Daryl Dixon (TV Series)

"No, you don't get it! Everyone we know's dead!"

- Daryl to Beth during his breakdown.

Daryl Dixon is one of the main protagonists and survivors of the zombie apocalypse in AMC's The Walking Dead. He is the younger brother to Merle Dixon and makes his debut appearance in "Tell It to the Frogs". Daryl is an expert at hunting, tracking, and navigating. Due to his survival skills, Rick Grimes values him as an important member of the group. Following the deaths of Ed and Sophia Peletier, Daryl has developed a close bond with fellow survivor Carol Peletier.

Appearance and Personality
Daryl is a slim built Caucasian man with brown hair and commonly keeps facial hair on his lip and chin. His eyes are green.

Daryl is often volatile but is still significantly more level-headed and rational than his older brother, Merle Dixon. Despite usually acting distant, Daryl has shown on numerous occasions to be caring, and selfless. He went alone and risked his life in an attempt to find Sophia, and immediately took initiative to go back and find Andrea, when she got separated from the group.

An experienced tracker and hunter, he is deadly accurate with his Horton Scout HD 125. He is also highly skilled with various firearms and knives. He has taken a prominent role in safeguarding the members of his group. Rick was trusting Daryl completely in the end of the second season and in the third season has replaced Shane as Rick's right-hand man. Although he is shown to be the lone wolf of the group early on in the series, he has started to integrate himself more with everyone, particularly in his friendship with Rick and his growing relationship with Carol. By the end of the third season, he is well-liked and respected by the entire group.

North Georgia
Daryl and Merle lived within the mountains of North Georgia, under the roof of their neglectful parents; their father being an abusive alcoholic and their mother being both that and a chain-smoker. When Daryl was old enough to ride a bicycle, they lost their mother to a house fire that had been caused by her cigarette when she was asleep (or possibly drunk in bed). Merle was at least 12 years old when their mother died, as he was in juvenile detention at the time. Merle raised Daryl to share his beliefs and be tough like a grown man. However, he too was often absent from Daryl's life; part of that had to do with the fact that he was frequently in juvenile institutions. This led to Daryl having to frequently fend for himself. Once, after their mother's death, but before Daryl reached age 12, he got lost in the woods for nine full days and lived off of wild berries and used poison oak as a substitute for toilet paper. Merle was again in juvenile detention (so he was older than 19 years old). When Daryl managed to find his way home, his father had not noticed his absence. He walked in through the back door and then made himself a sandwich.

It was revealed in "Home" that both Daryl and Merle were physically abused by their father, causing Merle to abandon the family. Merle claimed to never know that his father was hurting Daryl too, but Daryl does not seem to believe him.

In "Still", Daryl reveals that he was a drifter before the apocalypse, following his brother and doing what he said.

When the apocalypse began, he and Merle headed towards Atlanta (a declared safe-zone) for shelter. Along the way, they both met up with Shane's group and found out Atlanta was overrun. They helped set up camp near a quarry. During their stay at the camp, they spent a considerable amount of time hunting animals. According to Merle, they had planned to rob the camp blind before Merle was left in Atlanta.

Daryl owned a grey 1973 Ford F-250 pickup truck. He used it to transport the corpses of the fallen camp-survivors, such as Ed Peletier and Amy, to the graveyard made by Jim. When the group left for the CDC, Daryl was driving his truck with his brother's motorcycle in the back. When his truck ran out of gas, he put his belongings in one of the other vehicles, (possibly Dale's RV) and switches vehicles to his brother's motorcycle. His truck is then abandoned and is never seen again in the show. The motorcycle was in use up until "Too Far Gone" in which it was abandoned when Daryl was forced to flee the prison during the Governor's attack.

Survival Instinct

 * Main Article: Daryl Dixon (Survival Instinct)

"Tell It to the Frogs"
After Merle Dixon being abandoned on a rooftop in Atlanta during a supply run, Daryl is mentioned by Morales, who notes that he may be the only one who'll be upset at Merle being left behind. He is mentioned again as being away hunting by Dale who also mentions that he will become volatile. When a walker appears nearby the camp eating the corpse of a deer, Daryl appears out of the woods, complaining that he was on the trail of the deer that he had shot with his crossbow. He finds it partially eaten by a walker, surrounded by the rest of his group. After Dale decapitates the zombie, the head continues to growl only to be permanently silenced by a bolt from Daryl's crossbow. At the camp Daryl arrives calling for his brother, but he is informed by Rick Grimes and the others that Merle was insane and a threat back in the city, so he was handcuffed to a roof and left behind, prompting Daryl to snap. He tries to attack Rick, but Shane restrained him as T-Dog reassures Daryl that Merle is okay, as he had locked the roof door shut before fleeing the city. Daryl then demands the location of the building so he can go there and rescue his brother, but Rick offers to go with him, T-Dog, and Glenn also offer to go too. Daryl is later seen telling the others to hurry up so they can rescue Merle quickly, the four men get in a truck and depart.

Daryl and the others arrive back into the city, Rick says that he also came back because he needs to retrieve the bag of guns that he dropped when he first came into the overrun city. Daryl silently kills all the walkers in the way with his crossbow, and when they reach the rooftop of the department store, they find that the only thing remaining is the handcuffs, a hacksaw, and Merle's hand. Daryl starts crying in distress.

"Vatos"
Daryl points his crossbow at T-Dog, blaming him for his brothers disappearance but gives in after Rick holds a gun to his head. Daryl wraps Merle's hand in a cloth and puts it in Glenn's backpack, and then they begin to follow the blood trail left by Merle. The trail leads them into a room with two dead walkers where all but Daryl are astonished that Merle was able to kill both with just one hand. In the same room they find an iron steak weight covered in burnt skin which Merle used to cauterize his stump. Later they find a window with a hole in it, possibly meaning Merle has escaped. When Daryl decides to go search for Merle on the streets, T-Dog reminds him that they need to get the bag of guns first. Glenn makes a plan to get the guns: Daryl must accompany Glenn to the store's alley while Rick and T-Dog wait in an alley two blocks away.

While the plan is under way, Glenn is able to retrieve the guns, but another survivor, Miguel, runs into Daryl from the back of the alley, to which Daryl rationally asks him about his brother and begins to beat him with his crossbow. Miguel screams, alerting Rick, T-Dog, and two other survivors: Jorge and Felipe. Jorge and Felipe arrive first and beat up Daryl until they spot Glenn with the bag of guns. They tackle Glenn who drops the guns and Rick's hat, which gives Daryl enough time to aim his crossbow and fire an arrow into Felipe's behind. A car arrives at the scene, and Jorge and Felipe grab Glenn and get into the car, leaving Miguel behind. When Rick and T-Dog arrive, they see Daryl closing a gate to prevent the walkers from crowding the alley. Daryl throws Miguel against the wall, in which Rick restrains him.

Later, while they are trying to get information about Glenn's whereabouts, Daryl threatens Miguel and shows him Merle's hand, bluffing and threatening that it was an enemy of his. They head to the "Vatos"' hangout, where Rick tries to negotiate into giving Miguel to them and getting Glenn back, but their leader, Guillermo, also wants the bag of guns. They return to the building and Daryl, T-Dog, and Rick decide to go back and threaten the Vatos. They return and then enter the Vatos' hideout threatening bloodshed, but an elderly woman enters the room and they find out that the gang are actually nurses taking care of elderly people. After solving the problem, that was just a misunderstanding, Rick gives the gang half of the guns inside the bag. Daryl, Rick, T-Dog and Glenn are returning, Daryl comments how he was against giving away half of the guns. On the way back, they notice that the truck they used to get to Atlanta was stolen, they assume that Merle stole the truck to go back to the camp and get revenge.

Daryl and his crew return to the camp at foot, just as walkers are attacking and killing several survivors. Despite the high number of casualties, Daryl and the rest are able to kill all of the invading walkers thanks to the weapons inside the bag of guns.

"Wildfire"
The next morning, Daryl helps in the cleanup of the zombie carcasses and the bodies of the fallen campers. He and Morales drag the body of a man towards the bonfire but Glenn stops them, demanding that the dead be buried properly. Daryl hesitates but eventually agrees, he ultimately curses everyone, saying that they deserved what they got after leaving Merle behind. As Daryl impales each corpse with a pickaxe to prevent reanimation, Carol stops him as he is about to hit Ed Peletier, saying that she should impale her husband's head. When the survivors find out that Jim has been bitten, the group unites to discuss what to do with him, Daryl immediately grabs the pickaxe to take Jim out, but is stopped by Rick, who points his gun do Daryl's head, prompting him to drop the pickaxe and walk away.

After the funeral of the fallen camp survivors, the group decides to move to the Center for Disease Control in hopes of finding a cure and saving Jim's life. They part ways with Morales' family, who decided to go look for their relatives, and Daryl heads with the group to the CDC. Along the way, the RV breaks down, so Shane and T-Dog scout out the gas station ahead for parts, while a dying Jim is perched against a tree as everyone says their goodbye to him. Daryl glares at Jim and after a moment gives him a nod, before turning back to his car. As the night comes, Daryl and the survivors reach the CDC complex to find it locked, walkers start to close in on the group, but Rick refuses to leave as he says that the security camera is moving. Shane finally convinces Rick to get out of there, but right when everybody is leaving, the doors open at the last minute.

"TS-19"
Daryl and the rest of the group are admitted into the CDC by Edwin Jenner after going through a blood test to ensure none of them are infected. He is introduced to the luxuries the facility has to offer, including hot water and real beds. He enjoys dinner and wine with everyone and learns about Test Subject 19 and Dr. Jenner's work, and the fall of the CDC's infrastructure. After Dr. Jenner reveals the purpose of the countdown timer and shuts the control room's door, Daryl is enraged and tries break through the metal door with an axe. While Rick tries to convince Dr. Jenner to let them leave the building and try their chances on the road, Daryl loses his temper and tries to cut the scientist's head with the axe, but is restrained by Rick and the others. As the survivors finally get Dr. Jenner to open the door for their escape, they all reach the lobby to find the doors permanently locked and the windows bulletproof. However, Daryl and the others are able to escape to their caravan after Rick's grenade explodes a window pane. During the escape he spectacularly decapitates a Walker with an axe. After everyone gets in their vehicles, the CDC explodes; Daryl drives off in his pick-up truck following the rest of the caravan, getting away from the complex as the ruins burn.

"What Lies Ahead"
During their excursion to Fort Benning, the group is forced to hide from a herd of walkers, Daryl saves T-Dog from one of them, then covers himself and T-Dog up with corpses to fool the rest of the walkers. When Carol's daughter Sophia goes missing in the aftermath, Rick enlists Daryl's expert tracking abilities to help find her. During the search, they dissect a zombie to see if it had eaten Sophia. When the trail runs cold, they are forced to return to the others empty-handed.

"Bloodletting"
On their way back, Lori hears a gunshot and is suspicious about it as Rick or Shane wouldn't risk wasting or alerting walkers to kill a single walker. He reassures Carol that they are going to find Sophia and she is going to be fine. When Andrea is facing a walker and Maggie comes in by horse for Lori, Daryl rushes with the rest of the group as Lori jumps on the horse. He says that they don't even know her or who she is so how could they trust her, but in the end with nothing really to stop her, he lets her go to the Greene Family Farm. Later, the group decides what to do as they need to head to the farm and meet up with Rick but don't want to risk Sophia coming back to an empty highway. Daryl offers to stay one more day and set up signs to tell her just in case, after Dale mentions that T-Dog is in bad shape and needs medical attention. Daryl goes to Merle's stash and gets him some "first class" antibiotics for his blood infection.

"Save the Last One"
Daryl wakes up at night hearing the sound of Carol sobbing over Sophia. Daryl grabs his crossbow and decides to go out and look for Sophia and is joined by Andrea who could not sleep either.

While in the woods, Daryl assures Andrea that Sophia is going to be fine. Andrea protests and tells him that Sophia is only twelve years old and is not yet capable to survive on her own with no food or weapons. To reassure Andrea, he tells her a story about his childhood when he was lost in the mountains living off of berries and cleaning himself with poison oak. No one ever knew he was gone, not even Merle because he was in a juvenile detention center, and when he finally made it back, he walked into the kitchen and made himself a sandwich. The story lightens the mood and Andrea laughs.

Daryl and Andrea continue on down a path and hear something that they suspect to be Sophia but are mistaken and arrive at a campsite where a man hanged himself and had turned into a walker. Daryl read the sign that the man wrote that said, "Got bit, fever hit, world gone to shit, might as well quit" that Daryl commented on saying that the guy was too stupid to shoot himself in the head. Daryl continues to describe the flesh that had been eaten off the man's legs by other walkers and Andrea pukes. Andrea then asks if he was planning on just leaving him hanging up there which Daryl replied that he wasn't doing any harm up there. Daryl asked Andrea if she still felt like dying and Andrea said she would answer for an arrow. After answering with a fairly confusing answer, Daryl shot the walker in the head and said it was a "waste of an arrow." They return home without Sophia.

"Cherokee Rose"
In "Cherokee Rose", Daryl goes searching for Sophia again, alone this time, and finds a Cherokee Rose for Carol, saying that when the Native Americans were being relocated, their children died and went missing, and the tears of the mother's made a Cherokee Rose bloom. He also stated he doubted the flower had grown for his brother, Merle, but instead for Carol's daughter, Sophia.

"Chupacabra"
The next day, Daryl and the rest of the group continue to search for Sophia. Daryl takes a horse and heads to search alone. While searching near a creek he discovers Sophia's doll. Shortly afterwards he falls off a cliff-side into a river when his horse is spooked by a snake. On the way down Daryl hits his head and impales himself on one of his arrows. He leaves it in and attempts to climb a steep cliff only to fall and lose consciousness. As he drifts in and out he hallucinates his brother Merle who mocks and taunts him, calling him a failure and telling him the others in the group just see him as a freak. Daryl awakes to see a walker gnawing on his boot and another one approaching. He kills the closest one with a stick and pulls the arrow out of his side to dispatch the second one. After bandaging his wound he once again attempts climbing the cliff. On the way up he again hallucinates Merle who again mocks him, telling him nobody cared about him but his brother and that he should shoot Rick next time he saw him. Eventually Daryl makes it back to the farm, but due to his blood soaked appearance and limp, Andrea takes him for a walker and shoots him. The bullet grazes his left temple and Rick and Shane rush Daryl back to the house. His injuries are not mortal and Hershel bandages him up. Later, Carol brings him dinner and thanks him for doing so much to find her daughter, kissing him on the forehead to show someone does care about him.

"Secrets"
Daryl is seen recuperating from his injuries in a tent outside the farm house. Andrea gives him a book and attempts to apologize for accidentally shooting him, but Daryl brushes off her concern stating she was just trying to protect the group and that he did not blame her. But adding as she left "You shoot me again you best pray I'm dead."

"Pretty Much Dead Already"
Daryl is first seen eating lunch with the rest of the survivors; when Glenn tells them that the barn is full of walkers, Daryl sets his jaw.

Later, he walks to the stable and readies a saddle to go out looking for Sophia again, but as Carol sees he's still hurt on his side from the arrow wound, she tries to stop him, telling him she doesn't want to lose him too. He throws the saddle to the floor, and still in pain, walks away calling Carol a "Stupid Bitch." Shortly after he takes Carol to a pond where he apologizes and shows her another Cherokee rose that's blooming, this restores her faith in finding her daughter. Much later, when Shane starts giving out the guns to the group, Daryl takes one quickly. As the group sees Rick and Hershel walk up to the barn with two walkers on long poles, he approaches them and keeps his gun aimed at the male, until Shane shoots it and opens the barn doors. He quickly lines up with Shane, Glenn, T-Dog and Andrea and starts shooting the walkers. When zombified Sophia finally steps out of the barn, he catches a sorrowful Carol to stop her from getting too close to her daughter.

"Nebraska"
Daryl is angered that Carol won't attend her own daughter's funeral but he goes with all the other survivors. Lori decides that Daryl is the best choice to look for Rick, Hershel and Glenn, but he is still upset over the sacrifices he made in vain to collect Sophia, and snaps, "I'm done lookin' for people."

"Triggerfinger"
Daryl tells Carol that Lori had asked him to find Hershel, but he had refused. He speculates that Lori went on her own to town. Back at the Greene Farm, Carol goes to check on Daryl, finding many dead squirrels and severed walker ears hanging on a clothes line. Daryl catches her and confronts her. After their argument Daryl walks away from Carol and she yells out that she will not let him push her away.

"18 Miles Out"
Daryl does not appear in this episode.

"Judge, Jury, Executioner"
In the farm's slaughter shed, Daryl beats a bound and whimpering Randall who cries out, "I've told you", to which Daryl replies "You've told me shit!" Randall says he barely knows the guys he was with so Daryl asks how many are in his group but when there's no reply he draws his knife. Randall confesses that he was traveling with a group of about 30 men who never stayed anywhere for more than one night, but he doesn't know where they plan on going next. Continuing the interrogation, Daryl rips Randall's bandage off and sticks his knife into his wound. Randall quickly admits that the group is heavily armed with automatics but is insistent that he's not dangerous and is nothing like them. Randall tells a story of how one night, whilst scavenging, the men found a father with his two teenage daughters who they proceeded to rape in front of him for fun. Randall insists he didn't touch them but Daryl continues to beat him. Throughout the interrogation Randall begs and cries for it to stop, to no avail.

Daryl reports what he's found out to the rest of the group, explaining that if this gang "rolls through here, our boys are dead, and our women they're gonna, well they're gonna wish they were". Carol asks what Daryl did; he replies that they "had a little chat". This leads Rick to declare Randall a threat, and that he must be killed, "You can't just decide on your own to take someone's life," Dale objects, begging Rick to give him time to talk to the group and find another way. Rick reluctantly agrees to give Dale the rest of the day, after a short bit of persuasion.

