| This article is about the TV Series character. You may be looking for her Comic Series or Road to Survival counterparts. |
| “ | Everyone's acting like getting to Hilltop is gonna make all our problems go away--like it's gonna make everything better, but it's not gonna change shit. They're not gonna want me back. If they hadn't taken me in to begin with all those people would still be alive. Your son's dead 'cause of me... Henry said I was a good person... but he was wrong. As long as I'm one of you it's never gonna stop. You know I'm right. There's only one way to fix this... and you see it. It can be you. No one else has to know. Please, Carol. Everything's gonna be better when I'm gone. This is how you keep from losing anyone else. (...) Please, Carol--please just do it. Do it for Henry. I'm sorry it has to be you, but it does. I'm too weak--just like my mother said.
|
” |
Lydia is a former antagonist and a survivor of the outbreak in AMC's The Walking Dead. She was a member of the Whisperers and is the daughter of the group's leader, "Alpha". During an attack against the survivors, Lydia is captured and taken hostage at the Hilltop to be interrogated for information. Eventually, she forms a relationship with Henry as well as a parental bond with Daryl Dixon. She is returned to her mother in a trade, but is rescued shortly after. Following her rescue and reformation, Lydia is exiled by her mother during the fair at the Kingdom and relocates to Alexandria.
Overview
Lydia is a cunning and hardened, yet deeply traumatized young woman, suffering from years of physical and psychological abuse inflicted on her by her mother, Alpha. While initially being fully devoted to the Whisperer way, and only acting as a scared little girl, her time at the Hilltop reawakened memories of her childhood. While she initially believed her father was abusive and her mother caring, these memories were the product of years of gaslighting from Alpha. The truth was quite the opposite, as Lydia finally realized during her brief captivity. Lydia also believed her mother's physical abuse was done out of love and was necessary to strengthen her. Her time with Henry made her resent the Whisperer lifestyle, and she expressed a desire to stay at the Hilltop. Nonetheless, Lydia selflessly chose to go back to her mother and the Whisperers in order to save Alden and Luke, that were being kept hostage by Alpha. When Henry came after her and was captured, Lydia punched him in anger, though this was most likely an act. Later, she is unable to kill Henry when her mother commands her to, and chooses to run away with Henry when Daryl and Connie come to rescue him.
When Alpha kills Henry and 9 other fair attendees, Lydia becomes depressed and even suicidal, and is shown to feel tremendous guilt over the event. Once Carol refuses to kill her and encourages her to live, Lydia regains some of her old self back, and even participates in a snowball fight at Alexandria.
Pre-Apocalypse
Mid-Atlantic, United States
Lydia was born in the early 2000's and grew up in the Mid-Atlantic where she was raised by her abusive mother Alpha alongside her loving father Frank who would sing "Lydia the Tattooed Lady" whenever she was scared whilst she affectionately rubbed his father's tattoo of her name to comfort her.
At the age of 3, Lydia found herself trapped within a closet tangled up in dry-cleaning plastic after Alpha had previously turned her back on her. Lydia began to suffocate as her mother sadistically watched until she collapsed. Alpha removed the plastic from her face and asked if Lydia was okay, only to hit her daughter hard so she would never do it again.
Post-Apocalypse
Baltimore, Maryland
Lydia, along with her parents, Alpha and Frank, survived the initial stages of the outbreak together. After 23 days of the initial outbreak, she remained in a moldy basement with a group of survivors. Lydia used to be naive regarding the status of the world and always spent time with her dad due to her mother's abusive nature.
After 43 days, the undead began to overrun the outside of the building. A fellow survivor, Matias, started to have a panic attack and wanted to leave the basement. Alpha, knowing noise could draw them in, smothered Matias to death, believing that he was too weak to survive this world and was a threat to her family. In order to spare Lydia from the horror, Frank distracted her with her lullaby. Later that night, unknown to the group about the virus infecting the living, a reanimated Matias began to attack the group. Alpha then attempted to lead her family to safety by escaping, but Frank tried to save their friends, which resulted in Alpha murdering him.
