[EXCLUSIVE] Looking at Alpha's Heads-On-Pikes Victims as Archetypes

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In the Jewish calendar, Passover is just around that corner. Judaism, in general, is a religion rife with symbolism and Pesach is no exception. As Jews prepare to pore over the Haggadah in a few weeks, one such example stuck out in my mind, as I was preparing my notes for [Episode 48], covering Season 9's penultimate episode. You see, the Ancient Egyptians not only kept Jews as slaves, building structures of various types across the country: their ultimate goal was to break their spirit. We learn this when reading about the cities of Pithom and Raamses. Jews sent to these cities were forced to watch the fruits of their labor sink into quicksand. It was not just grueling work: each day, they had to watch their handiwork sink into the ground and start from scratch, robbing them of even the ability to take pride in their accomplishments.
I started looking at Alpha's victims as something far more than just beloved characters we've lost, but instead as archetypes. Looking at it this way, you start to wonder whether there was intention behind her choice of victims and what they represent to our group.

Spoilers Ahead

• Ozzy & Alek (The Highwaymen) - The Ronin. Talk about spaghetti westerns! Ronin are samurai bound by no master. These cowboys represent the spark of humanity in all of us if we just look past pure survival and realize that there's strength in community. Rick's dream, fulfilled; Luke's spiel about our ancestors embracing culture and community to defeat the Neanderthals.

• DJ - Atonement. DJ replaced Dwight as Negan's #2 Lietenant. Was the first Savior to pick up an axe at the bridge camp riots. Eventually, was trusted among Alexandrians and Michonne, in particular (even after the tragedy following the encounter with Jocelyn)
• Frankie - Thoughtfulness (absconding with short-sighted selfishness). When she was one of Negan's wives, she conspired to kill him using Eugene's help (poison pill). Was at the gates of The Sanctuary replanting prior to the very first time jump around Season 8/FTWD Season 4. Eugene asks Nabila about her whereabouts with her girlfriend.
• Tammy Rose - The Feeble/Elderly. The Whisperers spare no one, even them.
• Addy & Rodney - Youth. No room for error or mistakes, which teenagers are prone to make. Plucking the seedling before it barely has a chance to grow and learn.
• Enid - Courage. Survival was her default setting, in the beginning. She forged no connections and broke any she formed in its pursuit. With the help of Glenn & Carl, she learned that being alone is no way to survive and "somehow" is not a good strategy. She learned to contribute, heal the helpless, and even to love. When the time came time to sever Aaron's mangled arm to save his life, she took on the risks upon herself to act, ignoring all her fears and trusted herself. She even took the initiative with Alden, boldly assuming their relationship status.

• Tara - Purpose. When Glenn finds Tara, she is utterly lost & adrift. He not only takes a chance on her but gives her a purpose: to help him. She tried to walk away several times, but Glenn wouldn't let up. Since then, she's taken it upon herself to run with it, all the way up The Hilltop
• Henry - Hope. When Henry was lost, after The Saviors escape from the pen at The Hilltop, Carol decided to have hope she'd find him alive, even when Morgan was convinced that everyone was dead, "They just don't know it, yet." She raised him as her own son and, with her help, transformed the angry hell-bent-on-revenge youth into someone who upheld the concept of deciphering right from wrong. He's the ideal that we all live up to, even when we fall short. He is the right thing to do, even when we fail to recognize it or go after it when we do. Some of us hated Henry because his character didn't make sense in this kind of world... but if you take a moment to think about it, with that logic, you might as well be walking among The Whisperers. Henry represents our reason for being and The Whisperers took that from us as well, robbing Lydia's only sense of belonging in the process: Her Hilltop coin. Her home.