Should AMC’s The Walking Dead skip The Whisperers comic storyline?
By Adam Carlson
The Whisperers are an important part of The Walking Dead storyline in the comic book series, but should the popular AMC TV show skip this part of the story?
By now, fans of AMC’s The Walking Dead know that the hit TV show loosely follows the story being told in the Image and Skybound comic book series with the same name. However, the popular program may pass over one of the biggest parts of the comics.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock or dodging spoilers like Neo in The Matrix, you’ve heard a bit about a group called The Whisperers who wear the skin of walkers on their faces to blend in with undead.
This storyline is important to the comics because it builds up the story with Negan and Carl, introduces Lydia, kills off several major characters, and causes the destruction of both The Hilltop and Alexandria.
However, the AMC show is already making it sound like they may pass over this controversial part of the comics and move directly to the New World Order storyline once All-Out War with The Saviors is over.
That would make sense since Carl is a goner, Alexandria is destroyed, the group is heading to The Hilltop as a last defense, and Andrea is already dead on the show. But would this be the best thing for the show?
Personally, the storyline with The Whisperers is one of my favorite times in the comics. I enjoy watching a unique group of villains with a strong female leader named Alpha being such a massive threat to Rick and the group. And the horrible things that Alpha does to allow herself to stay in power makes you hate them even more.
The question of what AMC will allow being shown during episodes of the show. One of the most powerful moments in the comics came when Abraham told the story of his family and the assaults that took place which pushed him over the edge. Instead, AMC missed the mark on telling that tale and left viewers confused as to what the story really was.
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The major issue here is that if the show does execute the storyline of The Whisperers, they will need to do so without holding anything back. The epic battles involving Beta, Alpha’s soldiers, and waves of walkers are more than enough payoff for the situation, but there would need to be substitutions to make it work.
First of all, Negan can’t bond with Carl since young Mr. Grimes will be dead. The show will need to either kill Negan off or move directly to Rick speaking with Negan in his jail cell in Alexandria. Plus, Lydia won’t be able to fall for Carl, so that relationship will need to be adjusted as well.
Lydia is one of my favorite characters in the comics. Her complicated nature, yet willingness to open up to Carl is a fantastic story of how someone coming from a damaging situation can lower their walls and open up to someone again. Plus, they are just an adorable couple.
While I can’t imagine The Whisperers storyline without Carl’s involvement, I’m not willing to give up hope that AMC can figure out a way to tell this story while working around the differences between the show and the comics at this point. And skipping this arc would be a massive mistake.
Do you think AMC can effectively tell the story of The Whisperers on The Walking Dead‘s television show? Or should they skip this entire plot and move on to The Commonwealth in the New World Order arc? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.