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It was an emotional scene at the New York Comic Con 2024 panel for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. For the first time in years, fans got an exclusive look at the long-awaited reunion of the titular Daryl and his best pal, Carol Peletier, whose friendship was one of the strongest in the original Walking Dead series. And it wasn't just fans that got teary at the moment - so did the actors on stage.

In case you weren't aware, Carol and Daryl's reunion had been pointed toward since the earliest moments of Daryl's 2023 Walking Dead spinoff. However, it took ten episodes across two seasons for them to actually be in the same scene together, a wait time that, according to Daryl Dixon himself, was worth it. 

"I feel like we got it right," Norman Reedus told the audience after an exclusive screening of the reunion episode, "I'll tell you why." 

Reedus began by recounting where season 2, episode 4 find his character. That is, as a prisoner Union de L'Espoir, a group of fanatical French believers that think Daryl is part of a Messianic prophesy. After Daryl challenges their intentions, the cult lock him up, and for a moment in that episode, it appears as though Daryl's only option is to die fighting.

"We took Daryl at a moment where he's locked in jail," Reedus explains, "Everything he's fought for, he can hear it behind him in the jail cell, he's lost. He's at his lowest moment; everything's gone. He's in a frame of mind where he's just like, 'Fuck it.' [...] And then, boom. The one person…"

Reedus paused, choked up at the idea of what happens next. That is, Carol finally finds him, saving him from the death he was certain he would face.

"I watch that," Reedus said, "And I tear up. The one person in the world that he needs is right there. It's hard for me to watch that and not tear up a little bit, as corny as that sounds."

Melissa McBride, who plays Carol and was also in attendance, also visibly teared up on the panel.

"The thing about that relationship," Reedus continues, "When we started the show, it was about Rick [Grimes]. It was about Rick's journey, and everyone around Rick. But these two characters, [...] they were always bonded. They both come from a place of abuse; they just always had each other's back. So when you see them on screen now, it's earned. It's not two actors playing the part - it's for real. It's that Bond that's so strong and you can feel it it's real."

Reedus passed the mic to McBride saying, "Before I start, crying you talk."

"Norman and I don't do a lot of rehearsing," McBride concluded, "Or talking about things that we're going to do. We just show up as the characters knowing where we are in the story and letting things happen as we shoot. That's what I love about working with [Reedus], you never know what you're going to get. It's always so fun and wonderful and surprising. [To Reedus] Thank you."

The Walking Dead *sniff* Daryl Dixon is streaming *sob* on Netflix now.

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