The Walking Dead panel: The danger of Alpha’s lie about Lydia

With the Whisperers under the impression that Lydia is dead, Alpha’s secret could have a major impact on the future of The Walking Dead.

Fans of The Walking Dead knew that Lydia went to Alexandria to get away from Alpha and the Whisperers in hope of starting a new life. However, that’s not even close to what her former group thinks happened with her.

It was revealed in episode 1002 that the Whisperers are under the impression that Lydia was killed along with the pike victims during season 9. In fact, the only one who knew the truth was Alpha until Beta became aware of the deception.

With so many members of the Whisperers seeing the Hilltop as a better way of life, finding out they had been lied to by their leader might not be the best thing for Alpha if she wants to remain in power.

We asked our panel about what might happen if Alpha’s secret is revealed. Here is what they said:

Sara L. says

That would certainly create a rift. The whisperers are cult-like. While I think it will break some trust and some people might leave, unless ALL the whisperers are killed I don’t believe the mindset will ever actually be gone. They already had to live with the hypocrisy that Lydia got rescued and had a name I don’t think Alpha lying will be a total end-all if anything some might expect it.

Joe L. says

With some members of the Whisperers already questioning whether or not they should try to join the communities they are about to go to war with, Alpha’s leadership would be in question if the group discovers that she left Lydia alive.

Beta was furious when he discovered that Alpha lied to him, and while he eventually came to accept it, the seeds of mistrust have been planted within the Whisperer ranks. With Alpha’s adoration of Gamma already driving a wedge between the two, we could see Beta become more and more disillusioned with Alpha’s leadership as the season continues.

As the communities suffer from paranoia and disagreement between themselves, we may see a similar thing happening to the Whisperers if Lydia’s survival comes to light.

Renee says

I believe they will lose faith in Alpha’s leadership. Beta knows this and I think he will do everything to ensure them she is still the fearsome leader they have thought she was. Perhaps some of them will try to leave the pack.

Adam says

There really isn’t any coming back from a secret this big. Prior challenges were resolved through one big display of authority by Alpha but with so many of her followers already daydreaming of life without wearing the faces of dead people it may be hard to reel them back in.

Don’t be surprised to see some of her herd defect if they learn this secret. She does seem to have loyal followers in Beta and Gamma who might be more than willing to lead massive amounts of walkers in war, and even with those three and a few others, the group will be extremely dangerous.

What do you think will happen if Alpha’s secret about Lydia is revealed in a future episode of The Walking Dead? Could the Whisperers survive that blow? And how many of her followers would leave? Let us know your opinion in the comments section!