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The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live episode 1 saw the enthralling yet much-awaited return of Rick Grimes, who once again ended up in a tight spot where his helicopter is attacked while en route to a mission. The premiere served as an unseen recap of everything that transpired around Rick after he went missing and was abducted by the CRM (Civic Republic Military).
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live episode 1 sheds light on how Rick upgraded from a normal volunteer working to fend off zombies to an elite soldier who is ready to do what’s right by leaving everything and everyone behind.
Now, with Okafor’s death, Rick has lost a major ally, making it nearly impossible to fix the CRM from the inside. Follow along with the article to learn more.
Disclaimer: This article contains significant spoilers for The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. Reader’s discretion is advised.
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live episode 1 - Who was the masked attacker
Much to Rick’s surprise, the attacker turned out to be Michonne, who, for some reason, became a rival of the CRM. It was undoubtedly a pre-planned ambush, but Michonne had no idea that she would find Rick aboard the moving aircraft and that too as a CRM soldier. After Rick went missing, Michonne left her home and her kids behind to look for her husband, hoping he would be alive.
Before she exited from the original series, Michonne ran into Bailey and Aiden from the Survivor Caravan, a large group of nomadic survivors who would be properly introduced in the spin-off. As seen in the preview teaser, Michonne made a friend, Nat, who is described in the TWD universe as a genius engineer of the Survivor Caravan.
With the help of Nat’s genius, who has likely made a projectile weapon that brought the aircraft down, Michonne proved to be successful in her mission. Yet her anger and fear transformed into joy and tearful relief as her year-long search came to an end, culminating in a heartfelt reunion at last.
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live episode 1 - Why Okafor enlisted Rick into CRM's military
Unlike the other survivors, Rick was the only person in the entire CRM who wanted to leave the place. This caused Rick to be famous and also drew the attention of Lieutenant Colonel Donald Okafor, who tried to offer him a position in the army, including Pearl Thorne. Okafor’s persistent efforts led Rick to join his military program in the end.
In The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live episode 1, Okafor confessed to Rick and Pearl that they were born leaders who held the potential to lead the world in a good direction. Okafor entrusted them with details that only a handful of people knew about the CRM and wanted the two of them to change things from the inside.
During Okafor and Rick’s heated confrontation, the former revealed that he knew about Michonne and the settlement. Okafor confessed to Rick that he, too, lost his wife Estelle while saving others and wanted Rick to do the same by sacrificing his past to protect them by doing his duties at the CRM. Okafor signed Rick and Pearl to transform a college into a forward operating base where all top CRM commanders would convene an Echelon Briefing.
As per Okafor’s plans, he wanted Rick and Peral as the project leads on the conversion team, who would serve as their golden ticket to the higher “echelons of power.”
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live episode 1 - Why Rick gave up on his escape
After trying to escape for years, only to reunite with his family and friends, Rick finally gave up, given that his new responsibility asked too much of him and that his return would only put others at risk. Rick wrote one last hopeless letter to Michonne that would never get to her and destroyed everything that served as memoirs reminding him of his past.
Rick decided to follow Okafor’s lead, hoping he could really bring about change by gradually taking authority. However, given fate had other plans for him, his journey took a drastic turn when he encountered Michonne in the middle of nowhere. As the story progresses, the spin-off will see the couple catching up on lost time.
Stay tuned for more news and updates on The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live as 2024 progresses.
