Titled 'The Calm Before', the Sunday, March 24 episode of the long-running AMC zombie apocalypse series featured one of the most brutal casualties in the show's history.
- Mar 25, 2019
AceShowbiz - Another character has met their end in "The Walking Dead" season 9. [SPOILER ALERT!] Following the death of Jesus, another leader of the community in the Hilltop was brutally taken out in the hands of the Whisperers.
Titled "The Calm Before", the Sunday, March 24 episode of the long-running AMC zombie apocalypse series saw newly-minted Hilltop leader Tara Chambler (Alanna Masterson) met her demise in an epic, terrible fashion. The co-leader of the Coalition was killed by the Whisperers. As if that was not enough, the new villain had Tara's and other nine people's zombified heads put on pikes to mark a new border which the coalition of communities was instructed not to cross.
Among those who were killed in the bloodbath scene of the episode were Hilltop doctor Enid (Katelyn Nacon), Henry (Matt Lintz), Tammy Rose (Brett Butler) and Highwaymen leader Ozzy (Angus Sampson). Some people compared the brutal casualties in the penultimate episode of the current season to "Red Wedding", a "Game of Thrones" episode in which most of Stark family members were slaughtered.
Of her character's fate, Masterson revealed to Entertainment Weekly that she was caught off guard when showrunner Angela Kang told her about it via phone call. "I got a phone call from [Kang] about two weeks before I shot the episode. I was caught off guard for sure, but also excited for what the future holds. Tara has been extremely fun to bring to life."
When asked about her opinion on how did she think Tara got caught and kidnapped despite being a very capable fighter, Masterson responded, "She was probably taking a power nap."
The actress also shared about how it felt like playing the character, who first showed up back in season 4 as a fun and free-spirited soul. "It was really fun to explore that side of Tara. I wish we had gotten to explore that more, but I’m excited to see where the story goes from here," she opened up.
"The last day on set was really nice. It was freezing cold and we were all huddled around talking and laughing. The crew is my family, and I'm going to miss them terribly. But we got to get a few last-minute jokes in before I said goodbye," Masterson added about her last day on set. She also revealed during interview that her favorite scenes of the show were the ones she did with Steve Yeun, who played Glenn. "[We] had such a good time filming together. We just shot a short film called Naysayer, so it was exciting to work together again," she explained.
As for what she would miss after exiting the show, Masterson said, "I'll miss the cast and crew the most. They've become my home away from home, and I will forever cherish the bonds we formed. This show is impossible to make, and day after day we did it. I did it for 6 years, and I will miss the heat, the hours, and the challenges."
