Why didn’t Alpha kill Siddiq on The Walking Dead?

It’s unusual for Alpha to leave anyone alive. Our panel talks about why Alpha would let Siddiq live and how his life will change after seeing his friends die on The Walking Dead.

Siddiq managed to survive the most brutal massacre of survivors that has occurred on The Walking Dead. Alpha let him live and left him tied to a tree in a place where the others would find him. She instructed him to tell the others what happened to the people who ended up being killed. This could have been a tactic to make all of the communities respect her power, or it could have been something else.

Presumably, all of the pike victims would have been found anyway because Alpha told Daryl where to go to find the others and where the border marking was. So why leave Siddiq alive and place him where he would be found?

It’s possible that Siddiq was left alive to tell the story of the last minutes of the people who were killed and further traumatize the survivors by hearing about the last minutes and deaths of their loved ones. Alpha may have wanted Siddiq to deliver a tale of fear and pain so the loved one of those killed and the other members of the communities would be scared of her and the Whisperers.

But that’s not what happened. Instead, Siddiq told of the bravery of the ones who died because they all went out fighting as hard as they could, which is exactly what everyone would expect. If Alpha’s plan was to further terrorize the communities it failed. But was that her plan? Our panelists debate Alpha’s intentions in season 9 episode 15 of The Walking Dead:

Leaving Siddiq Alive

Why do you think Alpha didn’t kill Siddiq?

Sonya says:

"I think she wanted to terrorize and traumatize the survivors by having them hear about the deaths of their loved one in detail. I think it was a power play and she wants them to know she decides who lives and who dies at any given time. And I think part of her wanted Lydia to know how Henry died so that Lydia would feel responsible for Henry’s death. Alpha is extremely smart and manipulative and if she left Siddiq alive, it will serve a purpose."

Sara says:

"I’m really confused as to why Alpha chose to spare Siddiq. I’m not sure why he was chosen as the messenger, but I do know that he gave a damn good speech honoring the victims of that horrible tragedy. Siddiq’s speech was the perfect ending to that brutal episode"

Jeffrey says:

"I think Alpha may have intended to kill Siddiq along with the other victims, but had a change of plans at the last minute and realized that someone needed to be kept alive to tell the story of what happened. She likely expected him to share all of the gruesome details of the victims being decapitated, but instead her plan backfired and he told a story of heroism. Alpha was in the Kingdom and heard some bits of information regarding the split between the communities, so she was probably assuming that the pikes would serve to break up the already fragile unity. She clearly doesn’t know our people though."

Sarabeth says:

"Alpha is very concerned with sending messages. She probably wanted him to relate the story of what happened. The terror in his expression said it all. But what she didn’t count on was the story he actually told, the one meant to galvanize the group and urge them to keep fighting to honor the dead."

What do you think TWDFamily? Why did Alpha let Siddiq live on The Walking Dead? Did her plan backfire on her? Tweet us: @SonyaIryna, @WrittenBySara, @TWalkingDWorld, @SarabethPollock, and @UndeadWalkingFS to join the debate.