‘The Walking Dead’: Fans React to Episode 913

The Walking Dead on Sunday pit Daryl (Norman Reedus) against Beta (Ryan Hurst) while defending [...]

By Cameron Bonomolo

The Walking Dead on Sunday pit Daryl (Norman Reedus) against Beta (Ryan Hurst) while defending Lydia (Cassady McClincy) against the Whisperers, a rescue mission that resulted in Daryl, Connie (Lauren Ridloff), and Henry (Matt Lintz) fleeing to Alexandria for refuge.

"I think, for Daryl, he knows that in some ways the pragmatic choice, the 'smart' choice is to wash his hands of this girl. Obviously, the Whisperers want her back, it's causing problems," showrunner Angela Kang told EW.

"We've seen that he does have some sympathy for her. Both of them being survivors of abuse, he gets the stuff that she's been through in life, his heart does go out to her. The part of Daryl that's really empathetic, and that especially can be very protective of young people, and women — all of those buttons are being pushed, but he's trying to push that away."

Though Kang didn't comment on a budding romance between Daryl and Connie — the currently platonic pairing has since officially been dubbed 'Donnie' amid calls for the dynamic to turn romantic — the writer-producer did say Connie plays an important role for Daryl.

"I think Connie really acts as a voice of his conscience in a way, the things that she's saying, 'We have friends, and she doesn't,'" Kang said.

"That's something that gets to him, just the things that he hears Henry say, knowing that Henry is Carol's child, and knowing that if this is really important to him too…. He just is caught in between what is strategic and what emotionally he feels is probably the right thing to do."

Though Daryl's initially hesitant protection of Lydia has resulted in the group's being hunted by Beta and the Whisperers, he knows it was the right thing to do, as evidenced through a conversation with Judith "Little Ass-Kicker" Grimes (Cailey Fleming).

"Daryl is a person who really acts strongly on emotion. His heart is often moved to do things, whether for good, or sometimes it leads him into directions of what we call feral Daryl, where his anger can take over," Kang explained.

"I think by the end of everything that happens this episode, there have been enough things and enough people saying the right things, that he realizes he's gotta do what is actually the right thing. The thing he wants to do, but knows is going to be dangerous and hard. But I think ultimately that's the kind of person that he is, and that's where he lands by the end of the episode."

The Walking Dead next airs 914, 'Scars,' Sunday at 9/8c on AMC.

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