Later, Daryl can be seen inspecting bolts and placing them into his crossbows quiver as Dale approaches. "The whole point of me coming up here is to get away from you people" Daryl expresses, before Dale can speak. Daryl asks if Carol sent him but Dale explains that it's not only her that's concerned about him, or his new role in the group. "This group's broken, I'm better off fending for myself" Daryl says, stating he doesn't care what happens to Randall in reply to Dale asking where he stands. Dale asks Daryl to stand with him anyway, but Daryl won't because he believes his opinion won't matter and he knows that Rick only listens to Shane. He also mentions about how Shane killed Otis and how he didn't believe Shane's story because he came back with a dead man's gun, this leaves Dale shocked that Daryl seems disinterested at the fact Shane is a killer. Before walking off Daryl reiterates "The group's broken".

An upset Carl comes across Daryl's (Merle's) motorcycle and starts looking through its satchels, he finds a handgun and decides to take it.

At the meeting to decide Randall's fate, Dale pleads with the group to do what's right. Andrea eventually sides with him, but the others still want him dead, bar Carol, Maggie, Hershel, Patricia and Daryl who remain neutral. Despondent, Dale leaves the room. Putting a hand on Daryl's arm, he says "This group is broken."

Afterward, Rick, Shane, and Daryl walk a begging Randall to the barn. Shane says "This is all going to be over soon." and Randall suddenly realizes what is going on, which leaves him scared and begging even more. Rick asks him whether he wants to stand or kneel but when he doesn't answer Daryl forces him to the ground. Rick now asks if he has any final words to which Randall just continues begging for his life. As Rick raises his gun, Carl enters the barn. "Do it Dad, do it" he says. Shocked, Rick lowers his gun and orders Randall taken away which Daryl obliges. Shane then storms out of the barn.

When Dale's screams are heard, Daryl, who at the time is about to cut Randall with his knife, runs to the scene. Being the first to get there he sees the walker on top of Dale, tearing into his stomach. Daryl leaps at it tackling it off Dale, he rolls and stabs it in the head. He calls for help and tries to comfort Dale but his intestines are spilling out of his gut and he goes into shock, just as everyone else arrives. When Hershel finally gets down, he says that Dale can't be saved. A teary Andrea who is also comforting Dale begs Rick to help. Rick takes out his gun, but can't bring himself to shoot so Daryl takes the weapon and aims it at Dale's head. "Sorry brother," Daryl says and shoots Dale in the head out of mercy.

"Better Angels"
To the dismay of Shane, Rick now promotes Daryl as his new wing man. When Rick and Daryl prepare to leave, T-Dog is sent to get Randall. He discovers the barn empty, as a short time earlier, Shane had brought Randall into the forest informing him he is done with Rick's group and wants to join with the others. This is merely a ruse as Shane breaks Randall's neck, killing him. Before returning to the group, Shane pounds his own face into a nearby tree to make it seem as if Randall had injured him during an escape.

A thorough search of the farm shows no sign of Randall. Shane buries his gun upon returning, before he shouts to the group announcing that Randall escaped and is armed. Rick assembles Glenn and Daryl to go with him and Shane to track him down.

Glenn and Daryl come across the area of the forest where Randall was last seen. Daryl notices that the area shows signs of a struggle. As a walker appears, the two of them take cover behind some nearby trees. The walker turns out to be Randall and tries to attack them, but Glenn drives a knife into his head, killing him. Daryl conducts a brief examination of the body, only to find that it shows no sign of bites or scratches, and that his cause of death was his neck being broken. Daryl starts to wonder what is going on that could cause him to turn into a "walker".

"Beside the Dying Fire"
As the inhabitants of the farm notice the herd approaching, Daryl is asked by Lori to go and look for Carl. He puts his crossbow and pistol to good use, killing many of the walkers. Eventually he notices Carol surrounded and rescues her, fleeing the farm afterwards.

Later on, he and Carol meet up with everyone else on the highway. After everyone realizes Andrea is not with the group, Daryl volunteers to go back and find her but his attempt is thwarted by Rick, who says she's either dead or far away from the farm by that time. Later on, when Rick suggests they camp out on the road, Daryl brings up that Randall reanimated due to a broken neck and wasn't bitten. When Rick shares that Jenner told him everyone was infected, Daryl was at first skeptical but later accepted that Rick did the right thing by not telling everyone about it. That night around the campfire, Carol tries to persuade Daryl to separate and go off on their own; Daryl wants to stay. Carol then says that Daryl is a man of honor and that he should be leading them, not Rick. Daryl refuses, saying Rick has honor and that he trusts him.

"Seed"
Daryl has now completely replaced Shane as Rick's right hand man, and is seen along with T-Dog, Rick, and Carl leading the charge in killing the Walkers that have taken over the abandoned house they stumbled upon. Daryl kills an owl that he finds in an bedroom upstairs. He is seen picking off the feathers to get it ready for cooking. The group, however, is forced to flee when more walkers show up to their location. Daryl offers to take Rick hunting while the others fetch water, where they stumble upon the prison. Daryl and the rest of group help Rick to shut the main gate by distracting and killing the walkers inside of the prison yard.

At night, after Carol brings Daryl some food, she seems to be in discomfort, complaining that her shoulder hurts because of the kick-back of a rifle she was shooting, and that she's just not use to that rifle yet. Uncharacteristically, Daryl quickly tries to relieve her pain with a shoulder massage, but after only seconds and some nervous eye contact, Daryl stops and suggests they should return with the others. Carol points out that they just had a romantic moment and would he be interested in screwing around, in which Daryl and Carol both jokingly laugh off the statement.

The next day, Daryl, Rick, T-Dog, Glenn and Maggie lock themselves within the prison courtyard and kill the remaining walkers, where they secure Cell Block C (The safest). Daryl (along with Rick) are the only two that choose not to sleep in the cells that night. The next day, Daryl, Rick, Glenn, Hershel, T-Dog, and Maggie go in search for the prison's cafeteria and infirmary but get ambushed by a group of walkers. Unfortunately, Hershel is bitten in his right calf by a lurker lying against a wall when Rick, himself and Daryl go back to look for Maggie and Glenn. Once they reach prison's cafeteria, Daryl notices a group of what he believes to be walkers behind a metal grate on the other side of the cafeteria. Upon further inspection, he (along with the others) realizes that they are surviving inmates.

"Sick"
Continuing right where the last episode ended, Daryl has his Crossbow raised at the five figures and asks who they are; the five men are prisoners. One of them, Tomas, is scared and points a gun at Daryl and T-Dog, this confrontation is cut short as Rick and the rest are taking Hershel back to the cell block and Daryl decides to go with them, leaving the five prisoners behind. As Hershel is taken to a safe place, Daryl keeps guard on the approaching prisoners and once again a confrontation starts between him and Tomas until Rick shows up and stops the heated argument by calming the prisoners down and explaining what is going on. When Rick explains about the walkers, Daryl is the one who tells the prisoners that no matter how they die, they will come back as a walker unless their brain is damaged.

After Tomas creates another argument, this time with Rick, they decide to take half of the food supplies that the prisoners kept in the cafeteria, in exchange, Rick, Daryl and T-Dog helps the prisoners clearing another cell block so they can live in it. Daryl is mostly seen for the rest of this episode accompanying Rick, T-Dog, and the prisoners on the way to secure Cell Block B. After the cell block is secured for the last two remaining prison survivors (Oscar and Axel), he apologizes to the both of them for the loss of their friends. He then watches Hershel with some of the group and sees him wake up (signifying that he will be all right).

"Walk With Me"
Daryl does not appear in this episode, but is mentioned several times by Merle Dixon, Andrea, and The Governor throughout the episode. Merle asks Andrea whether she knows if Daryl is still alive, Andrea replied saying the last time she saw him, he was alive. They also discussed how Daryl became a valued member of their group since he helped them in their struggle to survive.

"Killer Within"
Daryl, Rick, T-Dog, Carol, Glenn, and Maggie are preparing to burn the bodies of all the walkers they killed so far in the prison. Oscar and Axel approach the group, asking to join them since they claim that Cell Block B is a haunted place and they can't just live there with all those corpses. Rick consults Daryl about this decision and Daryl gives Rick a sign to not to trust the prisoners. They decide to let the prisoners leave the prison, since they don't want to live in the Cell Block B. T-Dog questions this action, Daryl expresses his opinion that he knew guys like Axel and Oscar and they are not psychos, even though, they should try their own luck on the road. Rick, Glenn and Daryl go out to get some wood to burn the bodies, when they realize that walkers are invading the prison's courtyard and the three men run to try to save the others from the group.

After killing the walkers and realizing that the others disappeared and someone broke the gate open, allowing the walkers to get in, Rick blames the two prisoners, but the prison alarms start blaring, proving that someone else is messing with the group. He, Oscar, and Rick go to the generator room to disable the alarm. When Andrew attacks Rick, Oscar leaves the door to help out, and Daryl is left holding the door shut alone. He eventually goes for his crossbow, and kills the walkers. He is seen sneaking up on Oscar after Oscar killed Andrew, saving Rick. When he realized that Oscar was not acting hostile, he relaxed. He, Glenn, Rick, Oscar, and Axel reunite and find T-Dog's devoured body, along with Carol's head scarf. He assumes that she was devoured by walkers.

