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With numerous characters introduced over the past 15 years, The Walking Dead franchise has seen some notable pairings emerge. With those duos also comes the occasional ship, where fans advocate and fantasize about two characters becoming romantically involved with one another. 

The Walking Dead ships are pretty much categorized into three different types. Some ships were born out of pure fun and silliness, with the realistic knowledge that they'd never see the light of day, such as Rick Grimes and Negan. Others had more solid ground to stand on that eventually materialized on the screen, like Rick and Michonne, and Glenn and Maggie. Then there are very few that could go either way: it could work if it happened, but it's also okay if the ship never sailed. The top spot for the latter category of The Walking Dead ships belongs to Daryl Dixon and Carol Peletier, a.k.a. "Caryl."

Daryl and Carol's friendship is one of the most profound that The Walking Dead has developed over the course of the flagship series and the spinoff, 

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. What makes it even more special is that it's not something derived from the comics; Daryl doesn't exist in the comics, and Carol dies very soon in the graphic novel series. The bond that Carol and Daryl grow is purely a television experience that naturally arose from the writing and the chemistry between the actors, Melissa McBride and Norman Reedus. But many fans see that chemistry as more than platonic, so much so that they've rejected any love interests the characters have had, and more to the extreme, any friendships they've built with the opposite gender. For Carol to finally have another shot at love with Antonio might not sit well with Caryl fans. But it's the kind of infatuation that Carol needs at this point in her life.

Why The Walking Dead Has Never Sailed the Carol and Daryl Ship

While Daryl and Carol have been around since Season 1 of the flagship series, shipping of the characters didn't start until Season 2, when they began to interact more. The pairing grew popular because of Daryl and Carol's opposite personalities, yet their natural magnetism towards one another. They both came from abusive backgrounds that they were able to escape through the apocalypse, being two of the few characters who actually benefited from the world coming to an end. Over the series, they became each other's closest companion. They shared things with one another that they didn't with other people, because only Daryl and Carol could understand the trauma and losses they'd had to overcome.

Seasons 3 and 4 saw a little bit of flirtation between Carol and Daryl, more on Carol's part than Daryl's. A romance between them seemed like a very plausible thing to happen, bringing Daryl out of his shell and giving Carol a happy, safe relationship she didn't have with her husband. But the possibility of that happening faded over time. Carol fell in love with and married Ezekiel, sharing a son with him. Daryl seemingly wasn't the relationship type until he was romantically linked to Leah and Isabelle, each for short periods. When Carol and Daryl pursued other relationships, they were still each other's rock. Nothing can tear them apart at their worst moments, even when the world tests them at every angle.

The Walking Dead has had every chance to officially make Daryl and Carol a couple, but it never has because it doesn't need to. They are proof that men and women can have friendships that are stronger than marriages. Watching platonic soulmates grow together for 15 years is a rare gift on television. Becoming romantically involved would never ruin the history Daryl and Carol have together, but it also wouldn't add much more to what they've already built. If anything, it would imply that close friendships between the opposite gender are almost always meant to end in romance, and that doesn't need to be the case.

Antonio Is a Different Kind of Partner Carol Needs Right Now

The Walking Dead was always good at allowing characters to build dynamics with more than one person, solidifying how much people need different kinds of relationships in their lives. As said before, more intense Caryl shippers have often abhorred the idea of Daryl growing close to other women, and Carol with other men, but more of the former. It often led to hateful rhetoric towards characters like Connie, who was an instrumental person in Daryl's story for the last seasons of the flagship series. But time and again, 

The Walking Dead has shown that it has other interests outside of getting Daryl and Carol together.

In Season 3, Episode 6, Antonio finally makes a move on Carol after the build-up and tension since meeting in the third season's second episode. The show's preference for Carol and Antonio as a romantic couple over Carol and Daryl has maybe revealed why the franchise has never sealed the deal with the latter: perhaps Daryl is simply not Carol's type. Though her marriage to Ezekiel didn't last, it was the healthiest one she ever had, and Antonio shares a lot of qualities with him. Carol likes to be swept off her feet by a theatrical man who is a bit artsy and worldly, and passionate about their interests. Daryl really isn't much of that, which is okay for who he is. But that's what Carol appears to be attracted to.

After spending an entire season revisiting her grief over her daughter's death, the thing Carol needs the most is a fresh start. Doing that means getting out of her comfort zone by initiating something special with Antonio. Will the relationship between them last? It might, but it almost might not. But is Carol not allowed to have a little fun and explore new relationships outside the one she has with Daryl? Antonio reminds Carol of the person she was before the apocalypse, unable to stand up for herself out of fear of the consequences. In their specific dynamic, Carol is the knight in shining armor who encourages him to do what's right. It's new, and it's different for Carol, as well as for fans who've wanted her to find a love interest since her marriage to Ezekiel fizzled on 

The Walking Dead. What she has with Antonio might not be what she has with Daryl, but that doesn't make it any less meaningless, and vice versa. Continue reading