What positive Carylers are not:

What they are:

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion; not one has to agree on everything and it goes both ways. We should let people have their feeling’s without needing to insert our own. There’s enough toxicity in the world as it is. If you need to bolster your own opinion by putting someone else’s down, was yours really that strong?

Been watching Walking Dead for years, and took a Daryl spinoff to see Carol and Daryl as more than platonic soulmates. Reading what they are putting out it's gonna turn romantic real soon.

DARYL DIXON - THE BOOK OF CAROL 2.05 "Vouloir, C'est Pouvoir"

Apparently, no-one except dude-bros likes TWDCaryl/TBOC/Season 2 Daryl. I hate to burst that bubble for anyone who believes that, but it's simply not true. I'm not a dude-bro, and I like Daryl in season 2 of the spinoff, and from talking to other fans, I know that many other fans who aren't dude-bros also like him this season.

Are their differences in him from how he was on the main show? Yes, there are. But that isn't a bad thing, nor does it mean Daryl is out of character. For me, Daryl is not out of character, and the changes in him are realistic.

If you feel differently about Daryl this season, if you don't like this version of Daryl, that's entirely your right and is valid. But understand that we don't all feel the same way you feel and, as such, don't make sweeping statements such as "no-one likes..." that suggests that we do. Some fans see things the way you see them, while others see things how I see them, and I'm sure there's a spectrum of views in between. All are valid.

We should all be free to talk about how we feel and why and to say that we know some other people who have indicated they feel the same way we do. What we shouldn't be free to do is to make sweeping assumptions that everyone agrees with us and state that to be the case.

Welcome to the Demimonde. DARYL DIXON - THE BOOK OF CAROL 2.05 "Vouloir, C'est Pouvoir"

EPISODE 03 --

Isabelle (to Daryl): I love you.

Daryl: ...

_______

EPISODE 04 --

Carol (to Daryl): Isabelle loved you.

Daryl: ...

_______

EPISODE 05 --

Laurent (to Daryl): Isabelle loved you.

Daryl: ...

_______

And yet! People STILL have not gotten how obviously the show is driving it home that Daryl did NOT feel the same. Isabelle was just a part of the journey.

Lots of carylers are pretty happy with the spin-off and excited about S3 - while exercising their critical thinking skills and retaining their right to not agree with or like all they see on their screens.

GA is enjoying the show and tuning in to watch it on cable (let's be honest, the fandom is streaming, either pirating or VPN/subscribing to AMC+).

Neutral/anti-shippers are recognizing that the narrative is, at least, pointing that is possible that Carol and Daryl love each other romantically.

It's okay to feel happy and positive about it. It's okay to praise it and share your love about it. We waited very long for this moment. We are allowed to enjoy it without justifying our feelings every single time we voice them. I am allowed to enjoy it. So are you.

Protective!Supportive!Gentleman!DARYL DIXON with CAROL DARYL DIXON - THE BOOK OF CAROL 2.05 "Vouloir, C'est Pouvoir"

If they were walking down a sidewalk next to a busy street, Daryl would take the side closest to the street.

Unpopular opinion...

But Zabel is revealing himself to be a very, very good showrunner. He's tying all the knots from S1 on S2 in a very satisfying way to me and all the big arc themes (aka choosing hope and faith - in all its aspects, not only religious faith, finding purpose within itself, bonding and loving people you wouldn't meet on normal life circumstances, no possibility of growth without change, taking true responsibility for your actions) that were there from day one are still important and reflected on. I love how he took the time to give every single OC character enough background story that we can understand why they are the way they are. Sometimes it's talked about (Codron and Losang), sometimes we get flashbacks (Isa and Genet), sometimes it's told with visual clues (Jacinta and Fallou). All the OC scenes, so far, have been so, so good to me. I love all the French cast and I love that their characters are respected and given time to shine. Also, Zabel said that every character arc serves Carol and Daryl's story, which is exactly what I'm getting. Even when these other characters are interacting with each other and Carol/Daryl are not on sight, their scenes have underlying caryl meanings. No scene is wasted and I don't even remember the last time I said something like this about any of the TWDU shows. I have no trouble saying that Zabel gave me no reasons so far to no trust his process to get Carol and Daryl where they want and need to be - emotionally and psychologically - so that we can have a romantic happy ending for them. I wanted to watch a compelling story where caryl is the heart of it but not the single focus and he gave me that. I truly appreciate him for taking care of all the elements, themes and characters he gave us in S1 so that everything have a fitting ending (not necessarily wanted by us, the audience, but fitting nonetheless) in S2. God knows Gimple would never. All I need is a title change for S3/S4 but that's on AMC. Let's see what the future holds. I remain confident that it is caryl.

