Norman Reedus is one of only two Walking Dead cast members left on the show from the first season. Some departed characters, like Rick and Morgan, are technically still alive, but they're out of the picture on The Walking Dead for now, and it's down to Reedus as Daryl and Melissa McBride as Carol. As a result, Reedus says that the memories of his friends and former coworkers are all around him on set. Here's how Reedus describes the situation:
I’ve seen so many people come and go. Right now on the show, the ghosts of all those guys are with me through every frickin’ scene. I remember how tight Andy [Lincoln] and I are, how tight Scott [Wilson] and I were and Jon [Bernthal], too.
To longtime fans, Norman Reedus' struggle with Andrew Lincoln's departure should come as no surprise. The two actors became fast friends on the series, and they were close enough that even some of Reedus' harshest pranks didn't result in a bro breakup. Reedus even tried to convince Lincoln to stay on the show rather than leave in Season 9, and they did originally make a pact to leave the show together.
The good news for Norman Reedus is that Rick is still alive and could theoretically return to the Walking Dead action, depending on how the Rick movies turn out and how Michonne exits the series. Andrew Lincoln also revealed that he plans to return to the show to direct an episode, so they can hang out then, assuming Daryl doesn't bite the dust in this weekend's Season 9 finale.
If he does die -- which is pretty unlikely -- he would join a whole bunch of others to die this season. The penultimate episode was a veritable bloodbath. Rick may have lived against all odds (and fan theories) this season, but plenty of others didn't. While Norman Reedus' comments at a recent PaleyFest panel (via Variety) are a bit sad, there's still the possibility of reuniting with two of the men he mentioned.
Norman Reedus has chances to reunite with Jon Bernthal in real life and potentially on the show, although the prospect of Shane appearing via flashback is much less likely unless Rick comes back. Carol and Daryl are the only ones left who knew Shane, and they hardly have reason to nostalgically think back on their time with him and/or hallucinate him. Sadly, Reedus will not be able to reunite with Scott Wilson.
Scott Wilson, who played the wonderful Hershel on The Walking Dead, passed away back in the fall of 2018. He did finish filming new scenes for Season 9 before his death, however, so fans (and presumably Norman Reedus) got to see him one more time on The Walking Dead.
Assuming Norman Reedus sticks around The Walking Dead for a while yet, he'll likely have to say goodbye to more castmates. Alpha and The Whisperers are unlikely to be defeated after only half a season as the big bads, especially considering how long The Walking Dead kept Negan at the forefront of the villainy. More death will undoubtedly come before the good guys are able to prevail.
Tune in to AMC on Sunday, March 31 at 9 p.m. ET for the Season 9 finale of The Walking Dead. The penultimate episode scored record low ratings and infuriated some viewers due to a DVR glitch, so it should be interesting to see how many people tune in for the final episode of the season.
