[Sweetsister]

Sweetsister, on 25 August 2012 - 11:03 PM, said:

Yes this thread is old but after reading other threads I thought about this one again. Can't it simply be that women in a ZA  just like in BC and the animal kingdom, gravitate towards a male who can protect, supply food, shelter etc. In the ZA women wo may have prior to ZA  gone for the billionare and the "objects" he provides are now in search of a parter who is capable of surrviving as well as ensuring their surrvival. Whether you think the actor good looking is irrelevant, if he diddn't have the skills he has he would be less of an attraction to most women IMO. Add to that his "boyish" charm lack of bravado  and you have a great provider who doesnt have to go arround beating his chest about it. On another note yes I personally think hes hot, but then I've thought that in other films.

EDIT- had to edit too late, had to repeat post, sorry

[d2daybreak]

Sweetsister, on 25 August 2012 - 11:03 PM, said:

Yes this thread is old but after reading other threads I thought about this one more. Can't it simply be that women just like in BC and the animal kingdom, gravitate towards a male who can protect, supply food, shelter etc. In the ZA women wo may have prior gone for the billionare and the "objects" he provides are now in search of a parter who is capable of surrviving as well ans ensuring their surrvival. Whether you think the actor is irrelevant, if he diddn't have the skills he has he would be less of an attraction to most women IMO. Add to that his "boyish" charm and you have agreat provider who doesnt have to go arround beating his chest about it. On another note yes I personally think hes hot, but then I've thought that in other films.

Though I like Daryl because he is a badass and survivor, I feel nothing for him romantically. So, I would want him on my team or in my group, but I would not be interested in a relationship with him. I have been in an abusive relationship with a man who also had those qualities who also was insecure due to childhood traumas which led to the abuse. That, and at least from watching him on TV, I don't find him attractive. Needless to say, I, too, don't understand the Daryl worship. He is obviously emotionally damaged. Whoever he gets into a relationship with, if he gets into a relationship, will have their hands full dealing with his issues as well as the ZA. That is not something I am interested in. He would have to grow and heal for me to be interested.

I would find Morgan and <Comic Spoiler>

Spoiler

Tyreese

better options because they seem more emotionally healthy and are also badass survivors. For me, that is a better combination. BTW, I also would include Rick in that group if he weren't already married.

Edited by d2daybreak, 26 August 2012 - 01:29 AM.

[WalkerBaitress]

Leela, on 03 November 2012 - 06:47 AM, said:

I love how when Carol is a useless idiot, people blame the writers. "It's not Carol's fault, it's the writers!"

But when Andrea makes a mistake, people blame Andrea and call her stupid and wish for her to die. Why isn't it the writers fault when it comes to Andrea?

Can we just not, with this idiocy?

The irony is, the male characters are way stupider, yet no one pines them against each other. Cause they're hot. Therefore, they're godliness. Let's drop this fucking ignorance and move on, please.

It's more like, let's drop this childishness and move on. It seems that people's support of either Carol or Andrea is based on Daryl, and what Daryl does and thinks in his fictitious world. So, if viewers who want Daryl "all to themselves" don't want to see him "paired up" with either Andrea or Carol--or to see him paired up with anyone, for that matter, they go all apeshit on the female character (either Andrea or Carol in this case) who seems like a threat (sexually or not) to the image in their head that they've created of Daryl.

I will be the first to admit it--I like Andrea, and if I were playing Yenta to The Walking Dead characters, I wouldn't mind setting her up with Daryl because I think they'd make a kickass couple of zed-killers. The couple that offs zombies together, stays together and all that. However, I don't hate on Carol, or any other female character on the show, because I view them as territorial threats to my fantasies, for Cthulu's sakes.

At the end of the day, The Walking Dead is just a TV show. Take it and the characters on it at that and move on.

[Bestrafen]

WalkerBaitress, on 04 November 2012 - 02:42 AM, said:

It's more like, let's drop this childishness and move on. It seems that people's support of either Carol or Andrea is based on Daryl, and what Daryl does and thinks in his fictitious world. So, if viewers who want Daryl "all to themselves" don't want to see him "paired up" with either Andrea or Carol--or to see him paired up with anyone, for that matter, they go all apeshit on the female character (either Andrea or Carol in this case) who seems like a threat (sexually or not) to the image in their head that they've created of Daryl.

I will be the first to admit it--I like Andrea, and if I were playing Yenta to The Walking Dead characters, I wouldn't mind setting her up with Daryl because I think they'd make a kickass couple of zed-killers. The couple that offs zombies together, stays together and all that. However, I don't hate on Carol, or any other female character on the show, because I view them as territorial threats to my fantasies, for Cthulu's sakes.

At the end of the day, The Walking Dead is just a TV show. Take it and the characters on it at that and move on.

Yes.  This post x 1,000.

I constantly get this vibe and it's one of my gripes about the season and fanbase thus far.  It's a shame because I originally liked the character towards the end of Season 1 and during Season 2 but at this point, I pretty much welcome his death because he's just a major distraction from everyone else.  Preferably in a really stupid way like running down a hallway, slipping on a banana peel, falling down the stairs, and snapping his neck.  Also, it would feel good to weed out all the "cheerleaders and fanbois;" akin to taking out a dirty carpet and beating the dust out.

Yes, I understand that people relate to characters that are either most like themselves or wish they could be but it's starting to get out of hand.

Edited by Bestrafen, 04 November 2012 - 04:09 AM.

[ll wrath ll]

Bestrafen, on 04 November 2012 - 04:06 AM, said:

Yes.  This post x 1,000.

I constantly get this vibe and it's one of my gripes about the season and fanbase thus far.  It's a shame because I originally liked the character towards the end of Season 1 and during Season 2 but at this point, I pretty much welcome his death because he's just a major distraction from everyone else.  Preferably in a really stupid way like running down a hallway, slipping on a banana peel, falling down the stairs, and snapping his neck.  Also, it would feel good to weed out all the "cheerleaders and fanbois;" akin to taking out a dirty carpet and beating the dust out.

Yes, I understand that people relate to characters that are either most like themselves or wish they could be but it's starting to get out of hand.

Death to the fanboi's. Could not agree more.

[Ahrean]

I will never understand distaste for a character based on feelings towards their fanbase.

#1 - No fanbase has the responsibility of basing how they're fans on your comfort level and what doesn't drive you nuts.

#2 - If you allow your opinions to be derive from irritation of other fans, it's honestly distorted and skewed, and doesn't give a clear picture of how you really feel.

First and foremost, this is Rick's story. HE'S the protagonist and HE'S the one the story is ultimately focused on. Daryl was created as an experiment, to see fan reaction. It obviously worked and was a pleasant surprise. They can and are working it into the story while keeping the main story focus on Rick. Finally, it's not fair to lament the excitement level of a fanbase, again, why should they tailor how they're a fan for anyone but themselves?

[The-Governor]

As I've said before, Daryls fanbase can really annoy me at times. Not saying I don't love Daryl and Norman, since he is one of my favorite characters of the series. But when people mainly just talk about him, and complain if he is hardly in the episode and it focuses on Rick instead.... yeah, we have a problem.

I hope they do end up killing Daryl off sometime in the future. It could be a very bold move, and possibly show that TWD isn't JUST about Daryl Dixon.

[zenthebanana]

I do think that Andrea got WAY too much hate from her (for the most part reasonable) behaviour, but you have to remember, she was a fully matured, strong, independent person both pre and post-apocalypse. Daryl, on the other hand, was/is an emotionally stunted red neck, with a violet, racist, drug addict brother as his only role model, with no friends or social skills.

