'The Walking Dead' Season 5 Spoilers: What's in Store for Daryl and Rick in Second Half?

When the second half of "The Walking Dead" premieres in February, most of the characters will be battling with the surge of emotions post the demise of Beth Greene. And it wouldn't be wrong to say that Daryl Dixon will be one of the worst affected.

The midseason finale saw a stunned Daryl killing Dawn immediately after the officer shoots Beth, thereby freeing the people of Grady Memorial from Dawn's control. But to move forward without Beth is going to be a tough task for Daryl, especially as she was the beacon of light that helped him through some of his toughest days.

Norman Reedus, who essays the Daryl, told Entertainment Weekly that Beth's loss is going to affect not just his character, but everyone who has known her.

"She was such a beacon of hope, that girl. She sang and she had a positive outlook and she was hopeful. All these little slivers of hope are being taken from this group one by one. It just gets worse and worse and worse. Humanity and the goodness in people is slowly being evaporated from their world. I think she was a big beacon of hope for us, and to watch her go is just devastating," Reedus said.

As for the leader of the group, Rick Grimes [Andrew Lincoln], Beth's death and the events in the first half of the season is going to have a profound effect on him as the season moves forward. This will make him more darker, and the protagonist will adopt a no-nonsense stance towards the world.

"This is all going to push Rick and cement him even further in a much more aggressive, no-nonsense stance toward the world," showrunner Scott M. Gimple told The Hollywood Reporter. "He simply isn't going to take any chances anymore."

"Rick will be darker, but it's all to keep his family safe and his people safe," Gimple continued. "That's an incredibly humanistic thing. You don't want to be the human on the other side of that equation."

The second half of "The Walking Dead" season 5 will premiere on 8 February 2015.