The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live premiere episode finally answers questions about what happened to Rick and Michonne after they left Alexandria. Andrew Lincoln left The Walking Dead a little over four years ago. Danai Gurira left almost three years ago. The new series gives the Richonne fans what they deserve. A long anticipated reunion series. In “Years,” Rick Grimes returns as he attempts to return to his former life with Michonne in Alexandria.
Quick reminders:
1. The CRM stands for the Civic Republic Military. They protect the Civic Republic citizens in New York, Portland and at the time of this story, Omaha.
2. Jadis (Pollyanna McIntosh) designated Rick as a B when she took him. Later, Jadis joined the CRM and quickly rose in the ranks.
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When we first see Rick, he’s contemplating suicide. He looks at an etched drawing of Michonne. He puts a razor to his throat and starts to cut. Rick thinks about the bridge and his family and stops himself.
FIVE YEARS AFTER THE BRIDGE
Rick narrates most of the premiere episode, as if he’s talking to Michonne. If there’s one thing he wants her to know, it’s that he really tried to get back to her. He tells her what happened to him after the bridge exploded. The CRM helicopter took Rick and Jadis to the Civic Republic. Rick woke up in a military hospital. When he was well enough, he joined a group of people the CRM called consignees. The consignees must serve six years doing manual labor to keep the city functioning and keep the dead out. After six years, they can move into the city and take on other jobs.
Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes, Lesley-Ann Brandt as Thorne – The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live _ Season 1, Episode 1 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC
Rick tried four times to escape the CRM. The last time, his left hand was tied to a rope that was held by one of the CRM soldiers. The consignees were sent into the woods to kill burning walkers. Rick ran until his leash pulled him back. Thinking he was far enough away, Rick cut off his left hand and ran. He was bleeding profusely so he stopped to cauterize the arm by sticking it into one of the burning walkers. The pain slowed Rick down and the CRM soldiers caught up to him.
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LONGING FOR HOME
Rick dreams about meeting Michonne for the first time, but not in the real way they met. In Rick’s dreams, Michonne is sitting on a park bench, eating lunch when he stops to ask her for directions. The chemistry between them is electric and Rick decides to stay and talk to her instead of going to work. The conversations stop only because Rick is woken up.
One of the officers, Lt. Col. Okafor (Craig Tate) takes a special interest in Rick and another consignee, Pearl Thorne (Lesley-Anne Brandt). Okafor tries to convince Rick that his attempts at escaping will only lead to his death. Rick tells his friend Esteban (Frankie Quinones) about Okafor’s relentless recruitment. Esteban suggests Rick join the CRM, just to get a better opportunity to escape. And that’s what he does. Okafor questions whether or not this is an ending or a beginning for Rick. Rick says it’s both. The CRM fits Rick with a prosthetic hand in the shape of a fist. This hand also has a knife built in it. Despite having only one functioning hand, Rick is able to fight hand to hand combat, learn how to fly a helicopter, and excel in his training.
Pearl Thorne is one tough broad. She was in the South African military and has just as much reason to leave as Rick does. Okafor found her and she shot him, trying to escape. She seems to accept that the CRM is doing some good in the world. And by staying, she is protecting those she loves. Plus she also watched Rick’s failed attempts.
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SECRET AGENTS
Craig Tate as Donald Okafor – The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live _ Season 1, Episode 1 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC
Okafor takes Rick and Thorne aside one night to a secret location, where no one can hear them. He says he saw something in both of them that he needs to change things in the CRM. He explains the A and B designation. A’s have strength and would die for what they believe in; they are leaders. A’s are sent back in the world and killed. B’s are everyday people who are just trying to survive. B’s get into the city, Jadis designated Rick as a B so he would get in, but Okafor knows he’s an A. Okafor’s plan is to train Rick and Thorne to become part of the Force Command of the CRM. They will learn a lot of secrets along the way, eventually receiving the highest rank. That’s when they will get the Echelon Briefing that reveals everything about the Civic Republic.
Thorne is on board, but Rick questions why he should go along with Okafor’s training. After all he is a leader who can think for himself. Okafor believes if Rick and Thorne had a chance to save the world, they would. Rick says he decided to play along, but it wasn’t his fight. Thorne knows Rick pretty well and tells him to accept that Okafor’s offer isn’t a way out. She also offers to help him if he needs it.
Rick explains that the CRM found Omaha and Portland and formed an alliance. Omaha and Portland are easy communities to find. The Civic Republic is not. Major General Beale (Terry O’Quinn) says it’s the one thing they have over Omaha and Portland. He attributes the Civic Republic’s hidden location to Okafor. He tells Rick that Okafor was a member of the US Air Force, tasked with bombing major cities when the outbreak started. Okafor defied his orders and bombed the Marines instead. Beale also points out that the only reason Rick and Thorne are still there is because of Okafor. He looks Rick dead in the eye and asks him if Okafor is up to something. Rick says no, but Beale expected him to say that. Beale also asks how Rick survived. Rick says he sacrificed, but Beale really wants to know why he survived in the CRM. Especially after attempting to escape four times. Rick tells him to look in his eyes and tell him the answer. They sit in silence instead.
