Welcome to the Ending Explained for Episode 6 of Tales of the Walking Dead. The show’s first season comes to an end, and while it might not be the strongest episode in the season. In general, the show has proven that making standalone stories in the world of The Walking Dead is actually pretty fun. Being able to expand on some ideas or characters that are not able to find their own time in the main series is actually something people care about. Tales of the Walking Dead should be all about experimentation without the fear of doing it wrong.
In this last episode of the season, Tales of the Walking Dead goes full into ghost story territory, which feels very out of place for a world that already has zombies in it. But I guess the writers wanted to try with a different creature. There is just so much that you can do with zombies before you start running out of ideas. The sad thing is that this episode, titled, “La Doña”, doesn’t go very far when it comes to experimentation. Actually, the episode falls into the most generic of generic ghost stories, and it feels like a big misstep in this season.
The following paragraphs contain spoilers for Tales of the Walking Dead Episode 6 “La Doña”. Read at your own risk.
Why Are Idalia And Eric Being Haunted By A Ghost?
The episode begins with the introduction of Idalia and Eric, a duo of survivors who have just survived an encounter with zombies. They are all alone in the forest, with no food, and no weapons and the temperature is lowering very quickly. Idalia proposes that they should go to a nearby house. Idalia says that in the house lives a woman who will be able to help them. Eric is doubtful. The forest seems very empty, but against predictions, they do find a big fence, and behind it, there is a house.
Idalia and Eric trespass on the fence and go near the house, which seems empty from the outside. They force their way in, and there they meet an old woman who speaks Spanish. Idalia starts to speak Spanish and explains their situation. The old woman says no, they cannot stay in their house. Idalia begs for her help, and the old woman accepts. She sends them to the bathroom, so they can wash. Later, they sit down in the dining room and eat. Idalia and Eric eat with gusto. It seems they haven’t had a homemade meal in a long time.
The old woman sees how they eat, and this softens her. She says to them, that she has extra blankets that they can take once they leave. Eric takes offense to that comment. Why should they leave? They have nowhere else to go. Leaving would mean their death. He asks the old woman if she will just give them a death sentence so easily. The old woman asks for them to go, but Eric gets angry and grabs her arm. However, it seems like the old woman still had food in her mouth. She begins to choke, falls to the ground, and dies.
With the old woman dead, Eric feels at home. He has decided that this is their house now. Idalia is more doubtful about it. She says that even if the woman is dead, they cannot take her house. Eric says they need it so much more than her. The couple starts living in the house, eating the old woman’s food and even sleeping in the old woman’s bed. Eric seems to pay no mind to the situation, he is just comfortable. Idalia feels weird, and she begins to experience weird things around the house.
What Does The Ghost Do To Adalia And Erick?
It quickly becomes clear to us, the audience, that the woman is still around, at least in ghost form. She tries to choke Adalia while she was at the sink, Adalia also feels strange sounds and cold winds going around all the time. Meanwhile, Eric seems oblivious to the haunting, and he finds the old woman’s parrot. The animal seems quite friendly and Erick takes it as his pet. For a moment, it seems like Adalia and Eric could be happy, but the moment is broken when Adalia has a strange dream.
In the dream, Adalia is guided by strange sounds, shadows, and even bleeding walls to a basement. Inside the basement, Adalia finds a strange space with tons of roots that go into the ground, as if the house itself was a tree and not an actual house. Among the roots, Adalia sees the old woman, now in zombie form. The old woman jumps at her and Adalia runs for her life. She then wakes up and tells Eric about her dream. They go to the basement, and they find the roots, but no old woman zombie.
Things keep getting worse. Adalia is attacked by small Jesus figures, and Eric is going crazy, as the parrot begins to talk to him and ask him about the things he has done. The old woman’s voice warns them that this is her land, and they should leave or face the consequences. Eric is losing his mind bit by bit, and we see how he confuses a zombie with a woman named Maria. It seems that Maria was the one that told them about the house, but they killed her on the road. The guilt is eating at Eric’s heart.
Adalia and Eric start fighting over whose fault it is. They find it, and the house begins to shake. Eric says that it is all Adalia’s doing. They begin fighting as the house tears itself apart around them. They fall into the basement, where they see the old woman in zombie form, and also the zombies of every person they have killed on the road. The roots grab them, and they are sucked into them. The episode ends with their two corpses on the ground as we see a portrait of the old woman and her faithful parrot.
