I am Strong

This post is jumping off the lovely anon that @twdmusicboxmystery​ answered this morning, which proposes that Beth and Daryl are already “symbolically married,” based on the events of “Alone.” I love this! I have always felt this way. From my perspective, “Alone” is a marriage allegory. It doesn’t appear in any clear order, but all the signs are there (you just have to know how to read them).

I want to note that perhaps a lot of this has already been said over the years, but I feel that TD and our ship are experiencing a bit of reinvigoration lately, and so I wanted to offer this as some illustration of Norman’s recent confession that Daryl had feelings for Beth, and what that means going forward. Anyway, this isn’t my longest theory ever, but it’s long enough to stick under a cut. I hope you like it!!

The Beginning

#bethyl

What the actual heck??? This is official Bethyl merchandise in 2026!

On the LAST day of filming for DDS4, Gimple made a rare post on Instagram.

Yes, I know that they have stopped minting the penny, but that happened the week BEFORE he posted this on, again, the LAST day of DD4 filming.

Check out the lyrics below.

As you can see, the post was liked by Emily!

A 2019 penny and a song by GREEN(E) Day.

Random, right?

That's NOT Gimple.

Read the chorus to this song:

It will be something unpredictable(except for us)

But in the end, it's right(it will be made right when she returns)

So, if he is being cryptic, he would have picked the 2019 on purpose. If 2019 is an episode code, here are some of the ways we could look at it:

Looking backward, 2x10 (2, 1+9)was the Beth suicide episode that Gimple wrote.

Looking forward, if we add all the numbers, it would be 12. Episode 12 of the Spain arc will be 4x5. I wrote about Zabel saying he planned both the France and Spain stories in 12 episode arcs. After the Spain arc, it is time for the Green(e)!Day arc? Maybe.

This coincides with the spoiler of Daryl being taken to the military hospital and wearing the hospital gown Norman posted pics of on Instagram.

Another way we could decifer this would be 2 plus 19 equals 21. Episode 21 of the spin-off would be 4x2. The episode Zabel has told us will include Codron's journey. I have thought since season 1 that Codron would, in some way, be involved in Beth's return.

A couple of other connections are Lincoln was shot in the head, and the US Mint, where the penny was made, is in Philadelphia (Civic Republic).

How many coincidences until it's not a coincidence at all?

Everything in this post is based on interviews and social media postings. I will be speculating based on what we know now, but those speculations are likely to change as we get more information.

I hope that some of these tidbits will inspire more TD research which could help us put this all together.

First, we have to take into account that it was NOT the original plan to end the series with season 4. They had planned to go on for more seasons. It seems to me that the original plan was for Beth to show up later.

I believe that Zabel was going to have seasons 5 and 6 in Morocco giving them a "Casablanca" feel just like he used the spaghetti westerns as a mood board for seasons 3 and 4. I don't think he planned to have Beth and Daryl reunite until season 5.

So, before the news that seasons 4 would be the last season of this "version", Zabel had already planned out a 12 episode Spain arc.

What will that mean for us?

I don't think we will get much of Daryl and Beth together in this show, but I think there is an excellent chance Beth will show up or, at the very least, there will be clues to her survival.

Why?

Here are some of the best clues/reasons to believe that Beth will be in Season 4:

We are still operating under the "Daryl deserves a happy ending" premise for this spin-off. They will need to pay that off in some way by the end.

Emily has been SO silent during this time frame on social media. This summer she posted about being in the studio recording new music and did a series in July on VEEPS. Starting in August, she pretty much radio silent with the exception of some posts which mostly coincided with known breaks in filming. She just posted this past week(I believe she wrapped filming at the end of last week) that she is back in the studio. This was after a FOUR month break in posted session. So, it seems like she has definitely been filming SOMETHING. The fact that she is coming out with a new TWD release after all these years, makes it more likely that she has been filming something TWD related. ** I think it possible that she has been filming something for a new Tales series or even something for DC.

