6. The Guardian Angel Has Flown Above It All
Daryl Dixon has been the groups guardian angel for the past few seasons, and hes stepping up to that role once again. Hes even got the wings attached to his jacket to prove it. In impossible situations, Daryl has been the knight in redneck armour; with his crossbow and knife in hand, hes an untouchable walker slayer. At this point, it would be out of character for Daryl to have even an ounce of difficulty facing a herd of walkers. Daryl is clearly one of the few characters to leave the prison on a regular basis. However, because of his status as primary walker slayer, these scenes outside the prison are set up to be scenes torn from an adventure-action movie. Its Daryl against the world and nothing is going to stop him. These scenes are entertaining, but very limiting. Daryl cuts and shoots his way to the objective, untouched and unharmed. We need some flaws or conflicts in our fearless protector, or hes going to become an agent of deus ex machina. Endless herd of walkers? Thats nothing Daryl cant handle! In previous seasons, Daryls been grounded in everyday struggles; he didn't soar above the group. His concern for Sophia and his loyalty to Merle gave him an Achilles heel. He exhibited desperation trying to find Sophia and he struggled having Merle as a devil on his shoulder. With Sophia long gone and Merle unavailable to question Daryls place in the group, Daryls heel is flawless and hes sprinting past the walkers. Hes gone from guardian angel to guardian god. Hes much more captivating, however, when hes grounded in his own flaws, fears, and realities. I hope this isn't forgotten.