Season 7 of The Walking Dead has had its ups and downs. While highly anticipated and debated before its premiere, viewership has been declining a bit in recent weeks. Much of this is due to the series' method of capsule episodes; each installment focuses on just a few characters at a time. This pace can be frustrating for longtime fans who have seen this type of production before. Furthermore, it means that some characters are left out of iconic scenes. For example, there were a ton of characters absent from Negan's terrifying murders in the premiere, including Tara.
Tara's long hiatus from The Walking Dead finally ended last week, with the survivor getting her own episode. This was followed by actress Alanna Masterson making an appearance on Talking Dead, where she revealed what Tara and Heath would have done if they were in Negan's creepy game of "eeny meeny miny mo" saying,
I think they would have been just as scared as everybody else. I don't think they would have tried to be brave and tried to fight him in that moment. I think they would have experienced it the way the rest of the group did. They would have been devastated, also, losing Glenn and Abraham.
There ya go, ladies and gents. We now know what Tara would have done if she were in the horrifying season premiere. She'd be just as horrified as everyone else, and wasn't about to pull a Daryl and fight back.
I have to say, I kind of wish that Tara was in the line up, instead of someone like Aaron. Aaron didn't have any high stakes or loved ones in the situation (he and Daryl eat pasta together, but you know...). The Alexandrian definitely wasn't going to be killed by Negan, and he had almost no screen time during the harrowing premiere. So why bother?
Tara's inclusion would have been much more emotionally satisfying, considering which characters ultimately ended up being killed. Tara has a special relationship to both Abraham and Glenn, especially the latter. After all, it was Glenn who helped save Tara from the prison back in Season 4. They travelled to Terminus together, where they eventually teamed up with Abraham, Rosita, and Eugene. Tara was basically the first of Glenn and Maggie's adoptive children (you're welcome, Enid), and we saw her learn forgiveness and her place in the apocalypse. Additionally, she travelled with the same group on the way to D.C., before Eugene revealed he was totally full of crap. So seeing her witness and react to two characters she had a personal relationship with would have been awesome.
Then again, Alanna Masterson was on maternity leave, so it's not like The Walking Dead made a bad call and excluded her on purpose. We'll just have to wait and see how Tara interacts with the rest of the survivors, as well as Negan and The Saviors, as the season continues.
The Walking Dead airs Sundays on AMC.
