The Daryl Scene That Went Too Far On The Walking Dead
AMC's "The Walking Dead" is a television show filled to the brim with macabre, over-the-top moments that fans will likely remember for years to come. Between Robert Kirkman's bloodthirsty characters, the walkers, and all the societal and personal drama – which often results in full-on war — there's been no shortage of mayhem on the long-running zombie series. And if anyone knows about mayhem, it's Norman Reedus' Daryl Dixon.
Daryl has been part of "TWD" since the very first episode aired back in 2010. Initially making waves as a hunter with his brother, Merle (Michael Rooker), the character went on to eventually join Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and the rest of his gang to try to survive in their new, apocalyptic world. He would grow to become one of the show's biggest fan favorites, with viewers taking a liking to his motorcycle and weapon of choice: a crossbow. But like most "TWD" characters, there have been a few moments over the course of the series involving Daryl that have made some people cringe or turn away. And we're here to discuss the one that went entirely too far in a lot of viewers' eyes.
Daryl gets stripped naked and is forced to eat dog food
Don't worry, Daryl Dixon fans. It wasn't real dog food that Norman Reedus' beloved character was eating during Season 7, Episode 3, "The Cell." But that doesn't make this scene any easier to watch — or act out, according to Reedus. "It was pretty gross," he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2016. "Spam or something with some other stuff ground up in it with rock-hard roll," he added. "I imagine that's what dog food would taste like."
In the scene, Negan's (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) henchman Dwight (Austin Amelio) repeatedly feeds Daryl dog food sandwiches while torturing him in a solitary confinement cell with pop music blaring. It's a moment in the series that many fans felt went too far. "Stripped naked, tortured with loud bubble pop music and forced to eat dog food sandwiches was horrific," said u/TerraVolterra in a July 2021 Reddit thread about "TWD" scenes that went overboard. "Me watching Daryl have to eat dog food while trapped at the Sanctuary," posted Twitter user @hitmewlucile, along with a vomit emoji.
For Reedus, the scene was "emotionally draining" and took a serious toll on him. "It was definitely one of the hardest ones I've had to film in a long time," he said. "You're in a jail cell and you're naked and crying for three days and they're right there with you and everyone was really quiet just trying to capture what's in the air."