The Walking Dead 1014: Beta’s past features some cool callbacks

The Walking Dead episode 1014 revealed more information about Beta’s past as a famous musician, and there were quite a few cool callbacks that came along with it.

In The Walking Dead episode 1013, Beta was seen unmasked by a Whisperer who instantly was familiar with his identity and noted that he thought that he recognized Beta’s voice. In episode 1014, Beta’s pre-apocalypse career was fully revealed – he was a famous country music artist. This reveal came alongside a few Easter eggs that connect The Walking Dead universe both on and off-screen.

In episode 1014, Beta tries to cope with the loss of Alpha by returning to his roots. He picks up and plays a record from what is revealed to be his own personal album, titled Half Moon. Fans of Fear the Walking Dead may recognize this album if they were paying close attention to this past season. In episode 14 of season 5, you can see a crate of albums fall to the ground during a scuffle between Daniel and Grace and some walkers. While it was not a key part of the scene, fans with a keen eye picked up on the fact that one of the albums featured a picture of Ryan Hurst, who plays Beta, on the cover. This callback goes to show that Beta’s popularity was widespread during his time as a musician, and is a subtle but cool way to connect the two shows together.

The specific song that Beta listens to in episode 1014 also features multiple references within the world of The Walking Dead. Earlier in the season – episode 1005 – you can hear Magna listening to Beta’s performance of the exact same song while at Hilltop. This little nod went unnoticed by many at the time, but it reinforces the fact that Beta was a well-renowned musician prior to the outbreak. What would Magna think if she knew who was really performing the song?

The song itself is also connected to the world of The Walking Dead outside of season 10. The song, titled “The Turtle and the Monkey,” was actually written and created by Emily Kinney, a name fans will recognize from her performances as Beth Greene in seasons 2 through 5. It is fun to see how the TWDFamily remains involved with the show after they depart, even through small ways like this. You can listen to Kinney’s song in full here.

It’s clear that Beta is desperate to cover up his history before the zombie apocalypse began. Perhaps he is ashamed of how far he has fallen since the outbreak, which is why he elects to cover his face up with the skin of the undead. Regardless, it is interesting to see how The Walking Dead universe ties together in subtle ways, both on camera and behind the scenes.

What are your thoughts on the reveal of Beta’s origins before the apocalypse? Did you like the subtle references made throughout the episode? Let us know by leaving a comment or tweeting @labrosse_joe!