Earlier this month, The Walking Dead fans were abuzz over a question comic creator and series executive producer Robert Kirkman addressed pertaining to Daryl's unspecified sexuality in the AMC zombie drama. Kirkman was vague on his response, but did say that the topic has "been discussed" and that if there's ever a quiet point in the story when the topic can be addressed, they'll "tackle it in the show." That left fans to speculate over whether there might be some big reveal that confirmed that Daryl is gay. Walking Dead showrunner Scott Gimple has since addressed the topic himself, and it sounds like Daryl is the reason we haven't learned about Daryl's sexuality yet. Also, Gimple confirms that there's going to be a gay male character in the series at some point.
TVLine got the update from Scott Gimple, which follows up on Robert Kirkman's comments, which address the mystery that is Daryl's sexuality. While TVLine quotes Gimple as saying that the topic of Daryl's sexuality "is not really addressed" in the upcoming season, the showrunner does say that they aren't holding back the information as some big reveal or anything. He goes on to say...
The fact that there’s still a question as to what Daryl’s orientation is in Season 5 absolutely speaks to Daryl’s character; he is a very guarded, very closed-off individual in a lot of ways. We have been able to see him ever so slowly open up and show the other characters aspect by aspect as to what makes him tick. That’s been a very satisfying journey for all of us on the creative side to portray. [And] he’s still on that journey.
So it seems this "mystery" is tied in with Daryl's general character. As Gimple puts it in the above quote, he's a guarded guy who doesn't tend to show people all of his cards. One of those cards apparently pertains to his sexuality, whatever the case may be there.
Gimple went on to say that Daryl is a character who will "continue to grow closer to the other characters" and he'll let his guard down and "let them see just who he is, in every way."
Maybe part of that relates to his sexuality, whatever it is. It sounds like the writers have decided not to disclose any details there, and it doesn't sound like we'll be privy to that information as it relates to Daryl's interests anytime soon. But from what Gimple says, there will be a gay male character introduced at some point in the series. TVLine says they won't reveal when that's happening though.
And that's just fine, in my opinion. When it comes to personal information about characters in a show like The Walking Dead, where survival in the zombie apocalypse is really the biggest priority, it's probably better when personal information is revealed at a time when it's relevant to the story, or as part of the character development and the development of the relationships between the people in the show, as that's always been one of the better aspects of the series. That would apply to whatever we end up learning about Daryl's sexual preferences down the line, or the sexual preference of a newly introduced character. It only matters when it matters. If it ever matters.
The Walking Dead returns for Season 5 on October 12.
