“Rest in Peace” wasn’t your average television series finale. In addition to wrapping up 11 seasons of story-telling, The Walking Dead’s final episode also had to leave some room for the future.
The Walking Dead series finale isn’t the end, and AMC knows it. The flagship show might be over, but several derivatives will take place – some pre-existing like Fear the Walking Dead, and brand new options like The Walking Dead Daryl Dixon and The Walking Dead City. So how could one hour of TV honouring history not also scuttle blueprints for the future? Pretty efficiently, as it turns out!\
Will Rick Grimes Return in Season 11?
Out of all the speculation surrounding Andrew Lincoln’s departure from “The Walking Dead,” it has been made clear that Rick Grimes will no longer appear in the series. There has been much discussion about the planned TWD films, and it is now understood that Rick will not be a part of them.
With the cancellation of point flicks and the Rick and Michonne spin-off advertisement, it feels like the cards have been reshuffled. Having Rick and Michonne as a part of the grand finale of “The Walking Dead” would be a stylish conclusion that series generators could make for their ever-growing ballot.
True TWD fans would love nothing more than to see Rick return. For days, “Rick Grimes” was a trending topic on Twitter ahead of the big panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, and speculation abounded as to whether Andrew Lincoln would announce his return.
However, one main plot point will be surprisingly soft to follow. A lot of time has passed in the series universe since Jadis, and the Civic Republic Military abducted Rick. Also, a significant amount of time has passed since Michonne set out to find Rick without any clear indication of her plans.
How do Rick and Michonne Return?
Some might say that it was rude of the series finale to save its best material for a caravan promoting a forthcoming series. I’m one of those people. Rick and Michonne’s cameos about the rest of the finale were spectacular, but I still maintain that their return could have been better timed.
In addition, we see another character light a fire with ease. The Walking Dead doesn’t keep us in suspense for long and quickly presents us with Rick and Michonne’s anguished expressions as they are disconnected from each other and their families. They’re both writing letters to their son Judith. And surprisingly, the prose is gorgeous. Rick and Michonne recite how they have realized that all life is one lifelike and Michonne are two individuals who always keep moving. They’re pieces of a whole that never stop. They’re one impregnable life, but they don’t just sit around and contemplate. They take action. And into action, they soon spring. Michonne throws on badass armour and rides a steed into an unimaginably massive herd of walkers, continuing her trip to find her man and make her family whole once more.”
Meanwhile, Rick walks shoeless through nature, wearing a jacket with the Civic Republic Military’s distinctive indirect totem. (Read more about them here.) As Rick arrives at a sluice, he hears the sound of helicopter blades and becomes frightened. A voice from the helicopter’s loudspeaker calls out and says, “Consignee Grimes, we have found you. Put your hands up and surrender.”
The voice becomes more personal, saying, “Come on, Rick. It’s like he told you there’s no escape from the living.” The camera pans back to reveal Rick standing on the edge of a vast, ruined metropolis. The skyline is expansive enough to suggest that it might be New York City. This would make sense, given what we know about CRM.
Rick Grimes as the Connecting Piece of the Spin-offs
The one thing that has stayed the same is Rick Grimes. However, they(the characters) could be assigned to missions such as finding CRM and its allies. For example, If Daryl, Maggie, Negan, and Michonne were given information about Rick’s whereabouts or if he is alive.
In the case of Daryl’s origins, we know he is headed to France, which may be where the zombie apocalypse started or where the super zombies from The Walking Dead season 11 come from. There is also a connection to CRM in the final scene of “The Walking Dead World Beyond.”
It would spoil longtime fans of “The Walking Dead” if Rick were to appear in the finale, but it would also appease those same fans by setting up a cliffhanger for future spin-offs.