Welcome Multiversity readers to the latest The Walking Dead spin-off with Those Who Live. It’s the Rick and Michonne adventure time as we see if the two star-crossed lovers will be reunited. Or the better question of most TWD fans’ minds, where has Rick been this whole time?! Some big questions get answered from the jump, and then we get to dive right into some juicy details about this new city that Rick has been a part of, so let’s stop wasting time and jump right back into some good old-fashioned zombies.
1. So This Is Where You’ve Been
After a few flashback scenes of the last time we saw Rick Grimes on The Walking Dead, we get to see where he’s been this whole time. The Civic Republic captured him, and despite the MULTIPLE escape attempts, he is still on consignment duty to work until he can earn the right to be called a citizen. The CR is a secret city that has kept its location secret while in an alliance with Portland, Oregon, and Omaha, Nebraska, three cities that survived the zombie apocalypse. While everyone else does their duty until they can be a part of a “safe” city, Rick’s only thoughts are of Michonne and Judith (He was unaware of Michonne being pregnant, so not knowing about RJ makes sense) and how he can get back to them. An easy “Five Years” post-bridge event title page helps the audience see where he’s at. Then we see how committed he is when he willingly (and semi-easily) cuts off his hand to get out of cuffs from the CRM (Civic Republic Military) and get out of there. Of course, it doesn’t work, so he’s back to consignment until he can hatch a new plan.
2. A’s And B’s
Lieutenant Colonel Okafor is the man who keeps standing up for Rick and keeping him from being killed because he wants him by his side, along with another consignment prisoner by the name of Pearl Thorne, who tried to escape once or twice. The timeframe in one episode is jumpy because not only do we get an instant “Five Years” post bridge, but after Rick decides to join the CRM, thanks to Okafor’s insistence and a training montage, it’s been a year. Okafor lets them in some truths behind their new roles. He wants the two of them to become leaders and help shape the CRM in a new direction and flow because he knows there are layers and layers of secrets, and it’s only a matter of time before things start hitting the fan. He explains that A’s and B’s will die for their beliefs, and B is an everyday person who tries to survive. Usually, the CR wouldn’t allow Rick or Thorne into the city, but Okafor knew their strength, which could be used to change things from the inside out. Now, Rick goes along with it because he knows it will grant him further access to more resources and possibly a new way out.
3. Safe Place
After another quick time jump, a few years go by of working under Okafor and training to become a leader in the CRM. Rick has found another escape route in mind. Everything is in place for a walker in a uniform, making sure it’s missing a hand and has his dog tags, but just as Rick is making his escape, things go awry. A couple of walkers sneak up on him, and then a little girl screams, and his excellent heart comes back into play as he realizes if he leaves her, she’ll likely end up dead. Rick fights off the other walkers at the site, and Thorne jumps in at the right time to save the two of them. She knew he was trying to escape and seemingly thought of everything, but she wouldn’t let him go. Thorne knows that if he even got to half where he was hoping to go, Okafor would go after him and make an example out of him for anyone who thought of escaping.
4. Uneasy Relationships
Rick’s latest failed escape was one thing: he was upset with Thorne for keeping him in the CR, but he also learned that Okafor knows about Michonne and Judith. It turns out that Okafor did his homework on Rick by finding his family’s secret messages and phone drawings; he kept it to himself for the most part but mentioned it to Thorne to once again show how much power he has. Rick and Okafor go toe-to-toe, and it’s pretty evenly matched until Okafor pulls out a gun, and Rick is begging for him to pull the trigger. Despite the pleading, it’s to no avail, as Okafor still has plans and needs Rick to help within the CRM. Rick and Thorne are put in charge of a conversion mission to help shape an abandoned college into a new base for leadership within the CRM. Okafor’s admission of his own guilt and loss of his wife helps connect with Rick, but more than anything, the fight gets rid of the small amount of hope left in him to escape and just live day to day for his family and not try to get to them.
5. Wait, What?!
This has been a heavy Rick episode, so it’s fair to assume we’d see a little of Michonne by the end. We do, surprise, surprise, but it’s different from what you might expect. We’ve established that Rick has bitterly accepted his role in the CRM, and the whole episode is being told through letters he’s written to Michonne in blind hope that she’ll find them, but he will likely be long gone either on a mission or dead. While he’s flying a helicopter with Okafor in the co-pilot seat, they are ambushed, and not only do they crash, but Okafor is killed before they even hit the ground. Rick rallies the remaining troops to find somewhere safe to be rescued when they’re again taken by surprise, and he is left one-on-one with…Michonne. She nearly decapitates him with her trademark samurai sword, but they both stop in disbelief at the moment they’re trying to figure out if it’s real. Compared to Daryl and The Negan and Maggie spin-offs, this one starts much stronger and gives the audience more answers than questions for a new show.
