The Walking Dead finally said goodbye to its main character, Rick Grimes. Kind of.
Following last episode’s nerve-wracking ending, The Walking Dead opened with Rick (Andrew Lincoln) gruesomely getting off of the spike he was impaled upon. He found his way to his horse and started toward home to find his family, a homage to the very first episode of the show. What followed was homage after homage as Rick barely held onto life and attempted to get back to his family.
He met up with Shane (Jon Bernthal), who talked about the rage and bullet that started this whole story. In a very emotional scene, Rick met Hershel (Scott Wilson). Wilson died a few weeks ago. The two discussed how strong Maggie is, but also how good of a leader Rick was. Then, Rick stumbled into the hospital, referencing the one he escaped from in the very first episode. The doors opened to piles of dead people, all those that Rick loved. Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) emerged and told Rick that he isn’t lost and that all things end, but it isn’t the end of everything.
Each person carried the audience on an emotional ride as Rick grew closer to his end. In the final standoff, Rick made it to his family in another dream sequence. He embraced Michonne (Danai Gurira) and said he found his family. When he woke up, he realized he had to blow up the bridge and kill all of the walkers. He successfully did so, leaving audiences to think he had gone out with a bang.
However, it’s not quite the end of Rick Grimes. Anne (Pollyanna McIntosh) radioed the mysterious helicopter once she saw Rick’s body and told them she had a “B.” In the final glimpse, Rick was alive in the helicopter and was taken to wherever they’re going. In an interview, The Walking Dead’s Scott Gimple announced Rick’s story will continue in three feature-length AMC movies. With Rick being such an iconic character, AMC hopes to continue to grow its multibillion-dollar franchise. Fans will surely embrace each movie, as long as Rick Grimes is there for it all.
Here’s how fans reacted to the emotional episode:
