Spoilers for The Walking Dead will be found below.
I have already written it twice now, but it bears repeating here: Rick Grimes is not dead. Yet. But the writing is on the wall, and the wall has crumbled into a pile of concrete and rebar, and the rebar is poking through the stomach of Rick Grimes. He doesn’t have long for this world, or at least, he doesn’t have long for the show. Andrew Lincoln’s departure in next week’s episode is not a mystery. It is a foregone conclusion. Whether he dies or is airlifted away from Alexandria in a helicopter, however, remains to be seen.
In the meantime, this episode felt a lot like Rick was saying his last goodbyes. When Carol told Rick that she was headed back to The Kingdom, and Rick’s eyes watered up, it felt like Andrew Lincoln was also saying goodbye to Melissa McBride. “If anyone gives me hope, it’s you. You know that, right?” In fact, the entire exchange felt like The Walking Dead giving itself a pep talk as its lead actor rode off into the sunset. “So, it’s up to them to figure out who they want to be.” Carol was talking about the Saviors in a post-Negan world. Melissa McBride was talking about The Walking Dead in a post-Andrew Grimes world. Maybe it can even be a better show, as Andrew Lincoln himself recently suggested. “It’s beautiful watching and seeing my dear friends who are incredible actors doing extraordinary things and turning it into a new show. And that is enormously gratifying.”
I don’t know if it will be better or worse, but it won’t be the same. I’m going to miss Rick Grimes.
Here’s some questions we had after this week’s episode.
1. Does Rick die from this injury? Or another one? — We have to start in the end here, with the likely life-threatening injury to Rick Grimes. Caught between two hordes of zombies, Rick is kicked off his horse (in a callback to the pilot episode) and he lands on a pile of concrete. A piece of rebar punctures through his stomach. Rick is stuck on that rebar, the hordes of zombies are closing in, and there’s no one around to help Rick, and unlike in the pilot episode, there’s no tank around for him to crawl under.
I think Rick survives the rebar for a little while longer. I think he escapes the zombie hordes. I think he makes it back to Alexandria. I think he hallucinates Shane and Hershel and Sasha. I think he hangs on long enough to say goodbye to Michonne. I think he speaks to Maggie, and whatever he says to Maggie convinces her not to kill Negan. But it also convinces her that she can no longer stay with Negan around. I think Maggie joins Georgie. I think Michonne is heartbroken but more determined than ever to establish a government. I think when Rick says goodbye to Judith, it will rip out the hearts of 9 million viewers.
But it’s also possible that most of next week’s episode consists of Rick’s own hallucinations while he bleeds out while stuck to that rebar.
2. Where does Rick’s death leave The Saviors? I genuinely don’t know, but I think Carol said it best, “They don’t want us there anymore, but I know they don’t want Negan anymore, either. Not most of them, anyway.” I don’t think Negan is sprung from prison to take over the Saviors. I think Jed was probably killed in the gunfire that alerted the zombie hordes. I think that the Saviors will be left alone, to stand on their own. I don’t think the Saviors will be a big part of The Walking Dead anymore. If Jed dies, all of the familiar Saviors will be dead, anyway. I think the Oceansiders may no longer be a big part of The Walking Dead anymore, either. However, there is the possibility that Dwight returns and takes over as leader of the Saviors. He’s well-suited to the job, and it is worth noting that Dwight’s name came up in this episode in an argument between Rick and Daryl. Maybe after Rick’s death, Daryl is ready to forgive. If bringing this community meant enough to Rick that he basically gave up his life for it, maybe it’s worth forgiving Dwight.
3. What will become of Daryl? — Daryl and Rick fought like brothers in this episode. They tried to kick each others’ asses, but there was affection between the two. Rick was quick to save Daryl’s life, even though Daryl was responsible for getting them in the mess they were in, and Daryl told Rick to be careful as he led the hordes away from camp. I think that Daryl may get another conversation with Rick before he dies, and I think Rick asks him to step up and lead Alexandria, or at least help Michonne run Alexandria. Daryl’s got big shoes to fill, but I do wonder if he’s going to feel a little responsible for Ricks’ death here, as he was indirectly responsible for Glenn’s death, as well. I also think that if Dwight returns to take over the Saviors, it’s going to have to be with the blessing of Daryl.
https://twitter.com/Walkyen/status/1056896959792013319
4. Where did Anne go? — Anne’s not leaving the show. She loves Father Gabriel too much to leave him behind. She couldn’t bring herself to kill Gabriel and exchange him for her helicopter ride. What’s interesting here is that, if Anne were going to kill Gabriel before trading him for a helicopter ride, it apparently means that the helicopter people will take an “A,” who is dead or alive. That means, in the next episode or two, that the helicopter people could take either Rick or Maggie rather than Anne. Where? We still don’t know. The Commonwealth, presumably.
It’s touching, though, how much Father Gabriel has clearly fallen for Anne.
5. What’s the deal between Negan and Michonne? I’m not entirely sure what the back-and-forth between Negan and Michonne was all about in this episode, except that it kept Negan involved and, more importantly, generates a connection between Negan and the likely next leader of Alexandria, Michonne. Michonne still does not like Negan, but now she better understands what motivates and drives him, and as the next leader of Alexandria, Michonne may need Negan’s help when the next threat — the Whisperers — comes along. This episode, I think, is designed to lay the foundation for that, assuming that Negan doesn’t bash his own head in. It’s also worth noting that Michonne now knows Negan’s greatest weakness: Lucille, the baseball bat with which Negan has developed a strong affection, not unlike Tom Hanks and that volleyball in Cast Away.
Meanwhile, it appears from this scene in next week’s episode, that when Maggie arrives to kill Negan, Michonne doesn’t know about Rick yet. That makes this conversation all the more heartbreaking.