The scenes where he went off on Carol -- although still dickish, were SCREAMING that he had absolutely no idea how to deal with his feelings. I could almost feel his facial expressions and body language yelling "Why does this hurt so much?!". He obviously can't (at this point) deal with intimate relationships, or even his own feelings, and although that isn't a 'get-out-of-repercussions-for-being-a-dick-free card', it does give some validity to his behaviour.

Just my opinion, though.




Finally decided to stop lurking and make an account. Please don't hurt me ;_;

[Trillian]

zenthebanana, on 04 November 2012 - 11:31 AM, said:

The scenes where he went off on Carol -- although still dickish, were SCREAMING that he had absolutely no idea how to deal with his feelings. I could almost feel his facial expressions and body language yelling "Why does this hurt so much?!". He obviously can't (at this point) deal with intimate relationships, or even his own feelings, and although that isn't a 'get-out-of-repercussions-for-being-a-dick-free card', it does give some validity to his behaviour.

^^THIS

zenthebanana, on 04 November 2012 - 11:31 AM, said:

Finally decided to stop lurking and make an account. Please don't hurt me ;_;

Welcome, thanks for the great post!

[Bestrafen]

Ahrean, on 04 November 2012 - 04:33 AM, said:

I will never understand distaste for a character based on feelings towards their fanbase.

#1 - No fanbase has the responsibility of basing how they're fans on your comfort level and what doesn't drive you nuts.

#2 - If you allow your opinions to be derive from irritation of other fans, it's honestly distorted and skewed, and doesn't give a clear picture of how you really feel.

First and foremost, this is Rick's story. HE'S the protagonist and HE'S the one the story is ultimately focused on. Daryl was created as an experiment, to see fan reaction. It obviously worked and was a pleasant surprise. They can and are working it into the story while keeping the main story focus on Rick. Finally, it's not fair to lament the excitement level of a fanbase, again, why should they tailor how they're a fan for anyone but themselves?

My main reason is because I believe the writers are catering and, dare I saw, selling out to the vocal fanbase.  This results in taking time and writing away from the other characters.

Thus, everyone has crappy or non-existent story arcs.  Hell, Daryl is the only one who has a story arc before it even happens (Merle)!

[BethTexas]

WalkerBaitress, on 04 November 2012 - 02:42 AM, said:

It's more like, let's drop this childishness and move on. It seems that people's support of either Carol or Andrea is based on Daryl, and what Daryl does and thinks in his fictitious world. So, if viewers who want Daryl "all to themselves" don't want to see him "paired up" with either Andrea or Carol--or to see him paired up with anyone, for that matter, they go all apeshit on the female character (either Andrea or Carol in this case) who seems like a threat (sexually or not) to the image in their head that they've created of Daryl.

I will be the first to admit it--I like Andrea, and if I were playing Yenta to The Walking Dead characters, I wouldn't mind setting her up with Daryl because I think they'd make a kickass couple of zed-killers. The couple that offs zombies together, stays together and all that. However, I don't hate on Carol, or any other female character on the show, because I view them as territorial threats to my fantasies, for Cthulu's sakes.

At the end of the day, The Walking Dead is just a TV show. Take it and the characters on it at that and move on.

So I can't hate a character without being labelled a giggling teenage fangirl, or is that just for the female characters? No, sorry. I'm neither a  "shipper" (UGH!) or a delusional mess. I fully realize that Daryl is a ficitonal character. I hate Carol because she is a weak, boring character who has contributed nada to the group. Oh wait, laundry. Okay, one thing. Im', so-so with Andrea because she spent the first season and most of the second being whiny and hysterical. I rewatched the first few episodes last night and Andrea hysterically drew a gun on Rick when he first joined the group. The others were upset that he'd drawn Walkers attention but they reacted with cool heads. Basically, Andrea was the female Merle.

