Alpha and her people showed up at The Hilltop with an army on Sunday’s episode of The Walking Dead.
“Your people crossed into our lands,” the new villain said, adding that “there will be no conflict. Your people killed our people. There will be no conflict.”
However, if they did not return her daughter to them, then “there will be conflict.”
Alpha made it clear that she meant business by bringing even more of her people out of the shadows when the strained leadership at the Hilltop struggled to come to a decision.
Daryl was adamant that Lydia was not returning to her family, but Tara said that pissing her off can get [Alden and Luke] killed.
This was the first moment that proved Tara could not be a leader. She’s too emotional and is not cut out to be the head of the Hilltop.
She couldn’t make a decision, and it could have resulted in a lot of death.
“if it’s a fight you’re looking for, we got enough firepower to light you up right here and now,” Daryl stressed to Alpha, who revealed that one of her people had a screaming baby.
“We’re animals,” she said. “Animals live out here. Animals have babies. So we have babies out here. Now, what were you saying? You seem to want conflict.”
Alpha swiftly changed the subject, saying that they can swap Lydia for Luke and Alden.
“I wanted to kill them,” she said, “but I want my daughter more.”
With walkers approaching, and the baby screaming, Alpha ordered the mother to drop the child near to the walkers, and that she did.
Luke just managed to sign to Connie who was still hiding in the cornfield to get the baby.
“If his mother can’t quiet the child,” said Alpha, “the dead will. Natural selection.”
Inside the Hilltop, it quickly emerged that Henry and Lydia had escaped. Daryl found as he tried to find Carl 2.0, but Enid went with another girl to find him when they realized he had left the compound.
Connie made it her mission to save the baby, and in A Quiet Place-esque scenes, she ran out of her hiding post, grabbed the baby, took some walkers out and ran into Daryl, Tammy, and Early, who helped her back inside with the baby.
Lydia was confused about her mother’s return and said as much to Henry. Enid arrived and talked some sense into the lovestruck couple.
Lydia later said she would return to be with her mother. Lydia addressed her parent as "mom," prompting Alpha to strike her on the face for not calling her "Alpha."
But Alden and Luke were released and all seemed right in the world … until Henry made an escape to find Lydia.
Connie wanted to go along for the ride, and Daryl had no choice in the matter. Okay then.
The other big plot focused on a desperate attempt to find a projector light bulb in an old theater. It was somewhat boring, but it did let us get to see Jesus one last time.
What did you think of the episode?
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The Walking Dead continues Sundays on AMC.