litpit9000

[demigods-posts]

i am not understanding rick's thought process behind the characters consistent mockery of percy's intelligence. especially in light of knowing that the characters do value percy as a friend and demigod. he was the child of the prophecy. he jumped into the river styx to better prepare for defending olympus. he used his gods-given wish to build a better future for demigods. he plays an active role as camp counselor at chb and is a respected confidant at cj. he is evidently held in high regard in his absense. but the surrounding characters seem to treat his presence like a hinderance to their peace. it's rather disappointing to read.

[my-mt-heart]

Theories regarding Caryl in 11C is the last part of the ask, I think...? (If I've left any questions out, remind me and I'll circle back. I don't know if I've covered all your questions, MT, but I'm going to assume you'll ask if there's something else. :P)

I've mentioned this to MT already, but I think, with the time jump, we could be looking at bookends to a relationship. During production, it's not uncommon to have to roll with unexpected events and with all the backstage drama regarding the spinoff, this would be something that Angela Kang could push through and still give viewers something. Personally, I wouldn't go for that option because I think ending their personal relationship is a sadder sendoff than keeping things nebulous, but I also don't know what she's looking at in terms of logistics.

When AK introduced Carol's ring, it felt like she's going to backdate a more formal commitment between Caryl and in the context of the obstacles she's had to face in trying to run this season, it would make sense to play it that way. No, the viewer wouldn't get the start of their romantic involvement on screen, but there also wouldn't be Gimple telling her that Daryl is a man's man and TWD isn't a romance. Studio interference is annoying and if you have to start MacGyver-ing your narrative around someone's incompetence, it's frustrating on a whole other level.

Another way things could go, if AK married Caryl off, is that she could treat this separation like Daryl is going on a business trip. The spinoff sounds like a limited series: Daryl goes off to retrieve Rick and AMC's plan is most likely to give Rick a new show. (Thus the urgency in shooting this summer.) There's no way with the change in concept that Andy Lincoln's presence in GA was unrelated to the upcoming spinoff. Our heroes know Rick's alive, but Carol probably has more important things to do on the home front than rescuing him (again) from whatever scrape he got himself into this time.

I agree with what MT said previously, that Caryl don't need a marriage to be together because they're free spirits. But, as a displaced showrunner, AK has limited possibilities to make sure that the new management can't unravel the established bond between characters. Marrying Carol and Daryl in a low-key way is something she could sneak in to give Gimple a parting gift that he can't easily do away with. Carol is too important to AMC to kill off, so Gimple can't have her killed off-screen in the spinoff to let Daryl pursue other interests in France. That would be bad optics in terms of multiple -isms and I don't think AMC would approve of Daryl as a cheater either.

Regardless, we all know Gimple is way more interested in a Rick & Negan combo than he is in Daryl, so that could be the silver lining for Caryl.

I think that was the last of the questions for now. Definitely acknowledge that these are just your theories and we should take them as such. It's still great to get an industry perspective when the rest of us are running around like headless chickens. Here are my thoughts...

Option 1: The thing is, Caryl fans have always dealt with naysayers, many of them loud and rude and ageist, so just getting confirmation that they are romantic could be validating. But I agree with you, watching the relationship end without all the beauty and happiness in between would be absolutely devastating. And also doesn't feel true to their dynamic which is supposed to be everlasting. They're each other's person. They're soulmates, life partners, ride or die, etc. If they finally get together after many years of slowly coming together, there shouldn't be a bookend. I really hope this is not the route taken if there's even a chance they get together at all, and what gives me hope is the fact that more than likely (if NR is to be believed), Daryl leaving will be mission-oriented. I don't think he's leaving by himself because he wants a fresh start (as we were led to believe all this time he was going to do with Carol). I suppose there's the possibility of higher powers trying to keep Daryl single for his spinoff for all the branding reasons you listed before, but let's cross our fingers that AK has found a way around that as you go on to mention.

Option 2: I figured there had to be some type of significance to that ring since, and maybe you can back me up here, wardrobe choices are carefully thought out. There's no way it would escape the costume department's or Angela's or Melissa's notice that putting a ring on THAT finger with no other jewelry has very specific connotations. Unless they just wanted to fuck with us, my thought was that it was symbolic of her emotional commitment to Daryl while being presented with the opportunity to get back with Ezekiel aka Daryl's foil (red stone vs blue stone). A literal offscreen marriage would be both mind-blowing and upsetting because again, we've been waiting for canon forever and we want to see it happen in real time, including all of the emotional build up. But if it's true that AK was forced to get sneaky, I would accept this very VERY begrudgingly. For the validation at least.

Option 3: The ending that perfectly honors Caryl's shared emotional journey is riding off into the sunset to explore the world and just be free and I will die on that hill. I will never get over the fact that it was almost so until "someone" said nah, forget what these characters deserve. Let's keep them in perpetual fighting mode, let's cover up our mistakes with the Rick arc, and let's add running zombies to keep our male viewership in tact. As a result of this fuckery, I'm convinced nothing will fully satisfy me or make sense. However, if I was making the best out of a shitty situation, marrying Caryl off before Daryl heads off on a search and rescue mission would be the best way to go. I'd be comforted knowing that Daryl and Carol finally took that leap with each other we've been waiting for. Plus, it is binding in the sense I wouldn't have to worry about any other potential love interest in the spinoff. My only concern (it's my concern no matter what unfortunately) is why Carol stays behind. Because as I mentioned before I don't buy her comfortably falling into a Pamela Milton or nanny role when her arc has been building up to her freeing herself from having to constantly take care of others. I don't buy her and Daryl suddenly wanting different things for their future. I buy that she would be tired of fighting, but I also think she would still want to go with Daryl. So maybe she does insist on going with, but Daryl tells her to stay because he wants her to preserve the peace they've obtained. Or maybe because he wants their next adventure together to be the one they talked about ( New Mexico). It would suck that they'd be sacrificing time together again and that Daryl would be forced back into lone hero mode, but...sigh.