Your jealousy argument can work with any character. I'm a Shane fan, but he drew a lot of rabid hatred. I could assume that everyone who hated Shane was simply projecting because they themselves were fat, ugly rejects in high school who were tormened and ignored by jocks, but that's the easy way out. It dismissed legitimate arguments for some things I didn't want to face about the character.

[Bestrafen]

I think it goes by the reasoning one hates a character.  The original post by Leela was that it's almost always for the same stupid reason.  You have to be able to rationalize why you hate the character in order to be taken seriously.

That being said, my dislike of Daryl mirrors what WalkerBaitress said.  Go view Youtube, IMDB, and even some R&L comments on Daryl and tell me the praise doesn't fall into that catagory.  Guys wants to be like him and girls swoon over him.  Nevermind if the story is good or bad.

It's not a surprise though; look at the major demographics of the viewing public (White, ages 18 to 45).

PS: I loved Shane...up until he went bat shit crazy.

Edited by Bestrafen, 04 November 2012 - 01:56 PM.

[BethTexas]

Bestrafen, on 04 November 2012 - 01:53 PM, said:

I think it goes by the reasoning one hates a character.  The original post by Leela was that it's almost always for the same stupid reason.  You have to be able to rationalize why you hate the character in order to be taken seriously.

That being said, my dislike of Daryl mirrors what WalkerBaitress said.  Go view Youtube, IMDB, and even some R&L comments on Daryl and tell me the praise doesn't fall into that catagory.  Guys wants to be like him and girls swoon over him.  Nevermind if the story is good or bad.

It's not a surprise though; look at the major demographics of the viewing public (White, ages 18 to 45).

PS: I loved Shane...up until he went bat shit crazy.

Oh, definitely. I'm in complete agreement that a lot of fans love Daryl. I'm a Daryl fan myself. I found every single other character one-dimensional and boring through S1&2 with the exception of Shane, so naturally I gravitated toward him. He's also shown the most character development of all of them.

The giggling fangirls are everywhere, though. Their misspelled, ungrammatical presence is felt in every fandom. My objection is that they can never argue from reason, only from "Wel, idk i dont think darrel would do that bcuz i just dont lol no reson just bcuz it dosnt fit my rosy fanfiction view of him lol lol lol". Barrrrrffffffff!

Liking Daryl within the context of the show is only natural. He's a fearless woodsman, hunter, great shot, and has become very protective of the group. He's useful, but I also find him increasingly likeable. Really, none of the other characters would have had anything to do with people like him pre-ZA (except for Rick and Shane arresting his type), but then again, Daryl never would have changed as a person if he hadn't met the group.

As for female fantasies...yeah, I find him attractive but I've always gone for 100% male types. Screw this "feminine side" crap. Half of women find him attractive because of his pure maleness and half want to take the rough, damaged guy and change him. Spoiler alert: you can't change another human being.

Edited by BethTexas, 04 November 2012 - 02:17 PM.

[gagewhitney]

Bestrafen, on 04 November 2012 - 01:53 PM, said:

I think it goes by the reasoning one hates a character.  The original post by Leela was that it's almost always for the same stupid reason.  You have to be able to rationalize why you hate the character in order to be taken seriously.

The problem with this fandom in particular is that even when you do have plenty of rational reasons for disliking a character, no one cares. It still gets brought down to, Oh, I get it -- it's because her hair is short! or, Oh, you're a secret misogynist! or, Oh, it's only because you're a fan of Daryl's!

Bestrafen, on 04 November 2012 - 01:53 PM, said:

That being said, my dislike of Daryl mirrors what WalkerBaitress said.  Go view Youtube, IMDB, and even some R&L comments on Daryl and tell me the praise doesn't fall into that catagory.  Guys wants to be like him and girls swoon over him.  Nevermind if the story is good or bad.

BethTexas said:

The giggling fangirls are everywhere, though. Their misspelled, ungrammatical presence is felt in every fandom. My objection is that they can never argue from reason, only from "Wel, idk i dont think darrel would do that bcuz i just dont lol no reson just bcuz it dosnt fit my rosy fanfiction view of him lol lol lol". Barrrrrffffffff!

