The Walking Dead Season 8 episode 5 finally addressed the escalating tension between Daryl and Rick. The once-harmonious duo are at odds about phase three of their plan. We learn why Daryl doesn’t want anything to do with the next part of the strategy, but it’s still problematic to see him go against Rick. Nothing good can come of a rogue Daryl Dixon.
Here’s a brief synopsis if you need a refresher on last night’s The Walking Dead Season 8 episode. Negan and Father Gabriel were stuck together in a trailer for most of the time. Father Gabriel tried to reason with Negan, striking a nerve when he asked about his wives. We learned Negan had a “real” wife before the zombie apocalypse. He wasn’t faithful, and felt guilty about it once he learned she was sick. The conversation was enough to distract Negan, which allowed Father Gabriel to steal his gun and get him to spare his life.
Meanwhile, Rick and Daryl learned what happened to The Kingdom’s soldiers from the ammo truck driver heading back to The Sanctuary. Only three people escaped after the Kingdom was ambushed: Carol, Jerry and King Ezekiel. It’s a significant blow to Rick’s numbers. After learning the news, Daryl thinks it’s best they ditch the plan and take out Negan themselves. Rick says they need to go to the Junkyard and speak with Jadis once again. Remember, Jadis has already betrayed Rick once by striking a deal with Negan.
The decision to seek out Jadis again weighs on Daryl. He clearly doesn’t want to go back to the Junkyard. All Daryl wants is Negan dead and for the war to be over. But Rick sees a bigger picture. Negan dead doesn’t mean the conflict ends. There will always be a threat to their safety, especially since the walkers will never go away. It’s something they will have to live with for the foreseeable future. Rick knows he must unite people against Negan in order to keep the peace. Right now, the people of the Sanctuary see Negan as their symbol of hope. If Negan’s dead, they’ll revolt against Rick and his people, but if he can show them a better way of life then they have a better chance of survival.
But Daryl doesn’t see any of this. Rick wasn’t tortured by Negan, Daryl was. Daryl sees the man who caused him pain, who made him eat dog food and tried to turn him against his friends. Daryl sees Negan as pure evil, something Rick probably hasn’t really thought about since the fighting began. Daryl and Rick being at odds means there’s room for failure, which we saw immediately after their initial argument. While the two were beating each other up, the truck with ammunition caught fire and exploded. Had they kept clear heads, maybe they would’ve salvaged some weapons.
No good can come from Rick and Daryl parting ways. Rick needs all the support he can get and Daryl is dangerous without a moral compass. What do you think will happen between Rick and Daryl in The Walking Dead Season 8? Let us know in the comments below.