According to Lydia, she and her mother watched many survivor communities thrive and then eventually fall, eventually evolving her mother into a more hardened survivor willing to resort to whatever measures necessary to survive. In the years that followed, Alpha would tell Lydia the reverse of events in the beginning, that Frank was the abusive one and she was the one trying to protect Lydia, that Matias killed her father and not Alpha herself.
Rural Virginia
At some point after the fall of the shelter and the death of her father, her mother "Alpha" formed and became the leader of a large group of survivors that would eventually become known as the Whisperers. The group discovered an ingenious way to be protected from attacks of the dead by killing and skinning them, wearing their skin in order to mask their scents and move freely among herds in order to attack other survivor camps and settlements. The group also shed their previous identities and names, becoming nothing but hardened and primitive survivors. To the point, they disregard the ones they see as 'weak' in their group, not acknowledging those who die or go missing.
Season 9
"Adaptation"
On a bridge, Lydia and some Whisperers are cornered by Daryl, who uses his crossbow to see who are Whisperers. He hits one in the leg and a man falls down screaming in pain, attracting walkers to him. Lydia and the other try slowly escaping to the other side, where Michonne is waiting for them. They draw their knives and attack, but Michonne and the rest kill them with ease as Lydia gets on her knees to surrender. Daryl rips off her mask as Lydia begs for her life. Michonne angrily questions her but when more walkers show up Daryl decides to take her with them.
Later, the group arrives at Hilltop with a captive Lydia and Jesus' body, causing the whole community to react in disbelief. In the cellar, Daryl throws her in a cell as Michonne rips off her blindfold and tells her "No more bullshit!"
Daryl, Michonne, and Tara interrogate Lydia, who claims to not have a name and that her group consisted of good people who were just trying to survive. Michonne asks if her people know about Hilltop but she begs to be left alone.
A while later, Daryl rushes back to the jail to demand Lydia to reveal her identity. Henry tries to intervene but Daryl shuts him down. He slams her against the bars and asks if she comes from a place with walls. She tells him that places like Hilltop never last and her mom told her they needed the dead to stay safe. He raises his knife to her and demands why her people killed his and she says they were always going to. She tells him her mother is out there alone but he calls her a liar before dragging her towards the exit. Lydia begs for her life and he lets her cower back in her cell.
Daryl then reminds Henry of his place and warns he'll stay in his cell until he realizes it. After he leaves, Lydia thanks Henry for saving her and introduces herself. Outside, next to a window, Daryl listens in.
"Omega"
In Hilltop, Lydia tells Henry how she survived at the start of the apocalypse with her parents in a shelter. Henry tells Lydia about Carol, who would do anything to protect him. He asks more about her parents and Lydia says her mother is also relentless and is not someone anyone would want to mess with. Outside, Daryl is sitting by the window and listening to their conversation.
Later, Henry offers Lydia an egg. She tells him to keep it and that hunger is a gift. She asks why he's being nice to her and he says that he, his brother, and his dad were messed up when they were first found out there and it took a lot of someone being nice to make things okay again. Lydia says her dad said that things will never be okay again and tells him how her mom used to distract her with board games. Henry tells Lydia her mom seems nice and reveals he and his adoptive parents are from another community called The Kingdom, which is a day's ride from Hilltop. Suddenly, Daryl storms downstairs and takes Henry out of his cell.
Later, Daryl goes to Lydia's cell and offers her medicine to help with her ear, but she refuses. He tells her that Luke and Alden are missing, but she says she knows nothing about it. He then asks her if her mom would kill their people if she crossed them. Lydia says that she would if she had to and tells him how her mother had to kill a man who was panicking and scared. Daryl says to Lydia that her mom did what she had to keep her alive. Lydia again pulls at her ear and Daryl tosses her the medicine, reminding her the people at Hilltop will help her if she helps them. She asks him for water and when he gets close she tries grabbing him. He grabs her arm and pulls up her sleeve, revealing a series of cut marks, causing her to retreat in the corner. Daryl looks at her for a moment and then leaves.