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SECRET ESCAPE
Lesley-Ann Brandt as Thorne – The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live _ Season 1, Episode 1 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC
Rick says everything is about secrets. The army kept the secret at all costs. Everything the army did was secret to the city. And the soldiers with the blood red stripes keeping what they did a secret to the whole force. Secrets on secrets. All Rick cared about was holding on to his secret. As Rick trains, in the open with the rest of the CRM and in secret with Okafor. Rick is also planning another escape attempt. This time through the sewers of the city. He meets up with Esteban one day. Esteban is the Ward 3 Water and Power Manager of the city. He reluctantly tells Rick that a specific tunnel leads to a junction and gives him the code to open a padlocked gate.
Rick makes his move when his unit goes on a resource run at an abandoned chemical plant. He opens the manhole to the tunnel, prepares to throw a grenade to create a diversion but is stopped by walkers and child. The child is alive and screams when Rick kills her walker parents. Rick abandons his escape plan and runs after the child. He finds Thorne nearby who shoots the group of walkers surrounding the child. Thorne knows Rick was trying to escape again. Rick asks her for help by letting him go, but she says she’s helping by taking him back. Thorne says Okafor knows everything about Rick and who he’s trying to get back to.
Rick confronts Okafor and the two end up fighting. Okafor knows all about Michonne and Rick’s family. He knows how to find her. He threatens to kill her and his family if Rick ever disappears. Rick says he doesn’t care about his world. Okafor doesn’t get to choose his life for him, but Okafor says Rick already made his choice. Rick says he chose his wife and his daughter. Okafor says he lost everything to proect the world. That was his choice and it’s Rick’s choice as well. The fight ends with Okafor’s gun pointed at Rick. Rick asks to be let go, but Okafor says no. Rick puts the gun to his forehead and tells Okafor to kill him but Okafor says no. He says Rick fights for his family. He already made his choice.
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Okafor moves on by assigning Rick to logistics with Thorne. They are going to convert a college into a base for the front liners. Rick and Thorne will be project leads. This is his start on the path to power. Rick says he doesn’t want power, but Okafor says he already has it.
REVELATIONS
Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes – The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live _ Season 1, Episode 1 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC
The day that Omaha fell, Thorne rushed into Rick’s room to watch the news coverage. Thorne is distraught, saying people knew where Omaha was located. The Civic Republic secret works and it’s the only reason they are alive. She tells Rick about the child they rescued. The little girl lived through her whole group dying. She hid in a sculpture. The dead tore themselves up to get to her, spilling their blood and organs on her. She was able to walk among the dead. Thorne says Rick will see some day that they are all stuck in the right place. She says at least there’s one more good man in the world. One who can save it whether he wants to or not.
That was the same night that Rick tried to kill himself. He says he stopped himself because it would mean nothing. So he decided to die in another way. Rick writes his last letter to Michonne, telling her that he loves her. He tried to get back to her, but he failed. Now he has to do what he can to save the world. He burns the letters and the phones with her picture. He continues to dream about Michonne though, asking her to marry him. Then a fire engulfs Michonne. Rick sees flashes of a home, a fire in a field and he wakes up when he hears Michonne screaming his name.
On his next mission, Rick tells Okafor about a fire that destroyed his childhood home and burned his father. His father said lightning started the fire in the fields, but it would be okay. The fields would come back better the next year and it did. Years later, Rick’s mom told him that his father started the fire because they were about to lose everything. He sacrificed everything to save them. And now Rick is ready to do the same. Okafor is happy to hear that. He tells Rick that he’s right for this plan. He doesn’t know how everything is going to work out though. But when they get to that point, he tells Rick to swear on the sword.
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Rick is flying the helicopter when a small missle flies into the cockpit of the helicopter and hits Okafor in the chest.The missile explodes, killing Okafor. Two more missiles hit the helicopter, causing it to crash. Rick and the survivors grab their guns and leave the helicopter to face the enemy. More missiles explode nearby, knocking all of them down and killing a couple of the men.
Rick crawls away as someone approaches to kill the rest of them. That person kills the other soldiers and approaches Rick. Rick fights back against his attacker, but is still sitting on the ground. His attacker removes his helmet and stops. He looks up at his attacker and sees a katana. Then he sees the face in the helmet of his attacker. The attacker takes off the helmet and it’s Michonne!
News Editor, Senior Contributor, and Press Editor. Coordinate breaking news, trailers and press releases. I also contribute reviews, recaps and interviews. Creator of the Indigenerd Wire, a column dedicated to the Indigenous creatives in pop culture.
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