"Say the Word"
Rick is brought to a breaking point, leading him to abandon the group and find Lori's body. Daryl steps up and takes on the role of the leader and giving everyone a job to do. He then offers to go on a supply run with Maggie and Glenn in order to find formula for the baby. Maggie suggests that Glenn not go. Daryl and Maggie head to a daycare center not far from the prison in search for the formula that Hershel suggested retrieving earlier. While entering the daycare, Daryl notices a child's paper cut-out hand hanging on the wall with the name "Sophie" written on it. Inside, Maggie grabs supplies while Daryl searches the building for Walkers. Eventually, he hears rattles within a closet and spots a possum, which he shoots and says will be dinner. Eventually, the two return to the prison with the formula and the proper supplies. Daryl is seen giving the formula to the baby and the baby's name is brought up. Carl suggests all the names of the women in the group they've lost. Daryl then jokingly suggests the name "Ass Kicker". At dawn the next day, Daryl places a Cherokee Rose on a grave designated for Carol and holds a moment of silence for her.

"Hounded"
Daryl is seen talking with Rick while eating. Daryl, Carl, and Oscar explore the prison in search of supplies. Daryl talks to Carl about his mother, and Carl reveals to Daryl that he shot Lori before she can reanimate. Daryl, Carl, and Oscar are startled by a walker and kill it, with Daryl discovering Carol's knife plunged in its neck. Daryl is seen sitting alone after having a breakdown, while a door shutters. In frustration, he opens it, and discovers a starving Carol. Daryl carries her back to the group.

"When the Dead Come Knocking"
Daryl arrives back in the cell block, and witnesses Rick carrying Michonne into the prison. After watching for a few moments, he invites everyone over to a cell, where he reveals the weakened, frail Carol. After several embraces between Carol and the group members, he prepares for the journey to Woodbury after learning the locations of Glenn and Maggie from Michonne. While on foot, Rick personally thanks Daryl for taking care of Judith. Soon they are approached by a large group of walkers and are forced to take shelter in the home of a hermit. While there, the hermit nearly allows walkers inside, but is killed by Michonne. They toss his body to the walkers, giving them the time to escape through the back door. Later, they arrive at Woodbury, and survey the area, crouching behind the wrecks of cars.

"Made to Suffer"
In this episode, Daryl assists the group in recovering the captive Maggie and Glenn from Woodbury. While hiding out in one of the houses, Daryl learns that Merle was responsible for brutally beating Glenn and yearns to talk with him before they depart, but Rick refuses, due to it being too risky. Daryl throws out a flash grenade and fires during the shootout between the Woodbury soldiers and their group. Once Rick, Glenn, Maggie, and Michonne are ready to escape, they notice that Daryl has fallen behind. It turns out that Daryl was captured by Woodbury soldiers during the shootout and is brought to the walker pit as Philip asks the residents what they should do with the "terrorists". The Governor brands Merle a terrorist and traitor as well, having conspired with his brother. Two Woodbury soldiers bring out a person with a potato sack on his head, who is revealed to be Daryl. Merle stares at Daryl in shock as he was one of those who were in the shootout. The Dixon brothers are finally reunited as the crowd cheers for their deaths.

"The Suicide King"
In the arena, Philip orders Merle and Daryl to fight to the death, with the winner walking away free. Merle says that he will do whatever he can to prove his loyalty to Woodbury before severely beating Daryl. On the ground, Merle tells Daryl to follow his lead, proving that he has no intentions of killing his brother. Daryl and Merle flee with Rick's group when Rick and Maggie return. Daryl seems to be angered for Merle aligning himself with The Governor, and doesn't object when Rick knocks him out. The group, however, doesn't want Merle to live in The Prison; Daryl then lays down an ultimatum; either Merle comes with them or he's leaving. After Rick firmly says that Merle will be too much of a liability, Daryl begins grabbing his stuff. He tells Rick to take care of Judith and Carl, and says that Carl is a tough kid; Daryl also says that Carol will understand his reasons for leaving. Rick pleads one more time for him to stay, but Daryl refuses to abandon his brother again and walks off with Merle.

"Home"
Daryl and Merle wander through the woods after departing the group. They argue about where they should go, as Daryl says they should loot the houses they come across. This urges Merle to sarcastically mention it as something his "sheriff friend" taught him. They hear sounds, which Merle believed emanated from a wild animal, but Daryl recognizes it as a baby's crying. They find a family stuck with their car on a bridge over Yellow Jacket Creek. Daryl decides to help them, to Merle's disapproval. After killing multiple walkers with Merle watching, only shooting his gun once to save Daryl, the family is finally saved. Merle then ransacks the car for food. Daryl raises his crossbow on Merle, insisting that he allows the family to depart freely. After doing so, Merle argues about Daryl's pointless act of saving people who wouldn't do the same to them. When the argument becomes heated, Merle tears Daryl's shirt apart, exposing multiple scars inflicted by their abusive father. Merle claims that he was unaware that Daryl had received the same abuse as him from their father. Daryl decides to go back to The Prison, saying he belongs there, rather than with Merle. Merle reluctantly decides to go along with him, despite knowing that nobody wants him there for attempting to kill Michonne and beating up Glenn. When The Governor attacks The Prison and releases some walkers in the yard, Rick, trapped outside the fences following a hallucination of Lori, is almost devoured by multiple walkers before Daryl shoots an arrow through one of the walker's head. Together, Daryl, Rick, and Merle kill the walkers outside of the fences, and watch the remaining walkers roaming inside the yard.

"I Ain't a Judas"
Daryl assists in creating a plan to eliminate the walkers in the yard. He gets into an argument with the others concerning Merle's presence. Later, Daryl is seen sitting in his cell when Carol appears to talk to him. Carol tells Daryl that Merle is no good for him, and not to allow him to bring Daryl down with him. When Andrea arrives at The Prison, Daryl threatens to gouge out The Governor's other eye when he sees him again. Later that night, while Beth sings by candlelight, Rick informs Daryl and Hershel of his plans to go on a supply run with Carl and Michonne. Daryl volunteers, but Rick insisted he stayed behind to take care of the others and keep an eye on Merle.

"Clear"
Daryl does not appear in this episode.

"Arrow on the Doorpost"
Daryl accompanies Rick along with Hershel to a meeting that was set up with The Governor. Later, he is seen talking to Martinez when Rick is trying to talk with Philip about a compromise for their rivalry. Daryl and Caesar quickly get into a fight, and then proceed to have an unspoken walker-killing contest. Afterwards, the two share their thoughts on the situation while smoking cigarettes.

"Prey"
Daryl does not appear in this episode.

"This Sorrowful Life
Daryl is first seen being informed by Rick about the plan to hand over Michonne; he disagrees and states "This ain't us", but is convinced by Rick that it is the only option. After this, he is seen aiding Glenn and Michonne in setting up barbed wire in the field to deter The Governor's trucks, lest they attempt to take the yard. Later Daryl aids Glenn in securing a broken gate and tries to convince him that Merle is sorry and that he intends to make things right. Daryl later finds his brother in the generator room, and talks to him about the plan with Michonne. Merle mentions that he feels like the group needs him as a "bad guy", to do the "dirty work". He states that before the apocalypse Daryl would've called people acting like he is "sheep". Daryl expresses his concern for Merle's change in personality and states that he wishes he had his brother back. Towards the end of the episode, Daryl tracks down his brother to bring him back to the prison. Along the way, he encounters Michonne alone. He continues on to the feed store, and finally finds Merle, but not in the way he had hoped: zombified. He then breaks into tears as a zombified and bloodthirsty Merle walks towards him. Daryl pushes his zombified brother back three times before stabbing his neck and pinning him to the ground. In rage, he stabs his brother's head multiple times. After he is finished Daryl breaks down crying over his brother's death.

"Welcome to the Tombs"
Daryl is back at the Prison, mourning his brother's death. When the Woodbury Army arrives at the Prison, they enter "The Tombs". While in there, Daryl and Rick throw out smoke bombs to lure them out. When everyone regroups at the gate, Daryl, Michonne, and Rick decide to head out and attack Woodbury. On the road they find almost every soldier dead, with the exception of Karen. They go to Woodbury, where Tyreese and Sasha are on the gate. After a brief firefight, Tyreese lets them in. Rick, Daryl, and Michonne learn that Andrea is most likely being held captive in The Governor's torture room. In there, they find a dying Andrea, who suffered a bite wound from Milton Mamet. Daryl leaves the room when she wishes to end her life.

Back at the Prison, the group lead the women, children, and elders from Woodbury to stay. Daryl is seen entering on Merle's motorbike.