At night, Daryl visits Lydia again to find out more about her bruises. She says she got them from her mom, so Daryl asks why she won't tell her where she is. He says she’s safer here than out there but she disagrees and says her mother’s abuse makes her hard. Daryl calls it bullshit, but Lydia says staying soft makes you die and tells him that her father was weak and died saving her. Lydia then tells him that he is strong and doesn't belong in Hilltop. Daryl says she doesn't know shit about him and leaves.
A while later, Henry frees Lydia from the cell so they can hang out outside. Lydia immediately grabs a worm from the ground and eats it. She gives one to Henry, who does the same. Henry shows her around as she sneaks a hammer behind her back. She nearly bashes him with it until she hears a baby crying, which triggers more memories from the shelter. She then asks Henry to take her back to her cell. He agrees as Daryl watches them from nearby. In the cell, Lydia asks Henry to stay with her. They hold hands through the bars and fall asleep.
In the morning, Daryl finds them holding hands. Lydia asks for the pills, promising not to attack this time. She confesses she was trying to get intel from them and that if her mom did find Luke and Alden then they're probably dead. She then explains her people are always on the move and that her memories were mixed up because her mother lied to her. Lydia confesses her father was caring and her mother was the monster. She then finishes her story by claiming her mother killed her father. Lydia cries and apologizes to Daryl for wasting his time, but he says she didn’t and goes outside.
"Bounty"
In the woods, Lydia is hidden by Henry in a cabin and changes into cleaner clothes, claiming it feels weird. Suddenly, Enid and Addy show up to demand Lydia back for Alden and Luke, but Henry refuses to give her up. Enid tells him about watching her parents die and how Carl told her she has to live for more than survival. Henry's torn so Lydia offers to give herself up to save their friends. She kisses Henry and they return to Hilltop.
At Hilltop, Daryl hands Lydia over to Alpha in exchange for Alden and Luke, who are embraced by Enid and Magna's group. Lydia apologizes to her mother and Alpha smacks her across the face, ordering her to address her as Alpha like everyone else. She then smiles at Daryl as they leave.
"Guardians"
In the woods, Alpha questions Lydia about her time at Hilltop. She talks about their farmland, supplies, and weapons, but leaves out their dealings with other communities like The Kingdom. Alpha's disappointed over her lack of intel so Lydia asks if that’' the only reason she came for her. "What a stupid question," Alpha says.
A while later, Lydia and the Whisperers stop in the woods to rest. Unknown to her, Henry watches them from a close distance. Suddenly, Beta grabs Henry from behind and tosses him in front of Alpha. He says he's been tracking Henry for a while, but Henry's been tracking them for longer. Alpha questions him as Beta threatens to break his arm. Henry relents and reveals he came alone to get Lydia. She calls him stupid and punches him in the face. Alpha decides Henry's coming with them.
In the woods, Alpha asks Lydia why she didn't mention Henry but she says he wasn't worth mentioning. Alpha reminds her that he just risked his life to save her, so she must be lying. They arrive at the Whisperers' camp, which is full of people without their walker masks. Alpha instructs Beta to tie Henry to a tree and to get Lydia a new mask.
Later, Lydia watches in silence as Alpha executes a couple of Whisperers who challenged her for leadership. Then, she shows Henry she still has the necklace he gave her, signaling she secretly supports him.
At night, Beta takes Henry to Alpha. She makes Lydia pick up a knife and tells her to kill Henry with it to prove what side she's on. Lydia begins to cry as she approaches Henry. Alpha warns her not to be weak like her father and that if she doesn't kill him, Beta will kill them both. Suddenly, a small herd of walkers show up and begin eating the unmasked Whisperers. Alpha and the others quickly put on their masks to try to lure the herd away as Daryl and Connie arrive disguised as Whisperers to rescue Henry. They grab Henry, who grabs Lydia, and together they escape.
