The Walking Dead theory: Who made the tunnel?
By Liam O'Leary
TWD Theory #3: The tunnels were built for Alexandria before the outbreak.
Earlier today, one of my colleagues suggested that the tunnels might have been part of the construction of part of Alexandria that just never got finished before the outbreak became the apocalypse or, were connected in some way to the sewer system (Perhaps even the same one Carl hid in during Negan’s attack), as she said to me, it was a development under construction at the time, so it’s not impossible by any means.
However, there are problems with this theory, too, that cause it to fall apart.
Firstly, I don’t think developments like Alexandria would have built tunnels for pipes, and then, covered them back up without laying down the pipes they were for. Literally, a house is being built not far from me, and, one of the first things I’ve seen them do is put down pipe, so, we’re already off to a bad start with this one.
Secondly, how did no one know about these pipes before? When Scott gives his report to Father Gabriel, the tunnels seem like a surprise to them, you’d have thought Scott, one of the original residents, would have known. Even if they all knew, you mean to tell me no one, not even Father Gabriel, thought the tunnels might be compromised upon learning of Dante’s true allegiance?
Thirdly, as far as the sewer system goes, the one we saw in Carl’s final episodes (“How It’s Gotta Be” and “Honor”) were finished, they had pipes lining them and everything. The one Beta used seemed pretty clearly intended for people to walk through, I mean, if Beta can stand in it, almost anyone can, so, it seems unlikely to have been connected to Alexandria’s sewer.
Fourthly, I’ve also had suggestions that it might have been an emergency escape tunnel similar to one at Hilltop. This just brings be right back to my second point: How could it have been an emergency escape tunnel when, apparently, none of the Alexandrians knew it existed? Furthermore, if it was a planned part of the development, how could the Whisperers know about it before the Alexandrians? Even if that weren’t true, how in the hell would the Alexandrians get into the tunnel to escape through in the first place? An escape tunnel is useless if you can’t access it, and, if the Alexandrians could have accessed it, as I asked earlier: Why, then, didn’t the Whisperers just use it EARLIER?! They WOULDN’T have needed Dante to dig an entrance for them!
This tunnel is making less and less sense by the minute…