IMO, that's what happens when you let teenagers watch tv and use computers. Unfortunately, a show about zombies is going to attract and bring a lot of that out. (I mean, you don't see that for shows like Mad Men or The Killing -- but if you threw some zombies in there, I bet there'd be I <3 HOLDER!!!11 posts and people wearing ratty hoodies all over the place.) What I hate is that I can't legitimately say that I like Daryl -- his character progression, his story arc, etc. -- anymore without feeling like I'm going to be labeled a fangirl. Yes, those people in comments sections are annoying, and yes, the story needs to focus on other people (IMO, the Woodbury storyline was great last week and didn't need the prison people at all). But it is possible to be a fan and not a fangirl, I guess is what I'm saying.

WalkerBaitress, on 04 November 2012 - 02:42 AM, said:

At the end of the day, The Walking Dead is just a TV show. Take it and the characters on it at that and move on.

This, this, this, I totally agree with. Honestly, I've never been a part of a fandom where people take fictional characters, including who likes which characters, so seriously and so personally. Love a certain character? Fine. Hate a certain character? Fine. Both things are normal and human and allowed. Everyone is different, and everyone has their own opinions. Just don't be a jerk about it either way.

Debate and discussion are great. They're what separate us from the animals YouTube comment section. Just don't be a jerk about it. That's all it takes.

Edited to clarify that I'm not actually calling anyone in here a jerk; I'm just saying it as a general principle of life. ;-)

Edited by gagewhitney, 04 November 2012 - 03:21 PM.

[BethTexas]

gagewhitney, on 04 November 2012 - 03:19 PM, said:

The problem with this fandom in particular is that even when you do have plenty of rational reasons for disliking a character, no one cares. It still gets brought down to, Oh, I get it -- it's because her hair is short! or, Oh, you're a secret misogynist! or, Oh, it's only because you're a fan of Daryl's!

Exactly my problem with it. It's one thing to debate using fact or even opinion. But it's a cop-out to say, "You don't believe the way I do because you're a big poopy head! Nyaaaah!" Some can't handle debating with reasoned arguments such as, "Okay, you don't like Carol because X, but I like her because Y." They resort to the lowest common denominator of playing the race card, the mysogyny card, or the squealing fangirl card.

I also agree with "it's just a show" on a certain level; I mean, at the end of the day, how does it affect the world that you like or dislike Daryl? It doesn't. On another level, though, "it's just a show" is also the weak debater's way of running for the hills when he's being out-debated.

[gagewhitney]

BethTexas, on 04 November 2012 - 03:30 PM, said:

I also agree with "it's just a show" on a certain level; I mean, at the end of the day, how does it affect the world that you like or dislike Daryl? It doesn't. On another level, though, "it's just a show" is also the weak debater's way of running for the hills when he's being out-debated.

That can be true as well. I'm saying it more as a no-need-to-get-crazy-and-personal sort of thing. Like who you like. Dislike who you dislike. Debate. Discuss. Just don't be jerks, because it's just a show.

[Serenity@sea]

The bottom line is that we are all took the time to register on a forum for a TV show/comic to discuss the TWD, so obviously something about this show has grabbed us in some way. This is the only forum I have ever joined regarding a TV show.
Certain posts I try to overlook because nothing will change their mind. I assume (right or wrong) that they are teenagers and aren't very articulate. I have had to remind myself (too often lately) that these are strangers on the internet and why the hell would I let that affect me.
I'd also like to add that we have many very intelligent and articulate teenagers on this forum and by no means did I mean that as a slam against all younger people.

Edited by Serenity@sea, 04 November 2012 - 05:00 PM.