The TIME FRAME is a huge clue. Even though there are more episodes, filming was by far the shortest of any season. Thanks to Eduardo, the actor who plays Antonio, we have an accurate filming timeline. 20 weeks, that's it. Simultaneously, there was more secrecy and interior filming than any other season. It indicates to me that there were multiple set filming simultaneously in Season 4. There could also be significant flashbacks.

Norman's comments while filming episodes 5-7 about Daryl "fighting for love" and wondering if he(Daryl) could have that(romantic love). Norman on the ending and Zabel on the Isabelle story:

Anyone saying Daryl's happy ending will not include romantic love has NOT been paying attention. They love to bring up Norman's last man standing ending, but neither AMC nor Norman would do that for decades. It's clear that this spin-off has been about letting go of past trauma in order to move forward into the life you want.

Let's get into it with what has been spoiled about the first five episodes.

Filming for season 4 started in mid-July. There was some filming at the end of May, but those were new/re shoots for season 3.

Most likely for Ep. 1:

Solaz del Mar is destroyed and no one was seen filming at this location again. My speculation is that the royalist respond to Daryl/Justina/Paz attack by destroying the town. Fede will be out to kill our group as a result.

Episode 2: According to Zabel:

Since season 1 of DD have been tracking Codron as a character that will in some way lead to Beth. I have done posts about it several times. Now that he is not only a mirror for Daryl, but a returning one-eyed prophet, we will need to pay careful attention. He maybe playing a combination Noah, Morgan, and Merle role in this season. I will spell that out more in a separate post.

Episodes 3 and 4: Filming at a bullring and defunct power plant of some kind.

End of July/Beginning of August:

The Spanish cast was not seen at this location. Only Codron, Carol, and Daryl.

End of August: Wild boars were reported on set(more pig symbolism there) filming for episode 4:

Seen filming: Daryl, Carol, Antonio, Justina, Roberto, and Codron

By mid-September we get this BTS picture indicating that Justina will be pregnant this season. Later spoilers indicate that there may be a time jump this seasons as Justina seems to give birth in ep. 7 or 8.

September 22: Somewhere around episode 4 and/or 5 they film at the Guggenheim Museum museum in Bilbao. Fede seems dies here and perhaps Roberto does too. They seemed to film around "Maman" and Amish Kapoor's "Tall Tree and the Eye".

I hope some of our TD sleuths can come up with some interesting information on these sculptures.

Running zombies were also seen on set at the end of September.

I believe this takes through episode 5 which would conclude the 12 episode Spain arc originally planned.

While I think there will be something in Codron's ep. 2 story of us, and possibly hints throughout, I think the endgame story really starts in episode 6.

One last thing before I pick up with the back third of the season, the red/green symbolism this season is off the chain.

September 28 we get the green jeep(probably for ep. 5) Contrast this with the red/green bike a the end of S3.

Now we have at the wrap Norman and Melissa with red and green jeep pins. Maybe symbolism that one will go(green) and one will stay(red)?

We are SO CLOSE to this moment:

By the end of Daryl Dixson Season 1, I noticed that some of the plot and theme elements of the episodes were mirroring Season 5 of the flagship.

I first posted about it here. The end of season 1 was much like episodes 5x1 and 5x2 of the flagship. I predicted what we might see in season 2 most of which played out as I predicted.

I posted the season 2 replays here.

As we move through season 3, the pattern continues, except now we are seeing the

REDEMPTION, of the Season 5 arcs.

This was confirmed by Gimple, stating in the past week that DD Season 4 will "rectify" aspects of the flagship show!

I believe the turning point was the 2x4 Coda-like death of Isabelle.

Gimple even hinted at that before the episode aired. Here is where we found the "Coda Easter Eggs" in that episode. The "coda" in that episode marked the end of the original pieces or arcs. Now, we will start to see the arcs being "rectified".