Do you know what it means to not believe in God? Everything is pointless, no great beyond to thank or pray to. You lose hope and you got nothing but your shaky legs to pull you up. Do you know what it means to lose everything you ever cared for? For most of your life it was just rusty metal parts and people who spoke of peace as if it was a dirty word. A caress that echoed like a slap, the sting of leather on your back.

And then there she is. On the other side of the Atlantic, saving you again and again and again as if you're worth it. You, who denounced her like Peter did to Christ not because you don't love her but because you always thought that a rotten thing like you was doomed to never hold something blooming like her.

You found something in France. Yes, you did; like a castaway on a deserted island. You thought you were born to follow and for the first time you got to lead; not pretending to be something. That you're not; a weapon and an open wound at the same time. You saw a boy who never knew of pain and thought that if you kept him pure then maybe a part of you would heal.

And still, you didn't believe in God.

It only took her again to raise your eyes and thank the invisible. You forget about the blood in your hands, the next battle, the ghosts in your head. She is the miracle, you would fall to your knees for. And she is there, not in a dream but in front of you. A body to hug, a hand to hold, a shirt to grab on to. Real. She is bones and blood and a pumping heart.

No, you never believed in God and you don't think you'll ever will; but if this life has taught you something, if you believe in one thing, then it's her. It's always going to be her.

Carol.

This is a beautiful way to express what I have felt about Carol and Daryl and faith. I don't even know that they would call it God. But I feel they both will know that Someone or Something has always been guiding their steps to one another.

"What, you'll end up like me? Is that what you're afraid of?"

"No. No, I ain't afraid of that."

The way they looked at each other.

And Daryl was totally going to say something else, before Theo called them over.

#reasons are everywhere [insp. by DawnGlen] DARYL DIXON - THE BOOK OF CAROL 1.01 L'ame Perdue // 2.04 Le Paradis Pour Toi

It's difficult to have an informed discussion for a TV show if you refuse to watch said TV show. Maybe don't solely base your opinions on the opinions of others, and your thoughts and ideas would carry more weight.

There's no better advice than this. And not only for keeping up with some media or another but for everything in life: buying a house, seeking a romantic relationship with someone, making up your mind about politics or religion, choosing a career, making financial investments, deciding on if you want kids and why and how, maintaining a relationship with difficult family members. Making informed decisions require tons of informations, dedicated time to reflect on them and rationalization of feelings (feelings are important, they need to be accepted as such and heard but they should not run rampant and dictate your life).

Listening and considering other's opinions and inputs are part of a decision process, but they can't be your only source of information or you're destined to make decisions for your own life (which will lead to consequences, emotional and practical, good or bad, that you and only you be responsible to manage) based on other's thoughts instead of your own.

So...be curious about life! Watch the damn thing your invested on, even if it's not perfect, even if it's only to talk badly about it with elements to back you up. Study, learn new things, seek knowledge. Read philosophy and poetry and go visit a museum or an art exhibition. Talk respectfully with people that have radically different points of views of your own, you may learn a thing or two about your own biased views. Challenge yourself! Do therapy, if you have the time and money to invest on it. Allow yourself to feel discomfort and displeasure, things don't have to be nice or good all the time. You don't have to be nice or good all the time. You're certainly not right all the time. Making informed decisions is hard and a forever learning processes but it's worth the work. And if you still fuck up, own it and view it as a learning experience. You'll do better next time.

PS: Real life Lola is a licensed psychotherapist with a 10+ year career.

"That this was happening when I thought you were coming back... what's going on? [...] I don't know you anymore." - Melissa McBride

I have thoughts about this, and how this might be actually something to look forward to in season 3, so ramblings after the jump...

Yes to all of this. I am hoping we get to allow Daryl to explore more if his savior complex and how he can realize that his "losing" people is not his fault.