The End of the Whisperers: Beta’s death and why it was perfect

The hulking menace that was Beta has come to an end on The Walking Dead

In a strangely poetic and beautifully shot scene we see Beta’s death in The Walking Dead season 10 finale. Why it worked can be attributed to the details of those final moments.

I want to start by admitting I was wrong. When I first heard they were doing the Whisperer war I was doubtful they would be able to translate it to the show in a way that I would find interesting. I was wrong…oh so wrong. Not only did they do a fantastic job with the Whisperers, making it my favorite arc since the early days at the prison, they hired top notch actors to play the roles of Alpha (Samantha Morton) Beta (Ryan Hurst) and Lydia (Cassady McClincy). In season 10’s finale we saw the end of that war with the  Beta’s death.  Some reviewers and fans lament the “quickness” of Beta’s death but for me personally, it was perfection.

I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge Daryl and Negan’s role in ending Beta, I have to be honest and admit that was the least of what captivated me in those moments. Sure it was a “cool” kill and showed Daryl learned his lesson from the last fight with Beta (sorry Daryl, you couldn’t go toe to toe with Beta and win… just saying) and ended it quick. There was also another nice moment of redemption for Negan, who put himself in Beta’s path and drew his attention from Lydia in Alpha’s mask.

During the course of the episode we saw how fragile Beta’s grasp of reality was. The scenes where the images allowed us to see the walkers through Beta’s eyes were beautifully done. Hearing the walkers telling him “we are the end of the world, this is the end of the world”  and they are “ready”. Alpha’s ideology becoming Beta’s reality.

By the time we get to Beta’s final moments there is a deep sense of dread for team family, despite knowing about the news of the bonus 6 episodes, the extended season 11 and the spin-off/tales from The Walking Dead shows. I was riveted to the scenes playing out on my screen.

For once the darkness didn’t bother me because it set the tone for the moment.  The crush of bodies around him as team family took out the whisperers one by one. Then Beta sees Lydia in Alpha’s mask. Negan getting his attention caused Beta to focus on one thing, revenge for Alpha’s death which made it easier for Daryl to slide in and stab him in the eyes. This led to the best part of the scene…

The flashes of Alpha thought out their time together  with the voice over of her chant:

"“We walk in darkness, we are free. We bathe in blood, we are free. We love nothing, we are free. We fear nothing, we are free. We need no words, we are free. We embrace all death, we are free. This is the end of the world. Now is the end of the world. We are the end of the world.”"

It really set the stage for a satisfying death. Ryan Hurst gave a remarkable performance as Beta and  those finale moments highlighted his talent, especially considering how little dialogue he had. He had to convey everything with body language and the occasional word/sound. His smile as the walkers ripped of his mask and began to feast fit with the character.

This worked for me as a viewer because it was about Beta. As I said earlier, it could have been reduced to another “Cool” Daryl kill but it was about how he got to where he was and stayed true to the character. It gave a look into his thoughts and his insanity. It focused on his devotion to Alpha and proved that he truly was her willing disciple.

Beta’send wasn’t a punishment or something he feared. To him, his death was a release and the promise of Alpha.  “We embrace death, We are free” in that moment Beta was finally free.

Want to know how the show version of Beta’s death compared to the comics? Check out this great article by Joe Labrosse:

What did you think of Beta’s death in The Walking Dead? Let us know in the comments!