The Walking Dead finally reveals how Alpha (Samantha Morton) plans to win the Whisperer War. The five communities and the Whisperers have been at odds since season 9, and the conflict between them heated up even further when the Whisperers killed ten of their people, but the war between them didn't truly kick off until the season 10 premiere when Carol (Melissa McBride) crossed the border.
The Whisperers, who were the main antagonists of season 9, are filling the same role in the show's tenth season. Aided by her two chief allies, Beta (Ryan Hurst) and Gamma (Thora Birch), Alpha is determined to wipe out the other communities, but exactly how she plans to accomplish this hasn't been explained in detail until now.
A scene in The Walking Dead season 10, episode 5 explains Alpha's master plan. Apparently, Alpha has been holding back, only hitting their enemies with waves of zombies when they could be sending massive hordes. When one Whisperer suggests that they try unleashing an "army of thousands", Alpha disagrees and cuts him on the leg and arm. Alpha says that a few "nicks" are all it takes to cause the collapse of the human body, and goes on to say that their enemies are the same way. According to Alpha, these "nicks" that they're wearing the other communities down with include the tree that fell on the Hilltop wall, the zombie dam, the border, and the waves of zombies.
The logic behind this plan is that none of these things will defeat the communities, but all of them combined will "crush" them. Alpha doesn't want to use up their biggest weapon so soon. Instead, Alpha believes that it's best to beat them slowly. Subduing the enemy over a long period of time with small victories that don't require the loss of too many of their own resources is an old war strategy. It's a far cry from how Rick's people and the Saviors handled the All-Out War, which consisted of several large-scale battles.
Alpha's plan to cripple -- rather than obliterate -- the enemy is an interesting yet devious course of action. it demonstrates Alpha's wisdom and patience, two qualities that are key to winning wars. At this point, it appears that the advantage belongs to Alpha, someone who clearly knows what she's doing (even though she has one vital weakness). Alpha is playing the long game, so it may be a while before her efforts take a serious toll on the main characters. If Alpha's strategy is as effective as she believes, Alexandria and the Hilltop may be faced with various hard-hitting disasters through the rest of the season.