Warning! MAJOR SPOILERS for The Walking Dead season 10 ahead.

–

In a shocking twist, The Walking Dead season 10 has Siddiq discover that Dante is secretly a Whisperer, but before he can tell anyone, Dante appears to strangle and kill Siddiq. The final moments of latest Walking Dead episode will come as a total surprise to many, but season 10 did lay the groundwork for this big reveal.

All season long, Siddiq has been showing signs of severe PTSD, regularly having episodes where he’s lost in thought or plagued by bad dreams about what happened in the barn that night Alpha murdered several of the survivors. Siddiq was purposefully left alive so he could direct the others to the location of the new border with Whisperer territory, the one marked with the decapitated heads of Alpha’s victims. The traumatic event has clearly left its mark on Siddiq, but the revelations that come out of the most recent Walking Dead episode, “Open Your Eyes” only make his experience all that more twisted and tragic.

SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY

In addition to establishing the extent of Siddiq’s trauma, The Walking Dead season 10 introduces a new character, Dante, to assist Siddiq as a doctor but also act as someone who Siddiq can talk with about his PTSD. AMC’s version seen of the character is very different from the Dante in The Walking Dead comics, and rather than being the cocky flirt who woos Maggie, their Dante is a former medic who may act carefree and fun, but also grapples with PTSD from his time in the military. Or rather, that’s who Dante pretended to be until the final shocking minutes of The Walking Dead season 10, episode 7, “Open Your Eyes”.

The Walking Dead’s Dante Twist Explained

To begin with, little is actually known about Dante before he arrived at Alexandria, and at the start of The Walking Dead season 10, he’s already established as being a resident of the community. Dante works in the infirmary alongside Siddiq, but the doctor never really warms to his new assistant, even after Dante tries to help him by sharing his own struggles with PTSD. In fact, Siddiq’s symptoms usually become worse in Dante’s company, and as he later explains to Rosita, Siddiq believes he finds Dante so irritating because he’s a reminder of that Enid is gone, with her having been among Alpha’s victims from the fair.

Siddiq’s trauma from those deaths isn’t something a single conversation could ever cure, and in “Open Your Eyes”, the full extent of what Siddiq endured in that barn is revealed. As Alpha murdered the kidnapped victims, Siddiq was made to watch, repeatedly urged by Alpha to “Look” as she decapitated each and every one. Another Whisperer held Siddiq’s head and forced his eyes open, making sure he didn’t miss a single gruesome moment, whispering in his ear: “Open your eyes.” Ever since, Siddiq has been plagued by bad dreams and hallucinations that hearken back to that terrible night, but his memories are jumbled, a confusing mess of blood and screams.

In the final scene of The Walking Dead season 10, episode 7, “Open Your Eyes”, though, everything comes together. Dante is apologizing to Siddiq for the screw-up with the water valves when he makes a sort of clicking noise with his mouth. The strange noise triggers Siddiq, and in his recollection of that night in the barn, it’s revealed the Whisperer who held his head and forced Siddiq’s eyes open made the exact same sound. The Whisperer again says “Open your eyes,” and this time, it’s unmistakably Dante’s gravely voice. When Siddiq recovers and turns to look at Dante, it’s clear the jig is up. The reason why Dante reminds him of Enid and triggers his PTSD is because Dante is a Whisperer, and he was in the barn with Siddiq the night Enid and everyone else was so brutally murdered.

Is Siddiq Really Dead?

Siddiq’s moment of realization in The Walking Dead season 10 is quickly followed by a struggle between him and Dante as they both try to overpower the other. In the end, it’s Dante who wins out, putting Siddiq in a choke hold until he collapses to the floor. Does Dante kill Siddiq? Probably, though the episode doesn’t make it totally clear, meaning it’s possible Dante only chokes Siddiq until he passes out.

See also  Transformers: The Last Knight Villain Quintessa Explained

Even so, it makes the most sense for Dante to kill Siddiq and that is likely what’s happened. His secret’s been found out and dispatching Siddiq gets rid of the only person who knows – and could ever know – the truth about him. Plus, Siddiq’s rattled state of mind will make for an easy explanation when he’s found dead, writing his death off as a sad but not wholly unexpected suicide. Not to mention, Dante is now Alexandria’s only doctor, so there’s no one left to contest Dante’s medical opinion for the cause of Siddiq’s death. And killing Alexandria’s doctor makes the community weaker and more vulnerable.

What Dante Being A Whisperer Means For TWD

The even bigger shock than Siddiq being killed is the revelation about Dante is a Whisperer. For fans of The Walking Dead comics, the reveal is especially shocking, playing with viewers preconceived notions of just who Dante is. But now that the truth is out there, what does it mean the The Walking Dead season 10?

Discovering that Dante is a Whisperer sheds light on many of his earlier actions, like flipping the water valve and killing the Whisperer prisoner. The one is dismissed as an accident, but in the case of the hemlock poisoning, Dante puts the blame on Siddiq, something others will easily believe given Siddiq’s mental state. Now it’s clear his actions were always intentional, purposefully sickening the residents of Alexandria with the tainted water and making Siddiq appear incapable at his job. He also manages to eliminate any chance the Whisperer prisoner might reveal vital information, like the cause of the sickness or Dante’s true identity. And if Dante has been living in Alexandria for months, he’s likely been relaying information back to Alpha all along. For example, it may have been Dante who informed Alpha of each time the survivors crossed the border in her absence.

Assuming Dante is able to keep his secret a little longer, it’s very likely he’ll soon be sharing with Alpha the news of her daughter, Lydia running away. Alpha specifically left Lydia in Daryl’s care, and now that she’s gone, Alpha sure isn’t going to be happy about it. And that’s assuming Alpha finds out from Dante and not through another of her Whisperers finding the girl. Either way, having a Whisperer spy hidden in plain sight is incredibly dangerous for those in Alexandria. It puts them at a disadvantage they aren’t even aware of yet, and with Siddiq likely dead, it’s hard to imagine just how the truth about Dante will get out. What most alarming, though, is how Dante being a Whisperer suggests that Alpha’s plans for The Walking Dead season 10 are even more complicated and insidious than we initially thought.

See also  Selling Sunset: Everything To Remember About Heather Young In Season 1

The Walking Dead season 10 continues Sunday, November 24 with “The World Before” at 9pm/8c on AMC.

Every TNG Character Not Returning For Picard Season 3 (And Where They Are)

About The Author


Sarah Moran
(1214 Articles Published)

Sarah Moran is a news editor for Screen Rant and has been contributing to the site since 2014. She primarily writes features and covers the ongoing development of current movies and television shows. Sarah is a graduate of THE Ohio State University where she earned her B.A. in Film Studies in 2009.

Sarah’s favorite movies range from studio era classics to the latest sci-fi and superhero blockbusters. Her favorite TV shows are animated, and she’s always up to watch a documentary. Sarah spends her free time playing too many video games and proudly supporting the Columbus Crew, the greatest team the world has ever seen.

More From Sarah Moran