Confused by the Alpha scene in The Walking Dead season 9 finale? Here's why she wasn't caught in the winter storm

The Walking Dead season 9 Alpha — Image Credit: AMC

With just how much emphasis The Walking Dead season 9 finale placed on its wintry conditions, it was a serious disconnect to see Alpha seemingly sunning it up in her only scene. The Whisperers move around between the undead hordes at will, but surely them high-tailing it to warmer climes in such quick fashion was a bit too far-fetched, even for a show about zombies eating brains? Well, showrunner Angela Kang has cleared up any confusion – and it just might make the finale a more interesting re-watch in future.

“The Whisperers don’t exactly have a home address,” Kang tells EW, while also beginning to explain why Alpha’s solitary moments didn’t feature any snow. “So they’re nomadic. When we start talking about, what’s the reality, what do these guys do during winter? They don’t live in standing structures. They probably migrate South for the winter like birds.”

That clears that up. At some point during the creation of a new border by the Kingdom (featuring several disembodied heads on pikes) and the blizzard really hitting home, The Whisperers took leave and went south. It just wasn’t really explained during the events of the episode, which is why the sunny scene stuck out like a sore thumb.

But, as Kang is keen to point out, it’s a concept that will play in to any potential The Walking Dead season 10 conflict. The fear of the unknown, even if we didn’t know it at the time, was present throughout Michonne, Ezekiel, and Daryl’s trek through the icy landscape. We, too, were fearful that a Whisperer would crop up at any moment but they weren’t even there. That’s good horror, let me tell you.

Kang sums it all up, and paints a picture of what to expect from the Whisperers later this year, by saying: “We’re afraid they’re gonna catch us, turns out they’re not even there. What does that mean for us going forward?”

Whisper it: The Walking Dead is scary again. And it’s all thanks to Alpha and her gang’s ability to crop up whenever and wherever, especially if you think they’re getting a tan.

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I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.