Stars Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride weigh in on what just went down. The Walking Dead just addressed Daryl and Carol relationship confusion on Daryl Dixon

Stars Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride weigh in on what just went down.

The Walking Dead just addressed Daryl and Carol relationship confusion on Daryl Dixon

Stars Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride weigh in on what just went down.

By Dalton Ross

Dalton Ross is a writer and editor with over 25 years experience covering TV and the entertainment industry. *Survivor* is kind of his thing.

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September 29, 2025 8:00 a.m. ET

Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier, Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon on season 3 of 'The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon'. Credit:

Well, *The Walking Dead* finally went there.

On Sunday's episode of *Daryl Dixon* (titled "La Justicia Fronteriza"), the franchise had a bit of fun by acknowledging the closeness of the relationship between Norman Reedus' Daryl and Melissa McBride's Carol, and some people being… well, a bit confused as to exactly *how* close it actually is.

The scene takes place when Daryl and Carol are discussing plans with a woman named Valentina (Irina Björklund), who is trying to convince an unconvinced Daryl to take an experienced man of the sea with him on his boat journey back to America.

"Your boyfriend sure doesn't like taking advice, does he?" Valentina tells Carol, who then stammers over her own words.

"No, it's… he's… we're not…" responds the taken aback Carol.

"Really?" inquires Valentina, not believing the response.

"Really," Carol confirms.

"You've never…?" Valentina then inquires, clearly flummoxed.

"Never," Carol answers.

At this point, Daryl can't help himself and leans his head in for emphasis as he tacks on a big "Nope" before walking away.

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Of course, many fans have been clamoring for Daryl and Carol to become more than just friends since the "Cherokee Rose" episode on season 2 of the original *Walking Dead* series. For the franchise to even acknowledge the (albeit mistaken) concept of them as a couple and confirm that they never hooked up in any capacity is pretty noteworthy.

"It's kind of a big move on [showrunner] David Zabel's part to bring that up in some way or another," McBride tells **. "It's fodder for all kinds of things online."

That's putting it mildly. Online speculation and desire regarding Daryl and Carol as a couple has been at a thunderous drumbeat over the years, but the stars have been resistant to engage — no pun intended — on the topic.

Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier, Irina Björklund as Valentina on 'The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon'.

"We've never implied that we were a couple in 16 years," Reedus tells EW. "You have fans who just want to see this one thing, and if you give it to them, it's done forever. We've really tried our hardest to take this show and make it original and make it less about zombie jump scares and who's going to hook up with who."

Reedus' point is that going down the road of serving every fan whim instead of the story itself is a slippery slope. "You can't really write for YouTube comments," he notes. "You just can't. There are also other YouTube comments that are like, 'When's Daryl gonna find Rick?' Like, I don't know! But if I knew, I wouldn't tell you!"

But, in the case of what just aired on TV, Reedus can understand the confusion. "That character of Valentina, she's very sexually free. She assumes everybody's hooking up!"

Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon on 'The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon'.

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And Valentina — like many fans — not understanding why the couple have *not* hooked up is what makes the interaction so hilarious. "It was fun to play that," says Reedus, whose "Nope" before walking away acts as the scene's perfect punctuation. "I wanted to be lighthearted with it, but I wanted to definitely have an exclamation point."

But perhaps the ultimate exclamation point comes from his costar. "I think we both got a kick out of that scene, and I think it was handled well," says McBride. "It was light, it was fun, it was unexpected."

But then, the actress flashes a mischievous grin. "And still, if I may say, there's something still a little ambiguous about it."

And with that, another round of YouTube comments are born.

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