If anyone knows not to cross Carol, it's Daryl, but on Sunday's episode of The Walking Dead, he made a bold move in what he believes is her best interest. I'm still not sure whether it was the right thing to do in the moment. During a heartfelt reunion at the Kingdom, Daryl lied to Carol about the Saviors on The Walking Dead — or at least, withheld some important truths.
In short, Carol doesn't know that Glenn is dead, that Abraham is dead, or that Daryl was captured and tortured by the Saviors. Daryl gave her a different version of events in which the Saviors came to them, they struck a deal, and everyone is alright. I understand the reasoning behind the lie, and Morgan does too. While I hate it when characters lie to "protect" one another, I can sort of see why it might be necessary in these circumstances. He doesn't want to give Carol a reason to go back into the fight. The last time that Carol and Daryl saw each other, they buried Denise, and Carol was beginning to lose herself to her inner killer.
That said, Carol and Daryl have such a beautiful and rare bond on this series, and Daryl just took the first step in damaging it. It pains me to see these seeds of conflict between two of my favorite characters. Necessary or not, how is Daryl going to get himself out of this situation? Carol is bound to learn the truth eventually.
Is it worth it to protect individuals like that in a zombie apocalypse? Carol's sense of self, and perhaps her sanity, is at stake — not her life. She would absolutely be an asset in the fight against Negan. If I didn't believe that finding out she was lied to will ultimately do just as much damage, I would think that the way Daryl and Morgan want to help Carol in her journey to find peace was sweet. I just hope this relationship isn't hit too hard in the aftermath.
