The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus Touches On Rick/Daryl Strife

There’s an underlying tension bubbling between Daryl Dixon and Rick Grimes.

While they’ve clashed in the past – remember that tense exchange from season 1? – The Walking Dead‘s time-honored bromance is at risk of coming apart at the seams, given Norman Reedus and Andrew Lincoln’s respective characters continue to dispute the Saviors and how best to handle Negan’s army of goons.

It’s a feud that came to a head back in November, when Daryl lashed out at Rick and sent The Walking Dead fanbase into a tizzy as a result. And at least based on Norman Reedus’ latest comments to Entertainment Weekly, that sibling-like strife is far from over.

Shooting a stranger in the face to get that goal, he thinks it’s worth it. I think that’s some of that dirty fighting street knowledge that he’s throwing around. Rick wants his people to survive, but he also wants to save everyone else. He’s like, ‘The stranger over there, that’s a worker. He’s got to be part of it.’

There’s a fundamental difference between Rick and Daryl’s worldviews, and that’s enough to keep everyone on their toes throughout season 8B and beyond.

Daryl’s more like, ‘No, no. This is our group and we need to keep these people safe’. He’s almost more loyal in a way to what’s around him because these people kind of turned him into something they need to be proud of. I think that’s his family. I don’t think he has a messiah complex; he’s just doing what he needs to do. That’s part of that street stuff.

In closing, Reedus admitted that a valid argument could be made for each character and their respective motives, so it’ll be interesting to see how things pan out when The Walking Dead returns this coming weekend.

If they weren’t in a big war, I don’t think he’d just go around shooting people in the face, but they’re out there, there’s a war going on, and war’s dirty. You have to have that dirty fighting street sense to get through something like that. I think sometimes Rick, his desire to save everyone sometimes can be seen as weak to Daryl. When Daryl and Rick come to blows fist to fist, that’s what that is. He doesn’t love him any less, but he’s like, ‘You’re being weak. You need to step up.’ They’re both right.

The Walking Dead‘s midseason premiere, “Honor,” will be with us this Sunday, February 25th. And yes, in keeping with tradition, it’ll be an extended episode, as viewers prepare to bid adieu to the ailing Carl Grimes.