At long (long!) last, Sunday’s premiere of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live revealed what became of Rick Grimes following his Season 9 “demise,” from his recruitment by the Civil Republic Military to the chopper crash that brought him face to familiar face with… [Slams brakes] On second thought, keep reading. If you don’t already know with whom Rick is reunited in “Years,” we’ll get to that in due time.
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FIVE YEARS AFTER THE BRIDGE | In letters written to Michonne, Rick explained that, following the events of “What Comes After” (recapped here), he’d begun what was to be a six-year stint clearing walkers for the CRM in exchange for admission to a fully functioning hidden city. Of course, he had no intention of actually sticking around; on the contrary, he seized every opportunity to make a break for it in hopes of getting back to Michonne and their family. (At one point, the fight risk even hacked off his own hand to cut the cord that affixed him to a guard!)
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In Rick’s corner, it appeared, was Lt. Col. Okafor, who sought to use him as well as fellow consignee Pearl Thorne to change the CRM for the better from the inside. As you’d expect, Rick had zero interest in joining the hush-hush Force Command within the CRM — until, that is, pal Esteban suggested that he might get a better opportunity to skedaddle while working military missions. As an added bonus, the gig came with a schmancy prosthetic hand with a singularly useful stabby accessory. What made Okafor so sure that he could rely on either Rick or Pearl? “I believe,” he said, “if either one of you had a chance to save the world, you would. You’d have to.”
‘MY WIFE IS MY CHOICE’ | After being questioned by Major General Beale, who rightly suspected that Okafor was up to something, Rick saw his chance to make tracks during a supply run. Alas, as so many of his best-laid plans do, this one went awry, specifically because a little kid wound up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Following a confrontation with Okafor and the destruction of Omaha (by the CRM, though Rick, Pearl and anyone who didn’t watch World Beyond wouldn’t know that), our hero was so despondent that he contemplated suicide.
We don’t have to tell you that he didn’t go through with it, do we? No, ultimately, Rick instead did his damnedest not to think about his wife and kids, and, as Okafor predicted, just focus on saving the world. Which, for the moment, meant converting a college into a CRM operating base. Finally, in the present, Rick was piloting a chopper with Okafor aboard when it was blasted out of the sky. (RIP, Lieutenant Colonel.) On the ground, soldiers fired back as their peers had their throats slit by… OMG! Just as Rick’s neck was about to be sliced, his would-be killer saw his face… It was Michonne! Cue the shocked expressions.
So, what did you think of the premiere? “Richonne’s” reunion? Those sweet, flirty “Richonne” dream sequences? Grade the episode in the poll below, then hit the comments.
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