The Walking Dead: Norman Reedus Explains Why Daryl Lied To Carol

WARNING: Major spoilers ahead for the latest episode of The Walking Dead!

Shippers of Daryl and Carol were all over social media tonight, as the two characters were finally reunited. Folks have wanted the two to form a relationship since the early episodes of the series, but Daryl’s actions tonight may dampen the chances of something ever happening.

After Carol asked Daryl what happened to the rest of the group, he lied to her. He chose to tell her that everyone was fine, and that they made a deal with The Saviors, instead of revealing that Glenn and Abraham had died.

Why did he do it?

In an interview with EW, Norman Reedus explained exactly what was going through Daryl’s mind, and why he chose to keep everything a secret.

“Because she needs to hear that. She’s going through her own thing and there’s a reason why she separated herself and doesn’t want to be a killer anymore. And she’s losing herself, and I think Daryl realizes that. It’s a very selfless act. He tells her what she needs to hear to keep going. He does it for her.”

This makes the decision to lie go from being very selfish, to very self-less. The actor then went on to explain, in a little more detail, why the lie was what Carol needed.

“I think she can totally handle it. It’s just not what she needs. Everyone’s path is their individual path, and she needs to be away from it because she’s losing herself and that world, when your whole life is changed and your whole world is changed and the dynamics have changed, and you start to lose yourself — then what’s the point, you know? So I think that he realizes that she needs to hold on to something. She’s been working towards it and it’s been hard for her, and he sees how hard it is for her to even make the choice to do what she’s doing now. And selflessly, he tells her what she needs to hear because he cares about her and doesn’t want to drag her into something that she doesn’t want to be a part of.”

MORE THE WALKING DEAD:

Will Carol And Daryl Reunite? / Next Week’s Preview Released / Will Rick Lose His Hand? / Tom Payne Reveals Jesus’ Sexuality

The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9 pm ET on AMC. For complete coverage and insider info all season long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter.