Posted in: AMC, TV | Tagged: Daryl Dixon, the book of carol, The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead: Reedus, McBride on Daryl/Carol "Gut Punch" Goodbye

Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride look back at Daryl and Carol's "gut punch" goodbye during the series finale of AMC's The Walking Dead.

As we inch closer to the season premiere of AMC's Norman Reedus (Daryl) and Melissa McBride (Carol)-starring The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol, we're getting another chance to revisit the original series with the duo. For this go around, Reedus and McBride are checking out a moment from the series finale – November 2022's S11E24: "Rest in Peace" (directed by Greg Nicotero, with story by  Angela Kang and teleplay by Corey Reed & Jim Barnes). After jokingly reacting with disgust at the moment before Daryl leaves when the two exchange "I love you," Reedus shares how emotional it was filming those moments, with McBride sharing that both she and Carol felt "unsettled" in that scene, adding it was "one of the most emotional scenes" that she can remember doing. Reedus added that it was a time when the script and real life overlapped – with both of them sharing how the wind stopped during that "gut punch" (as McBride describes it) scene.

Here's a look at the clip of Reedus and McBride sharing their thoughts on the moment…

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol: What We Know…

"It was a little weird, but then again, it wasn't because both of our characters are very adaptive. It was kind of like riding a bike. We knew where she was, knew what she wanted, what she was trying to do. So that part was easy," McBride shared during an interview with EW about how it was surprisingly easier to get back into the swing of things than some would expect. That said, don't mistake McBride's words to mean that it's the same Carol we've come to know and love.

"She is determined. But it's a different type of fearlessness that's driven by her determination to find her friend — and also by the headspace that we find Carol in, which will be revealed." You know, that radio communication between the two did sound a bit concerning – but McBride wasn't offering more than that – but Reedus did drop this very interesting line: "There's a lot of action in season 2. There's a lot of business and a lot of very heartfelt moments. There's also a lot of hero stuff with Melissa. It's beautiful."

During the first season of AMC & AMC+'s The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, Daryl (Reedus) washes ashore in France and struggles to piece together how he got there and why. The series tracks his journey across a broken but resilient France as he hopes to find a way back home. As he makes the journey, though, the connections he forms along the way complicate his ultimate plan.

The new season picks up where the first season left off, following Daryl and Carol (McBride) as they both confront old demons while she fights to find her friend and he struggles with his decision to stay in France, causing tension at the Nest. Additionally, Genet's (Anne Charrier) movement builds momentum, setting Pouvoir on a violent collision course with the Union of Hope in the fight for France's future.

Looking ahead, Season Three tracks Carol and Daryl as they continue their journey towards home and the ones they love. As they struggle to find their way back, the path takes them farther astray, leading them through distant lands with ever-changing and unfamiliar conditions as they witness the various effects of the Walker apocalypse.

Eduardo Noriega (The Devil's Backbone, Vantage Point), Óscar Jaenada (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Hernán), and Alexandra Masangkay (The Platform, Valley of Shadows) will be joining the cast as series regulars for the third season. In addition, Candela Saitta (Máxima, Último primer día) and Hugo Arbués (Through My Window, Past Lies) are set for Season 3 in recurring roles.

The second season stars Reedus, McBride, Charrier, Clémence Poésy, Louis Puech Scigliuzzi, Laika Blanc Francard, Romain Levi & Eriq Ebouaney. Back in November 2023, we learned that Manish Dayal (The Resident) had been cast as Ash, an engineer from Boston who moved to the family weekend house in Maine after the onset of the apocalypse. Ash lives by a strict schedule based mostly around his daily flights in a retrofitted single-engine plane and mysterious visitations to his backyard greenhouse. Showrunner David Zabel, Scott M. Gimple, Greg Nicotero, Angela Kang, Brian Bockrath, Daniel Percival, Jason Richman, and Steve Squillante join Reedus & McBride as executive producers.

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