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Daryl Dixon is one of the main protagonists and survivors of the zombie apocalypse in The Walking Dead. He is the 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 her husband and daughter, Daryl has developed an intimate bond with fellow survivor, Carol Peletier.
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Overview
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 blue.
Daryl is often volatile and 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.
Daryl is also shown to have multiple scars on his back after his brother ripped his shirt in a heated argument, hinting that their father beat them both rather severely. Both boys had a very hard life and really grew up facing hardship with no moral support. As time goes on everyone has to survive and become hard just as these two boys have already done. There will be no moral compass at times and this will bring all of them together in order to survive. Daryl has learned this from the others and Merle will see how they have changed. They have become hard to survive and they also have become a family that has to take care of their own.
Pre-Apocalypse
North Georgia
Daryl and Merle lived within the mountains of North Georgia, under the roof of their neglectful parents; their father being an alcoholic and abusive 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 (under age 18). 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.
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 dry 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 is still in use by Daryl.
Post-Apocalypse
Survival Instinct
It has been confirmed that The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct will deal with Daryl and Merle before the events of Season 1.
Season 1
"Tell It to the Frogs"
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. Daryl appears out of the woods, on the trail of a deer 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, Rick and the others break the news that Merle was insane and a threat back in the city, so he was left behind, prompting Daryl to snap. Rick and Shane restrain him as T-Dog reassures Daryl that Merle is okay, as he had locked the roof door shut before fleeing the city. Daryl heads back into the city to rescue his brother with Rick, T-Dog, and Glenn. 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.
"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, 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 Glenn retrieves the guns, another survivor, Miguel, runs into Daryl from the back of the same 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 the gate in the alley to prevent the walkers from crowding the alley. Daryl throws Miguel against the wall, in which Rick restrains him. Later Daryl threatens Miguel and shows him Merle's hand, bluffing and threatening that it was an enemy of his. Daryl, T-Dog and Rick then enter the gang's hideout and since the negotiations failed, threats of bloodshed are issued before an elderly woman enters the room and they find out the truth behind the gang.
Daryl and his crew return to the camp just as walkers attack. Despite the high number of casualties, Daryl and the rest of the survivors are able to kill all of the invading walkers.
"Wildfire"
The next morning Daryl helps in the clean up 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 him, demanding that the dead be buried properly. Daryl hesitates but eventually agrees. 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, Daryl wants to take him out but is stopped by Rick. After the funeral and parting ways with Morales' family, Daryl and the group head to the Center for Disease Control. 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. Daryl and the survivors reach the C.D.C. complex to find it locked, but the doors open at the last minute.
"TS-19"
Daryl and the rest of his group are admitted into the C.D.C. by Dr. 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 TS-19 and Dr. Jenner's work, and the fall of the C.D.C.'s infrastructure. After Dr. Jenner reveals the purpose of the countdown timer and shuts the control room's door, he is enraged and tries break through the metal door that traps everyone. He is about to swing an axe at the scientist's head, but is restrained as the others try to convince Jenner to open the door. As the survivors finally get Edwin 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. He drives off in his pick up truck, away from the complex as the ruins burn.
Season 2
"What Lies Ahead"
During their excursion to Fort Benning, the group are 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 ferret 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 "You're right. 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.
Season 3
"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 suggest 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 gates 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 approaches 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. On foot, 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 on 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 sits in his cell, when Carol comes in 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 back 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 run with Carl and Michonne. Daryl volunteers, but Rick insists he stays behind to take care of things and keep an eye on Merle.
"Arrow on the Doorpost"
Daryl is seen talking to Caesar 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.
Killed Victims
This list shows the victims Daryl has killed:
- Background Survivors (Before Reanimation)
- Greene Farm inhabitants (Zombified)
- Dale Horvath (Out of Mercy)
- Unnamed Woodbury Survivor 4
- Unnamed Woodbury Survivor 8
- Numerous counts of zombies.
Relationships
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Merle Dixon
| “ | No him, no me.
―Daryl telling Rick that if he stays in the group, Merle also stays.[src]
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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. 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.
Rick Grimes
| “ | I know what you did for me, for my baby while I was...working things out. Thank you.
―Rick thanking Daryl for taking care of his newborn daughter.[src]
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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.
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.
Carol Peletier
| “ | It's pretty romantic...wanna screw around?
―Carol joking with Daryl about starting a romantic involvement.[src]
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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.
Judith Grimes
| “ | Nope, Not her. We ain't losing anyone else. I'm going for a run.
―Daryl telling Hershel that he's going to get Judith formula.[src]
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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.
Caesar Martinez
| “ | Pussy.
―Caesar calling Daryl a "Pussy".[src]
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When the two first meet, they were hostile toward each other. When walkers arrive, they try showing off to see who is the better zombie killer. When that is done, the two talk about the war and how there is no avoiding it. Martinez mentions his wife and kids as well. The two share a smoke and have a slight bond.
Ed Peletier
Daryl and Ed had little to no interaction at all, but Daryl nearly plunged his pick-ax into Ed's corpse after his death at the hands of walkers. Upon Carol taking his ax and performing the deed herself, he could be seen as almost shocked and horrified as she released her anger from years of abuse onto his corpse.
