Would Alpha have let Beta kill Lydia on The Walking Dead?

Alpha told Lydia to kill Henry or Beta would kill them both. Would she have killed Lydia after just getting her back? Our panelists have some thoughts.

Lori is officially no longer the most hated mother on The Walking Dead. Alpha is probably going to own that title for the rest of the show. But even though no one expects an outpouring of maternal love from Alpha for Lydia she does seem to have some human emotion left in the form of some type of feeling for Lydia.

Alpha went to the Hilltop peacefully and was willing to trade two prisoners to get her daughter back, which is something that went against her running policy to leave behind anyone that was taken. When the couple challenged her at the camp they challenged her because her actions to get Lydia back were so unusual. That indicates that she has some kind of feelings for Lydia.

But after just a few words from Beta wondering if the approximately two days Lydia was at the Hilltop was enough to make her soft it seemed like Alpha was totally willing to sacrifice her daughter. She told Lydia to kill Henry in order to prove that she wasn’t weak. And she told Lydia that if she refused to kill Henry that Beta would kill both her and Henry. Thankfully Lydia was spared having to make that choice because that’s when Daryl, Connie, and the walker herd showed up.

Would Alpha really have let Beta kill Lydia after what she did to get Lydia back? Aside from the fact that it’s hard to imagine a mother having her child murdered in front of her deliberately it’s hard to believe that Alpha would have gone through the trouble to get Lydia back only to turn around and have Beta kill her. Our panelists have some thoughts on why Alpha threatened Lydia and if she would go through with her threat:

Life Or Death For Lydia

When Alpha told Lydia to kill Henry she told her that Beta would kill her and Henry at Alpha’s command if Lydia refused. Do you think she would have given the order to Beta to kill her daughter if Lydia had refused to kill Henry?

Sonya says:

"I’d like to think that she wouldn’t have gone through with it, but my gut says she would have absolutely let Beta kill Lydia. Because if Lydia refused to kill Henry that would mean that she was weak, and we know that Alpha can’t stand weakness. So I think she would have felt like she needed to kill Lydia in order to keep her leadership role because the rest of the pack would not have let her go unchallenged if she gave Lydia a pass or special treatment. The horrible thing is that I don’t think she would feel sad or guilty about it either. Alpha is definitely a true believe in this weird mythology she’s created."

Sara says:

"I’m thinking about when Alpha shared in this episode with Beta that she once saw Lydia suffocating and then saved her after watching her struggle for a bit. I don’t think that any “mother” who abuses their child like that cares for them. I think she might have let Beta kill Lydia. I don’t think Alpha cares for Lydia’s well being at all."

Jeffrey says:

"I feel like Alpha would have found some way to avoid having Lydia killed. Even though she is abusive and manipulative, I do believe she has some sort of motherly instinct to protect Lydia from dying. She may not even be conscious of this, and it doesn’t feel like pure love Alpha has for Lydia, but that doesn’t mean she could bear to see her die."

Sarabeth says:

"If Alpha suspects that Henry’s presence makes her daughter weak, then she probably doesn’t have much use for her daughter if she refuses the order. It’s a harsh but true reality. So I can imagine Alpha giving the order, in part because she’d be disappointed in her daughter and also because she has to set the right tone with the other Whisperers since she already broke her own rules."

What do you think TWDFamily? Would Alpha have let Beta kill Lydia and Henry if Lydia had refused to kill him? Do you think Alpha has any maternal feelings for Lydia? Do you think empathy is a liability in The Walking Dead world? Tweet us: @SonyaIryna, @WrittenBySara, @TWalkingDWorld, @SarabethPollock, and @UndeadWalkingFS to join the discussion.