WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Walking Dead Season 10, Episode 21, “Diverged,” which aired Sunday on AMC.
Season 10 of The Walking Dead has been a rollercoaster for Carol and Daryl that devolved from them making friendship bracelets in a heartwarming scene to barely speaking. Although the duo has previously referred to each other as “best friends,” their relationship has been strained since their fight in Season 10C, Episode 18, “Find Me.” The latest episode, “Diverged,” has done little to clear up the current status of their friendship.
Since the cave-in that killed Connie (at least to the group’s knowledge), Daryl has struggled to forgive Carol. After her adopted son’s death in Season 9, Episode 15, “The Calm Before,” Carol became obsessed with killing Alpha as revenge. While Carol coped with her grief, Daryl stayed by her side and comforted her after she romantically split from Ezekiel. Although Carol and Daryl were in a good place in early Season 10, Carol’s preoccupation with vengeance ultimately drove a wedge between the two of them.
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Daryl repeatedly warned Carol to think of the group’s greater good and not her vendetta against Alpha. Though he offered emotional support — it wasn’t enough for Carol. She continued to put herself in danger and take stimulants to stay awake, pushing her body and mind to the limit. While Daryl initially appeared to forgive Carol, Episode 18, “Find Me,” proved he hadn’t. In their argument, Daryl blames Carol for Connie’s unnecessary death and tells her he’s sick of this self-destructive pattern because she never knows when to stop.
While Episode 21, “Diverge,” does little to move The Walking Dead‘s overall plot forward, it showcases how Carol and Daryl individually deal with their fallout. The episode begins with the duo coming to a fork in the road and going separate ways, metaphorically highlighting their current relationship status. After, it’s clear Carol is very upset — perhaps even more than Daryl — about how things were left between the two of them and confesses that she misses him. While “Diverged” concludes with Carol and Daryl reuniting, their uncharacteristically awkward conversation does little to clarify where the two stand. The strain may result from guilt, but it may also suggest Daryl has yet to forgive Carol, and she knows it.
When preparing for the battle at Hilltop against the Whisperers earlier in Season 10, Carol asked Daryl not to hate her for Connie’s death, to which he responded, “I’m never gonna hate you.” Despite this reassurance, Walking Dead fans have not seen the fan-favorite pair this at odds before. Since the early years of The Walking Dead, Carol and Daryl have shared an unbreakable bond. While the two have had disagreements in the past, the fight in “Find Me” was jarring and puts them in a place far from what audiences expect to see in the confirmed Carol/Daryl spin-off.
Season 10 brought more depth to the characters by diving into emotional territory. Carol deals with the aftermath of Henry’s death, and Daryl processes the loss of Connie and Leah, his first onscreen love interest. The result: Carol and Daryl were put at odds and forced to navigate some pretty dark moments. While Jerry assures her, “A friend is somebody who thinks you’re perfect even if everyone else thinks you’re broken,” Carol questions whether she really is broken, and maybe her “best friend just realized it a whole lot later than everyone else did.”
Overall, “Diverged” depicts an underconfident, guilt-ridden side of Carol, one that fears Daryl won’t be able to forgive her this time. While it’s clear Carol wants to “fix what she broke,” as she repeatedly states throughout the episode, Daryl’s feelings aren’t quite as obvious. With only one episode left in Season 10C, it’s still unknown how much resolution fans will get regarding Carol and Daryl’s relationship status. But, as of right now, it’s clear they’re struggling.
The Walking Dead stars Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, Lauren Cohan, Josh McDermitt, Christian Serratos, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Seth Gilliam, Ross Marquand, Khary Payton and Cooper Andrews. The series airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on AMC and is available to stream early on AMC+.
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