One of Daryl Dixon‘s biggest talking points was Carol’s radio message claiming someone “came back“, and The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live seems to have revealed who she was referring to. Carol’s Walking Dead return officially happened in Daryl Dixon‘s finale, but she also had a small yet important cameo in the spinoff’s fifth episode. After Daryl contacts her on the radio, they have a brief catch-up, where Carol says, “He came back.” Although she doesn’t appear physically in this scene, Carol’s mysterious message sets up her appearance in the finale and her role in season 2.
Despite her return, The Walking Dead never revealed who Carol was talking about during her radio conversation. Daryl asks, “Who came back?” but the signal cuts off before she can answer. This creates a huge question about who Carol was talking about, which Daryl Dixon: The Book of Carol will likely answer. While this may be one of the franchise’s most exciting ongoing mysteries, it seems like The Walking Dead has already unveiled who Carol was talking about in The Ones Who Live. The spinoff doesn’t feature Carol or Daryl, but it does appear to solve this mystery.
After The Ones Who Live’s Ending, Carol Was Definitely Talking About Rick, Right?
Rick Returning Home All But Confirms Carol Was Referring To Him In Daryl Dixon
After The Ones Who Live‘s ambitious ending, it seems like Carol must have been talking about Rick Grimes. Rick and Michonne’s spinoff ended with the couple reuniting with their children, indicating they likely headed home to rejoin the main survivors. This means they would have reunited with Carol, which strongly suggests her radio call in Daryl Dixon was about Rick. Given how long Daryl spent searching for him, Carol knows the importance of telling him about Rick’s return, but she hesitates before doing so. This is presumably because of how far Daryl is from home.
Daryl being in France when Rick finally returns is cruel when considering his long search for the protagonist, but Carol likely felt the need to tell Daryl about Rick’s return. Given Rick and Michonne officially defeated the CRM in The Ones Who Live, their return to the main group seems imminent after reuniting with their children, and assuming they made it home, it is hard to imagine Carol would be talking about anyone else. The Walking Dead‘s timeline is complicated, but The Ones Who Live‘s finale seemed to happen alongside Daryl Dixon, all but confirming Carol was talking about Rick.
Rick’s Alexandria Return Can Explain Daryl Dixon Season 2’s Story
Carol Going To France To Find Daryl Makes More Sense After Rick’s Return
Rick returning to Alexandria gives Carol the perfect motivation to go after Daryl in Daryl Dixon season 2. After returning to Alexandria, Rick and Michonne will likely head to the Commonwealth, where the majority of the main survivors now reside. This opens the door to many possible reunions, but arguably the most desired one wouldn’t be on the cards. The Ones Who Live made Rick and Daryl’s Walking Dead reunion more anticipated than ever, but with Daryl in France, it simply can’t happen. However, this perfectly sets up the story for Daryl Dixon: The Book of Carol.
Knowing how badly Daryl would want to see Rick makes Carol heading to France much more logical. Daryl leaves the Commonwealth to find answers about the outbreak, but seemingly finds happiness with Laurent and Isabelle in France, making it unclear whether he’ll actually return to America. Given Carol doesn’t have an easy way to contact Daryl, heading to France in an attempt to bring him home makes far more sense now that Rick is back. This makes season 2’s story all the more compelling and forces Daryl to make a genuinely tough decision about where he wants to be.
One Walking Dead Main Character Was Keeping A Massive Secret All The Way Through Season 11
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Who Else Carol Might Have Been Talking About (If Not Rick)
Despite Rick’s Return, It Is Possible Carol Was Talking About Another Return
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Logic would dictate that Carol must have been talking about Rick in her radio message, but there is still a chance she was referring to someone else, with Negan and Morgan being the most likely candidates. While Negan was in New York in his latest appearance, Dead City took place several years after Daryl Dixon and The Ones Who Live. Therefore, Negan returning to the Commonwealth may be big enough news for Carol to share with Daryl, but it still seems unlikely. By the finale, he got along with most of the group, suggesting his return wouldn’t be a massive concern.
Therefore, if Carol wasn’t referring to Rick during her call, she was probably talking about Morgan. While the radio is intentionally poor quality to avoid giving away the mystery, Carol almost certainly said “he“, suggesting it had to be a male character who returned. Outside of Rick and Negan, Morgan is the only notable name that would make any sense. He has been gone from the main group for a long time and his return would be big news. Although The Ones Who Live heavily suggests Carol was talking about Rick, Morgan would be an interesting yet welcome twist.
