WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Walking Dead: World Beyond Season 1 finale, "In This Life," which aired Sunday on AMC.
"I'm not the real asset. We are. You are gonna save the world from them."
These are the final words that Hope (Alexa Mansour) says to her sister Iris (Aliyah Royale) in The Walking Dead: World Beyond's first season. Initially setting off to answer the supposed distress call of their father Leo in New York state, the truth about their journey came out in the final episodes of World Beyond Season 1. Hope and Iris' plan turned out to be machinations of Civic Republic Military spy Huck (Annet Mahendru) to enlist Hope's hidden genius in an effort to save humanity.
Alexa Mansour and Aliyah Royale spoke with CBR about their reactions to the sisters splitting apart in the finale, their changing relationships with Huck and Felix (Nico Tortorella), and what they're hoping will happen in World Beyond's second and final season.
CBR: I want to start with where things end for Iris and Hope, namely them splitting up. What was your first reaction in reading through that scene?
Aliyah Royale: "Noooooo! Why? I don't wanna." [Laughs.] They've had it so tough for several episodes now. They haven't really been able to reconcile after Hope told Iris about what really happened to their mother. Can they just have one moment where they're okay again? And then Hope has to make Iris feel like she's crazy and this relationship is at its wit's end to protect her from Huck and the CRM. It was so heartbreaking. But it sets up a good Season 2!
Alexa Mansour: It broke my heart. I hated having to lie to Iris and make her feel like she didn't understand Hope. Pretending like there was beef between them, when really it was a ploy to push her away to make sure she'd be safe. Like Aliyah said, Iris and Hope have been through so much. They've had to do things on their own. This entire journey has really tested their patience. But on the bright side, as soon as season two starts, I'll probably be filming indoors. Which is awesome.
Royale: Oh my God, that's so unfair! Damn. You lucky, lucky person. [Laughs.]
In Episode 10, Hope works through finding out that Huck has been working for the CRM the entire time. What did you make of her reaction, given their relationship up to this point?
Mansour: This is a betrayal. Huck is the one that Hope looked up to and admired. She thought Huck didn't judge her and understood her. She knew what she was going through without any strings attached. Hope just feels taken advantage of. Maybe she just said all these things in the past to get me on her side and use me. I don't think there's any turning back for Hope after that. Any little trust she had is gone. Having her guard up is an understatement. She'll have the Great Wall of China up in front of her and not let anyone in ever again.
On the other side, the last two episodes built on the relationship between Iris and Felix. At one point, he tells her about how much she's grown. And he even briefly teaches her to drive in the finale. Aliyah, what do you think about that dynamic?
Royale: There were some real big brother moments happening there. Driving was so much fun! [Laughs.] I was actually terrified. Driving stick is something I have never done and never thought I would do, at least not in a vehicle that large. There are experiences Felix has with our father that we really don't know much about. We've accepted him as our big brother, but we didn't really know the depth of their relationship. But there's that great moment when he's like, "Who do you think taught me to drive?"
Everything came full-circle. There was trouble with Felix since the journey began. He tried to get us to turn around and get Elton to go against the group. He didn't understand why this was a journey that needed to happen. So that was a good reconciliation moment for Iris and Felix. To be like, "I had no idea what this journey would turn out to be. But you girls have got it." It was really sweet.
One of the twists in this finale was finding out that the CRM wants to recruit the brightest young minds to help save humanity, which they project to go extinct in 30 years without intervention. How much does this tie into Iris' already-existing ideals of what the next generation can do?
Royale: The children are definitely the future. When we see what Elizabeth Kublek is doing with the CRM, there are questions. That's what Iris' Monument Day speech was all about. "You gave us this random map to give us some idea of what's happening in New York. But you're not giving us answers, and we don't trust you." It's a shadow organization that's making all these decisions and recruiting people to get closer and closer to the cure. But how can you recruit someone like their father and then say he can't have any contact with his family? It doesn't add up. I think it's up to our four protagonists to get to the bottom of it and create the change that's necessary. I think we're very close to a cure, it's just a matter of what this organization does with it.
From Hope's perspective, the CRM believes that she and she alone is a child genius and make her "the asset." What is her reaction to being the golden goose for, as Aliyah mentioned, this shadow organization?
Mansour: She definitely did not see that coming. I think Iris and Hope both assumed that Iris was the genius. And I think she is! I think they're both geniuses in very different ways, and they complement each other. You see that in the flashback to Leo talking about them doing things together. I think Hope is in the now about it. She doesn't believe she's the asset because she looks up to her sister so much. That's why she says what she does during their goodbye. "No, they need the both of us. We're going to be fine because they need us both."
Royale: Yeah, Iris was a little shook when she found out there was such thing as an "asset" and it was already determined to be Hope. Her identity has been wrapped around being this genius, this overachiever. She was class president back at the campus colony. So it was tough for her, not going to lie. She lost part of her identity, and now there's even more that divides her and Hope. So Hope telling him they're better together is a really great redemption moment.
Iris tells Felix that they're going to get Hope back and "kick the CRM's ass." What has given her the conviction that she can do that, despite how tall the order is?
Royale: Iris now knows that Hope can hold her own. It was evident when we saw her bail her out of campus colony jail for brewing alcohol. Iris is always security for Hope; she gets her out of trouble. Iris knows that, though they're separate, Hope can hold her own. It's not the CRM they should be worried about; the CRM should be deeply afraid of Hope. And until we get to her, I'll hold my own out here.
Alexa, what's Hope's perspective on being without that security?
Mansour: I think seeing the way Huck reacted when she put the gun to her head, I don't think Hope is really worried about it. She realized they need her way more than she needs them. If something happens to her, they're basically screwed. I have no idea what's going to happen next season, whether things may get turned around and they realize Hope isn't who they think she is. But right now, Hope has this confidence that they need her. So I'm going to go in there, take this risk, and make sure everyone else can be safe. I don't think she's scared and worried at all. I think she's pissed!
Speaking of Season 2, we know that World Beyond will come back for a final season. What are you looking forward to returning to these characters the most for one last ride?
Royale: I'm definitely looking forward to all of the love that Iris has in her life. But I can't wait to get the sisters get back together and get into the action. I'd love to see Iris go out being that super-awesome badass Walking Dead warrior!
Mansour: I want to see Hope be more confident. Not that false confidence that she had at the end of Season 1 when she realized she might be the asset. I want her to be more sure of herself and her decisions, realizing she can do things on her own. A lot more powerful than she felt last season, not a waste of space.
Created by Scott Gimple, Robert Kirkman and Matt Negrete, The Walking Dead: World Beyond stars Aliyah Royale, Alexa Mansour, Annet Mahendru, Nicolas Cantu, Hal Cumpston and Nico Tortorella. The series airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on AMC.