[gagewhitney]

Serenity@sea, on 04 November 2012 - 04:26 PM, said:

I'd also like to add that we have many very intelligent and articulate teenagers on this forum and by no means did I mean that as a slam against all younger people.

Yeah, this. I know I mentioned teenagers, too, but that's not right... I mean a certain mentality and not necessarily a person's age. Some posts (on YouTube or wherever), particularly on Daryl, are very reminiscent of the NKOTB/Backstreet Boys/etc fangirls/fanboys. That OMG!!11! I <3 him 4eva and sleep with a pillow with his face on it! thing. That's the mentality I'm talking about. Sorry, intelligent and articulate teenagers! Didn't mean you.

[Sweetsister]

The only problem I would have with the fan worship is if it affected the storey. I'm a Daryl fan but I dont want the Daryl show I want TWD, for those who want more Daryl I have to wonder if they are really invested in the show itself. If these fans claim to "stop watching" if/when Daryl dies are they real fans of the show , its many other characters and its storey?  I'm sure there are plenty of us who watch the show for its entire scope not just to see 1 character.

Edited by Sweetsister, 04 November 2012 - 04:59 PM.

[Serenity@sea]

gagewhitney, on 04 November 2012 - 04:37 PM, said:

Yeah, this. I know I mentioned teenagers, too, but that's not right... I mean a certain mentality and not necessarily a person's age. Some posts (on YouTube or wherever), particularly on Daryl, are very reminiscent of the NKOTB/Backstreet Boys/etc fangirls/fanboys. That OMG!!11! I <3 him 4eva and sleep with a pillow with his face on it! thing. That's the mentality I'm talking about. Sorry, intelligent and articulate teenagers! Didn't mean you.

Yes, what I meant by my post above was you can't reason with stupid.

[BethTexas]

Sweetsister, on 04 November 2012 - 04:57 PM, said:

The only problem I would have with the fan worship is if it affected the storey. I'm a Daryl fan but I dont want the Daryl show I want TWD, for those who want more Daryl I have to wonder if they are really invested in the show itself. If these fans claim to "stop watching" if/when Daryl dies are they real fans of the show , its many other characters and its storey?  I'm sure there are plenty of us who watch the show for its entire scope not just to see 1 character.

If Daryl dies at this point, I might stop watching, to be honest. I LOVE zombies and post-apocalyptic stuff, but I like a character-driven shows and I just don't care about any of the other characters right now. Michonne is on deck, but I haven't seen enough of her yet.

I can watch a 90 minute made-for-SyFy Channel zombie movie filled with expendable characters because it's a one-shot, but I do need at least one character I care about to keep coming back week after week, year after year to a TV show.

[Bestrafen]

BethTexas, on 04 November 2012 - 08:22 PM, said:

If Daryl dies at this point, I might stop watching, to be honest. I LOVE zombies and post-apocalyptic stuff, but I like a character-driven shows and I just don't care about any of the other characters right now. Michonne is on deck, but I haven't seen enough of her yet.

I can watch a 90 minute made-for-SyFy Channel zombie movie filled with expendable characters because it's a one-shot, but I do need at least one character I care about to keep coming back week after week, year after year to a TV show.

That's the problem.

It's reasonable that you don't care about the other characters because they're not properly developed.  A fact exasperated because the writers are constantly focused on Daryl.  It looks to be a "zero sum" game.  Once Daryl is killed off, no one cares anymore because everyone else came at the expense of him.  Therefore, show is no longer interesting and they can't go back in time and inject background into the other characters.

In another thread somewhere, I stated that characters like Glenn are poorly developed.  I never know about his motivations and desires outside his relationship with Maggie.  Someone responded that "he's a young man with a girlfriend.  She is his only motivation."

Well, that's pretty boring then and he'll just morph into Glenn from the comics (which I might add made Glenn more and more inactive as time went on).  It was my fear that the relationship was going to tie him down and the once kickass and resourceful Glenn from Season 1 is long gone.

