To hear Alpha’s slow southern drawl again gave me chills. The third episode of Tales of the Walking Dead is a terrifyingly disturbing back story of how Alpha, the leader of the Whisperers, came to be. Of the four episodes reviewed so far, this one ranks as the best of show! And I was impressed with all of the episodes so far.
The episode chronicling the path of one of the greatest villains in The Walking Dead universe is directed by Michael Satrazemis and written by showrunner Channing Powell. Fans of The Walking Dead know the story of how Alpha terrorized the community of Alexandria and Hilltop and how she met Beta and formed that alliance. But, viewers will be shocked by the chilling story of how she became the leader of the Whisperers.
The episode begins on a river boat in a murky swamp, just another example of how diverse the episodes of Tales of the Walking Dead are. Dee, as Alpha used to be called, and her daughter Lydia, portrayed brilliantly by Scarlett Blum, have lived on the boat for a year, but Dee still appears an outsider.
Tales of the Walking Dead – Dee
In this episode, Dee begins to teach Lydia the ways of this harsh world, something the young girl isn’t ready to face. Of course, something goes awry, as this is an apocalypse, eventually leading to Dee leaving that name behind and transforming into Alpha.
Samantha Morton, who portrays Dee/Alpha, said in an interview during Comic Con that she was unprepared for Alpha’s shocking story. Viewers will be just as shocked as she.
The pace is quick but not so much as to seem too rushed. Viewers will remain glued to their screens until the last seconds of the episode.
Tales of the Walking Dead premieres on AMC on August 14 at 9 p.m. ET. AMC+ will air episodes 1 and 2 on this same date, with new episodes premiering on the subscriber one week early.
Follow Undead Walking on Twitter and sign up for the once-daily Undead Walking newsletter to avoid missing out on all things in The Walking Dead universe.