The Walking Dead 907: Tara’s quiet leadership at Hilltop

Jesus might be the elected leader of Hilltop on The Walking Dead, but in “Stradivarius” we see that Tara is the one who is keeping things together at the community.

The Walking Dead episode “Stradivarius” gave fans their first look at post-time jump Hilltop. Until now there had been no sign of Enid, Tara and Jesus but after episode 907 it has been revealed that they’re all at Hilltop. Though Maggie put Jesus in charge when she left, and even though he has won several re-elections, it looks like Tara is the one running everything. (And doing a darn good job of it)

Leadership is a tricky beast. Some people become leaders by moving through the ranks, while others have a natural charisma that attracts people who want to follow their lead.

Though Jesus was named leader, he doesn’t appear to have the slightest interest in being in charge. Tara, on the other hand, has been the de facto leader for a while, it seems. In the case of the Hilltop, the community would be better served by giving her the reins and making her role official.

Tara’s instant likability no doubt factors into her success managing day to day affairs at the Hilltop. She’s easygoing and personable, and she’s accessible. We see in “Stradivarius” that she’s out with the people regularly, asking questions, listening to concerns and taking action when needed.

It’s unclear at this point why she left Alexandria for the Hilltop, but there’s no question she has settled in nicely and has become the voice of the people, considering she’s the one who runs all of their problems by Jesus, who seems to support whatever action she suggests. (Except in the case of kazoos, in which case they might disagree)

Tara seems to be a natural leader and the work she’s doing has been helping make the Hilltop a stable and successful community. She might not be the leader in title, but she’s definitely the leader through her actions.