Kirkman on Daryl Dixon's Sexuality in "The Walking Dead"

[catbatfan]

I thought it was mother / son affection. Maybe Daryl was molested by his mom?

That's disgusting. Really tired of people resorting to this tactic. Yes, Melissa McBride is older than Norman Reedus (by five years. Big deal!). But keep in mind Norman Reedus looks every tired inch of his forty-five years. He is no spring chicken, and you can tell it by every line on his face.

[Francisco]

I thought it was mother / son affection. Maybe Daryl was molested by his mom?

Or maybe his dad was a wife beater so he feels protective towards Carol

[Sacred Knight]

Nope. It's romantic and they have been giving us classic romantic moments between Carol and Daryl since the second season. He rescues her from zombies on his motorcycle, he carries her in his arms to safety when he discovers her alive in Season 3, there's romantic banter between them, etc.

She's clearly attracted to him, but frankly they've always seemed to purposely have him hold her at arm's length so-to-speak. Its incredibly noticeable and on purpose. This may be a possible reason they've held off on it, but the fact is they have held off on it for an odd amount of time. It was easy to tell even before this news that the writers didn't and still don't quite know where they want to go with this yet.

[catbatfan]

She's clearly attracted to him, but frankly they've always seemed to purposely have him hold her at arm's length so-to-speak. Its incredibly noticeable and on purpose, whether this idea ends up panning out or not.

I disagree. The attraction runs both ways.

Frankly, Caryl is the only reason I'm still watching this show. Season 4 was so terribly awful. If he's gay, that's it, I'm done.

[Jack Flag]

That's disgusting. Really tired of people resorting to this tactic. Yes, Melissa McBride is older than Norman Reedus (by five years. Big deal!). But keep in mind Norman Reedus looks every tired inch of his forty-five years. He is no spring chicken, and you can tell it by every line on his face.

It maybe disgusting but Daryl the character comes from a messed up background - so it could be he did not know his mom, or she was a bad mom. In any case I did not view mom / son in this case by age but by role they take on. Carol is like the uber-mom role and Daryl is her favorite son.

[Jack Flag]

Or maybe his dad was a wife beater so he feels protective towards Carol

That is plausible. In any case I don't watch the TV series for who hooks up with who. Maybe if The Walking Dead series were on the WB.....

[Ronin705]

Yeah.... Not too interested in this. A move like this would just be some Stupid PC ploy. What does it matter what his sexuality is? Why can't he just continue to be a great character without the shows creators using him for some idiotic publicity stunt!?! Besides, he has already been seen on the show clearly interested in Carol!

Exactly thank you very much for this post. Him and Carol shipping wasn't even thought of twice til now

[Deviancy]

When it comes to Daryl, whoever said he had leadership qualities must be watching a different show than I am. Daryl may be tough, and he may be a survivalist but he's a total follower. When the show first started, he was merely following what every Merle had him do, the minute he lost Merle, he slowly started brown nosing and following Rick like he did Merle. The only time he rebelled a bit is when he was asked about Lori in the second season. Then after the prison fell, did he band together with a new group and lead them along the way? No. He became one of Joe's followers, until they found Rick, and then he went right back to brown nosing and following Rick. However, unlike Merle who was harsh on his brother, Rick not only appreciates the fact Daryl has his back, he needs Daryl as much as Daryl needs him.

If you ask me, Rick and Daryl have far more chemistry than Daryl and Carol. And like I said earlier, I'm discussing relationships in general, they don't have to be sexual relationships to be essential to the storyline. And Rick and Daryl's relationship in my opinion has kept the show lively on more than one occasion. Yes, sometimes they go to far with how tough Daryl is, like the tank scene, but the mainstream viewers eat that Rambo/Commando **** up.

As for Daryl going gay negatively impacting the ratings, I don't think the show having him struggle with his sexual identity would even put a dent in the ratings. It may alienate maybe 10 thousand viewers who change the channel but the story angle would generate a lot of buzz which would bring in a lot of newer viewers. While race relations are going down the toilet in the US, more and more Americans are in favor of gay marriage these days, and since the show primarily is watched by those who are 15-45, and those are the ones who tend to approve of gay marriage, I don't see it posing a big risk to the ratings. Now if the show attracted a lot of boomers, it would but the boomers watch NCIS and Law and Order, not the Walking Dead.

[catbatfan]

Rick has chemistry with Michonne, not Daryl.

[Deviancy]

I'm not referring to romantic chemistry, I'm talking about general chemistry, which involves how well humans interact, and Daryl and Rick, they totally sell the whole "brother from another mother" thing perfectly, despite the fact they come from two entirely different backgrounds. Rick and Michonne on the other hand, they have good chemistry but when it comes to who Rick and Daryl end up bumping uglies with, I think the writers are going to end up surprising us by hooking them up with people we never expected them to hook up with, or with characters that have yet to be introduced.

But as a few said, ratings are very important so they're not going to hook them up with anyone that will be detrimental to the ratings.

[NewMutant]

I thought Daryl's reunion with Carol was super awkward. If anything that helps support the gay theory.

[Time Like Lightning]

I read something that pointed out how Darly has strong friendships-- but just that, friendships--with women. Carol and Beth are the most obvious examples, but he's got some strong camaraderie going with Michonne, too.

I do think Daryl's got feelings for Rick. Whether or not he's acknowledged them is another matter entirely.

[NewMutant]

I read something that pointed out how Darly has strong friendships-- but just that, friendships--with women. Carol and Beth are the most obvious examples, but he's got some strong camaraderie going with Michonne, too.

I do think Daryl's got feelings for Rick. Whether or not he's acknowledged them is another matter entirely.

It's funny. I have an odd "relationship" with Daryl. I've always been a big fan of him but never thought about his sexuality till it made the news when Kirkman and others addressed the topic. After I thought it was funny I never noticed it signs at all. I half find him relatable, badass, and awesome; the other half has an "attraction" to the character. So it really wouldn't bother me either way. But I think it would be a very positive, popular, unique to mainstream portrayal a gay character.

[ChucksComics]

At this point in their struggle, any sexuality they have toward anyone would be the farthest thing on their mind.
Daryl's lack of sexual interest would make sense, as studies have shown that people in survival situations have a large decrease in their sex drive.


Chucks Comics, Terre Haute, Indiana

[GOLGO 13]

Well, now I really want them to make Daryl queer just to watch people's heads explode. It would be hilarious.

There are no gays in the zombie apocalypse!
There are no gays in the zombie apocalypse!
There are no gays in the zombie apocalypse!

Just the manliest of men & the women that love them!

There are no gays in the zombie apocalypse!
There are no gays in the zombie apocalypse!
There are no gays in the zombie apocalypse!