The Walking Dead (10×02) We Are the End of the World Review

For our review of last episode of The Walking Dead, click here.

Synopsis: The origins of Alpha and Beta are revealed; Alpha attempts to toughen up Lydia as they prepare to walk with the dead; the Whisperers create their herds. (IMDb)

The end of last week’s episode proved that the Whispers are still very much a threat to our heroes but what have they been up to leading up to that final stare-down? This week’s episode, entitled We Are the End of the World, focuses on the Whispers and tells the origin story of how Alpha and Beta first met and it was certainly not as exciting as it sounds. Contrasting those characters between then and now, it’s easy to see how much they’ve changed in what essentially was not that much time at all. Meanwhile, there was still plenty of drama in the present to contend with. The way that Alpha and Beta dealt with this provided some interesting insight into where they stood (arguably in a deepest way yet) while another figure emerged.

The episode started with a flashback from seven years prior with a woman waking up from a car accident at the worst possible time. Walkers are coming and Alpha and Lydia were among them (pre-Whisper). They helplessly watched them tear the women apart but once they were done, they needed to get away from the walkers who were now focused on them. Alpha and Lydia eventually found refuge in what appeared to be a hospital. However, a mysteriously threatening man wearing a mask appeared in the distance (Beta). He didn’t seem to be fond of their presence, however, Alpha convinced him to let them stay.

Alpha put on her tough face in front of strangers but she was still close to Lydia. Lydia was still naive about their new world but she was certainly not a baby anymore. She wanted to be more like her mother which pleased her immensely but she better not disappoint (and don’t call her mother). Meanwhile, you know it was meant to be after Alpha and Beta killed some walkers together while bonding over their philosophies about the new world (the Whisper stuff). However, Alpha was getting too close. Taking her mothers’ words to heart, Lydia smothered herself with walker blood and set out on her own.

In the present, the Whispers were gearing up for some sort of assault. While they were gathering walkers, the one Whisper who lost her kid a while back (I don’t remember her name) was causing problems for the rest of them. She remembered her baby and the better place she went to but that emotion was disrupting their pack. As she was about to face punishment from the pack, Alpha put an end to it (when it looked like Alpha was going to administer her own punishment, she spared her as well but that didn’t prevent her sister (Thora Birch) from being jealous of her being around Alpha). She related to losing a child as she lost Lydia. To the others, she was dead (though to Alpha she was dead to her), however, Alpha still clearly missed her even if she didn’t necessarily want to admit it to herself.

Meanwhile, Beta couldn’t help but to notice Alpha being distant. As the Whispers went out again, the herd of walkers was growing too fast to manage. Remembering her baby again, the spared Whisper jumped Alpha which attracted walkers to them. Luckily, her sister saved Alpha by throwing her off and into the walkers. As a reward, she would be named Gamma (presumably becoming higher in the pack hierarchy).

Back in the past, while looking for Lydia, Alpha found Beta’s part of the hospital (which was actually a mental institution). Meanwhile in the present, Beta found a secret area Alpha had set up for Lydia. The episode jumped between these moments. Beta and Alpha defended their positions respectively. Alpha couldn’t give up Lydia (despite her being mad about her not being like herself) and Beta couldn’t give up his best friend who was now a walkers that he had chained. Alpha killed it which obviously made Beta angry. She was trying to help him move on. She suggested that Beta wear his best friend’s face (clearly). Beta helped her refocus in the present as they decided to head back to reassert themselves.

In the end, it definitely helps to have Samantha Morton on board for your show.

If you liked this, please read my other reviews here and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter, follow me on Instagram, and also like me on Facebook.

Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.