With hundreds of episodes across multiple series, there’s very little that hasn’t happened in The Walking Dead Universe over the course of 14 years. But one particular outstanding… Task, I guess? Was finally checked off on the to-do list as of this week’s episode of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. Spoilers past this point, but Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) finally kissed a girl.
Specifically, Daryl kissed Isabelle (Clémence Poésy) in Season 2, Episode 2 “The Book of Carol: Moulin Rouge.” The episode was written by Keith Staskiewicz and directed by Daniel Percival, in case you’re wondering who to high-five and/or yell at, depending on where you fall on the Daryl ship spectrum. But in case you did miss the episode, let’s give a little breakdown of how the kiss went down — and why this is a huge deal for The Walking Dead Universe. Seriously.
Here’s How Daryl Ends Up Kissing Isabelle On The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon
In the episode, due to some mixed messages from Losang (Joel de la Fuente), several of the soldiers of the Union of Hope decide to pick up their timeline in terms of “testing” whether Laurent (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi) is the zombie apocalypse savior. They’re going to do that by letting a zombie bite him, something they know Daryl won’t be cool with. So they lure him into a trap, with Isabelle accidentally along for the ride.
The rogue Union members don’t manage to kill Daryl and Isabelle, which I know is a big shocker to everyone, and instead, the duo heads back to Mont-Saint-Michel to rescue Laurent. Unfortunately, the tide is high and they have to wait it out. Isabelle, who has been struggling with her unrelenting faith in the Union of Hope all episode has a heart-to-heart with Daryl.
“All these years I’ve lived in this place,” Isabelle says mentioning the ritual about to be done to Laurent. “Thought it was the one thing that would save us.”
“Well, people gotta believe in something. You know?” says Daryl Dixon, TV’s greatest Romeo.
“My job, the one thing I promised Lily, was to protect Laurent,” says Isabelle.
“Don’t worry, when the water goes back out, we’ll go in and get him,” and poets shook in their boots.
“Then I’ll go with you, if the offer still stands?” Isabelle asks, to which Daryl nods coquettishly in assent. “There’s a word in French: dépaysant. It’s hard to translate, it’s like a… Like a nice change of scenery. Makes you look at things a different way.”
“Day-pay-ee-zon,” Daryl says, closing the deal. “Huh. I like that.”
Then Daryl looks at Isabelle. She looks away. Then they both lean in, kiss and continue to kiss as the sun sets in the distance. RIP, Daryl Dixon’s lip virginity.
The Long History Of Daryl Dixon Not Kissing People On The Walking Dead
So that’s a recap of what went down on this week’s episode. We now live in a post-Daryl Dixon kiss world where I am sure, fans are losing their minds right now. But if you’re not intimately familiar with Daryl’s long romantic history, you may not know why this is a big deal.
The short version is that very rarely has Daryl had anything that has approached a canon romantic relationship. Throughout 14 years of Walking Dead shows, fans have shipped him with everyone from Beth Greene (Emily Kinney) to Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride). And I am not dismissing those ships when I say that’s at least in part because of Reedus’s chemistry with the actresses. It’s also because seasons went by without Daryl forming a romantic relationship. So pretty much any time Daryl was paired with a female cast member, it launched feverish speculation as to whether this would be the time he’d seal the deal.
The closest Daryl came to expressing some sort of romantic interest for most of the original series, while still not explicitly stating it out loud, was toward Connie (Lauren Ridloff). But even there it was more implied than outright stated. Daryl seemed to dote on Connie in a way he hadn’t with other characters. But even that didn’t take a step into romance. And given his continued strong relationship with Carol seemed like a non-starter to many viewers of the show.
In fact, the only canon romance Daryl had on The Walking Dead was with Leah Shaw (Lynn Collins), who was introduced in Season 10, Episode 18. With 11 seasons of the series: yes, this was extremely late in the run. And even then, though the characters did indeed have some sort of physical romance, due to COVID restrictions during filming, Reedus and Collins weren’t allowed to touch, let alone kiss.
I’ll also note, not to insert myself into this story: I’ve interviewed dozens of Walking Dead cast and crew members over the years, and they are extremely aware of how much Daryl’s first on-screen kiss means to fans. It’s something they’ve taken so much care with, that I’ve heard on numerous occasions that they avoid a kiss or romantic situation entirely to not disappoint (my words) sections of the fandom.
But now, Daryl has had that first kiss, with Isabelle. And unless she dies next episode — which is possible, of course — there may be more kisses to come.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol Season 2 Premiere Dates And Episode Guide:
New episodes of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon premiere on Sundays on AMC and AMC+. The episodes premiere at 3 am ET / 12 am PT on AMC+, and 9 pm ET on AMC.
Here’s the full list of episodes in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 2 with premiere dates:
- Sunday, September 29, 2024: The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, Season 2, Episode 1 – “The Book of Carol: La gentillesse des étrangers”
- Sunday, October 6, 2024: The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, Season 2, Episode 2 – “The Book of Carol: Moulin Rouge”
- Sunday, October 13, 2024: The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, Season 2, Episode 3 – “The Book of Carol: L’Invisible”
- Sunday, October 20, 2024: The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, Season 2, Episode 4 – “The Book of Carol: La Paradis Pour Toi”
- Sunday, October 27, 2024: The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, Season 2, Episode 5 – “The Book of Carol: Vouloir, C’est Pouvoir”
- Sunday, November 3, 2024: The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, Season 2, Episode 6 – “The Book of Carol: Au Revoir Les Enfants” *Season Finale*
Where To Watch The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon
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