Although The Ones Who Live’s finale featured some major Walking Dead characters, some viewers may be wondering why there weren’t more cameos.
While The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live did deliver some huge cameos, there are questions about why only those characters featured in the final scene. After six thrilling episodes, Rick and Michonne’s spinoff finally came to a close and, while there were several big talking points, the massive reunion was undoubtedly the show’s most impactful moment yet. For nearly six years, it had been unclear what happened to Rick after his Walking Dead disappearance in season 9, and with Michonne departing the series in season 10 to go find him, their reunion was inevitable.
The Ones Who Live delivered the Rick and Michonne content that the franchise had been missing over the years and also provided a heartwarming conclusion. After spending years without their parents, Judith and RJ cameoed in The Ones Who Live‘s finale, reuniting the entire Grimes family. This was the first time Rick had met his son, RJ, and the scene also allowed him to see Judith all grown up. This warm moment had been years in the making, but surprisingly, these were the only cameos in the finale, meaning Rick and Michonne didn’t reunite with the other main survivors.
Where The Ones Who Live’s Final Scene Takes Place
The Ones Who Live’s Finale Took Place In An Obscure Location
Rick and Michonne’s long-awaited reunion with their children finally happened in The Ones Who Live, but it didn’t take place in the most recognizable location. Unfortunately, the spinoff doesn’t offer much insight into where the scene occurs other than showing greenery surrounding the characters. Despite the main survivors now living in the Commonwealth, it seems like this scene may have taken place around Alexandria. Alexandria has had recurring importance in The Ones Who Live, mainly because it is the location that Rick, Michonne, and Jadis are the most familiar with, and its sentimentality does add value to the final scene.
It is the community that Rick has helped flourish the most, and Jadis even threatened that the CRM would attack Alexandria, showing its importance in the spinoff. Having the Grimes family reunite on the outskirts of Alexandria seems fitting given Rick and Michonne had to fight to keep every Alexandrian alive. The meeting place had to be somewhere a helicopter could land, hence why it doesn’t take place inside any notable community and given no other characters from the Commonwealth are involved in the final scene, the limited information suggests the Grimes family reunion must have taken place somewhere near Alexandria.
Why More Walking Dead Characters Don’t Rush To Meet Rick
Only RJ & Judith Showed Up To Meet Rick In The Ones Who Live’s Finale
Given the magnitude of Rick’s return, the lack of characters present as he steps off the helicopter is surprising, but there are some possible reasons for this. The decision to limit the number of characters involved in Rick’s reunion was intentional, and actor availability may have been a factor. The Walking Dead‘s huge cast means there are plenty of busy actors involved who have various projects to manage. This makes it difficult to get everyone back, and having a random combination of characters reunite with Rick would feel awkward. Instead, the franchise put its focus entirely on the Grimes family.
The Ones Who Live had a limited time to explore Rick’s return, but a crossover could bring the whole cast back to create a truly special and nostalgic reunion.
Although Rick’s return is one of the franchise’s biggest-ever moments, the spinoff was about both Rick and Michonne, making the scene with their kids extra special. Michonne’s reunion with her children was just as important as Rick properly meeting them, which justifies RJ and Judith being the only characters to cameo in the finale. With the hints towards a potential Walking Dead crossover show, limiting these reunions also makes sense. The Ones Who Live had a limited time to explore Rick’s return, but a crossover could bring the whole cast back to create a truly special and nostalgic reunion.
Some Major Walking Dead Reunions Must Have Happened Off-Screen
The Other Walking Dead Spinoffs Suggest There Were Some Off-Screen Reunions
While there is a natural desire to see Rick reunite with all his old allies, some reunions seem to have happened off-screen. Carol’s radio call in Daryl Dixon appeared to be about Rick, indicating that she had already seen him after his CRM escape. Likewise, Maggie and Negan’s spinoff takes place years after The Ones Who Live, suggesting they may also be aware of Rick’s return. Although Maggie still leads the Hilltop, her alliance with the Commonwealth means she would likely have heard about Rick’s return and rushed to see him, whereas Negan’s situation is a bit more complex.
In Dead City, Negan was no longer with the main group, meaning he left the Commonwealth. When exactly this happened is unclear, but he didn’t appear in The Walking Dead‘s flashforward ending, which suggests he may not have been around when Rick got back. Regardless, it is a reunion that should play out on-screen, and even the ones that have supposedly already happened may still get their spotlight in some sort of crossover. The Walking Dead‘s timeline makes it hard to know exactly who Rick has reunited with at this point, but there have clearly been numerous off-screen reunions.
Surprise Walking Dead Spinoff Cameo Wasn’t The One We Wanted (But Was The One We Needed)
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live episode 5’s big cameo was hardly the character most were expecting, but was still the right choice for the show.What The Ones Who Live’s Final Scene Really Means
The Ones Who Live’s Final Scene Provides A Warm & Emotional End To The Spinoff
The Ones Who Live‘s emotional ending scene gives the Grimes family a deep and meaningful end to their story, and there is a heavy emphasis on how important Rick’s family was to his escape. After Judith tells him she didn’t want him to be alone, Rick responds by saying, “I thought I was, but then I realized… I wasn’t.” This simple line shows how important Michonne coming back into his life was. It reminded him he still had a family out there and brought him back from a dark place, having practically given up hope of escaping before Michonne found him.
There are also some references to Michonne’s final moments in The Walking Dead, as Judith tells Michonne, “You got him back“, to which she replies, “You told me to.” This references their final exchange in season 10 where Judith gave Michonne her blessing to go and find Rick. RJ also asks Rick if he is the brave man, which is the name Michonne referred to Rick as when telling RJ about him. Rick responds to his son by saying “I am, but maybe you can call me dad“, indicating how they are all ready to move on as a family.
Over the years, the franchise has liked to use its own name as a tagline, with Rick once telling the group in season 5, “We are the Walking Dead.” This dark mentality showed Rick’s mindset at the time, the same mindset that reflected his frame of mind early in The Ones Who Live. However, the spinoff’s final scene flips this and proves that humans aren’t the Walking Dead after all. Instead, the heavy emphasis on love and family suggests people still have their humanity and there is hope the world can one day be rebuilt.
