The Walking Dead Season 9, Episode 10 Review: 'Omega'

(Photo Credit: AMC)

The Walking Dead 

Season 9, Episode 10

By Garrett Yoshitomi

For the second straight week, The Walking Dead delivers an episode that’s focused more on character development and story building, rather than action and zombie guts. And, for the second straight week, this approach pays off, as ‘Omega,’ serves as a well-paced, entertaining episode that establishes a proper background for newcomer Lydia, while also subtly exploring the origin story of her mom, Alpha. This type of “slow burn” approach isn’t entirely new to The Walking Dead – stretches of bland filler episodes, with only the occasional worthwhile character moment, have plagued this series for almost its entire existence. However, what is new, at least for this season, is the quality of said “filler” episodes, and the way they’re able to properly enhance the wider narrative with well-written character-centered subplots. 

So, what exactly constitutes a “filler” episode? Primarily, filler episodes feature one or two character-driven storylines that focus on character development rather than major plot progression. Of course, filler episodes still have plots, but the way they relate these plots to the overall season is much less about moving from point A to point B along a story arc, and more about moving characters from point A to point B on their own personal trajectories. “Filler episode” has a bit of a negative connotation, but I think that’s only because they tend to feel “boring,” especially when compared to episodes that more overtly move the plot forward. Filler episodes can also seem disruptive, killing a season’s momentum by shifting away from the more exciting, usually action-filled parts of the story, and instead, forcing the audience to reflect on the characters and their place in the narrative. 

(Photo Credit: AMC)

What’s great about this week’s dose of filler is that it not only functions well as a standalone episode; as the plot itself is entertaining enough on its own, but it also fits perfectly within the rest of the season, developing characters in a way that augments their presence and our investment in their roles for the major events to come. Sadly, most filler episodes in The Walking Dead fail to do both these things, which makes the quality of this week’s episode all the more notable of an achievement. Ultimately, I think the key to any great filler episode is squeezing every last drop of juice out of its plotline’s narrow range, and ‘Omega’ does this beautifully by providing simultaneous character development for Daryl, Lydia, and even Alpha, all within the same subplot. 

This week’s episode takes place solely at The Hilltop and its surrounding areas, as the captured Whisperer storyline that began last Sunday, gets into full swing. Daryl’s plan to use Henry to coax information out of Lydia works initially, but he is forced to abandon it once Henry begins to divulge too much information of their own. Throughout the episode, Lydia’s responses to both Daryl and Henry’s line of questions are mixed between real-time dialogue and non-linear flashbacks that are broken up over several scenes. In a vacuum, the flashback storyline is interesting to see play out. The pre-apocalyptic collapse of society is a story we’re familiar with, but don’t often get to see in The Walking Dead. And, while I agree with the show’s decision to avoid consistently flashing back to those early days of the outbreak, it’s fun to see occasionally, and Lydia and Alpha’s story, in particular, provides a compelling, unfiltered look into their characters. 

(Photo Credit: AMC)

Not only does this flashback provide insight into Lydia’s past life, but the way in which it’s presented gives us context for who she is now, as well. Throughout Lydia’s recounting of her past, subtle clues are dropped that hint at a possible discrepancy between her version of events and the truth. Daryl sniffs out these lies right away, but it’s not until the end of the episode that the audience is completely clued into what actually happened. This use of Lydia as an unreliable narrator is not only a clever narrative device, but it also helps with her characterization. Lydia’s inability to accurately retell events goes from seeming malicious to sympathetic, as the reason for her lapse in memory reveals the true extent of the hardships she’s suffered through. 

The show has often asked how children, like Carl or Henry, who spent the majority of their childhoods living in the zombie apocalypse, would ultimately turn out. Thanks to this season’s time-jump, we get to fast forward through these formative years for an answer to this question. The first half of the season introduced us to the more positive outcome, with a well-adjusted Judith Grimes surrounded by a protective and caring community in Alexandria. Lydia represents the other side of this coin, as the cold realities of the apocalypse turned a sweet, innocent child into everything it represents – dangerous, unfeeling, and utilitarian. We’ve seen many a character lose their humanity at the hands of the apocalypse, but we’ve never seen someone gain it back. If this is where Lydia’s story arc takes her, it should be an interesting ride. 

(Photo Credit: AMC)

So far, I’m enjoying Lydia as a new character, and her storyline could end up being one of the best of the season. There’s a fine line between menacing and ridiculous when it comes to dark and creepy teenage characters; but for the most part, I think Lydia comes across as believable, and it’s this believability that allows her to essentially carry this episode as its main focal point. Not only does Lydia’s development in this episode benefit her own characterization, but because her story is so entwined with her mother, her entire flashback story also functions as a “sneak peek” of Alpha, and helps us become more invested in her as a villain, before she’s even introduced. Alpha and The Whisperers are such a radical group, based solely on the idea that their way of life is the next step in human evolution – it makes sense to explore their transformation within the context of who these characters used to be. This emphasis on character background extends beyond just our new antagonist, though, as Daryl Dixon’s past receives a considerable amount of attention this week, as well. 

As part of this season’s Make Daryl Great Again movement, Lydia’s storyline also serves in drawing out a considerable amount of character development from Daryl. Daryl’s abusive upbringing was a big part of his character in the early seasons of The Walking Dead, but was abandoned around season five when he was separated from Beth, and in general seemed to coincide with Daryl’s overall decline in consistent character development. It is good that the show didn’t make Daryl’s past the sole focus of his character for nine years, but replacing that content with nothing was probably a worse decision. I’m glad to see the return of any kind of personal backstory for Daryl, as long as it means he’s not being ignored, and the fact that it fits in so well with the Lydia storyline is an added bonus. The Walking Dead has been largely uneven with the amount of time spent on giving proper backstories to its characters. If this change with Daryl turns into a trend for the rest of the show, I could see uninteresting filler episodes with shallow character development becoming a thing of the past, and that can only benefit the show as a whole, going forward.