The Walking Dead clip reveals new character Leah

New character Leah debuts as part of The Walking Dead bonus episode table read

AMC is continuing their policy of teasing us with clips of the actors reading the scripts from The Walking Dead bonus episodes which are airing in February. These table-reads are providing tantalizing glimpses into the plots of the new episodes, and the latest is no exception.

The table-read from “Find Me” (second of the 6 episodes) sees Norman Reedus as Daryl, Melissa McBride as Carol, Khary Payton as the narrator and newbie Lynn Collins as Leah.

The clip seems to show dialogue from several different scenes which see Carol and Daryl going out hunting for food, discussing the fate of the groups after the Whisperer war, and finally Daryl coming across a cabin which contains the new character Leah.

It’s unclear in the table-read of the context of the discovery, if it is real time or flashbacks. However, the episode synopsis seems to indicate that the cabin Carol and Daryl stumble upon is part of a story that goes back to the season 9 time-jump.

The episode description says “An adventure for Daryl and Carol (Melissa McBride) turns sideways when they come across an old cabin. It takes Daryl back to the years when he left the group after Rick disappeared as he relives a time that only the apocalypse could manifest.”

It’s very possible that Leah is a part of that time in the past when Daryl was living alone in the woods, searching for Rick’s body and closing himself off from those closest to him, whilst Carol moved to the Kingdom.

What we can say for sure is that Leah seems a feisty, strong woman who – when Daryl finds himself in her cabin – informs Daryl he won’t be leaving of his own accord. The narration describes her as strong and sturdy, and if  – as it seems – she is alone, then we can assume Leah is a woman who can handle herself.

Leah is being portrayed by seasoned sci-fi actress Lynn Collins, perhaps best known for her roles as Dejah in John Carter and Kayla Silverfox in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Lynn also has her own YouTube channel focusing on all things spiritual.

The table-read doesn’t just reveal Lynn’s character Leah to us, but also included several never-before-seen behind the scenes photos from filming of the episode.

As well as the masked-up crew hard at work during the pandemic, the photos show that Dog accompanying Carol and Daryl on their hunting trip, and seems to reveal that there is a flashback featuring Carol and Daryl on opposite sides of a river in the episode.

The events of the episode appear to span several time-frames, giving us greater insight into the period after Rick’s “death”, much like “Bounty” and “Scars” did in season 9.

“Find Me” appears to be an intriguing closer look at that period of Daryl’s past we’ve not been privy to, telling a story that somehow connects to the current state of turmoil between Daryl and Carol. Turmoil that appears to boil over into the fifth episode “Diverged”.

The 6 bonus episodes begin airing on AMC on 28 Feb, with “Find Me” airing on 7 March.