"30 Days Without An Accident "
Daryl first appears at the inner courtyard looking for food from Carol. He is then thanked by Patrick for getting food for the prison people, and shakes his hand. Daryl is commented by Carol how walkers don't spread out anymore and they are pinning up against the fence. Daryl doesn't seem to worry about it, but for the supply run to the Big Spot, which he had been planning for weeks and wishes to use the place as a constant supply-place. He, along with Sasha, Tyreese, Glenn, Michonne, Bob and Zach go the store and is revealed that he is looked up to by Zach, who is constantly trying to guess what he did before the apocalypse. The group clears the entrance from the only apparent walkers in the store and enter the place, not knowing that there is herd on the rooftop. The herd begins to fall through the decaying roof after Bob knocks a wine aisle to the ground, breaking all of the bottles and pinning himself under the shelf. Seeing that there is a wrecked helicopter on the roof about to fall over their heads, Daryl and the group kill all the walkers they can and he and Zach free Bob, but Zach is caught by a walker and bitten. Knowing that he is doomed and that the helicopter is about to fall, the group leaves as the helicopter falls, crushes Zach, and destroys the store. After returning to the prison, Daryl informs Beth about Zach's demise, which whom the boy was in a relationship with. Beth doesn't seem affected, as she claims that she doesn't cry anymore, which concerns Daryl. They are both glad that they got to know Zach and hug each other.

"Infected "
Daryl is first seen when the cell block D is attacked and helps clear out the walkers and save the citizens in the process. He then joins the others in making sure the dead do not reanimate and saves Glenn from a undead Patrick during this before joining Rick, Dr.S, Hershel and Bob to discuss the new infection. At some point after this he along with the rest of the "council" discuss the new situation at the prison and how to deal with it before he leaves to dig graves for the dead. While he's digging he talks with Rick telling him he deserves a rest before Maggie calls for their help dealing with walkers at the fence and eventually helps Rick use the pigs to draw them away.

"Isolation"
In the inner courtyard, Tyreese explains to Rick, Carol and Daryl how he found Karen and David's burnt corpses; he came to see Karen, saw the blood trail on the floor, and it led him outside. Tyreese demands Rick to find who did it and bring the killer to him; when the latter tries to calm him down, he turns violent and attacks Rick, punching him in the face. Daryl holds him up, and Carol tries to stop Rick from retaliating, but it's too late. Rick charges at Tyreese, knocking him down and brutally beating his face. Daryl eventually pulls Rick off Tyreese before it goes any further. Rick looks at his severely injured hand, horrified with what he just did. Daryl and Bob fuel up a car, and Bob is disturbed when Daryl reveals that it was Zach's car. Back in A-Block Tyreese, who's there watching the sick (making sure no one will try to kill them), is asked to join the supply run for medical supplies with Daryl, Michonne and Bob. He refuses at first, but Daryl is able to convince him otherwise, saying he'll help them more in the run, looking for medicine than there, watching. He bids farewell to a sick Sasha, and leaves with the team. While driving towards the hospital for the supply run, the group hears a voice over the car radio repeating the word "Sanctuary... Sanctuary...survive..." Daryl is distracted by it and hits a few walkers on the road. He stops the car, shocked at the massive herd of thousands of walkers between them and their destination. Daryl drives in reverse and runs over several more walkers, but the car eventually gets stuck, forcing them to ditch it. Daryl, Michonne and Bob make it out and hold their own, but Tyreese stays behind, seemingly in a stupor. Bob eventually snaps him out of it and Tyreese storms out of the car and in a rage, ferociously begins to kill the walkers that are quickly surrounding him, yelling at the others to go as he is swarmed. After running in the woods for a while, the group stops to rest, and notices movement in the bushes. Tyreese emerges, covered in walker guts and blood, but alive and unharmed. They keep moving as the walkers chase after them.

"Indifference"
Daryl continues with Tyreese, Michonne, and Bob on their mission to retrieve medicine from the veterinary college. While helping Daryl jump-start a van they found, Bob says that he almost started to run when Daryl found him because he was the last man standing in the first two groups he was with, and that he blames himself for Zach's death because of accidentally knocking over the liquor shelf and attracting the herd of Walkers, to which Daryl tells him that it is "bullshit". After getting the medicine, the group is forced to jump outside onto the roof of a walkway where Bob almost loses his bag to a herd of walkers, but manages to retrieve it despite the protests of the others to let it go. Daryl discovers Bob's bag contains nothing but a bottle of liquor, but Bob has his hand on his holster when Daryl attempts to throw it away. An un-intimidated Daryl disarms Bob and grabs him until Tyreese breaks it up, saying that Bob has made his own choice. Daryl says that they should have never let him join the prison group to begin with and threatens to beat Bob into the ground if he takes a sip of the liquor before the medicine is given to the sick members of the group.

"Internment"
Daryl appears near the end of the episode, returning with the supply search party to the prison. Next morning, Daryl is informed by Hershel to talk with Rick about Carol.

"Live Bait"
Daryl does not appear in this episode.

"Dead Weight"
Daryl does not appear in this episode.

"Too Far Gone"
Daryl is first seen talking to Rick about Carol's banishment due to her killing Karen and David, clearly upset and shocked at the decision. After calming down, he and Rick go to tell the news to Tyreese. When they arrive in the tombs, Tyreese shows them a dissected rat inside the prison, which he believes is the work of the same person who killed the two. Before they have a chance to say anything, the Governor's camp attacks and everyone able relocates outside.

Daryl is as shocked as everyone when he reveals Hershel and Michonne are his prisoners and demands Rick come down and negotiate, which he does. As Rick descends to the gates, Daryl discreetly arms everyone and lines up a rifle against the gates next to Carl. Carl suggests he take out the Governor with one shot, but Daryl tells him to let Rick handle it. However, Hershel is executed and war abruptly erupts. Daryl takes out several of the Governor's people and eventually destroys the tank with grenades, killing its operator Mitch with a crossbow to the chest. As the Prison falls, Beth came across Daryl and together, they left the prison to places unknown.

"After"
Daryl does not appear in this episode, but is mentioned by Carl as one of the survivors Rick failed to protect when he scolds the unconscious Rick.

"Inmates"
Daryl and Beth appear deep in a forest fighting walkers. After killing numerous of them, the two run into a field and collapse, visibly exhausted. By nightfall, the two have made a campfire in the forest, and Beth convinces Daryl to go with her and look for any other survivors. The next morning, the two find small footprints. They follow them for a bit to a grape bush, where Daryl suggests the owners of the tracks picked up the pace. Beth says Daryl should have hope, to which Daryl replies "[Faith] sure as hell didn't so nothing for your father," upsetting Beth. The two find a plant with blood on it, and Daryl states that it is human blood. They continue down to railroad tracks, where they find a pile of dead bodies, including those of Molly and Luke.

"Claimed"
Daryl does not appear in this episode.

"Still"
Beth and Daryl make their way out of the woods and come across a destroyed car. Walkers are heard coming from the trees and Daryl tells her to hide in the trunk. The next morning they get out, scavenge the car for anything useful and leave. Later, Daryl tries to shoot a squirrel with his crossbow, but it dodges at the last second and the arrow is destroyed when it hits a tree. He later kills, skins a rattlesnake and shares it with Beth. When Beth says she wants a drink, Daryl throws her a water bottle. She says that she wants some alcohol (due to her father not allowing it). Daryl ignores her and she goes off to find some on her own. After she lures several walkers away, Daryl finds her and brings her back to camp. Furious, Beth says that she wanted something to do and will find some alcohol, whether Daryl helps her or not. They make their way to a country club and Daryl looks for supplies while Beth goes to find some alcohol. Daryl hears a scuffle going on and sees her stab a walker. She sarcastically thanks him for the help, but he said she "had it under control." He is seen taking money in several rooms; when Beth asks why, he doesn't respond. The two later find the bar as well as a bottle of Peach Shnapps. While she looks for a glass, Daryl grabs some darts and throws them at a picture of the country club presidents. He hears Beth crying and he smashes the bottle of Schnapps, saying that it won't do for a first drink.

Daryl leads Beth to a shack he found with Michonne and brings out some moonshine from the back. He says that the house reminds him of the one that he grew up in with his parents and Merle. He pours Beth a drink and after some hesitation, she drinks it and pours one for him. After awhile, she teaches Daryl the drinking game 'I never' but accidently angers him, sending him into a rage and attracts a walker outside. After he haphazerdly shoots several arrows at the walker, Beth stabs it in the head and the two have a fight. After Beth continues to belittle Daryl for his cold and distant outlook since they left the Prison, he eventually breaks down and says everyone else is probably dead now because he stopped looking for the Governor with Michonne. He starts to cry, blaming himself for Hershel's death while Beth comforts him by hugging him from behind. That night, Daryl finally reveals what he was doing before the outbreak; he was a drifter and a junkie who traveled from place to place with Merle. Never having to care or look out for anyone but himself or his brother, Daryl had to learn by himself and never had anything given to him like Beth did in her life. Beth acknowledges that she doesn't have the skills necessary to survive like he does and that out of them all, he will most likely be "the last man standing." Daryl disagrees, saying that she's changed as well. Beth then says they both should burn the building down; Daryl goes inside, saying they need more booze. After emptying all the jugs of moonshine, Daryl hands her a book of matches. She lights the wad of money Daryl took earlier and they light the shack on fire. They flip it off, and as they leave the burning shack, Daryl smiles.

