The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 2, “The Book of Carol” premieres on September 29, picking up the adventure where the last season left off–in a post-apocalyptic France. This season will finally reunite Norman Reedus’s Daryl Dixon and Melissa McBride’s Carol Peletier for the first time since the original series ended. Back together again, Carol and Daryl’s friendship takes center stage in the latest installment of the dystopian franchise.

Carol’s inclusion in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon Season 2 opens the door for more cameos from the original series, but fans want more than minor appearances from their favorite characters. With a third and fourth season on their way, Daryl Dixon could become The Walking Dead‘s “team-up” show, featuring a partnership between Daryl and one other character each year. If the Book of Carol is meant to set up future team-ups, there is one character that fans most want to see Daryl reunite with. Season 3 of Daryl Dixon needs to be the Book of Rick.

Daryl Dixon Season 3 Needs to be “The Book of Rick”

Daryl Dixon and Rick Grimes Need to Reunite in Future Seasons of the Series

Trivia

The Walking Dead is originally based on the graphic novel series of the same name by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard.

Rick Grimes needs to reunite with Daryl Dixon in future seasons of the series. The two characters have one of the most compelling friendships in the entire Walking Dead franchise, going back to the show’s first season in 2010. The two survivors didn’t get off on the right foot, clashing over Rick’s decision to chain Daryl’s brother Merle to a rooftop and leave him behind during a walker infestation. Despite their rocky start, Daryl came to respect Rick and grew to become one of his most trusted lieutenants in the wars to come. Their relationship was a highlight of the series, even during its less popular seasons, making it all the more tragic when they were separated in Season 9. Rick’s departure broke many characters in The Walking Dead, but Daryl was never truly the same after he left. Future seasons of Daryl Dixon finally give the characters the chance to reunite.

Although Season 1 of Daryl Dixon largely ignored Rick Grimes, this was necessary in setting the premise of the spinoff series as its segment of The Walking Dead universe. Now, Season 2 can lay the groundwork for Rick and Daryl’s reunion. Previously, Carol hinted at Rick’s return, though she didn’t get the chance to share the news with Daryl before their radio connection was disrupted. With Carol now reuniting with Daryl, she can finally share the good news, setting up a future team-up between the two friends in Season 3. Whether a third season somehow brings Rick to France or Daryl finally returns to Alexandria, the next chapter in Daryl Dixon‘s story needs to follow his renewed relationship with his old friend and honorary brother, Rick Grimes.

Rick Drives the Entire Premise of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon

Daryl Was Looking for Rick When He Washed Ashore in France

Cast of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon — The Book of Carol

Character
Played By

Daryl Dixon
Norman Reedus

Carol Peletier
Melissa McBride

Isabelle Carriere
Clémence Posey

Laurent
Louis Puech Scigliuzzi

Stéphane Codron
Romain Levi

Dr. Lafleur
François Delaive

Although Rick has yet to appear in Daryl Dixon, his disappearance drives the entire show. After Rick disappeared in The Walking Dead Season 9, Daryl spent years searching for him, hoping to prove that he was still alive–or at least find his body to give his friends and family closure. However, Daryl’s trail went cold and he was left without any clues as to his friend’s whereabouts. His search brought him in contact with the group that would eventually betray him and bring him aboard a ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean. After overthrowing his captors, Daryl escaped the ship and washed ashore in France. Had it not been for Rick’s disappearance, Daryl would never have ended up in France for his spinoff series.

Unfortunately for Daryl, his search proved entirely fruitless. Not only did he fail to find Rick, but he wasn’t present when someone else did. During the events of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, Rick’s wife Michonne infiltrated the Civil Republic Military (CRM) and freed him from their grasp. After toppling the rising fascist regime within the military’s ranks, Rick and Michonne finally traveled home, where they were accepted into the Commonwealth and reunited with their children, Judith and RJ. Future seasons of Daryl Dixon need to remember what set Daryl out on his journey in the first place and finally bring him back home to reunite with Rick.

Fans Need to See Rick and Daryl Reunited

Rick and Daryl Have One of the Best Friendships in The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead Franchise

Series
Years
IMDb Rating

The Walking Dead
2010-2022
8.1/10
79%
Netflix

Fear the Walking Dead
2015-2023
6.8/10
73%

The Walking Dead: World Beyond
2020-2021
4.5/10
46%
AMC+

Tales of the Walking Dead
2022
5.9/10
74%

The Walking Dead: Dead City
2023-Present
7.1/10
80%

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon
2023-Present
7.6/10
79%
Netflix AMC+

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live
2024
7.9/10
88%
AMC+

About ten years passed between Rick’s disappearance in The Walking Dead and his return at the end of The Ones Who Live. As such, Rick and Daryl have plenty of things to catch each other up on. Since he last saw Daryl, Rick has lost a hand, become a leading commander in the CRM, and toppled the oppressive military to save the world. On the other hand, Daryl fought the Whisperers, overthrew the government of the Commonwealth, and crossed the ocean to fight similar dictators in France. It would be amazing to see these two characters reunite to swap stories again, marveling at just how far their adventures have taken them.

More importantly, fans simply yearn for the opportunity to see Andrew Lincoln and Norman Reedus share the screen again as their respective characters. The actors worked together for almost a decade, fostering a memorable off-screen friendship that perfectly mirrored their onscreen relationship. The chemistry between Lincoln and Reedus always elevated their scenes together, making for some of the most memorable moments of the show. Now that both actors have returned to their iconic Walking Dead roles, the time has come to put them together again, hopefully for more than just a single scene.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon can finally deliver the moment that fans have been waiting for by reuniting Daryl Dixon and Rick Grimes. After a decade apart, the characters need to finally come back together, finally completing The Walking Dead‘s long-running storyline of bringing Rick home. If fans are lucky, they may even witness many more adventures shared between Rick and Daryl, bringing them back to the old days of The Walking Dead.