Aside from the already established Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Glenn (Steven Yeun) romance, a lot of "The Walking Dead" fans are hoping that the show will feature more of Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Beth (Emily Kinney) pairing when it returns on AMC next month. But since Beth is believed to have been kidnapped last season, is there still a chance that the two will reunite and possibly get much closer in Season 5?
Since Season 4 Episode 12 titled "Still" - an installment purely dedicated to the duo - a lot of viewers have started to ship the two characters, hoping that their relationship would eventually take a romantic turn. And though the pairing came as a surprise or even random to many, "The Walking Dead" executive producer and special effects makeup supervisor Greg Nicotero told Zap2It at the San Diego Comic-Con last July that the odd yet interesting relationship between the two characters was actually planted earlier in Season 4, when Daryl tells Beth that her boyfriend Zach (Kyle Gallner) had been killed during the events of the first episode.
"Just that little scene, which was not a big scene, really laid the groundwork for all the other stuff that came for these guys," Nicotero revealed. Though no one could tell what is actually in store for Daryl and Beth next season, Nicotero's statement suggests that the people behind the show are indeed exploring the dynamics between Daryl and Beth, according to Wetpaint.
Speaking at Fan Expo Canada at Metro Toronto Convention Centre late last month, Reedus opened up about working with Kinney and what she feels about Beth. "It's exciting to work with Emily," Reedus said, according to Comic Book Resources. "She's such a good actress. She's a musician. She's a listener. She's a performer. Everything she says is so honest."
He then added that Beth is like a "little flame of hope at some long tunnel," and he felt that during the porch scene he and Kinney shared in "Still."
Meanwhile, Kinney said that she exactly knows why a lot of fans are shipping Daryl and Beth.
"People are longing for something more than just, like, death and destruction, you know?" Kinney told Zap2it at the San Diego Comic-Con last July. "We want romance. We want music, you know? And these characters feel the same way the audience does. We don't want to just be surviving. We want something more."
She continued: "I find it so fascinating that the audience will immediately go to [love], you know, just because this happens or that happens they want that. That's what we live for, is love and romance and art."
"The Walking Dead Season 5" premieres on Oct. 12 at 9:00 p.m. ET on AMC.