The Ones Who Live Pulled a Bait-and-Switch on Walking Dead Fans, But It Works

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live has been an exciting rollercoaster of important plot points and shocking scenes. From the moment Rick Grimes cut off his hand in the first episode, viewers knew this spin-off was willing to take risks and surpass the expectations set down by The Walking Dead original series. In most regards, the new addition to the franchise has impressed fans.

That's not to say that this spin-off hasn't made some of the same mistakes as others in the franchise, such as killing off supporting characters too soon after they are introduced. Despite repeating these questionable decisions, the show's nuances and themes have added something unique to this wide world of the undead. Though fans thought they had a good idea of the overarching tone of The Ones Who Live, the first few episodes have further reiterated how complex this storyline is — and needs to be.

Updated on November 1, 2024, by Ajay Aravind: The Walking Dead series sparked the zombie horror TV boom of the 2010s and onward, with six spin-offs serving to expand the franchise universe. The most recent addition, subtitled The Ones Who Live, featured Rick Grimes' triumphant return, the apparent collapse of the Civic Republic Military, as well as his ultimate reunion with Michonne, Judith, and RJ. The show's ending got fans thinking that it was the end of Rick's journey, but the season finale's rushed epilogue was deeply unsatisfactory. As such, we have updated this article with more information about the original TWD survivors potentially saving the world in upcoming franchise seasons.

The Ones Who Live Is Supposed to Be a Love Story

Fans Were Waiting for Rick and Michonne's Reunion for Half a Decade

The first episode of The Ones Who Live broke records, proving the show has what it takes to revolutionize the beloved horror TV show series. Before the premiere, it was advertised as an epic love story among all the gloom and sorrow surrounding The Walking Dead world. Fans were hopeful it would be the same fear and shock the series is known for but with an added level of love and heart-to-heart. In that regard, The Ones Who Live delivered quite satisfactorily.

Though the show focuses on the relationship between Rick and Michonne, the first two episodes focus on how the two dealt with being apart and their desire to be together. The themes of these episodes were more about heartbreak and yearning. The third episode complicated their love story by creating a tense scenario in which Michonne is fighting for love, and Rick is fighting for his family's survival. In its first half, the spin-off doesn't live up to the hype of an "epic love story," leaving viewers waiting for the divided lovers to overcome the impossible and make everything right. That said, the finale offered some much-needed closure.

Rick and Michonne Have a Unique Past in the TV Series

The Original Comics Don't Depict Them in a Romantic Relationship

To understand the complicated scenario in The Ones Who Live, audiences need to understand the timelines of Rick Grimes and Michonne Hawthorne. In the original TWD series, both of these characters go through a great deal of heartbreak before meeting and becoming a couple. Michonne is betrayed by her boyfriend, which results in the loss of her young son. Rick loses his wife to childbirth, leaving him to function as a leader while trying to be a role model for his two children.

This heartbreak could have been the downfall of anyone, but not the survivors that live in The Walking Dead world. As a team and partnership, Michonne and Rick have overcome various villains, unexpected tragedies, and unforeseeable devastation. The key to their success was working together to build a better community and life. After they are separated and kept apart, it's understandable that they can survive, but not in the same capacity and mindset that they did together. The uniqueness of Michonne and Rick's love story, however, is how their characters function together as well as apart.

The Love in The Ones Who Live Is Complicated

Rick and Michonne Were Separated for Eight Years In-Universe

The first climactic moment in The Ones Who Live is when Rick and Michonne finally reunite toward the end of Episode 2. Danai Gurira captured the hearts of Walking Dead fans when she said the line "I found you" repeatedly with all the astonishment and love Michonne had worked up to for nearly a decade. This emotional moment couldn't be overshadowed, even when Rick declared Michonne had to bow to the CRM and condemn herself to the same imprisonment he had endured for so long.

But that is precisely why The Ones Who Live has such a complicated storyline. Rick and Michonne have been in dangerous situations throughout their years together, but no threat can compare to the monumental power of the Civic Republic Military. In this scenario, love is simply not enough. That is proved by various details in the spin-off, from Rick trying to send Michonne away to Michonne keeping their son a secret from him. Before the CRM, Rick and Michonne's love was as unstoppable as their survival skills. This new villain has certainly humbled their gumption but not the confidence fans have in these long-running heroes.

The Ones Who Live Ended on a Strangely Final Note

Rick Spends Less Than Five On-Screen Minutes with His Children

The Walking Dead fans know that there's no such thing as a perfect love story in a world rife with death, sadness, and danger. That's proven at the end of The Ones Who Live, Episode 3, "Bye," when Michonne pulls Rick out of a helicopter to have a chance to reason with him. The desperation in that decision perfectly emulates how intricate Rick and Michonne's situation is while they're trapped by the CRM and unable to get back to their family. Given the circumstances, the show has done a good job of highlighting their love for one another.

The creators have developed a love story that is uniquely Michonne and Rick. If the two lovers had fallen into each other's arms and run away, the plot would have been completely unrealistic and anticlimactic. In a franchise like The Walking Dead, a sweet romance wrapped in a neat bow isn't going to fly with the audience. These two lovers aren't getting in their way, as is the case for many classic rom-com storylines. In their world, it truly is the villains like the CRM that have to be overcome before love can prevail.

And yet, fans were taken by surprise in the final episode of The Ones Who Live, when Rick and Michonne successfully neutralized the CRM by killing Major General Beale. They then proceeded to set up a DIY explosive atop a massive stockpile of chlorine gas, which proceeded to kill everyone in the CRM Force Command as well as their major leaders. The CRM was completely exposed to the civilians and their government, which filled the political vacuum left behind by the military organization. Finally, Rick and Michonne return to Alexandria and have a happy but brief reunion with Judith and RJ.

Dead City and Daryl Dixon Are Poised to Complete the Franchise

Rick Still Needs to Reunite with Daryl, Carol, Maggie, and Many Others

The conclusion of The Ones Who Live was heartwarming and offered some closure, but Rick's reunion with his children was cut painfully short. Fans didn't even get to see him interact with RJ, the son he never even knew about. At this point, there's no news about a Season 2 renewal — with Rick's character arc completed on such a happy note, it may not even happen. That's where Daryl Dixon and Dead City spin-offs come into play.

Daryl Dixon sees everybody's favorite survivalist in France, washed far away from his loved ones by the tides of fate. There, he meets a boy named Laurent, who is considered the messiah because he was born after his mother was fully zombified. Laurent is yet to show any real signs of immunity to the Wildfire Virus that caused the apocalypse, but the Season 2 finale on November 3, 2024, might put those doubts at rest. Having someone with the potential to end this nightmarish plague is a huge win for the Grimes gang — not to mention everyone else in the world. The only question is whether Daryl will successfully ferry Laurent to the US.

Meanwhile, Dead City is set on the other side of the ocean in New York, featuring an unlikely team-up between Negan and Maggie. Negan helps her locate her kidnapped son Hershel, all the while discovering and exposing new things about the Walking Dead universe like the New Babylon Federation and the Burazi. Considering the presence of other powerful factions, it feels like dismantling the CRM was just the first step. Through Daryl Dixon and Dead City, Rick has to be there to support Daryl and Laurent, not to mention help Maggie overcome her hatred for Negan. To put it plainly, Rick Grimes needs to return to the franchise defined by his character, and the story will be all the better for it.