"Chokepoint"
In the woods, following their daring escape from the Whisperers, Daryl blames Lydia for getting them into this mess and says she can't go with them back to Hilltop. Connie and Henry refuse to leave her behind and run off with her in another direction. Daryl reluctantly follows them.
At dawn, Daryl and Connie devise a plan to use an office building as a means of separating the Whisperers from the undead. Lydia warns Daryl that Alpha's going to send Beta, who's their best fighter. "We'll kill him first", Daryl promises. Inside the office building, Henry gifts Lydia a spear he made and she reminds him she's not willing to kill her own people. He takes it back and tells her he'll try not to either. Lydia then scolds him for risking his life for her, claiming that what he did made Alpha look weak. He reminds her he cares about her and they kiss. Daryl interrupts and tells them to keep watch.
Later, Lydia spots a group of walkers/Whisperers emerge from the bushes. In the middle of the group is Beta, who quietly instructs his people to spread out as Daryl shoots one of them with his crossbow. Beta and his people break in and quickly discover a trap meant to separate them from the dead. Meanwhile, Daryl makes Lydia hide in a closet with Dog as the Whisperers creep upstairs.
As the fight rages, a Whisperer attacks Henry and stabs him in the leg. Unable to stand leaving Henry in danger, Lydia breaks down the closet door with a crowbar, releasing Dog to go to Henry's rescue. With Dog's help, Henry kills the attacking Whisperer and is then tended to by Lydia. Though Henry apologizes for having to kill one of her people, Lydia reassures him that it's alright and continues to tending to Henry's wound as the fight ends.
Afterward, Connie draws the herd away with her slingshot and Daryl tells the others they're headed to Alexandria to get Henry help because it's closer. However, he doesn't intend to stay as the Whisperers will never stop hunting them and they will instead keep moving on.
"Scars"
Lydia arrives at Alexandria with Daryl, Henry, and Connie. From a guardpost, Michonne tells Daryl she's skeptical of Lydia but he assures her she's on their side. Inside, Lydia watches as Henry gets his leg stitched by one of the town doctors.
Later, Lydia sits on a porch when Michonne asks for a moment alone with her and tells her she's done things that she's not proud of. She suggests that Lydia would make Alexandria a lot safer if she just walked away. At night, Lydia, Daryl, Henry, and Connie leave for the Kingdom.
The next day, Lydia, Daryl, Henry, and Connie encounter Michonne and Judith in the woods and join them on their way towards the Kingdom.
"The Calm Before"
Lydia and the group arrive at the Kingdom as the fair starts. She watches as Henry reunites and is warmly greeted by his family and how the group treats each other with kindness. Suddenly, Tara spots her among the group. "The plan was to bring Henry…just Henry" Tara says angrily to Daryl.
Inside the theater, Lydia listens as the leaders reunite and decide to grant her asylum in Alexandria, send some soldiers to Hilltop to guard against any potential attacks from the Whisperers and to re-establish the charter. She then sees as they all sign the charter.
In the fair, Lydia walks with Henry and marvels at how everyone is close to each other in the community, when Carol and Ezekiel find them and they are invited to go to the movies at night.
Later, Lydia sits by a table as Henry talks nearby with Addy. Suddenly, Gage and Rodney introduce themselves to her and tell her that Addy has a thing for Henry, making her uncomfortable. However, she proceeds to throw goat feeces at them as payback. Henry then sits with her and assures her he likes her. They kiss and he leaves to check on the pipes, asking her to save him a seat at the movies.
At night, Lydia waits for Henry to show up when Alpha sits down next to her and quietly tells her not to say anything. Outside, Alpha confronts her about being a traitor but she tells her this is a better way of life. She then threatens to scream if she doesn't leave and Alpha disowns her, telling her she was never one of them. Lydia breaks down in tears as Alpha leaves.
After a while, Lydia runs up back to the movie theater and tells Ezekiel that her mother was at the fair and she can't find Henry, leaving him speechless.
