Season 7 of The Walking Dead ended on a surprisingly high note for our not-so-merry band of zombie apocalypse survivors. The forces of Alexandria, Hilltop, and the Kingdom combined to fight off Negan's Saviors and Jadis' Scavengers in an epic battle that kicked off what will probably be an all-out war in Season 8. As it turns out, however, there will be one of the good guys who might not be willing to continue working with the new team. Daryl will be out for revenge, and Norman Reedus has revealed that his priorities will be different from his pals' priorities. Reedus had this to say:
It's very much unfinished business. And when certain people are trying to plot the overall takeover or the overall battle, he's on one direct mission. I mean, he was tortured last year. He wants his shit back, and he wants to have revenge, and he's really not listening.
Daryl clearly hasn't forgotten his time in the bowels of the Sanctuary. He had a rough time in Season 7 after he was abducted by Negan and Co. in the premiere, shortly following the death of Glenn that was kinda sorta his fault. Poor Daryl was stripped naked and fed dog food in what basically amounted to a dungeon, with the infuriatingly peppy song "Easy Street" being blasted at him at all hours. When he was given clothes again, they marked him as "asshole."
His big escape from the Sanctuary was proof enough that he had a lot of anger, as he brutally beat Fat Joey to death. Daryl is now a wanted man for the Saviors, both for killing Fat Joey and for escaping. Dwight will probably want to be careful around Daryl in Season 8. Daryl was pretty antsy to kill him in Season 7 ever after he switched loyalties to Rick and Co. Norman Reedus also spoke about Daryl going rogue in his chat with EW, saying this:
There's no dilly-dallying with him. There's no gray area right now with him. He's on a mission to do one thing, and sometimes for the good of the group, you veer left a little bit, and he's still veering right. So, like I said, he's kind of going rogue a little bit in the beginning.
It sounds like Daryl won't be much of a team player in Season 8, which could be a very bad thing now that war has truly broken out. Alexandria, Hilltop, and the Kingdom will likely need unity in order to stand a chance against the Saviors; Daryl's quest for revenge above all else won't do much for the unity, especially if Rick doesn't stop him. Of course, the odds are good that Daryl isn't the only one looking for a rematch. Simon made it clear in Season 7 that there was no statute of limitations on the Saviors punishing Daryl for his actions, and he'll be around quite a lot in Season 8.
We still have to wait a while before we get to see Daryl back in action. The Walking Dead won't return to AMC with new episodes until Sunday, October 22 at 9 p.m. ET. If you need a fix of the zombie apocalypse, however, Fear the Walking Dead is currently airing new episodes on Sundays. Our fall TV schedule can point you toward your other viewing options as well.
