Walking Dead: Leah’s Decision Solves Daryl’s TWD Spinoff Dilemma

Leah finally decides where her loyalties lie in The Walking Dead season 11, and that decision paves the way for Daryl and Carol’s spinoff.

Caution: spoilers ahead for The Walking Dead season 11

Daryl Dixon was facing a major dilemma ahead of his forthcoming The Walking Dead spinoff but, thanks to Leah, he doesn’t any longer. The Walking Dead season 11, currently airing on AMC, is confirmed as the final run of the main series that premiered back in 2010. The Walking Dead as a franchise, however, will live on. Aside from Fear The Walking Dead, numerous spinoffs are currently in various stages of planning, and one of these stars Norman Reedus’ Daryl alongside Melissa McBride’s Carol Peletier – two of the last remaining Walking Dead originals.

Taking place after The Walking Dead season 11, the mere existence of a Daryl & Carol spinoff proves the pair will, for reasons unknown, splinter from Alexandria (assuming there’s anyone left to splinter from). Reedus and McBride’s characters have discussed running away together several times before in The Walking Dead, so their departures wouldn’t come as a total shock. Alas, season 10’s introduction of Leah dumped a stumbling block in their path. Leah and Daryl nearly settled down between The Walking Dead seasons 10 & 11, and when she returned as a member of the Reapers, a second chance at love presented itself. But how could Daryl and Leah live happily together if Daryl and Carol have a spinoff to make?

Related: Why The Walking Dead Killed Off Pope Already

The Walking Dead season 11’s “For Blood” provides the answer, leaving Daryl a clear road toward spinoff freedom. Since “joining” the Reapers, Daryl has been biding his time, waiting to convince Leah that Pope is bad news, and she should come live with him in Alexandria instead. Biting the bullet, Daryl makes his move in “For Blood,” and things look promising when Leah kills Pope before calling off the Reaper attack. Unfortunately for Daryl, Leah agreed with ditching Pope, but not so much the “move to Alexandria and live happily ever after” part. She chooses to remain with her family, the Reapers, as their new leader, and continues the assault on Daryl’s people.

Leah’s choice firmly nixes any lingering hope of romance between the pair. No more leafy cabin nights by the fire, no more shared custody of Dog, and no chance of future resolution as Leah pelts Daryl’s friends with a hail of firecracker arrows. Laryl is over for good, and while that’s a tough pill to swallow for Dixon himself, it’s positive news for his spinoff with Carol. If The Walking Dead‘s Leah storyline hadn’t been resolved, her ghost would’ve hung over Daryl’s new show, leaving viewers constantly wondering when she’d return. And if Leah had followed Daryl back to Alexandria, the entire premise of his future spinoff would’ve come under threat. “For Blood” gives The Walking Dead‘s Daryl and Leah storyline a definitive ending, without tying Lynn Collins’ character to Daryl Dixon’s future.

Though Leah might’ve made way, Daryl and Carol’s series faces a second hurdle – the recent return of Connie. Before her sudden cave-in disappearance, Connie and Daryl were heading toward a romantic entanglement, and with Leah out of the picture, those embers could burn once more. But while Leah’s plan to settle down in the woods jeopardized Daryl’s future on the road with Carol, Connie is a fellow tracker who could feasibly join their spinoff shenanigans. Daryl could still find love in The Walking Dead after all.

More: The Walking Dead’s Negan Kill Recreates Jesus’ Death

The Walking Dead season 11 part 2 premieres on February 20, 2022 on AMC and one week early on AMC+.

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