Color me intrigued and sceptical.
Saying a hug rivals our No Sanctuary hug is a tall order. I'm definitely struggling to imagine a hug that can live up to that statement.
I wanted to come back and expand on this a little further. These are just my opinions, based on my shipper goggle view.
This is long, and I can't seem to "read below the cut" on my phone, so my apologies. Also, I know this has all been said before, but just skip this post if you don't wanna hear it again.
For me, the reasons the No Sanctuary hug is going to be hard to beat is multifaceted.
The lighting, (holy shit, we can see what's happening!) making sure to show both of their reactions throughout the entire scene, (their faces, their hands, their body language) the way it seems at times as though they are the only ones there, the music, etc. All of this is so well done.
The lead up to this scene is unparalleled, in my opinion, to any other emotional scene to take place on this show. For me, the love between these 2 is not matched by any other paring (platonic or romantic) in TWD universe. They are in a league of their own. The build-up was tense.
Daryl asking for Carol immediately upon his return, and some would say his intense contemplation over the jade stone.
Carol being dismissed by Rick, and Daryl's anger at that situation.
Carol, after spending the night alone, having gone back to the prison when she saw the fire only to be too late.
Carol and Daryl following the same path, only to go opposite directions when coming to the train tracks and then ending up within probably a couple miles of each other.
Carol seeing Daryl's smoke from a distance and remarking on it more than once.
Daryl's depression which I believe was not just about losing the prison family in general, because the 2 of them crossing each others paths at different times meant to me that his sadness was centered on Carol. We were supposed to feel this sadness that they kept missing each other. When reuniting with Rick and Co., he still was not back to his normal self. An integral part was still missing for him.
Carol finding Daryl's crossbow, and knowing he was there in Terminus somewhere.
Daryl being literally on the verge of death, a second from dying before Carol blew shit up.
Carol going through hell, alone, to save them all, but ultimately believing that she failed. Imagine the devastation she had to have felt as she walked away from Terminus.
Feeling as though there was NO CHANCE they would ever see each other again.
Over a half a season of separation. -_-
Undoubtedly, there is more I am missing here. It was intense.
The feelings running through the 2 of them at this time were strong.
For Carol, she just put her life on the line for a group of people that she believed no longer wanted her as a part of their "family" and she believed she failed in her mission to save them. She was insulted and abandoned in an unbelievably cruel fashion, and you can see her fear and hesitancy as she tentatively approaches the group. Her eyes dart from Rick, to Daryl. That is her biggest fear in this moment. She may feel fear that her other friends no longer want her, but it's Rick and Daryl that are her main concern.
Rick, because she was told he no longer wanted her around under ANY circumstances, and Daryl because she feared he now hated her. But in that moment, you can see that it is Daryl she finally fixates on. It is Daryl her eyes rest on. If he truly wants nothing to do with her, that will be the nail in the coffin. His reaction means everything to her in that moment and she is waiting on pins and needles to know how he now feels about her. And he doesn't fail to deliver that information. In fact, his reaction is completely surprising to her. She is expecting the worst.
For Daryl, his relief had to be at an all time high after escaping, and yet he seemed very stoic. To me he appeared pretty resigned to his death immediately before the explosion. The Daryl we had previously known would have fought to the death. He was hardly resisting. The reasoning for that is obviously up for speculation, but the shipper part of me believes it's because he had lost a huge part of his will to live in losing Carol.
Even though Rick is the one who banished her, the focus for the audience is clearly on how Daryl is going to react. What feelings Daryl is going to emote towards her return. They purposefully have Daryl say NOTHING about her for many many episodes. We are given no indication outright on his thoughts. It is all "read between the lines" and parallels and clues up until this moment, and yet it is his reaction and his feelings that are highlighted here. And again, he does not fail to deliver.
The emotion that explodes from him is the answer to her question, x100. He is not only NOT upset with her reappearance, he is on cloud nine. He shows an emotional reaction that we have never seen before from him, and have not seen since. Complete and utter joy and relief. Daryl MF Dixon sprinted to her in front of about a dozen or more people, many of whom were strangers, and collided into her with acceptance and unbridled love. This powerhouse and man of strength shed tears of happiness, and clutched onto her for dear life. That emotion was only to be matched by Carol's total relief that this man she loved so dearly was now holding her in his arms, and showing everyone present that his favorite person in the world was safe and back in his life. Tears are flowing from her eyes as she gets exactly what she needs in that moment. The love of Daryl.
Norman and Melissa play this part to perfection. You can feel the love ten fold. Now don't get me wrong. That chemistry is always present, but this scene explodes with it, and is a testimony to their real life friendship, their acting abilities, and the relationship they know their characters to have. It is absolutely beautiful to watch, and it never gets old for me. I'm sure that not filming together for such a long time played a part, but we have also seen that chemistry at play in basically all interactions between these two.
They had to have known what love this scene would receive by many of the fans. It stands out as one of the best in the series. Carol reuniting with the group and especially with Daryl was anticipated, and it was so much more than many of us ever dreamed or hoped for.
The running into her arms, the tears, the sighs, the giggle from Carol, the "lift" and the intensity of the hug. Carol running her hands over Daryl and his nuzzle. The looks of pure love and relief. His anticipation of Rick's reaction. All of these little details were just lovely to watch and feel. Just when you thought that this episode couldn't get more intense and explosive, it does. It explodes with love.
In my opinion, all of these things need to be topped in order for any hug to be genuinely compared to the No Sanctuary hug. That is quite a big set of shoes to fill. For me, there is probably only one way this hug can truly be beat, and that is for an indication of romantic cannon to take place. The reason for that is because with all of these details combined, when it comes right down to it, this hug was a complete declaration of the love between these two amazing characters, and showed that no matter what decisions they may make that could be questionable morally, they will "never hate each other" and will always be there to welcome each other with open arms. To me, the only way to top that is to declare that not only is the love there, but it is a love that goes beyond friendship, beyond "family" and beyond joy at being reunited, but it is a love that moves into the territory of romantic love. That they are unquestionably IN LOVE. That they feel for one another something they truly feel for no one else.
But hell, I'm looking forward to it anyway. :)
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