His dad was a drunken moonshining redneck - guessed that.
He lived in a craphole - guessed that.
He didn’t do anything but follow Merle around and get high and get into fistfights - guessed that.
He had to look after himself since he was a boy since his family of origin was crap - knew that.
He’s closed off emotionally and doesn’t show his feelings - super-duh.
The writers have been writing Daryl as exactly this person since Day One, then they thought any of this would be revelations to us? They do know that we follow the show and pay attention, right?
ETA: I realize the request was aimed at Motorgirl - I’m just throwing my two cents in again.
Lots of things we guessed about Daryl that turned out to be right, but this is the first time I can recall that he talked about himself and gave an indication how he feels about who he used to be.
Their conversation seems to be meant as a turning point for both characters. A little ham handed, but I found it interesting nevertheless.
This episode was a good idea, just not executed well. Teenage girls aren’t interesting in general, and Beth is basically a background character, so pairing her up with Daryl should’ve made it easier to flesh her out since they contrast so much. The problem is, for me, Beth may as well be a brown paper bag with a smiley face on it. She can sing, I guess? She’s a farmer’s daughter? She’s shy? She was more outspoken and recognized she’s kinda useless, but eh. There were a couple good scenes but not enough to carry a whole episode. It felt like 15 minutes of plot stretched out to 45.
Knew as soon as they stepped on the golf course someone would brain a zombie with a golf club. That’s a requirement.
I was bewildered when Beth drank the moonshine like water. That acting and directing, wow. Just smelling it should’ve knocked her on her ass. And Daryl got crazy drunk before she did. Does she even weigh more than a hundred pounds? That was just silly.
Daryl hasn’t made a move to hook up with Carol, Michonne, or Beth. Guess they’ll never address that. I was waiting for Beth to make a blatant come on, then he lets her down gently and acts all responsible. But no, the virginal girl wants to get drunk before she dies and nothing else? Sure, let’s go with that.
I feel like I missed a lot of the details in the country club since the episode couldn’t hold my attention.
What was written on the hanged zombies?
Also, on Talking Dead they treated it (What did Darryl do before?)like a huge question that had been floating around the show since the beginning…Was that really a thing before this episode?
You don’t find diamondback rattlesnakes in that part of the state.
To get real nitpicky, they’re filming in my neck of the woods & I’ve never seen a rattlesnake of any description in all my 57 years. Copperheads are the venomous snakes to watch for in my area.
Actually, in this genre they subverted the cliche’. The cliche in a zombie/PA story is for the leader or most capable member to have had a mundane life beforehand (“I worked at Best Buy” “I sold copiers.”) and that it took the end of the world for the character to realize their full potential.
Michonne is the Walking Dead character to have the cliche.
Yeah, it could turn out he always wanted to be a botanist or something, but was bullied and dominated by his brother etc. That’s cliche too though, and there’d be complaints. It’s enough of a twist that deep down he’s really a nice guy and all that. Maybe he’s gay! :eek:
Well, I thought it was somewhat of a revelation when he broke down and sniveled a little, and Beth comforted him. It was easy for us to see what he was, but he wouldn’t talk about it.
It was only a Thing, I guess, because everyone was making up these interesting things for him to be — were you a cop? Were you in prison? —and turns out, no he was just your average lowlife, going nowhere. But when he realizes he is So Much More then we have progress, character development. Everyone knows how reliable he is. Now he will begin to believe he deserves their respect, really deserves it. rainbow The More you know rainbow
Anyway, I liked this episode. I haven’t disliked any of them. I’m happy to watch as they stumble around and wonder what I myself would do in any of the situations presented. (I would have spent more time trying on clothes.)
Maybe they’re saving Darryl for some woman he will meet in the future, instead of Michonne/Beth/Carol.
Maybe Darryl is gay. (I don’t think so, I don’t think they would go there.)
Therefore: I think Darryl is, what, maybe 35 on the show? If he’s spent his entire LIFE not working, or getting an education, or doing anything - except getting high and living a lowlife worshipful existence with his brother Meryl - maybe he just does not have the skillz to have a relationship with a woman (other than maybe crack 'hos he and Meryl might have hung out with.) Socially awkward. A dysfunctional background, a backwoods redneck dragged into society, such as it is, and forced to get along. A case of arrested development. A new, sober lifestyle. A feeling of shame over his wasted life, not wanting to get involved with a ‘decent woman’ - or even knowing how to! I think someone is going to come along and rock Darryl’s world in the future. Teach him how to be a fully developed social human being. I think since he settled into the show, he has discovered hidden depths to his character. I think he realizes he is worth something, he has skills, he can be useful, he can be a protector.
There’s nothing to do, nowhere to go, no sense of purpose or even any reason to continue living now that (for all they know) everyone they know and care about is dead. Finding alcohol wasn’t important, having something to do was. Cash is highly valuable for starting fires and using as toilet paper. They’ve already established using it for starting fires on the show. Newspaper covering the windows prevents walkers from seeing movement inside the place.
Yes, it was very much “a thing” before this episode, with other characters making a game of trying to guess what Daryl did for a living before the apocalypse.
