Tales of the walking dead: La DoÑa 2022
Tales of The Walking Dead
Season 1 - Episode 6
”La Doña”
Synopsis
A haunting tale of an apocalypse-traumatized couple who may or may not be tormented by a haunted house; frightening memories coupled with inexplicable phenomena in the house take a toll on the couple's psyche and their relationship.
I was so thrilled to get the opportunity to step into the horror/fantasy genre with this huge “Walking Dead Universe” and its epic legacy as a TV show that totally changed the game. Working with executive producers Channing Powell and Michael Satrazemis was such a gift, they welcomed me so warmly into the universe of “TWD”… by the time I joined there were four different shows going. I loved that Channing and Michael both had been working on the original show for years, starting as a writer and cinematographer respectively, and then shifted into higher roles. The culture of “The Walking Dead” behind the camera was one where the show rewarded those from within who had the talent and heart for producing and directing, which I love so much.
A Powerful Old Woman
I absolutely loved the character of La Doña, and her ancient power and knowing. I loved the fact that the tale of “La Doña” centered this mysterious crone, an old witch. I loved the thrilling and horrifying imagery and the magical realism in the script that we got to play with in the filming of the episode. And I adored the respect the script held for witches, “There are no bad witches. Just women who know the land and how to heal.”
Terror
I was thrilled by the sense of doom from the very first moments of the episode that permeated throughout. I loved how, though we feel as the audience, the lovers Idalia and Eric do not deserve the terror being brought on them, the story breaks open to reveal we made the wrong assumption.
Consequences
In the same way Idalia and Eric make the mistake of assuming they have a right to what is not theirs, we assume they are decent, only to see their abhorrent acts have rightly caused La Doña to torment them and reclaim her domain.
Survival
I loved the way this tale questioned what lengths we would go to to survive. And how many ways we can betray humanity, our loved ones, and ourselves.
The Real Enemy is the Self
The themes of being haunted by our own wrongdoing, our own actions, and our own guilt resonated so strongly with me. The ways we ignore warnings and intuition. The ways we can break from what connects us all, our compassion, to save ourselves. And that the conspiratorial actions we take with another person, frantically trying to avoid our demise, will actually cause it.
This episode felt to me like a Clarissa Pinkola Estes story. I studied Clarissa for decades and her work has healed me deeply. This felt like one of those medicine tales from her book, The Women Who Run With Wolves.
The Look
Part of what I love about “The Walking Dead” and “Fear The Walking Dead” and what was so exciting about “Tales of the Walking Dead” is the cinematic look of the series. This episode afforded incredible visual poetry for me to direct. Epic and intimate. Raw and real.
Magical Realism
I felt lucky and thrilled by the chance to break this particular “TWD” world using magical realism, and a witch, whose power added layers of mystical darkness to an already terrifying universe. The production design team did an incredible job of creating some of the magical realism effects in real time, like objects flying off the walls and mantle while the lovers are becoming more at odds with one another.
I also loved the chance to use unconventional masters, and long choreographed single shots with subtle and organic movements that flowed like music, strategically hiding and revealing key elements to chilling effect.
Humanity Always
To me, this epic tale gave a way of expanding our understanding of ourselves, our relationships, what is most important to us, what is worth fighting for, and surviving for. What is revealed about our nature can be truly horrifying. But the way this, as well as the other tales and “TWD” worlds, has deepened our experience of all the dimensions of being human seems limitless. It was an honor to be a part of telling these stories.
