When the spin-off The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon launched last year, Norman Reedus was the only familiar face from the zombie universe to make his way through France. That recently changed with season 2, which also sent Melissa McBride as Carol into the fight against French undead. But their big reunion almost looked completely different.
Warning, spoilers:
The Walking Dead brings Daryl and Carol back together, but their reunion was planned differently
Fans had to wait until the 4th episode of season 2 before the two The Walking Dead veterans were reunited in the middle of the battle on Mont-Saint-Michel. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, lead actor Norman Reedus recently revealed that the touching reunion was initially planned differently:
Originally it was written differently that she finds me in prison. And we talked about changing it.
Norman Reedus wanted a different version that ended in an emotional bang:
I wanted the emotions to be different. Not just, ‘Oh, she finds me and I’m weak.’ I wanted it to start off weak, and then he comes out and turns into a killing machine – and then there’s a moment where it goes completely quiet. Everything goes on around us, but the sound goes out and it’s like… ‘Is this real? You’re standing right in front of me.’ So we worked on that.
In fact, at the beginning of the sequence, Daryl is locked in a cell. However, when raging super zombies and soldiers of the villain Madame Genet storm the hideout, a frightened guard lets him out. Daryl then kills one undead one after the other until Carol suddenly stands in front of him on the battlefield and time stands still for a moment. Melissa McBride also prefers this version:
It’s a different world, and the thought that she actually made it. He’s right in front of her face! He’s right there, after everything it took to get there. It was beautiful, touching and sweet. And then it goes straight back into the action. I think I like this version a lot more than the other. “I hate looking like a hero”: Norman Reedus is not happy with a Daryl moment
In the end, Norman Reedus is not completely satisfied. Specifically, the moment right before meeting Carol again bothers him. When a guard escapes from a zombie in Daryl’s cell, the guard holds up his chained arm. A cool moment that portrays Daryl as a savior in an emergency – and was used against the star’s wishes.
I hate looking like a hero. I don’t mind if I’m the hero; I just don’t want to know that I’m the hero. So I thought, ‘I don’t know if this is going to work.’ According to Norman Reedus, several versions of the scene were filmed. Reluctantly and for the sake of showrunner David Zabel, it was heroic variant only filmed once – and that was ultimately chosen for the episode. Luckily there is no bad blood. The Daryl star is insightful with a wink: “I saw it and thought, ‘Okay, everyone loves it, so I must have been wrong’“
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The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon continues: Season 3 comes with big changes
The finale of the 2nd season of the Daryl series can be seen in this country on Magenta TV from November 4th, 2024. But it doesn’t end there: The Walking Dead spin-off continues with season 3 next year. But this no longer takes place in France, but sends Daryl and Carol to Spain.