Alden has become a big player in the latter half of this season of The Walking Dead. What are his top 5 moments from season 10?
While he may not be a character on The Walking Dead that receives significant focus in every episode, Alden is a valued member of the communities who has a connection with many of the show’s fan-favorite characters. As season 10 continued, Alden became a more prevalent figure in the storyline, including the Battle for Hilltop.
Having joined the communities as a former Savior, Alden is a shining example of the future that Rick and Carl dreamed of. While Maggie was the one who initially accepted him into the Hilltop community, Rick and Carl both fought for a life where the Saviors and the communities would stop fighting, and instead, work together to take down the dead rather than the living. As one of the last remaining Saviors with any sort of character development outside of Negan, Alden is an important symbol of the legacy of Rick, Carl, and Maggie.
The last we saw of Alden, he – alongside Aaron – found himself surrounded by Whisperers. He may be in a tough spot heading into the season finale, but Alden did have some moments to shine throughout the season.
Let’s take a look at five of Alden’s biggest moments in season 10!
Hard work pays off
In season 9, we learned that Alden had taken up blacksmithing, working with Earl at the Hilltop forge to build supplies for the group.
Flash forward to the beginning of season 10, and we see these supplies being put to use during the militia training. At that point, the survivors were preparing for a war with the Whisperers, and they needed to have the weapons and armor to take the fight to the enemy group. Alden clearly played a key role in helping prepare them for that, as his work directly contributed to equipping his fellow survivors.
Add in the fact that we got to see Alden take out a walker with an impressive spear toss and this training sequence amounts to a cool moment that showed us Alden was ready for war at the start of the season.
Stepping up as a leader
When everyone wants to rush in and help those harmed by a fallen tree at Hilltop early in the season, Alden is the one that calms everyone down, warning them that going in all at once would cause structural damage and make the situation worse. He starts directing people on what they should be doing, telling some to save the horses while instructing others to rescue the injured two at a time.
Sure, he hasn’t filled Maggie’s spot as the sole person in charge of Hilltop, but this is an important moment in showing that Alden has come a long way from his time with the Saviors. People rely on him now, and he has stepped up to the plate based on what we see from him here.
What’s most noteworthy about this moment is that the people he is directing aren’t just some random, unnamed members of Hilltop. The group includes Ezekiel, Yumiko, and Magna, among others – all seasoned veterans of the apocalypse who know what it is like to lead people. This showed that Alden is someone who has earned the respect of important people in the communities because of his knowledge and ability to come through for people when it matters most.
Risking his life for the group
In episode 1015, we see Alden and Aaron tracking the Whisperers movements out of Alexandria, with the Beta leading the entire Whisperer horde in search of the remaining survivors.
Taking on this task was an absolutely massive risk for the both of them. While hiding in the windmill to try and gain some intel on where the Whisperers were headed next, Alden is nearly spotted. This tense moment shows exactly how high the stakes are in this mission. Make one wrong step, and Alden and Aaron would most certainly be killed.
Alden and Aaron are eventually caught and surrounded by a group of Whisperers before the end of the episode, and it doesn’t look good for the two of them. Based on the sneak peek at the season finale, it seems like they will also come face-to-face with a dual-wielding masked figure who looks extremely lethal.
The former Savior’s willingness to take on this incredibly dangerous but vital task is yet another example of his selfless nature when it comes to protecting the community of survivors that brought him in despite his past affiliation with an enemy group. Alden would do anything for his people, including risking his life to ensure the safety of the survivors.
Protecting Adam
Like plenty of characters on the show, Alden has had to say goodbye to many people that he cared about. The one that hit him hardest was the loss of his girlfriend, Enid, at the hands of Alpha and the Whisperers.
This loss made Alden very protective of his loved ones that are still living. Near the top of that list is Adam, Earl’s adopted son who was left to die by the Whisperers when they first visited Hilltop. So, when Mary, a former Whisperer who is Adam’s aunt, wanted to see the very child that she did nothing to protect, Alden was adamant that she stay away.
When Alden pulled Mary away from Adam and Aaron tried to intervene, Alden passionately made the following remarks:
"“Earl’s a better father than mine was. And we lost Tammy, and then I lost… And he’s been raising that boy alone. For her, and for us. Not for you. He’s not yours, he’ll never be. And you think I’m picking a fight? Think I’m being unreasonable? If I die tonight, it’ll have been for everything we’ve been trying to build for him.”"
You could hear the pain in Alden’s voice throughout this whole outburst. This surprisingly emotional scene really hammered home just how hard the loss of Enid was on Alden. It also made it clear that Alden hates the Whisperers, and will do anything to take them down.
Acceptance and forgiveness
All season long, Alden has been grappling with his humanity when it comes to the conflict with the Whisperers.
Having been on the opposing side to the survivors before during his time with the Saviors, Alden certainly knows the importance of forgiveness and redemption. That’s what makes his decision to forgive Mary, formerly known as Gamma while with the Whisperers, so important. Additionally, the fact that Alden’s second-biggest moment this season was his display of emotion in keeping Mary away from Adam renders this moment later in the season all the more impactful.
Allowing Mary to hold her nephew, Adam, and then later mercy-killing her to prevent his former enemy from joining the Whisperer horde makes it clear that Alden didn’t completely lose his way. He just as easily could have targeted Beta, choosing to punish one of the many people who hurt his loved ones. Instead, Alden’s mercy prevailed over his wrath, and he did the right thing by putting Mary down first, as she would have wanted.
Alden’s struggle between being the kind and forgiving person we have known him to be and wanting to hurt those who caused him so much pain has been a tough one throughout season 10, but once again he showed us that he is a good guy deep down.
What was your favorite moment involving Alden this season? Let us know by leaving a comment or tweeting @labrosse_joe!