"Alone"
Daryl is first seen accompanying Beth as she uses his crossbow and practices her tracking skills, where she correctly deducts walker footprints and finds it feasting. Before she can silently kill it, she gets her foot caught in an animal trap, and alerts the walker. Beth fires the crossbow, but it doesn't pierce the brain, and she is saved by Daryl. Daryl takes her via piggyback to a nearby funeral home, where they first pay their respects to a "beloved father", which reminds her of Hershel, she then holds Daryl's hand. At the funeral home, Daryl and Beth find that the home is in a clean condition and that the shelves are stocked with foods which have no dust, and Daryl determines that someone else is using the funeral home for themselves. Daryl mistakes the ruckus at the funeral home's door for a stray dog that had approached him earlier, only to have a herd of walkers attempt to barge in. Daryl instructs Beth to run outside and meet him there, but she is kidnapped by an unknown party as Daryl sees their car driving off when he finally makes it out. Daryl gives chase after the vehicle, but eventually gives up and sits down near the railroad tracks. Joe and his group of marauders approach Daryl, who responds by punching Joe and aiming his crossbow at him. Joe says to Daryl if he kills him, his buddies will kill Daryl, saying it would be suicide and asks Daryl why hurt himself when he can hurt other people. Daryl and Joe introduce themselves.

Killed Victims
This list shows the victims Daryl has killed:
 * A few unnamed camp survivors of Atlanta (Before Reanimation)
 * Shawn Greene (Zombified) (Alongside his fellow survivors)
 * Arnold Greene (Zombified) (Alongside his fellow survivors)
 * Duncan (Zombified) (Alongside his fellow survivors)
 * Lacey (Zombified) (Alongside his fellow survivors)
 * Mr. Fischer (Zombified) (Alongside his fellow survivors)
 * Mrs. Fischer (Zombified) (Alongside his fellow survivors)
 * Greene farm inhabitants (Zombified)
 * Dale Horvath (Out of Mercy)
 * Merle Dixon (Zombified)
 * Greg (Zombified)
 * Patrick (Zombified)
 * Mitch Dolgen
 * Two unnamed Woodbury soldiers
 * One unnamed Woodbury soldier (Zombified)
 * Several unnamed Prison Newcomers (Zombified)
 * At least 5 unnamed members of The Governor's Militia
 * Numerous counts of zombies.

Relationships
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Merle Dixon
"I just want my brother back."

- Daryl to Merle.

Daryl was raised by his brother to share his beliefs. Merle was Daryl's biggest influence growing up, and was also apparently the only member of their family that paid any attention to him growing up. When the apocalypse broke out, Merle and Daryl worked together and easily survived. When Daryl found out in "Tell It to the Frogs", that Merle had been left for dead by the group, he became furious, even attacking T-Dog before Rick put a revolver against his head. After discovering Merle had escaped Daryl had no doubts his brother was still alive. Daryl was the only person during Season 2 who was interested in looking for his brother, and even had an hallucination about Merle in "Chupacabra". In the hallucination, however, Daryl expressed his own dislike of his brother and how Merle was never really there for him and how he lived in Merle's shadow. Although it did seem to be implied that the image of his brother tormenting him was the only thing to help him survive in such a broken down state, possibly a testament to tough love that Merle gave him, and his understanding of this is why he still cares for his brother.

After being captured in Woodbury, Daryl finally reunites with his brother in the arena. When Merle attacks him, Daryl feels betrayed and hurt at his brother's actions, but is then told it's a ruse and they both fight their way out and flee with Rick's group. Despite calling him an asshole for taunting Rick and siding with The Governor, Daryl's bond with his brother is still shown to be strong when Daryl refuses to go back to the prison without Merle and eventually leaves Rick and the others over their refusal to allow Merle to come back with them.

In the episode "Home", Daryl and Merle disagree on where to go. Daryl helps save a family from walkers on Yellow Jacket Creek. After the walkers are dealt with, Merle goes to raid the family's car, but Daryl holds his crossbow on Merle and tells him to let them go. Merle does this reluctantly. Afterwards they argue and Merle rips Daryl's shirt, showing scars the latter received from childhood beatings. For the first time, Merle looks horrified and claims he didn't know their father also beat him but Daryl claims that, since it happened to Merle and that he left at a young age, the former knew that their father would eventually start beating Daryl as well. Finally, Daryl says he is going back "where I belong". Merle tells Daryl that while the group will accept him, he won't be due to his previous actions in Woodbury but Daryl goes to leave anyway. Merle, not wanting to lose his brother again, reluctantly follows him. They both arrive at the prison and save Rick from walkers. When the gunfight is over, all three look into the prison's grassy grounds filled with walkers.

In the episode "This Sorrowful Life", Daryl is seen attempting to talk Glenn into forgiving Merle because he knows Merle is too proud to apologize. Later on he finds Merle in the generator room and the two talk about the plan to hand Michonne over. Merle says that the group needs someone like him to do their dirty work - a bad guy. He goes on to say that the group -sans Daryl- looks at him like he's the Devil. Daryl tries to convince Merle that he can't do things without people anymore. Merle comments on the way Daryl has changed, stating that he would've have called people acting as he does "sheep" before the apocalypse. Daryl then expresses his concern of his brother's own change, mentioning that above all, he just wants his brother back. Daryl being the only thing in the world that Merle cared for, in fear that Rick won't follow through with his plan to hand over Michonne to The Governor, decides to handle the situation himself. Showing how much he cared for Daryl's safety. Daryl later goes to track down his brother when Merle leaves with Michonne. Upon finding him reanimated as a walker, he breaks into tears. After shoving his brother back three times, all the while trying not to break down, he tackles Merle to the ground and stabs his head multiple times in rage. Daryl then breaks down crying over the loss of his older brother, showing just how much he cared for him.

Rick Grimes
"You're family, too."

- Daryl to Rick before leaving to track down Merle.

Daryl at first didn't share a liking towards Rick, as he was responsible for Merle being left behind in Atlanta. Rick and Daryl's relationship grows stronger in Season 2. This is noticeably seen when Daryl takes Rick's gun from him and shoots a dying Dale, as Rick can not bring himself to do it. When Rick's relationship with Shane grew more and more tense, Daryl started becoming his right hand man.

By the start of Season 3, Rick and Daryl have become very close and protect and help each other on multiple occasions. They are able to communicate very easily, not even needing words. After the death of Lori, Daryl helped take care of Judith and lead the group while Rick was mentally unavailable. Afterwards, Rick thanked him for what he did.

In "Made to Suffer", Daryl and Rick argue over Merle, Daryl stating he needs to see him. Rick asks him where his loyalties lie, Daryl confirming he is loyal to Rick. However, in "The Suicide King", when Rick does not allow Merle to join the group, Daryl leaves with Merle, telling Rick if Merle doesn't come back, neither does he.

After discovering that his brother was alive, Daryl's loyalty to Rick was tested, yet confirmed that he was still loyal to him as shown once he returned to the prison after shortly leaving with Merle. In "This Sorrowful Life", Daryl says to Rick "You're family, too." before leaving to track Michonne and Merle. This shows that he cares for Rick just as much as he does for his own brother. Daryl is clearly upset with Rick's decision to banish Carol, though it's unknown how much this has affected their relationship since their abrupt separation during the conflict at the prison. However, it is likely that Daryl still has a close relationship with Rick and cares for him as Rick is the very first survivor mentioned that could possibly be dead during Daryl's breakdown in "Still".

Lori Grimes
"Selfish? Listen to me Olive Oyl, I was out there lookin' for that little girl every single day! I took a bullet and an arrow in the process - don't you tell me about thinking of getting my hands dirty!"

- Daryl to Lori.

Daryl and Lori had rare interactions throughout the first 3 Seasons. In "Wildfire", when Daryl suggested that they kill Amy (dead and about to reanimate), Lori immediately shut him down. In "TS-19", Lori along with the others cheer with Daryl when giving their respects to Jenner. At the beginning of Season 2, Lori seemed to have come to respect Daryl - once again, their interactions were rare. Lori was shown to be concerned for Daryl's injuries as she tried to have Rick convince Hershel to let them stay at the farm. After the barn massacre, Lori and Daryl were the ones to come to Carol's comfort. Afterwards, Lori asked Daryl to go into town to search for Rick and Glenn in which he declined, resulting in Lori calling him 'selfish'. As of Season 3, the entire group had come closer - when the group cleared the prison yard from walkers, Daryl and Lori were seen smiling at each other in relief. Once the group learned of Lori's death, Daryl could be seen looking down in sorrow as Rick mourned in front of everyone. In the aftermath of Lori's death, Daryl had become somewhat fond of Carl and Judith, showing that he cared nonetheless.

Carl Grimes
"Hey, don't you worry about your old man. I'm gonna keep my eye on him."

- Daryl tells Carl not to worry about Rick.

Carl and Daryl didn't get along well during their time in Atlanta and the campsite, but as time goes on they have established a brotherly like bond. After the death of Lori, Daryl consoled Carl when even his own father would not. He shared a story on how he lost his own mother, to try and get Carl to open up, and they exchanged their sorrows. Daryl has repeatedly looked out for Carl since the loss of Lori and has acknowledged that he is a tough kid.

Judith Grimes
"Nope, no way, not her. We ain't losing nobody else, I'm going on a run!"