The next day, in the Kingdom, Lydia listens from the crowd as Siddiq delivers the tragic news, tells them how brave everyone was in their final moments and how he was intentionally kept alive to tell this very story. He encourages everyone to remember the fallen.
Sometime later, Lydia and Daryl return to the border. Lydia leaves the necklace Henry made for her on the ground by the pike that once held his head and as the two walk away, snow flurries begin to fall.
"The Storm"
Several months after the fair massacre, Lydia has become a daughter like figure to Daryl, being protected and cared by him. In the Kingdom, as everyone gets ready to leave and move to Hilltop, Lydia is given dinner by Daryl.
On the road, the group spots walkers in a field but keep moving undetected. Suddenly, Alden asks Lydia if they’re her people. “We followed their rules, haven’t they done enough to us?” but is shut up by Daryl. Lydia tells him, “I don’t want to cause any more problems," but Daryl reminds her people should stop blaming her.
Later, after Daryl kills a walker and leaves the group to retrieve his bolt, Lydia wanders alone into the forest. She finds a walker trapped in ice and takes off her glove while crying. She offers her hand to the walker to kill herself, but stops when Carol appears and follows her back to the group. As more snow starts falling, Michonne decides to take the group to Sanctuary. In the Sanctuary, Lydia sits by herself and watches as Daryl walks around. After a while, the group gets ready and leave the Sanctuary.
In the woods, the group passes the pikes into Alpha’s territory. Michonne kills frozen walkers, unsure if they’re Whisperers or not, before reaching the frozen lake. Lydia leaves the group and heads again into the forest. Carol tracks her down to a cabin and demands to know what she’s doing. Lydia explains she can’t cross the river because going to Hilltop won’t fix anything because everyone will still blame her for what happened. “Your son’s dead because of me,” she says, before asking Carol to kill her. Lydia holds Carol’s spear to her own neck and tells her this is how she ensures they don’t lose anyone else. Carol considers doing it but stops herself and kills a walker instead. “You’re not weak,” Carol says before taking her back to the group again.
In the morning, Lydia and the group finally arrive at Hilltop, where Daryl knocks off the head of a frozen walker. That night, Lydia watches in awe at drawings of Glenn and Hershel. Daryl tells her they’ll leave for Alexandria in the morning. She asks why he left Hilltop and he says he'll tell her that story another day. The next day, Lydia and the others return to Alexandria. She then plays with the group in a snowball fight.
Season 10
Lydia will appear in this season.
Killed Victims
This list shows the victims Lydia has killed:
- At least 1 unnamed Shelter refugee (Caused)
- 1 unnamed Whisperer (Indirectly Caused)
- Numerous counts of zombies and possibly unnamed people
Relationships
AlphaLydia is Alpha's daughter. Despite this, Alpha is an abusive, manipulative, and sociopathic mother towards her. Alpha frequently brainwashed Lydia into believing that her father was an abusive man while she was the kind one. It's also implied that Alpha would disregard her daughter if she is killed or captured. However, Alpha still showed concern for Lydia as she hoped to escape from the shelter with her rather than stay behind or escape with Frank, and the fact that Alpha came to Hilltop demanding her daughter's return. Lydia seems to fear Alpha. After realizing that she was brainwashed by her, she came to her senses and decided to remain at the Hilltop due to the PTSD caused by the years of her mother's abuse. She decides to go back to her mother so the Hilltop people wouldn't be hurt. Alpha continues to abuse and treat her coldly after retrieving her. After Daryl and Connie rescue Henry and Lydia from the Whisperer camp and return to Hilltop, she becomes completely loyal to her new comrades, and at the fair when Alpha confronts Lydia, Lydia states that if Alpha didn’t leave, she would have her killed. This devastates Alpha, and their relationship crumbles from then on. FrankFrank loved Lydia, as she was his daughter. He would take it upon himself to protect her from his abusive wife and the hardship of the early outbreak. He would sing to her to comfort her. Lydia would later forget this due to the lies of her mother. HenryHenry and Lydia became quick friends. While they were