Edited by Bestrafen, 04 November 2012 - 11:59 PM.

[Serenity@sea]

Bestrafen, on 04 November 2012 - 11:52 PM, said:

That's the problem.

It's reasonable that you don't care about the other characters because they're not properly developed.  A fact exasperated because the writers are constantly focused on Daryl.  It looks to be a "zero sum" game.  Once Daryl is killed off, no one cares anymore because everyone else came at the expense of him.  Therefore, show is no longer interesting and they can't go back in time and inject background into the other characters.

In another thread somewhere, I stated that characters like Glenn are poorly developed.  I never know about his motivations and desires outside his relationship with Maggie.  Someone responded that "he's a young man with a girlfriend.  She is his only motivation."

Well, that's pretty boring then and he'll just morph into Glenn from the comics (which I might add made Glenn more and more inactive as time went on).  It was my fear that the relationship was going to tie him down and the once kickass and resourceful Glenn from Season 1 is long gone.

I certainly do not think that the writers have been too focused on Daryl, so far, this season. In fact, I was worried that they may exploit his popularity and so far, those worries have been unfounded.
In an ensemble cast there are characters that each have their time to shine and then sometimes when they fade into the background (some a little too much - T-Dog). Rick's character has certainly been developed. Lori and Carol and Andrea, as well. Last season, the focus was on Shane and they definitely showed a complex side of him.
I happen to agree with you on Glenn, just once I'd like to hear him call someone dumbass or show that side of him that we first found so endearing.

Edited by Serenity@sea, 05 November 2012 - 12:20 AM.

[WalkerBaitress]

gagewhitney, on 04 November 2012 - 03:51 PM, said:

That can be true as well. I'm saying it more as a no-need-to-get-crazy-and-personal sort of thing. Like who you like. Dislike who you dislike. Debate. Discuss. Just don't be jerks, because it's just a show.

Yeah. I think that's where I was coming from with my earlier "It's just a show" comment. IMO there are much more serious and meaningful things in life to get worked up over rather than what happens on a TV show.

[WalkerBaitress]

Bestrafen, on 04 November 2012 - 11:52 PM, said:

That's the problem.

It's reasonable that you don't care about the other characters because they're not properly developed.  A fact exasperated because the writers are constantly focused on Daryl.  It looks to be a "zero sum" game.  Once Daryl is killed off, no one cares anymore because everyone else came at the expense of him.  Therefore, show is no longer interesting and they can't go back in time and inject background into the other characters.

In another thread somewhere, I stated that characters like Glenn are poorly developed.  I never know about his motivations and desires outside his relationship with Maggie.  Someone responded that "he's a young man with a girlfriend.  She is his only motivation."

Well, that's pretty boring then and he'll just morph into Glenn from the comics (which I might add made Glenn more and more inactive as time went on).  It was my fear that the relationship was going to tie him down and the once kickass and resourceful Glenn from Season 1 is long gone.

I beg to differ a bit about Glenn both in the show and in the comics and his character development. Glenn from the show, even to this point in S3, seems still to be a work-in-progress, but does seem to mirror the comics in that... (maybe comic spoiler-y)

Spoiler

...he has an incorruptible innocence and essential love for life and all of its beauties that renders him, simultaneously, to be both weak and strong as a character. It is his trustful nature (that some might call "naive") that is his downfall in the comics, but it is also one of his great human strengths, as he does not, as Rick laments in the latest comic issue, have blood on his hands the way that the rest of the survivors seem to do in order to survive in their new environment.

Glenn has a purity and faith in humanity that brings a lot of hope to the show, in prevailing circumstances of darkness and hopelessness. People who read the comics will realize how that turns out for him eventually, but it remains to be seen whether he becomes wearier and more jaded as the TV show progresses, or whether he maintains his optimistic outlook on life and his relationships with his friends on the show (and not just Maggie).

Just my $0.02, of course. YMMV.