Episode 18 of AMC’s The Walking Dead Season 10C saw the introduction of a new character named Leah (Lynn Collins). However, by the ending of the episode, it was unclear if she was still alive or not.
It was discovered, during a series of flashbacks, that Leah was romantically involved with Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) as well as the original owner of Dog, who now belongs to Daryl. But, who is Leah?
Leah’s backstory revealed
Over the course of Episode 18, it was discovered that Leah did not have an easy upbringing. As a result of this, she adopted what she referred to as a “squad” and worked hard at making this version of family work for her.
Then, when the zombie apocalypse hit, she developed a relationship with a woman who she referred to as her “sister.” While not named, this person eventually gave birth to a boy called Matthew. Unfortunately, she also died and Leah adopted Matthew as her own.
At some point after that, an attack appeared to have occurred and Leah was forced to run with Matthew in order to avoid the destruction. The mother of Dog also followed but must have succumbed also after the canine was born.
It is known that Dog was born on the same night that Matthew died after being bitten prior to Leah’s mad dash to safety.
Daryl and Leah’s relationship is explored in Episode 18 of The Walking Dead
Because of this, Leah chose to live alone after that point with Dog as her only companion. However, Daryl eventually turns up on her doorstep after Dog finds him and leads him there.
Things do not go down well and Leah ties up Daryl for a period of time before letting him go. Afterward, a tentative friendship develops and this ends up growing into a relationship.
Unfortunately, Daryl is pretty intent on continuing his fruitless search for Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and this causes tension, resulting in an ultimatum by Leah. Daryl can’t give up on his search for his friend and it appears that she ends up leaving him.
Finally, Daryl sees the error of his ways and returns to Leah’s cabin in the woods only to find it empty.
Dog is still there, which raises some questions about whether Leah was taken or left on her own accord. Daryl discusses this with Carol but no real resolution is made regarding what happened to Leah.
Will Leah ever turn up again in The Walking Dead?
With Dog being left behind, the assumption could be made that Leah was taken by someone. However, the fact that her cabin does not appear to show signs of an attack while she was there, could indicate this was not the case — or her abduction occurred while she was away from home.
Another possibility is that Leah was injured or died and is now a walker.
As far as Daryl is concerned, though, she has never returned to the cabin since he left a note for her indicating that he wanted to be with her and that she should find him.
By the end of the episode, it is unclear just how hard Daryl is searching for Leah or if he has come to the realization that sometimes people just go missing and there isn’t definite closure on the matter.
However, the actor who portrayed Leah in The Walking Dead is more hopeful that her story will be explored further in upcoming episodes.
“Of course, I would love to keep going,” Collins told Den of Geek. “I think it would be a phenomenal opportunity on all sorts of levels. But as fans, we just have to watch, wait, and see.”
It seems unlikely that Leah’s story will be explored further in Season 10C of The Walking Dead. Already, the six bonus episodes have been billed as character development for the main characters, and since Daryl’s story has already been told in Episode 18, it seems unlikely he will get another round this season.
Season 11 is the final installment for The Walking Dead, so the potential is there that Leah will turn up again in one of the 24 episodes already confirmed for the remaining season.
In addition, a Daryl and Carol spinoff series is also in development by AMC so she could also appear there. However, as Collins pointed out, it seems likely that viewers will just have to wait in order to find out more.
The Walking Dead airs Sunday nights at 9/8c on AMC.