#caryllels

I have rewatched 11x20 tonight.  The parallels between 11x20 and 10x07 hit me like a ton of bricks. 

Absolutely. It’s a bit jarring to watch, but it’s not without purpose. The biggest thing Leah does is frame Carol and Daryl as romantic. Each parallel, colored by Daryl’s desires and fears, presents the possibility of his relationship with Carol heading down the same path as with Leah. The direct spear fishing one allows Daryl to hope for happiness with Carol. “The dead catches up to you” one warns him that Carol is not in a place to accept that happiness. He see she’s as lost as he was when he was searching for Rick, so he offers her the same advice that Leah offered him which had brought them closer together, “only if you let it,” but because he knows that had still not been enough for him, he adds to Carol “I’m not going to let it,” proving his commitment to her. Daryl admitting he should have stayed to help Leah does speak to his constant need to take the blame for everything, but it is also about him empathizing with Leah, putting himself in her place. The “choose where you belong”/”I know where I’m supposed to be” parallel is Daryl understanding Leah’s frustration with his indecisiveness because he feels the same frustration with Carol. When he tells Carol “that’s on you because you don’t know when to stop,” he is reprimanding the part of her that won’t let her be happy because it had once been a part of him too. Daryl has already chosen Carol. He wants Carol to reciprocate, but if she can’t, then he has to let her go like Leah let him go.  

Yes, the writer did say even without production restrictions, they wanted Daryl’s and Leah’s intimacy to be subtle, supposedly to be sensitive to passionate fans, but it’s definitely more than that. It’s the same reason Carol never tells Ezekiel she loves him even when it seems natural to do so. They aren’t going to come out and say it, but they are saving the good stuff for Daryl and Carol. 

Timing is indeed everything. There’s a reason Daryl’s story with Leah is sandwiched between his flashbacks with Carol. The distance between Daryl and Carol, symbolized by the river between them, is what allows him to grow closer to Leah. Carol saying she’s moving on and he should do the same is what spurs Daryl to finally try to commit to Leah. 

It’s interesting how the writers are flipping this situation around on Daryl who is now trying to protect his adopted daughter from being used in a similar way. I mean, at least Carol made her intentions clear?

We also get a parallel scene about Lydia and Carol acknowledging their past abuse. It reminded me of this scene with Henry:

Interesting… very interesting 😉

(Warning, contains spoilers from the extended opening mins shown at sdcc, so if you don’t want to know scroll on)