The Walking Dead 915: Did Alpha leave Lydia to save her?

Our panelists have opinions on why Alpha let Lydia go and her tears about leaving her daughter behind.

One of the best things about Samantha Morton’s portrayal of Alpha on The Walking Dead  is the complexity she brings to the character. Alpha says that the Whisperers are animals and that humanity is a joke. But she went to the Hilltop to get Lydia after Lydia was captured, which was against the Whisperers’ code. And when Henry, Daryl, and Connie escaped with Lydia Alpha went to huge lengths to get her back. Part of that was to save face, but part of it was because she seems to genuinely still love her daughter in her own twisted way.

Alpha went to the Kingdom to try and get Lydia to come with her, but after realizing that Lydia wanted to stay in the Kingdom and wanted to be part of the community Alpha let her stay, and banished her from the Whisperers in order to save face and not look weak to her people. When Alpha took Daryl up on the rock outcropping to show him the enormous army of walkers below and they were talking about Lydia Alpha told him that Lydia was no longer part of the group. She also said that she didn’t think Daryl could protect Lydia.

Leaving Lydia to stay in the Kingdom, and her tears later on in the woods over losing her daughter, indicate that Alpha may have some humanity left. Or may have had. She may have lost that last little bit of humanity she had once she let Lydia go forever. Our pane has some opinions on Alpha’s motherly love:

Letting Lydia Go To Save Her Life

Alpha seemed to show an emotional side to her in this episode when she was crying. Do you think she was sad about losing Lydia? Why or why not?

Sonya says:

"I do think she was sad about losing Lydia. I think that protecting Lydia has been driving her actions for a long time. But I also think that she knows Lydia isn’t cut out to follow the Whisperer path and by leaving her with the survivors she is saving her life because Alpha knows Lydia wouldn’t be able to make it as a Whisperer. And I do think she’s doing it to maintain her own power also."

Sara says:

"I’d be surprised to learn if Alpha had any ounce of humanity left in her. I really do think that she was upset about losing Lydia. I was shocked to even see Alpha crying. I would have thought that she has no ounce of humanity anymore. I still don’t believe she does, but I do think that some part of her is disappointed that she wasn’t good enough for Lydia."

Jeffrey says:

"With Alpha, I genuinely think she has a purely animalistic need to keep Lydia safe. Deep down, she may love Lydia simply because she birthed her and feels the instinct to keep her alive. At the same time, any love she has for Lydia is completely tainted by the years and continued abuse. The scene with Daryl and Alpha where they discuss Lydia made me think that she is finally realizing that Lydia won’t survive as a Whisperer and the only hope of her making it might be in the protection of the communities."

Sarabeth says:

"Alpha is definitely sad about losing Lydia, from a mother’s standpoint. As a leader, Lydia was collateral damage and if she didn’t rectify that situation she would lose control of the Whisperers. She made a choice, and that demonstrated that even though she loves her daughter she’s willing to lose her to maintain power."

What do you think TWDFamily? Does Alpha really love Lydia on The Walking Dead or was she just cutting her losses like any leader would? Tweet us: @SonyaIryna, @WrittenBySara, @TWalkingDWorld, @SarabethPollock, and @UndeadWalkingFS to join the discussion.