locked in cells, she opened up to him about her past. They eventually develop romantic feelings towards each other. Lydia and Henry kiss before she is forced to go back to her mother. When Henry follows her to their camp she punches him, but this may be just to show her mother that she didn't care about him. However, when Alpha forces her with a choice to kill Henry or be killed alongside him, she starts to cry. Daryl rescues her and Henry before she reaches a decision. Later, Lydia asks Henry for the real reason why he came after her. He replies that cares about her. Lydia kisses him again. Eventually, Lydia chooses to be with Henry over her own people. When Henry is attacked by a Whisperer and injured, Lydia releases Dog to save him and tends to Henry's injuries. Although Henry had promised Lydia to try not to kill any of her people, she reassures him over his actions rather than being angry with Henry. Lydia and Henry declare their feelings for each other at the fair, sealing the deal with a kiss, establishing their relationship. Sadly, this would be the last time that she'd see Henry alive. Her mother kidnapped and murdered Henry. Lydia is devastated by her boyfriend's death and she stops by the pike where his head rested with the rest of the victims. She laid the H necklace that he gave her by his pike, paying her respects to the boy who died saving her. Daryl DixonDaryl first sees Lydia as a threat and tries to get information out of her. Daryl later feels sympathetic for her after learning of her abusive mother and upbringing. It is implied Daryl cares for Lydia shown by him not wanting to give her back to Alpha, although he unwillingly does so to save Luke and Alden's life. Daryl is later reluctant to take Lydia with his friends as he knows the danger she will put them in, but he leaves Dog to protect her when he, Henry and Connie fight the Whisperers. After the fight, Daryl, possibly because he knows how much Henry cares for her, decides to let Lydia stay with them. Months after his death. Daryl takes her to the border where Henry's head used to be to pay her respects. And she lays her necklace with the Hilltop token at his pike. She and Daryl have formed a father-daughter relationship now that she is without her mother and they lived for several months together at the Kingdom. Daryl looks after Lydia after the fair and protects her from people who blame her for what happened. Daryl offers to take off with Lydia on his own to make sure she survives. Later, he takes her to Alexandria and they have a snowball fight. BetaLydia shows an immense fear of Beta. She claimed that her mother would not need an Army to get her back, only Beta himself. She considered him the best fighter within their ranks, ConnieTBA CarolCarol and Lydia first met when Lydia arrived at the Kingdom. At first their relationship seemed positive, likely due to the fact that Carol's son Henry cared a lot about her. After Lydia's mother (Alpha) killed Henry, Carol and Lydia's relationship became trying. Carol told Daryl that every time she looks at Lydia all she sees is her son; however, when Lydia later asks Carol to kill her, Carol showed empathy for Lydia's guilt over the death of Henry, refused to kill her and told Lydia she's "not weak". Afterwards, Carol decides to move to Alexandria with Daryl and Lydia. Upon arrival, Carol and Lydia both happily take part in the snowball fight, indicating that their relationship has turned positive. AldenAlden and Lydia have a poor relationship. After the death of Enid at Alpha’s hands, Alden has become cold and hostile to Lydia. He partially blames her fgor tge death of everyone. |
Appearances
TV Series
Season 9
- "Adaptation"
- "Omega"
- "Bounty"
- "Guardians"
- "Chokepoint"
- "Scars"
- "The Calm Before"
- "The Storm"
Season 10
TBA
Trivia
- Lydia was affectionately named as "bug" by her parents.
- Lydia suffers from gaslighting as a result of her mother's manipulation over the memories of her father.
- After the death of Henry, she has also become suicidal, though she may be recovering.
- Lydia bears several scars across her right arm which had been sustained from a birch tree whipping inflicted by Alpha.
- Lydia is the first named Whisperer to appear in the show.
- Unlike her comic book counterpart, Lydia is brunette instead of blonde.
- With the deaths of Henry, Addy, and Rodney in "The Calm Before", Lydia is now one of only four surviving, named teenage characters; the others being Gage, Rachel Ward, and Alice.