My little fangirl heart was squeeing as loud as anyone's tonight with Daryl and that baby, but I also think we might remember this as the moment Daryl Dixon jumped the shark.
There was no reason for him to be the one to feed the baby EXCEPT to pander to the fangirls. I just can not imagine that it wouldn't have been Maggie (or Beth or Chandler). The Daryl I thought I knew would have been anxious and "all business" to make sure the formula was prepared, etc. but then immediately handed it off to someone else to actually feed and hold the baby.
Even Glen Mazzara seems to admit that it was fangirl pandering in his tweet to Norman Reedus tonight "you owe me bro". (Norman doesn't need any help winning, or keeping, our hearts by the way.)
Again, I LOVE DARYL DIXON, but this moment was not the Daryl Dixon I love. I would have preferred to have seen him kind of awkwardly off to the side watching Maggie feed the baby with his "mission" accomplished of having provided the formula and all the necessities to make it happen.
Also, why not look for Carol first before digging her grave? She's not lost in an expansive woods like Sophia or lost after a zombie herd attack like Andrea. She's in a contained environment. At least look for her first. Clear out a few cell blocks before digging her grave.
I agree with what you said about Daryl. I love the character but I'm confused about his tone these days. Obviously, he's grown a lot over the seasons, but him handling the baby like that seemed out of character. Aside from catering to fangirls, I assume we can attribute it to his left over feelings about Sophia. Wasn't there a kid's name at the daycare that said "Sophie?" They showed him staring at it.
I just want them to be consistent with him. Norman's always saying how Daryl shouldn't get a love interest because he can't get close to people emotionally. Yet, we see this episode with him filling Rick's shoes as a doting dad? Bonding with a newborn is a pretty emotional experience. I didn't know about that one.
As for Carol, I'm surprised so many people have brought up her grave. You don't need a body to have one. It's like a memorial. When people die in war, and they never find their remains, their families still get them headstones. It's a part of the grieving process.