Caution: spoilers ahead for Daryl Dixon episode 6.

Daryl Dixon's season 1 finale makes the romantic endeavors of its titular character even more confusing, and the smoke and mirrors is beginning to look like a deliberate The Walking Dead tactic. Alongside the Civic Republic Military, the disappearance of Heath, and the origin of The Walking Dead's zombie virus, Daryl Dixon's love life is one of the franchise's biggest mysteries. The Walking Dead has brought Daryl close to several female characters, but none of those nearly-trysts resulted in relationships. In most cases, The Walking Dead never even confirmed whether Daryl's interest was romantic or purely platonic.

A symbiotic relationship with Carol sparked huge speculation that "Caryl" would happen, but Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride's characters remain nothing more than close friends over 10 years later. A special bond with Beth triggered similar theories, although a creepy age gap always meant that pairing was impossible. Despite a whole season of hints, Daryl Dixon also never got together with Connie in The Walking Dead's ending. Even Leah was only a short-lived fling. Daryl Dixon episode 6 not only continues the subterfuge surrounding the wants of Daryl's heart, but makes this cloud of uncertainty seem deliberate on The Walking Dead's part.

Daryl Dixon Episode 6 Hints Daryl Has Been In Love - But With Whom?

In Daryl Dixon's season 1 ending, Laurent's disciples enjoy a brief spell of calm after shaking off Genet's Pouvoir troops and commandeering their own truck. Driving toward the Nest, Sylvie the nun directly asks Daryl whether he has ever been in love. This question alone is a momentous occasion in The Walking Dead history. Daryl's romantic feelings have seldom been addressed onscreen so explicitly, making Sylvie's prying an all-important moment. Frustratingly, Daryl completely ignores the question, then the camera quickly cuts away to Laurent and Isabelle in the back seats.

If Daryl had never been in love, he likely would have replied to Sylvie's curiosity with an aggressive "no" and maintained stony silence for the remainder of their journey. Averting the question suggests Daryl has indeed loved someone in the past, and this immediately raises questions over whom Daryl Dixon had feelings for. Leah seems unlikely, given how few tears Daryl cried after shooting her in the head. Daryl was already a grown adult when The Walking Dead began, so it is plausible that Daryl loved someone before the zombie apocalypse. Among The Walking Dead's characters, however, the most likely option is Connie.

The Walking Dead's ending teased the possibility of future passion between the couple. Daryl Dixon episode 5 then dropped a big hint suggesting Connie was still on Daryl's mind - and one of the major factors behind his burning desire to return home - when he was listing loved ones to Laurent and mentioned her before even Carol. Ultimately, Daryl's refusal to answer Sylvie, as well as how the scene immediately cuts away once the topic of romance is raised, implies that The Walking Dead delights in keeping Daryl's desires under wraps, and has no intention of giving him the same kind of relationship every other main character has experienced.

Daryl Dixon Season 1's Ending Doesn't Confirm If Daryl & Isabelle Will Get Together

Daryl and Sylvie's short conversation in the truck is not the episode's only proof that The Walking Dead is deliberately dancing around the topic of romance when it comes to Daryl Dixon. Predictably, Daryl Dixon season 1 created sexual tension between its male and female leads, but as the finale's end credits roll, audiences are left pondering whether the titular Daryl and Clémence Poésy's Isabelle genuinely have a romantic spark, or whether Daryl and the killer nun are just friends. Yet again, The Walking Dead is refusing to give any degree of closure to a Daryl Dixon love story.

Isabelle denied romantic involvement with Daryl after being asked in a prior episode by Sylvie, who is rapidly becoming the Lady Whistledown of The Walking Dead's universe. When Daryl has second thoughts about leaving France, however, his motivation to stay seems to extend beyond just Laurent. As Daryl cleans Isabelle's back in a tender scene at the Nest, Daryl Dixon episode 6 gives the distinct impression that a love story would inevitably unfold if given time. The Daryl and Isabelle issue may or may not be addressed by Daryl Dixon season 2, but season 1 leaves their status on an ambiguous note, continuing The Walking Dead's long-running tradition of inconclusive Daryl love interests.

Why The Walking Dead Won't Give Daryl A Proper Love Interest

Given how character romances are almost as common as disembodied limbs in The Walking Dead, the franchise's refusal to let Daryl have a relationship is certainly odd. Exactly why AMC's zombie universe treats Daryl differently remains unclear, but several factors could explain this eternal loneliness. Since The Walking Dead began, Daryl has prided himself on being a lone wolf. Very gradually, Daryl accepted Rick Grimes as a brother, Carol as a friend-soul mate, and numerous other found-family members such as Maggie and Aaron. Nevertheless, Daryl has always remained fiercely independent - even trekking off alone in The Walking Dead's ending.

The day Daryl Dixon finds love and settles down will likely be the day Daryl Dixon's The Walking Dead story ends. No more adventuring, solo excursions, or dangerous missions. The Walking Dead perhaps recognizes that Norman Reedus' character can only find love when the franchise no longer has a use for him. For as long as Daryl is required to serve as The Walking Dead's resident long ranger, venturing into the unknown wild to tackle jobs other survivors are now too domesticated to handle, he will remain free and single. Daryl getting married looks destined to be the final step of his The Walking Dead journey, whether that be to Connie, Daryl Dixon's Isabelle, or his own beloved motorcycle.