When you've been on the air for 15 years, there is very little you haven't accomplished. That's certainly something that The Walking Dead and all involved in the franchise can proudly say, for the legendary TWD Universe has quite simply done it all.
And yet, there is clearly more to do. With spinoffs The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon and The Walking Dead: Dead City exploring new parts of the world, it's pretty clear that - if we're being honest - the TWD Universe hasn't even scratched the surface of what it is truly capable of. There is, quite literally, a whole world out there to explore, and you can guarantee that this undying franchise is doing its best to explore it.
The same could be said for the characters within this franchise too. The new spinoffs have added a host of new characters, but they have also prioritized the stories of some of the TWD Universe's most beloved characters. And, for two in particular, that has allowed it to address a long-standing question surrounding one relationship, potentially making the question marks surrounding it tangible within the show context of the show for the first time.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 3 addresses Daryl and Carol's relationship in the way that fans have wanted it to for years
There are few relationships as crucial to the very fabric of The Walking Dead as the one between Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier. Even if you have stopped watching the franchise for years, you'll remember just how important that partnership was to the original series, as Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride's characters formed an unlikely bond early on - one that grew incredibly deep throughout the show's 11-season run.
For years, fans speculated about whether the duo - known affectionately as "Caryl" - would ever become romantically-involved. The chemistry between Reedus and McBride was certainly there, and there were a couple of moments that it seemed like it actually might happen, but the creative team opted to focus primarily on their friendship, portraying them as the absolute best of friends throughout the show's run.
However, The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 3 has outright acknowledged their long-standing chemistry, even going so far as to address the issue. In the fourth episode of the season, "La Justicia Fronteriza", Daryl and Carol continue working on the boat that got damaged when they crashed onto the shores of Spain when Valentina, who was working alongside them, referred to Daryl as Carol's boyfriend.
Carol scoffed at the suggestion and could even finish the sentence, saying "We're not..." and Valentina didn't believe her. The question is: Is this the beginning of the show actually making "Caryl" canon? It could be, because it's the first time that any of the TWD shows have outright addressed the potential of their relationship.
The series finale of The Walking Dead had fans convinced that the two might end up together when Daryl told Carol that he loved her and she responded with the same words, but it kept things platonic as he headed out onto the road for his new adventure. Carol then tracked him down to France in the second season of Daryl Dixon before they sailed across the shores to Spain (although they were hoping to get back home) in the third season.
The third season has been all about Carol trying to get Daryl to see the world in the same way that she now sees it: With love and appreciation for what is around them. She's been trying to get him to open up about the possibility of love, which is why she's been fighting so hard to save Roberto and Justina and give them the chance to be together. Could that relationship be a metaphor for their own?
What's interesting is that the response to the "Caryl" relationship reference has been somewhat mixed. Although there are still indeed a lot of "Caryl" shippers out there ecstatic about the fact that the show is finally referencing their chemistry (and the possibility of a romance between them), others feel like their bond goes beyond romance and that it doesn't need to complicate things with a love story this late in the game. And on that note, some have pointed out that it's simply too late in the game to start now; arguing that, if The Walking Dead didn't go there in its final episode, Daryl Dixon should steer clear too.
We'll have to wait and see if Carol was just deflecting in her conversation with Valentina or if there really is a possibility for a Daryl and Carol romance down the line. Nevertheless, it's safe to say that the TWD Universe has no problem surprising audiences 15 years in!
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon season 3 airs on AMC and streams on AMC+ on Sundays.