

There have been women with whom fans have longed to see Daryl become an item, but he never seemed to believe he was truly worthy of anyone's affection. His traumatic childhood and treatment from his brother feed his feelings of unworthyness. Viewers hoped he would establish a romantic relationship with Carol and later Connie (Lauren Ridloff), but neither was meant to be. He had a brief fling with Leah (Lynn Collins,) who eventually betrayed him.

Daryl Dixon meets Isabelle in France

After leaving the Commonwealth in the final episode of The Walking Dead, Daryl searches for any clues about Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira) to see if there are other people who could join their communities. He became involved with a group of unsavory people who put him on a ship bound for France.

One of the first people he encounters is Isabelle (Clémence Poésy), a nun who lived at the Abbey of Saint Bernadette. Before the outbreak, Isabelle was a party girl, drug addict, and petty thief. The birth of her nephew, Laurent (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi), at the onset of the outbreak, gave her a new lease on life, and she chose to become a nun to protect him. Daryl and Isabelle joined forces to protect Laurent, who was believed to be the one to save humanity.

In season 2 of the series, Isabelle and Daryl's relationship deepened to the point where she agreed to follow him back to America, bringing Laurent with them. Things progressed to the point where they shared a kiss, something uncharacteristic of Daryl.

In the penultimate episode of season 2 of Daryl Dixon, Isabelle dies from a stab wound issued by Losang (Joel de la Fuente). Daryl made it to her side, aided by Carol before she died, and they said their emotional goodbyes. But Daryl never told her he loved her and, after her death, seemed to ignore the fact she was gone.

This stems from Daryl's feeling unworthy of love and his difficulty losing people. He has made huge strides in accepting affection from his found family but is still always guarded. After Isabelle dies, he ignores the fact that she is gone and focuses on locating Laurent. When Carol tries to talk to him about Isabelle, going so far as to acknowledge that he does love her, he brushes it off and turns the focus back to Laurent. Later, when he talks to Laurent, the boy confirms that Isabelle loves Daryl, and again, he changes the subject.

His inability to express his emotions stems from his difficult, loveless childhood. Whenever things become emotional, Daryl bottles his feelings and quickly moves on. So, despite not saying the words, it is evident that Daryl loved Isabelle, and her death is another tragic loss for the character. Daryl likely believes it may be his undoing if he fully embraces the loss.

The season finale of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon - The Book of Carol airs on AMC and AMC+ on Nov. 3.

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