The Walking Dead has finally reached the Alexandria Safe-Zone and it was... calm and clean-shaven. The only Walkers we saw once those gates closed were when Rick and Carl went out for "exercise" or something. Also, what about the new Walking Dead leader, former Congresswoman Deanna Monroe? The head of Alexandria is played by Tovah Feldshuh and according to Entertainment Weekly, is the show's version of Douglas Monroe from the comics. She is a firm leader who is all about "transparency," and we spent a lot of the episode in her house interviewing Rick Grimes' crew for inclusion in their community. These moments made it incredibly clear that we are in a new world, but what is Deanna up to in that world? Can the group trust her? And though this isn't the most important question, who was her husband?
Deanna claims to be good at reading people and placing them in appropriate jobs. I like her analytical take on Rick and his group's family dynamic. She's standing in for the audience. However, she's already admitted to kicking people out of the community if they didn't fit in. Does that fate await one of our survivors? My bet would be on Daryl Dixon or Carol — who lied her way through that interview. I'm sure Deanna will see through Carol's facade.
A federal government official is the newest type of leadership to enter this season of The Walking Dead. We've dealt with police officers and priests already. Rick was pretty quick to get back in uniform when he and Michonne were made Constable. Will the memory of Dawn Lerner hang over his new job in Alexandria?
The Alexandria-Safe Zone is not perfect. Deanna's son Aiden lead a fraternity-esque crew that had some creepy "warm up" with a Walker that I don't want to learn more about. What other secrets are they hiding? If Pete Anderson, Jessie's husband, is anything like his comic book counterpart, Alexandria is not without demons.
Finally, I'm fascinated that the group's number one concern was that this place would make them weak. It's funny, because Deanna Monroe does not strike me as weak. Some people just have different ways of showing strength.
Image: AMC
