Season 10 of The Walking Dead proved to be a true test of character for Lydia (Cassady McClincy) as she tried to break away from the Whisperers and her mom, Alpha. In her emotional journey, she not only abandoned their brutal doctrines, but she also found humanity with Carol’s son, Henry, only for Alpha to kill him and a slew of others to send a message to the joint communities.

However, as seen with Lydia’s actions as the horde bears down on the Tower, despite so many others being touted as the show’s “Chosen One,” through her resilience, perseverance and heart, that mantle goes to Lydia.

In the comics, there were a few candidates for this role, with Rick seen as the messiah who’d lead humanity into a new era. Carl was also touted as this at times, being someone who could create a free world using his younger and more compassionate perspective on life. It looked like the show was following a similar path until Carl got killed and Rick was carted off by chopper, leaving fans wondering if it would be Michonne or Rick’s daughter, Judith, who would be seen as the key to this utopia.

However, Lydia is the integral cog in the wheel. Firstly, she’s been dispensing advice on the Whisperers all season long, helping Daryl and Co. get in the minds of their deadliest enemies to date, which says a lot given that they’ve fought the Governor’s army and Negan’s Saviors. But the Whisperers were a tour de force unlike any other, with it seeming at times like the alliance would be annihilated. Fortunately, Lydia helped them understand Alpha and Beta’s mind games, which gave Carol and Negan the chance to kill the villain. To put it simply, Lydia was a huge key to the group’s victory this season.

Lydia also rescues the loudspeaker within the zombie herd, which allows the alliance to win by shepherding the undead over a cliff. Not to mention Lydia saves Carol and reminds her they can be reborn in the wake of the apocalypse and shouldn’t be weighed down by tragedies and sins of the past. And, with that sentiment, Lydia also proves that second chances are real, even in a cruel, unforgiving world. This is something that’s plagued the alliance for some time as they don’t know who to trust and believe in. This nihilistic outlook has poisoned the likes of Rick, Michonne, Maggie, Daryl, Carol and even Gabriel at times. They could have learned a thing or two from Lydia, who is someone that really represents that bridge of compassion, empathy and forgiveness.

She teaches the heroes the past shouldn’t define their future, as seen when she absolves them in her mother’s death while helping bring Negan to the light in ways not even Rick or Judith could. She inspires him and heals Carol and Daryl through her bravery. Lydia remained selfless throughout all of her hardships, seen when she even offered to wrangle the herd and sacrifice herself.  The embattled teen is also the answer to Rick’s lifelong struggle about trusting outsiders. She acts as a beacon, creating hope, optimism, faith and belief in the likes of Maggie to continue helping build the dream. Going forward, Lydia will evolve the alliance as she acts as a philosophy in how they should treat people if they truly want to become the next bastion of mankind.