Ryan Hurst as Beta – The Walking Dead _ Season 9, Episode 13 – Photo Credit: Jace Downs/AMC /
The bad things
Separation problems. Frances, the mother from the Whisperers who gave up her baby at the Hilltop and sister of Gamma, is having problems letting go. Seeing her sob while Gamma protected her is a reminder of what these people are willing to give up just to be under Alpha’s rule, and that is still terrifying.
Alpha…showing mercy? So far, we know that Alpha is merciless unless it involves Lydia. That changed in this episode when Frances was crying and got reprimanded for that by Beta. She comforted her, seeming sympathetic for her loss instead of being the brutal leader we’ve learned to accept.
Challenging Alpha. There is a time to challenge and a time to die. Seeing the baby-carrier attached to a walker set Frances off and she attacked Alpha, prompting Gamma to separate the two and make sure Alpha is okay. That had to be a tough decision for Gamma to make, but her actions proved to Alpha she is loyal.
Not giving up. Alpha shows she is sympathetic to Frances because she still misses Lydia. Knowing she is still alive at the Hilltop is eating her up inside and she even set up a shrine with Lydia’s old stuffed animal and a makeshift crib made of twigs. This anger and frustration will make Alpha fight harder when the time comes.
It’s time for a punishment. This episode matched right up with the conclusion of the season 10 premiere, which means next week’s episode will likely pit the Whisperers up against the survivors in some way. And this is negative because whenever that happens, that means bodies are likely to hit the floor.
