How did Tara die in The Walking Dead? Explained

In The Walking Dead, Tara (Alanna Masterson) and other group members were taken captive by Alpha as a warning to her daughter Lydia (Cassady McClincy) to rejoin the Whisperers after she found out that Lydia had betrayed her by attending the first-ever fair hosted by the communities.

Tara was the main character of The Walking Dead as she was the only survivor after her family’s death who were trapped in a barn and then executed. Alpha had placed the heads of the murdered people on pikes to declare a border between Whisperers and the other communities.

In episode nine of the sixth season, titled “The Calm Before”, Tara had already emerged as the leader of Hilltop. In the episode, all three surviving groups (Oceanside, Hilltop and Alexandria) gathered together for the grand fair hosted by Ezekiel (Khary Payton).

Lydia was also present at the fair, and the group leaders knew that Whisperers would be coming for her. The three groups decided to unite together and send their warriors to attack the Whisperers. However, Alpha had already disguised herself and infiltrated their event.

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What events led to Tara’s death in The Walking Dead?

Alpha disguised herself in the event and took her time to chat with her daughter Lydia during the event. When the other group leaders got together to unite and devise a plan to send their most efficient warriors from each community and attack the Whisperers.

The selected warriors included Michonne, Carlo, Yumiko and Daryl who went to track down the Whisperers.

On their way, they came across a cart that belonged to the actual blond woman who was supposed to be at the fair and whom Alpha was impersonating. They then tried to find the woman and her husband hoping they were still alive, but it got them captured instead.

Alpha, instead of killing the warriors took Daryl on a trip, showed him a group of walkers and informed him that his people were hiding among the zombies. The Whisperers weren’t just scary, they also guided the walkers at their convenience.

Alpha then sets Daryl free only after telling him to stay out of the Whisperer's territory. He had created a boundary that stated a separation of their territory from the rest of the communities.

The head included many friends from their group who had gone missing and one among them was that of Tara.

The Walking Dead: Did Tara exit the show voluntarily?

The decision to leave The Walking Dead wasn’t made by Masterson, rather it was decided by Angela Kang, the showrunner. According to reports by Express, Kang told to Entertainment Weekly:

“There were so many conversations about it because it’s really hard to decide who dies, and any time there is death on the show, sometimes it’s just story-related, sometimes, as with Andy [Lincoln], it’s because there’s a personal factor.”

Masterson was also caught off guard when her character’s death was revealed to her, she told Entertainment Weekly:

“I was caught off guard for sure, but also excited for what the future holds. Tara has been extremely fun to bring to life.”

Tara's debut was in season 4. She was with the Governor then, but as the prison collapsed, she quickly joined our heroes. Tara developed as a strong character throughout the show, but her most significant shift occurred in Season 9 when she was given charge of Hilltop.