Will Daryl lead the fight against Alpha on The Walking Dead?

Daryl and Lydia bonded over their past traumas. Does that mean Daryl will face off with Alpha to save Lydia? Our panelists have some thoughts.

On the most recent episode of The Walking Dead Lydia’s troubled past also gave fans some more insights about Daryl’s past. It’s not news that Daryl had a pretty rough childhood and that has shaped a lot of the person that he became.

Daryl seemed to bond with Lydia because he recognized what she’s going through as a person that has been dealing with trauma from an early age. He can also relate to her life of living in a feral way because he has been living on his own in the woods for what looks like a long time.

It seems like Daryl has decided that Lydia shouldn’t be given back to Alpha because Alpha abuses her. When it didn’t seem that Alpha would come for her daughter Daryl probably just assumed that he could talk Tara into letting Lydia stay at the Hilltop hoping that eventually she would recover from her trauma and be a productive part of the community. However, Alpha did show up to get Lydia and now Daryl has to make a tough decision.

Daryl has never been one to put the people he cares about in danger for a newcomer and he know that his responsibility is to keep the people at the Hilltop safe. He made a promise to Carol and to Michonne to help Tara lead the Hilltop and keep the community going. But his bond with Lydia may cause him to stand against Alpha and essentially take Rick’s leadership role from the comic as the person who leads the fight against the Whisperers.

Standing Up To Alpha

Daryl & Lydia seemed to have a similar past. Do you think that Daryl will or should be the ultimate frontrunner to possibly take down Alpha & The Whisperers in order to protect Lydia and the communities?

Sonya says:

"I don’t think Daryl feels particularly comfortable in a leadership role and I think he will hesitate to take that role. I do think that he’s the best person for the job though. Lydia told Daryl he’s like them and that will give him an advantage to fight them because he will be able to understand their motivation and anticipate what they might do. Understanding your enemy and being able to predict their moves is important when you’re fighting a cunning and cruel enemy like Alpha."

Sara says:

"I absolutely think that Daryl should take the lead in this situation. Of course all of the communities will need to come together in this situation, but Daryl is the one who has gotten to know Lydia more. They have a very similar past, and this emotionally ties Daryl to Lydia in a sense. Daryl wants to save Lydia from going through what he went through. It makes perfect sense for Daryl to take the lead here."

Jeffrey says:

"I feel like Daryl will definitely be at the forefront in the conflict with the Whisperers. Having not even met Alpha yet, he seems to really understand the person she is just based on what Lydia has told him. I think it makes sense for Daryl to be leading the charge against the Whisperers, but I think its way too early to even guess who will be the one to take them down."

Sarabeth says:

"I don’t think any one person should be responsible for taking down Alpha. It needs to be a group effort, as every other effort has been. The stakes are way too big to risk someone falling short and letting Alpha gain any advantage."

What do you think TWDFamily? Is Daryl the perfect choice to lead the fight against Alpha on The Walking Dead or do you think someone else from the communities should take the lead? Tweet us: @SonyaIryna, @WrittenBySara, @TWalkingDWorld, @SarabethPollock, and @UndeadWalkingFS and join the debate.