A look into Lydia and her mother’s dark past while Magna’s group decides to search for Luke and Alden.
Abusive Parents: Alpha beats Lydia and has left her with extensive bruises and scars. Daryl recognizes that she knows exactly what a birch switch is used for when he brings one to her. Alpha has also lied to and manipulated her daughter.
All Your Base Are Belong to Us: Alpha and the Whisperers arrive at Hilltop’s doorstep demanding Lydia be returned to her.
Awful Truth: Lydia is adamant she did not lie to Daryl and Henry, she had simply been conditioned by her mother to accept her version of events, and had just been deep in denial about the fact her mother murdered her father.
Because You Were Nice to Me: Lydia becomes a lot more cooperative to Henry and Daryl after the former treats her kindly.
Boyish Short Hair: Henry confirms the fan theory that Carol originally had short hair so that Ed wouldn’t grab it.
Call-Back: Kelly and Connie mention they witnessed the Hilltop teens and Henry sneak out of the community back in “Evolution”.
Continuity Nod: Daryl’s abusive childhood is discussed throughout the episode.
Dark and Troubled Past: Lydia had the pleasure of watching her parents suffer nervous breakdowns during the early days of the outbreak, witnessed her mother murder a man and her own father, and much more as her childhood went on.
Deconstructed Trope: Since this episode is actually a very accurate examination of what it is like to have an abusive parent. Daryl, an abused child himself, seems to conclude that Alpha must not care about her daughter to have treated her the way she has and will not come for her. The truth is Alpha does want her daughter back and is going out of her way to facilitate this, displaying that for all the abuse she’s put Lydia through, their relationship is more complicated than that.
Dramatic Irony: Lydia tells Daryl and Henry that her mother is in all likelihood not going to come for her, since that’s just not the way things work in their group, which Daryl agrees is likely the case. Of course, the audience is by now well aware of the fact that this clearly isn’t quite the case...
Foil: Henry to Judith. Both of them helped and vouched for people whom they just met and barely know and can be potentially dangerous to their respective group. But while Judith's judgement is mostly correct (even with Magna being revealed as former convict), Henry's is not so much at first since the person he attempted to help very nearly betrays his trust before she changes her mind thanks to Henry being nice to her.
Good Cannot Comprehend Evil: Henry is astounded to hear that Alpha is apparently unwilling to come rescue her own daughter. Daryl, having experienced the horrors of an abusive childhood, is able to understand.
Good Is Dumb: Henry insists that Lydia is a good girl and decides to temporarily lets her out of her cage and she almost double-crosses him for it. Thankfully for him and everyone else, she changes her mind and asks him to take her back to her cage.
Lethally Stupid: Henry tells Lydia about the Kingdom, which would be dangerous if she returns to the Whisperers and tells them about it. Daryl is understandably angered by this.
Mama Bear: Zigzagged. Lydia says that her mother won’t come to her rescue... only for Alpha to arrive in force with the Whisperers at the end of the episode.
Once More, with Clarity: Averted, we never actually see the events from Lydia’s memory play out properly, like they are implied to have actually occurred, but Lydia does admit that she had misremembered them and we get a brief sequence during her panic attack that clues the audience in about what’s really going on.
Daryl is keeping an eye on Henry and Lydia when the former temporarily lets the latter out of her cage.
Tara had Hilltop guards tracking Magna's group who was sneaking out to search for their missing friends.
The Reveal: By the end of the episode it is clear that Lydia’s father was the protective parent and her mother was the abusive one.
Rewatch Bonus: Lydia’s first few flashbacks take on a different meaning when you realize that she is unconsciously reversing her parents’ roles in them.
Rule of Symbolism: Alpha steps on her daughter’s toy bunny at the same time she begins destroying the little innocence her daughter has left.
Ship Tease: Henry tells Lydia he likes her, and she seems to be warming up to him as well, holding hands with him as she sleeps.
Spotting the Thread: Daryl, whose father abused him, points out that Lydia’s characterization of her own abusive father is inconsistent. He tells her that a father like she would have him believe hers was would never have comforted her when she was scared, because that kind of parent ‘likes it when you’re scared.’ This is an early hint that Lydia’s memories aren’t what they seem.
Too Dumb to Live: Henry lets the potentially dangerous prisoner out of her cage because he believes she’s a good person - and she nearly betrays his trust and attacks him before her panic attack.
Wham Shot: Early in the episode, it’s established that Lydia’s mother has a tattoo of her name on her arm, and sings her ‘Lydia, the Tattooed Lady’ when she’s scared. Later on in the episode, it is shown that the tattoo actually belongs to Lydia’s father and he sings her the very same song.