Appearances
Trivia
- 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 be seen with it in the sneak peek for "Arrow on the Doorpost". Originally, this new crossbow was planned on being introduced next Season.
- Daryl drives his brother Merle's motorcycle and keeps Merle's stash of drugs (both legal and illegal) in case they are needed.
- In the episode "Chupacabra," it is stated that Daryl was raised by Merle to share his beliefs. According to Michael Rooker in The Talking Dead, his appearance for Merle in the episode was as Daryl's subconscious stating his true beliefs
- Daryl does appear to have some prejudices, though nowhere near as many as Merle. For example, he called Glenn "Short Round," after the Korean character from Indiana Jones, due to Glenn's race.
- He is also very resourceful and appears to be willing to use anything at his disposal to survive. For example, in Season 2, he ate a raw squirrel to appease his hunger while he struggled to escape from the ravine he fell into. He also fashioned a tourniquet out of his clothing to help support the bolt that had pierced his abdominal area, and when being attacked by two zombies he efficiently removed the bolt piercing his side and used it to dispatch one of the attacking walkers. He also created more bolts from wood to replace the lost ones.
- Daryl is an expert hunter, with knowledge in tracking as seen when they are searching for Sophia. He was able to track fading footprints and had amazing accuracy. He has also proven to be an apt tracker in the dark, as seen in "Better Angels," where all he needed was a flashlight.
- Daryl is one of three people to fall victim to friendly fire, the first being Carl, and the second being Otis.
- Daryl is the second person to receive medical care from Hershel Greene, the first being Carl Grimes after he was accidentally shot by Otis, the third being Randall after his leg was impaled on a railing spike, the fourth being his daughter Beth after she tried to commit suicide, and the fifth being Michonne after being shot in the thigh by Merle.
- Daryl is the fourth person to kill a living character, the others being Shane, Rick, and Hershel.
- In The Talking Dead, following the episode "Judge, Jury, Executioner," director Greg Nicotero admits he had planned the final scene between Daryl and Randall, showing the latter bound and gagged, appear as though Daryl was about to stab the young man himself. This was cut down as the attack on Dale caused Daryl to leave Randall tied up in the barn so that he could check on his friend.
- His maturity is expanded after the fate of Sophia is revealed. This is shown best when he steps up to the role of a suffering Dale's executioner when Rick could not.
- This made him the titular role of Executioner of Randall's fate, while Rick was the Judge and the group was the jury.
- With Shane and T-Dog's deaths, Daryl has completely filled the role of Rick's right-hand man, similarly to how Tyreese did in the Comic Series.
- Daryl stars in the new Video Game currently under development by Terminal Reality.
- The motorcycle that Daryl drives around bears the German Waffen SS logo.
- Both Daryl and Mark wear a jacket with angel wings, and both have been pierced by an arrow.
- Daryl seems to be good with babies as he was the only one who could calm down Judith after crying all day.
- Daryl is the first archer introduced in the TV Series and the only one from the Atlanta survivors. The others, Shupert and Haley, were introduced in Woodbury.
- Daryl appears to have knowledge of Native American culture and history, as he has knowledge concerning the Cherokee Rose that he gave to Carol and the flower's past.
- Despite the fact that Merle and Daryl have been in every season so far (up to season 3), as well as the fact they are brothers, the first time they are actually seen together in person is in the 8th episode of Season 3, "Made to Suffer." They appear together in Season 2's "Chupacabra," but this is a hallucination, dreamt up by Daryl.
- Daryl is the only person to survive a gunshot to the head in the TV Series, along with Chase in the Webisodes and Andrea and Carl in the Comic Series.
- The gun Andrea shot Daryl with was likely his brother's sniper rifle that was shown in "Guts".
- Daryl won IGN's "Best TV Hero" of 2012. [1]
- It is revealed in the episode "Home" that both Daryl and Merle have had traumatic childhoods and were both abused by their father.
- Norman Reedus mentioned that he had originally asked for Daryl to have a dog in Season 3, but his request was denied by Glen Mazzara. However, he was granted a new crossbow instead. </ref>(SPOILERS) The Making of Episode 313 Arrow on the Doorpost: Inside The Walking Dead Youtube "AMC" (March 10, 2013)</ref>
- Like his brother, Daryl calls others with the names he makes up for himself.
- Glenn Rhee (Chinaman, Short-round)
- Lori Grimes (Olive Oyl)
- Judith Grimes (Little Ass Kicker)
- Michonne (The Last Samurai)
- Milton Mamet (Butler)
- Dale Horvath (Old Man)
- Jim (Jimbo)
- Jimmy (Jackass)
- Caesar Martinez (Douchebag)
- Daryl is seen to be very proficient with most types of weapons, genuine or contemporary.
- A great example is in the episode "Arrow on the Doorpost", when he shows off to Caesar Martinez that he can kill a zombie by throwing a knife at its head at medium range.
References
- ↑ Best of 2012 IGN (December 2012)