- Daryl telling Hershel that he's going to get Judith formula.

Daryl is apparently fond of her, which is why he nicknamed her, "Little Ass-Kicker." Judith reveals a soft spot in Daryl, as witnessed by the way he preciously handled the baby and fed her formula. In "The Suicide King" when Daryl leaves, he tells Rick to look after "Little Ass-Kicker," showing that despite him leaving, he still cares about her. Later when Beth and Carol are putting her down, the box has "Lil' Ass-Kicker" written on the side. It is believed Daryl wrote this. Also, Beth tells Carol that Judith would be dead if it wasn't for Daryl because he refused to lose anyone else and personally went out to find formula so she would live.

Glenn Rhee
"You've got some balls for a Chinaman."

- Daryl to Glenn.

Glenn and Daryl didn't get along well during their time in Atlanta and the campsite, but as time goes on they have established a good friendship. At first, Daryl had a more racist view of Glenn, calling him a "Chinaman" while looking for the bag of guns and also calling him Short Round (The Chinese character from Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom). Daryl has grown out of his prejudice stage and has accepted Glenn for who he is and proved it by having Glenn come with him to search for Randall and praises Glenn's skills after he kills a zombified Randall. Although Daryl cracks about Glenn's driving, Daryl and Glenn get along real well and they have made quite a team. Daryl was impressed of Glenn's recovery from the flu, and praises him, saying that he is a tough son of a bitch.

Andrea
"I don’t know if I want to live...or if I have to or if it’s just a habit."

- Andrea in response to Daryl's question.

Andrea and Daryl initially didn't get along well during their time in Atlanta and the campsite, but as time goes on they have established a good friendship. In Save the Last One, Andrea decides to join Daryl in a midnight search for Sophia. During their walk in the woods they discuss Sophia's chances, and come across a suicide victim by hanging. Though the suicide worked, it didn't prevent reanimation and the man now hangs helplessly in the tree as a walker. Daryl asks Andrea if she wishes to continue on living. She bargains with Daryl that she will answer his question if he puts the suspended walker out of its misery. Andrea mistakes Daryl for a walker and shoots him in the head, though luckily for Daryl, the bullet only grazes his head. Though Andrea is mortified that she almost killed Daryl, it may prove to be only a minor setback to her growing confidence. Andrea apologizes to Daryl for shooting him and he forgives her. Daryl comforted Andrea in her last moments and was shown to be depressed when she committed suicide.

Carol Peletier
"Daryl has his code... The world needs men like that."

- Carol to Beth discussing Daryl.

A close bond began to develop between the two during Season 2 as Daryl risked his life by going out in the woods to search for Sophia. After Daryl gets injured by accidentally getting shot by Andrea, Carol brings him food and even gives him a kiss on the forehead as an act of thankfulness. She later tells Daryl that he did more for Sophia than her own father, Ed, ever did, and that he is just as good of a person as Rick and Shane. Their relationship becomes strained after the events during the barn massacre and Sophia's revelation as a walker, with Daryl becoming rude towards Carol. However, he soon apologizes to her, and even rescues her from zombies on his motorcycle during the barn invasion in the Season 2 Finale. In the Season 3 premiere, "Seed", Carol brings Daryl some food and they begin talking. While they converse, Carol rubs her shoulder uncomfortably, and Daryl asks "What's wrong?" She replies she had used a rifle, and that she wasn't used to the kickback. Daryl then gently massages her shoulder, but stops after realizing how this might seem. Carol starts to jokingly flirt with Daryl, but he denies the offer and they both laugh. Additionally, in Season 3, in the episode "Hounded", Daryl goes to look for Carol, who has been presumed dead, after finding her knife stuck in a zombie. Daryl finds Carol in an empty cell and proceeds to carry her back to the safety of the group. This likely strengthened their relationship. In the return of Season 3, "The Suicide King" Daryl leaves the group with his brother, Merle, and when word comes back to the other members of the group, Carol is saddened at the loss, but is later happy of Daryl's return.

Sophia Peletier
"You want a lesson in tracking or you want to find that girl and get our ass of that interstate?"

- Daryl to Rick about Sophia.

Daryl and Sophia didn't get along well during their time in Atlanta and the campsite, though Daryl cares for her and does whatever he can to protect her. A quick glance is shown to be exchanged between Daryl and Sophia in Season 2. It is assumed that perhaps Sophia had something against Daryl, showing she looked a little angry when she looked at him. However, in the very same episode, when Sophia runs into the woods, trying to escape walkers, Daryl is the one who looks for her the most, from that point, till the episode of her demise in "Pretty Much Dead Already". In season three, after thinking he lost Carol, Daryl goes on a run for baby formula with Maggie Greene. They find a nursery, and while searching for formula, Daryl comes across a wall covered with cut-out paper hearts, with children's names on each one of them. One of which, reads "Sofie". Daryl is shown to be saddened when he sees this. Perhaps it is because it reminds him of not only Sophia, the little lost girl, who he failed to find, but also, her mother, Carol, who, at that point he thought was dead, along with her daughter.

T-Dog
"Good idea. Maybe you'll see your chupacabra up there, too."

- T-Dog to Daryl.

T-Dog and Daryl initially didn't get along well due to the fact that T-Dog was partly responsible for abandoning Merle in Atlanta. At first, Daryl threatens to kill T-Dog numerous times during their time in Atlanta and the campsite. At some point, Daryl forgives T-Dog and eventually saves his life when he is attacked by a walker. The two would later form a strong friendship as they both become Rick's right-hand men and the main defenders of the group. Daryl was saddened when he finds T-Dog's devoured body, and has a silent moment for his former companion.

Dale Horvath
"Sorry, brother..."

- Daryl to Dale before he mercy kills him.

Daryl and Dale initially didn't get along well during their time in Atlanta and the campsite, but as time goes on they have established a good friendship. When the group wanted Randall dead, Dale approached Daryl, and asked Daryl where he stands. Daryl asks if Carol sent him but Dale explains that it's not only her that's concerned about him, or his new role in the group. Daryl said that the group was already broken and that he was better off by himself. Dale asks Daryl to stand with him anyway, but Daryl won't because he believes his opinion won't matter and he knows that Rick only listens to Shane. He also mentions about how Shane killed Otis and how he didn't believe Shane's story because he came back with a dead man's gun, this leaves Dale shocked that Daryl seems disinterested at the fact Shane is a killer. When Dale was attacked by a walker, Daryl runs to the scene and saves him by killing the walker. Unfortunately, the walker had already ripped open Dale's stomach. Daryl calls for help and tries to comfort Dale in his last moments. When Hershel said that Dale couldn't be saved, a depressed Daryl takes Rick's gun and shoots Dale in the head to end his suffering.

Jim
"You go looking for aspirin, do what you need to do. Someone needs to have some balls to take care of this damn problem!"

- Daryl attempting to kill Jim.

Daryl and Jim didn't get along well during their time in Atlanta and the campsite. When the group realise that Jim was bitten, Daryl attempts to kill him to prevent reanimation, but refrains from doing so when Rick points his gun at his head. Daryl usually complains that a bitten Jim is slowing them down and that he needs to be killed. Despite this, Daryl was saddened when the group left Jim to reanimate, showing that he cared for him.

Hershel Greene
"You're a tough son of a bitch."

- Daryl to Hershel.

Daryl was grateful towards Hershel for letting him and the group stay at his farm, and tries to help him out whenever he can. The two came at odds when the group discovered that Hershel had been hoarding his undead family and neighbours in his barn thinking they could be cured. Hershel forgives Daryl for participating in the barn shootout, and lets him stay on the farm. During their time at the prison, Daryl and Hershel have formed a strong friendship and hold a lot of respect towards each other. Daryl values Hershel's medical skills while the latter admires his hunting skills. Daryl was impressed by Hershel, who managed to save the sick prison residents, and tells him that he is a tough son of a bitch. After Hershel was decapitated by the governor, Daryl mercilessly fired at The Governor's Militia, enraged over the death of his friend.

Maggie Greene
"Say bye to your pops for me."

- Daryl to Maggie before leaving.

Maggie was at first shy and quiet around Daryl. As time goes on, Maggie warms up to Daryl and gathers enough courage to talk with him. Maggie forgives Daryl for participating in the barn shootout, and lets him stay on the farm. During their time at the prison, Daryl and Maggie have formed a strong friendship and hold a lot of respect towards each other. The two went on a supply run for Judith, and seemingly bonded with one another. After learning that Maggie was captured, Daryl willingly risked his life to save her. Maggie was angry and saddened of Daryl's decision to leave the group with Merle, but forgave him afterwards and was happy of his decision to return. Before the governor's second asault on the prison, Daryl hands Maggie a rifle and tells her to be ready.

Beth Greene
"The Governor rolled right up to our gates, maybe if I wouldn't have stopped looking, maybe because I gave up, that's on me. Your dad, maybe I could have done something."

- Daryl to Beth during his breakdown.