2x4 rectifies or redeems 5x8 Coda in that, before Isabelle died, Daryl was able to say goodbye. When she died, it is heavily implied that they stabbed her in the brain so that she wouldn't turn.

This is a redemption of what TF thinks happened to Beth. They left her, and she turned. They believe she wandered away as a walker.

Let's take a look at what we have seen so far in Season 3:

5x5- Consumed- Anytime Carol and Daryl are together, this episode is in play. We really saw this in the first couple of episodes when they were searching for a way home. This will most probably continue to play into Season 4 when they(Daryl and Carol) go to help or find Beth. With her new outlook on life and love interest, it will be a "light" Carol as a redemption of the "dark" Carol in "Consumed".

5x6-Crossed- This is where we are now with the Justina arc. A girl has been taken by a group that uses girls as breeders and slaves, just like at Grady. Dawn offered up the women of Grady to the officers for protection. The others were used as slaves again to "keep the place going". This is an excuse used for the Oferenda as well.

Roberto even tracks Justina down, and it seems like the rescue worked until it goes all wrong. She is taken from him again, just like Daryl and Beth in season 5.

When Daryl aids in reuniting Justina and Roberto, it will be a redemption of the events in Crossed and Coda.

I will be interested to see how this "rescue" plays out. It may tell us something about how Beth was ultimately liberated from Grady.

5x9-What's Happening What's Going On? At the end of DD2, this is where Daryl is in his arc. They tell us this with the license plate on the yellow jeep. I posted about it here.

Interestingly, we also saw what may have happened to Beth's body, which would be a part of 5x9 that we have yet to see. The replay of this in 2x5 as described by @frangipanilove in this post.

Daryl and Carol both hallucinate at the end of 2x6, just like Tyreese did at the end of 5x9!

The 5x9 replay has continued into DDS3 with Daryl taking Tyreese's introspective arc focused on regret, past mistakes, and what the point of it all is.

Tyreese not only hallucinates but has flashbacks to the violence committed in the church by Sasha and Rick as they kill the Termites, just like Daryl is having flashbacks of the violence in his childhood.

The rectification or redemption of this episode will be Daryl letting go of the dead and his past mistakes and choosing to fight for life and love. Finding his peace in this world will be the rectification of Tyreese's arc.

5x10-Them- This is our target episode!!! This is where the "music box" aka Beth, starts to play again.

This is where the "miracle" after the storm takes place.

This is where, at least we, the audience, will know that Beth is alive!

Daryl's search for water in the desert is a replay of TF's search for water in the drought of 5x10.

I believe we will see a storm of some kind in 3x7 to mirror the storm in 5x10

As the storm rages, TF takes refuge and spends the night in a barn. We may see that in 3x7 as well, or we may not. Not every part of the episode is replayed, but the themes are definitely there. As the sun rises, the music box starts to play.

Anytime after the storm, imo, we could see Beth's return. Having the music box return and finding a safe place to live would rectify 5x10. While Alexandria may have seemed safe, TF soon found out that issues were lying beneath the surface.

If Daryl, Carol, and the music box, aka Beth, do find a safe place to be by the end of season 4, this would rectify this arc.

Will we learn or get a clear indication that Beth is alive in 3x7? Maybe.

Will it be in a Coda to 3x7? Maybe.

Will there be something in the teaser they promised for season 4? Maybe.

But even if there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING before, during, or after this episode, Beth is STILL returning, and Bethyl is STILL endgame.

They are preparing the field.

Just this week, there has been a flood of preparation:

*They put the final nails in the romantic Caryl coffin, so much so that most Caryl shippers have actually caught on.

*Norman has said in multiple interviews that Daryl was not in love with Isabelle, negating the idea that all of Daryl's sadness and introspection this season has been about Isabelle.

*Norman continues to say that Daryl will fight for love in S4. Season 3 makes it clear that this Spain arc is all about ROMANTIC love, not familial love.

TPTB are crossing off Daryl's other possibilities, preparing the audience for Beth.

So, we are CLOSE!