Tales of the Walking Dead episode 6 walks the not-that-thin line between zombie horror and ghost story, but how much of the season finale actually happened? The sixth and final installment of AMC's The Walking Dead anthology delves into haunted house territory after previously making stops at the comedy, sci-fi and thriller genres. Just like episode 2's time loop and episode 5's amnesia plot, "La Doña" blurs the line between real and illusion as much as it blurs genres.
Daniella Pineda's Idalia and her post-apocalypse boyfriend Eric (Danny Ramirez) are traveling through a darkened forest looking for shelter when Idalia mentions a nearby house belonging to a supposed witch. They convince the enigmatic lady to let them stay, but take the house for themselves after Doña Alma dies suddenly. A barrage of evil hallucinations and dark visions then follows, capped with a final scene that viewers must interpret for themselves.
While Idalia and Eric's story is intentionally ambiguous, Tales of the Walking Dead episode 6 drops a few hints to signal what's really happening in this creepy isolated house. Here's "La Doña" explained.
Idalia & Eric Are Killers (But Repressed Their Memories)
Tales of the Walking Dead episode 6 introduces Idalia and Eric as your typical, wholesome zombie apocalypse heroes, and the characters see themselves in that exact same light. A big third act twist reveals that Idalia and Eric aren't wholesome at all, and have spilled much innocent blood while on the road.
In Tales of the Walking Dead episode 6's opening scene, both "protagonists" are covered in blood and surrounded by screams. The next morning, they're being followed by a zombie with an injured left ankle called Maria. Eric later recalls that he and Idalia were part of a larger group. Idalia killed fellow survivor Maria while foraging, implicitly because she hurt her ankle. Idalia then returned to a barrage of questions from the others, so she and Eric killed them all, the aftermath of which is shown in Tales of the Walking Dead episode 6's very first scene. Both characters bury these memories to avoid confronting the weight of their sins.
Do Idalia & Eric Kill Doña Alma Too?
At first glance, Doña Alma appears to choke accidentally when Eric takes her by surprise, then hit her head on the dining table. Given the shocking truths that come to light later in Tales of the Walking Dead episode 6, however, it's probable that Idalia and Eric kill Doña Alma when she refuses to let them stay. There's a moment shortly before Tales of the Walking Dead's opening title card where both guests stare motionlessly and unemotionally at the woman's corpse. Their lack of reaction implies that when Tales of the Walking Dead shows Doña Alma's death, the scene is depicted from Idalia and Eric's perspective - an accidental choking. In reality, they probably attacked her before repressing that memory along with all the others.
Not only would a murder make more sense than Doña Alma randomly choking on food, but her ghost chokes Idalia when it first appears, perhaps replicating how she truly died. Just like with previous victims, Idalia and Eric then tell themselves a lie to cope with the guilt - that Doña Alma simply fell over of her own accord. Tales of the Walking Dead shows how this works via the parrot found in their new home. After growing irritated by the bird's incessant talking, Eric blacks out while he crushes the bird, then snaps back to find the creature dead in his hand. Idalia and Eric must've done the same when they killed their old group, then again for Doña Alma.
Does Doña Alma's Ghost Really Come Back?
Not long after Doña Alma hits the floor, her ghost starts appearing - pointing creepily, demanding her home back, and standing over the strangers in her bed. Tales of the Walking Dead is ambiguous enough that audiences can believe in ghosts should they wish, but the more likely explanation is that the couple are both hallucinating. The guilt of murdering Maria's group is weighing heavily, and Idalia already knew La Doña was supposedly a witch, so she's anticipating some spooky paranormal activity from the moment she enters (evidenced by the fact Idalia's hearing voices right from the first scene). Expecting the supernatural and wracked by shame, Idalia begins hallucinating her latest victim's ghost.
Whereas Maria's illusions revolve around Doña Alma, Eric's begin with her pet parrot, hearing the bird say things like "what did you do?" This feels like his own conscience expressing itself - just like mini metal Jesuses aren't really leaping all over Idalia. It's also worth noting that most of Idalia and Eric's wild visions happen around sleep times, meaning their crazy experiences in Tales of the Walking Dead episode 6 could all be dreams. This also fits with the couple's nickname for zombies - sleepwalkers.
What Happens In Tales Of The Walking Dead Episode 6's Ending?
Tales of the Walking Dead episode 6 ends with Idalia and Eric getting into a physical fight, then finding themselves tangled in the roots beneath La Doña's house and surrounded by the reanimated bodies of previous victims. Needless to say, this can't be happening in reality. More likely, Idalia and Eric - both now deep in their own delusions - become paranoid that they'll turn on each other just as they turned on Maria, La Doña, and the other survivors.
Once again, Tales of the Walking Dead shows events from Idalia and Eric's point of view, but avoids showing what actually happens in real life. Their fight and double-stabbing is probably genuine, meaning both Walking Dead characters are dead when "La Doña" ends, but the shaking house, grabby tree roots, psychic zombie, and corpses of old victims must be trauma-induced visions they're suffering while grappling on the floor.