The Walking Dead’s protagonist returned in The Ones Who Live and the very first episode featured a huge, life-defining moment for Rick Grimes.
The Ones Who Live didn’t waste any time getting straight into the drama with Rick Grimes having a huge moment upon his Walking Dead return. Rick may have finally returned to the franchise, but it seems it could be a while before he gets any kind of happy ending, as the spinoff was full of darkness for the protagonist. Surviving his near-death experience in The Walking Dead season 9 only led to Rick finding himself in a CRM facility that he can’t leave. The group’s strict rules about privacy make Rick’s attempts to escape near impossible, forcing drastic action.
Episode 1’s biggest moment shows how desperate Rick was to escape the Civic Republic, cutting off his own hand to try and earn his freedom. The CRM appears to be The Walking Dead‘s most powerful group, and keeping Rick inside the facility for years is proof of that. While clearing walkers from the community’s perimeter, Rick has a metal cuff around his wrist, keeping him attached to a CRM soldier. Rick shockingly cuts off his hand to try and escape the Civic Republic as there’s a small window to run, which kicks off the series with a huge sacrifice.
Why Rick Grimes Is Finally Losing His Hand In The Ones Who Live
Rick Losing His Hand Was Speculated Throughout His Walking Dead Run
Although Rick’s attempted escape was unsuccessful, losing his hand was a long-time coming and The Ones Who Live finally decided to pull the trigger. Rick losing his hand was an essential moment in The Walking Dead comics and happened relatively early on during the comics’ run. Despite some teases, it seemed like Rick may never lose his hand in the TV series, especially after his departure from the show. Being the main star of The Walking Dead for so many years made it tough to go through with Rick losing his hand.
It would require makeup, CGI, and other effects to be used in nearly every episode that he was featured in, which may have been too much work. Now that Rick is no longer being the franchise’s sole protagonist, there is less focus on him overall and The Ones Who Live‘s large budget can ensure the injury looks realistic, as the franchise has done with similar incidents in the past. Rick’s spinoff is the perfect time to have the character lose his hand, as after The Ones Who Live, it may be a while before he appears again.