Daryl and Beth are good friends. Beth was at first shy around Daryl. As time goes on, Beth respects him and his leadership, and willingly stands with him in his decisions. Beth has also warmed up to Daryl and gathered enough courage to talk with him. Following Lori's death, Daryl pulls Beth aside and asks her to watch over Carl and comfort him. Daryl acknowledges Beth's ability to handle Judith and Carl. Beth was also angry at Daryl when he left the group and felt that they are weak without him, but Carol says that this world needs more men like Daryl who has his own code. She has since forgiven him due to his decision to return to the Prison (with Merle). After spending months with him, they became even closer and Daryl thought of her as his own family.

Daryl tells Beth about the death of her boyfriend, Zach, hugging her as she learns the news. Later, when the prison falls, Beth, cut off from most of the others, flees with Daryl. Beth tries to encourage Daryl to track the other survivors who fled the prison, but he seems reluctant to. Beth goes out to track by her self, but Daryl soon follows her. When Beth tells Daryl to keep hope alive, he tells her "Hope didn't do shit for your father." Beth looks hurt and angered by this comment, but she knows that Daryl didn't mean to upset her. Beth is soon attacked by a walker, but Daryl manages to pull it off her, Beth then stabs it in the head. A little later, Beth breaks down in tears, Daryl looks back at her, but doesn't say anything. Beth begins to show aggravation towards Daryl due to his lack of emotion since the events that transpired at the second prison attack. Daryl eventually begins to show emotion as he breaks down and cries when he realizes that he could kill The Governor and saved Hershel, and Beth embraces him. By the end of Still, they are on much better terms as they confide personal stories with each other about their families.

On episode 13, Alone (TV Series), Beth and Daryl are more comfortable together. Daryl teaches her to track and shoot a crossbow without being forceful. When Beth gets her ankle caught and twists it, Daryl lets her ride on his back. When they get to the funeral home and see a grave that Beth looks upset about, Daryl gets flowers and puts it atop the grave. Beth grabs his hand, showing that she's much more comfortable around him, and he does the same, without resisting. When Beth sings later, he merely tells her to keep singing. Later on, when he is carrying her to the kitchen, she seems happy. They eat and Beth leaves a thank-you note, causing Daryl to say they could just stay there and negotiate with the people living there. Beth asks him why he changed his mind about thinking that there weren't any good people left, and after she figures out that he was implying that it was because of her, walkers attack. Daryl fights his way out to Beth, only to find a car driving away and her bag in the ground. He chases after the car for hours, and finally collapses to the ground after a while. It was told that she was the only thing that kept him motivated and going.

Michonne
"Nice rock you got there, Daryl. Brings out the color of your eyes."

- Michonne to Daryl about the rock he found.

Daryl was at first wary of Michonne, but eventually he and Michonne have established a friendly relationship following the Woodbury residents moving into the prison. Michonne often jokes around with him, such as when she joked to Hershel that Daryl had given her fleas. Daryl was also the person who convinced Michonne to end her search for the Governor, saying that the trail had gone cold. Daryl has also indicated he would have gladly helped Michonne look for him, but Daryl believes the prison group needs Michonne around. Michonne comments on the rock Daryl found, and says that it brings out the color of his eyes.

Axel
"We liked him. He was one of us."

- Daryl to Andrea about Axel.

Daryl was initially distrustful towards Axel and the other prisoners, and threatened to kill them if they turn out to be bad people. When Axel weeped and begged for his life, Daryl was sympathetic towards him, and spared his life. Later on, Axel offers to repair Daryl's motorbike for him. When the prison alarm sounds, Daryl enlists Axel to help him, and Axel eagerly complies in order to gain Rick's trust. Daryl eventually comes to trust Axel, and accepts him as a member of the group. Daryl was shocked and saddened of Axel's death, and said that he was one of them.

Oscar
"You know, end of the day, relaxing."

- Oscar to Daryl about the slippers he found.

Daryl was initially distrustful towards Oscar and the other prisoners, and threatened to kill them if they turn out to be bad people. Daryl eventually comes to trust Oscar, and accepts him as a member of the group. When the prison alarm sounds, Daryl enlists Oscar to help him, and Oscar eagerly complies in order to gain Rick's trust. The two inspect The Tombs for walkers where they come across a pair of slippers. Oscar happily grabs the slippers, and Daryl asks why he needs them. Oscar jokingly states that he needs them to relax, bonding them. Daryl was shocked and saddened of Oscar's death, and mourned his former companion.

Bob Stookey
"You take one sip before those meds get in our people, I will beat your ass into the ground."

- Daryl to Bob.

Bob was found by Daryl before the start of Season 4. Though not much interaction between them is shown, Daryl saves his life, only for Zach to get killed instead. After a huge number of prison inhabitants became sick, Daryl brings him, Tyreese, and Michonne to look for medical supplies, even though he contemplates that he would be a liability. Bob also talked about his past with two other groups with Daryl, implying he is comfortable with the latter. When Daryl finds out that Bob took the booze, he gets angry with him, and said he should have kept walking when Daryl came across him. Tyreese tells Daryl to let it go, and Daryl tells Bob that he will beat his ass into the ground if he drinks the booze before they return with the medicine. During the Governor's attack, Daryl gives Bob an assault rifle and asks if he's good, showing that Daryl has forgiven him.

Caleb Subramanian
"What's up, Dr. S?"

- Daryl greeting Caleb.

Daryl was friendly and caring towards Caleb, and got along with each other well. During their time at the prison, Daryl encountered Caleb and welcomed him to join the prison. During breakfast, Daryl and Caleb warmly greet each other. Daryl seems to view Caleb's medical skills as a valuable asset, and brings him to inspect prison residents who have died from the flu and was impressed by Caleb's explanations.

Zach
"Ok, I think I got it this time... I've been trying to guess what Daryl did before the turn. Yeah, I've been pacing myself. One shot a day. Well, the way you're at the prison, you being on the council, you being able to track, you're helping people, but you're still being kind of... surly. Big swing here. Homicide cop."

- Zach, guessing Daryl's occupation.

Zach and Daryl were good friends and often joked around with each other. Zach looks up to Daryl to some extent, and tries to guess what he did before the apocalypse. Throughout the supply run, Zach assists Daryl with killing walkers. Daryl was upset of Zach's death, stating that he was a good friend and that he is tired of losing people.

Patrick
"Permission to shake your hand, sir?"

- Patrick to Daryl.

Patrick looked up to Daryl as the hero of the group, and was "honored" to shake his hand when the group was eating breakfast in the morning. He refers to him as "sir" or "Mr. Dixon", and directly told him that he was thankful for bringing back food for the group, viewing it as "a real treat". Before shaking hands with Patrick, Daryl playfully licks his fingers and shakes hands with Patrick, who didn't mind at all. When Daryl found out that Patrick had succumbed to the flu, he was saddened.

The Governor
"I'll tell you what. Next time you see Philip, you tell him I'm gonna take his other eye."

- Daryl to Andrea about Philip.

Daryl didn't have many chances to talk to Philip in person, though it was shown that he severely holds a grudge against him. Daryl hated Philip for killing Axel and Merle, and stated to Michonne that he would help her track down Philip in revenge for what he did to the group. When Philip returned to attack the Prison with Martinez's former camp, Rick attempted to negotiate with him, but The Governor was blinded with anger and killed Hershel. This action sparked nothing but vicious firing from Daryl and the others in which Daryl mercilessly kills many members of Philip's militia.

Milton Mamet
"Uh, you know, I'm sorry. I don't feel like I need to explain myself to the henchmen."

- Milton telling Daryl off.

Daryl and Milton did not get along well during their brief meeting. While The Governor and Rick were discussing inside, Daryl stated that he should join them, to which Milton replied that the two should have a private discussion. Annoyed, Daryl addresses Milton as The Governor's butler, which results in Milton telling Daryl off. Daryl angrily tells Milton to watch his mouth and almost starts a fight with him. Despite this, Milton cares for Daryl and his group, and tries his best to convince The Governor not to kill them.

Caesar Martinez
"Pussy."

- Caesar insulting Daryl.

When Daryl and Martinez first met each other, they were hostile towards each other and even insulted each other, with Daryl calling Martinez a douchebag and Martinez calling Daryl a pussy. The two of them tried showing off to see who is the better zombie killer. After that, Daryl and Martinez talk about the war between The Prison and Woodbury and how there is no avoiding it. Daryl finds cigarettes in a dead walker's pocket and offers one to Martinez, though Martinez says he prefers Menthols, he accepts Daryl's offer and the two share a slight bond. }}

Appearances
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Season 4

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Trivia

 * Daryl is one of the many new characters introduced in the TV Series that do not appear in the Comic Series.
 * Daryl's signature weapon is the Horton Scout 125 HD Crossbow.
 * In Season 3, he switched to the 380 Stryker crossbow, which was retrieved from Morgan's stash. He can first be seen with it in "Arrow on the Doorpost". Originally, this new crossbow was planned on being introduced in Season 4.
 * Daryl stars in The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct released in March 2013. The game serves as a prequel to the show and shows his backstory.
 * Daryl won IGN's "Best TV Hero" of 2012.
 * He possesses a red bandanna that he holds in his back pocket. It was given to him by Anna Turner in The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct.
 * Daryl has never been out of Georgia.