Tales of the Walking Dead is an anthology TV series that takes place within the world of The Walking Dead. Each episode is a standalone story that focuses on different characters, mostly new ones with a couple of familiar faces, and takes place in a different time and location within the apocalypse. Some of the episodes are especially great while others miss the mark a bit. Let’s take a look at how each of the episodes rank from worst to best.

Mild spoilers for Tales of the Walking Dead are below.

6) La Doña 

The folks who created this episode apparently forgot they were making a show that shares a universe with The Walking Dead. The zombies aren’t the real threat here. It’s not even other humans. It’s a witch’s ghost. It completely breaks the rules set up by the long-running series and adds ones that feel like they’re from The Conjuring. That, paired with a few moments of unintentional humor like little metal Jesus statues coming to life to crawl all over the protagonist, make this episode almost hard to watch. The fact that this is the episode it ends on just means that the audience is left with a sour taste in their mouths.

5) Amy / Dr. Everett

This episode has some cool ideas sprinkled throughout. For instance, one of the main characters is actively studying the science behind how the undead work, which is something the main show and Fear the Walking Dead have both touched on but have never really explored a whole lot. This character also refers to the undead he’s studying as “Homo mortuus” which is actually pretty awesome. 

However, neat ideas (and a badass character in Amy) aren’t enough to really save this episode. It’s mostly an opposites-to-buddies story which is done better in other episodes in this series. Dr. Everett claims that humans were the problem with the world even though Amy proves otherwise, then shows himself to be a terrible person. The hypocrisy is annoying. It also ends on such a dissatisfying and disappointing note that it all feels like a waste of time.

4) Blair / Gina

This one features characters stuck in a Groundhog Day-type time loop. It’s a tired trope and doesn’t make sense to be in The Walking Dead universe. How the time loop comes to be isn’t even explained and is treated like “one of those things” that just sort of happens. It’s dumb, but honestly, it’s surprisingly fun. It’s a silly idea and they definitely have a good time with it. Some moments are funny and others are heartfelt. The two protagonists and their banter is endlessly entertaining, and the audience finds themselves rooting for them. It’s such a dopey idea but it’s hard not to go with it and enjoy it.

3) Evie / Joe

This episode serves as a fantastic introduction to the series. It tells a simple-yet-entertaining standalone story that takes place comfortably within the rules set up by The Walking Dead. Joe and Evie becoming reluctant traveling companions, their opposites-to-buddies arc, and Joe’s relationship to his dog are all extremely charming. The third act of this episode has some shocking twists and plenty of suspense. An element of good drama-horror is having characters that the audience cares so much for that they fear for them in dangerous situations, and that’s exactly the case with Evie and Joe.

2) Dee

This is the only episode that fully ties into the main show, as it follows Alpha and a very young Lydia early in the apocalypse. Samantha Morton gives an especially fantastic performance for her return as Alpha. Interestingly enough, despite Alpha (then called “Dee”) being an insane and terrifying villain, the audience finds themselves on her side throughout this story. There’s even a reveal regarding her origin with the Whisperers. It’s a must-see for any fans of the main show. That being said, it does take away from her being so intimidating that she founded the Whisperers and instead joined a preexisting group of them. It’s still a suspenseful and action-packed episode, though.

1) Davon

Mix together Momento and The Village and you get this especially thrilling episode. Yes, it’s an amnesia episode, which is one of the most exhausted tropes of all time, but it’s handled exceptionally-well here. With a murder mystery, a bizarre almost cult-like community, and a protagonist that’s able to win over any audience member, this episode is filled with suspense. It fits perfectly within the rules fans already know and has a much darker tone than a lot of TWD. 

As the story unfolds and Davon gradually regains his memory of what really happened to make an entire town want to lynch him, it’s nothing short of gripping. Spending a third of the story handcuffed to a member of the undead only adds to it. It plays with themes of morality in the apocalypse like the early days of The Walking Dead and does something unique with it. Some of these episodes are genuinely spectacular, but it’s this one that takes the crown.

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