The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live
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I have incredible news if you secretly long for the hardened action stars short-lived but impactful romantic-comedy days.
The Richonne-centric spinoff which was originally developed as a film delivers on the romance immediately.
I couldnt be more thrilledorcharmed!
That said,The Ones Who Liveis not all charm.
The first thing we see is Rick attempting to die by suicide.
How did he get to this point?
Why did Rick never escape captivity and return to his wife and children?
Where is he?The Ones Who Livequickly answers those questions before asking about a dozen more.
the Civic Republic Military.
The Civic Republic Military has popped up sporadically onThe Walking Deadand its spinoffs for a while.
Anne introduced us to the CRMs penchant for human trafficking.
AndThe Walking Dead: The World Beyondtook place in and around the CRMs community in Omaha, Nebraska.
That community falls at the end of the first season.
(More on that later.)
The Ones Who Livepilot focuses primarily on Ricks time in the CRM since the bridge incident.
(Sorry to compare Rick Grimes to a horse.)
Sprinkled throughout the episode are dreams Rick has about Michonne.
In them, there are no walkers.
Its a friggin meet-cute!
He comes back to the bench every day to have lunch with her.
He brings her a pizza.
He talks about proposing.
Its pure, unadulterated fluff.
The Rick and Michonne romance was not immediate onThe Walking Deadand played out mostly in the background.
They were allies before they were friends and friends before they were lovers.
But back to reality.
Five years after the bridge, Rick is stuck working on consignment with other captives of the CRM.
But Ricks uninterested in the City of Brotherly Love.
He wants to get back to his family, not disappear.
Hes tried to escape before, and hell do it again.
Because of that, CRM soldiers keep Rick on a leash on his shifts.
Even that isnt enough to deter him!
Its metal as hell, but unfortunately, he doesnt get far.
He singles out Rick and a woman named Pearl Thorne (Lesley-Ann Brandt).
He tells them they are both As according to the CRMs metric free thinkers and leaders.
He wants Pearl and Rick to join him in a secret program and help change the CRM from within.
[Escape] cost your hand last time, Okafor tells Rick.
Next time, its your life.
Do something with it.
But that attempt fails, too!
Our intrepid hero next tries to take out Okafor himself.
Thats whereThe Walking DeadandFear the Walking Deadtook place in their respective first seasons.
His web, dare I say it, connects them all.
Again, thats a ridiculous and patronizing thing to say to Rick Grimes.
I know times are dire, but his family is only 150 miles away!
Hes just in Pennsylvania!
After Pearl leaves, Rick brings one of the shards of glass to his neck.
This is the low point we saw at the beginning of the episode.
Hes being moved across the country.
And Okafor knows about Michonne.
He burns the iPhone pictures.
He goes to Oregon.
He buries himself in work.
Then, the superimposed word NOW tells us that its the present, I guess.
Rick pilots a helicopter on a mission with Okafor.
But not for long.
Something, or someone, shoots down the aircraft.
Rick runs from their attacker in the woods, who turns out to be Michonne!
Holy narrative risk, Batman!
They really reunited those two crazy kids quickly.
Im intrigued by the choice.
Thelookthose two share as the episode fades to black could melt diamonds.
Im not supposed to like this show.
The best reason I can come up with is characters and relationships like Rick and Michonne.
And my perspective does have some advantages.
Sweet Nothings
They call walkers delts in the CRM.
Rick is right to be suspicious.
When Anne kidnapped Rick, she called him a B.
She specifically said that he wasnotan A.
Therefore, I must assume Anne was lying to protect him.
If youll indulge me, Id like to put something out into the universe.
How impressive is it that Rick remembers to cauterize the wound after cutting off his hand?
I thought I worked well under pressure, dang.
The Last Letter I Write to You (That Youll Never See) would make a great pop-punk song.
