Rick Grimes has been through many character arcs, but his storyline in The Ones Who Lives is a direct copy of The Walking Dead season 1.

This article contains mentions of self-harm. It also contains spoilers for The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live episode 1.

The Ones Who Live provided the long-awaited return of Rick Grimes, and his story in the new spinoff shares plenty of parallels with The Walking Dead season 1. After such a long time away from the franchise, Andrew Lincoln’s return as Rick Grimes came with plenty of hype, and the first episode of his spinoff show certainly delivered. Lincoln hasn’t missed a beat when it comes to portraying the emotional and grizzly protagonist of The Walking Dead. His character has changed significantly from the main show’s pilot in 2010, and Rick’s story appears to have come full circle.

Season 1 of The Walking Dead is still a high point of the series 14 years later, and Rick’s spinoff seems to take plenty of inspiration from it. The most obvious example of this would be The Ones Who Live‘s episode titles referencing The Walking Dead‘s first episode. Episode titles aren’t the only similarity though, as the entire premise of The Ones Who Live mimics Rick’s very first outing in the franchise. Despite everything he’s been through, Rick finds himself in the exact same scenario he was in at the start of the apocalypse, fighting a new set of odds.

Rick Trying To Reunite With Michonne & Judith Copies Walking Dead Season 1

Season 1 Revolves Around Rick Trying To Reunite With Lori & Carl

Rick’s attempted reunion with Michonne and Judith directly copies his season 1 story of trying to find his wife and child. When Rick woke up from his coma in the pilot episode, his immediate goal was to find his wife, Lori, and his son, Carl. The Ones Who Lives follows the same premise, only this time, it is Michonne and Judith he is trying to find. While there are plenty of Walking Dead characters that Rick Grimes must reunite with, the spinoff makes it clear that Michonne is the main person on his mind, and by association, so is Judith.

Throughout the episode, Rick has dreams about Michonne and also writes to her, highlighting that their potential reunion is what keeps him going. Rick trying to escape the Civic Republic several times shows that he is willing to fight, even when the odds are stacked against him, just like during season 1. Having just come out of a coma, Rick’s survival chances seemed slim, but he managed to overcome all the obstacles to reunite with Carl and Lori. The Ones Who Lives replicates this story, since Rick’s only goal is to escape the facility and reunite with Michonne and Judith.

The Ones Who Live airs Sundays on AMC and AMC+.

Rick Is Once Again Adapting To A New World In The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live

The CRM Is Like A Brand New World To Rick

Despite the security of the Civic Republic, adjusting to this life reflects the same new world Rick entered in The Walking Dead season 1. The zombie apocalypse was a massive shock to Rick, who didn’t experience it in real time like the rest of the world. Rather than getting any opportunity to react and adjust to it as it happened, Rick miraculously survived his coma, resulting in him having to immediately face the undead. With little knowledge of what had happened to the world or why walkers exist, Rick entered a brand-new world, completely alone and afraid.

Circumstances may be vastly different, but Rick finds himself in a similar situation in The Ones Who Live. After surviving his injuries in season 9, Rick was taken to the Civic Republic, which operates differently from what he was used to. He is no longer a leader and instead has a new life that lacks independence. Rick’s CRM role in The Ones Who Live forces him to follow authority and live by strict rules, which is a huge difference from his life before the injuries. This parallels season 1, proving in both situations, Rick is facing a completely new world.

1 Parallel Makes Rick Grimes & Michonne’s Walking Dead Return More Emotional

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live has one parallel with an important Walking Dead episode that could make Rick Grimes and Michonne’s return sadder.The Ones Who Live Shows What Rick’s Walking Dead Fate Could Have Been

Rick’s Walking Dead Story Would Have Been Different If He Didn’t Find His Family In Season 1

Finding Carl and Lori was one of the most heartwarming moments in the entirety of The Walking Dead, but The Ones Who Live shows how different Rick’s fate could have been. Despite the Grimes family reunion happening just three episodes into the series, it provided some much-needed optimism and hope for the dark stories that followed, and had he been unsuccessful, Rick’s life would have drastically changed. Rick Grimes may be The Walking Dead‘s best leader, but even he has his moments of hopelessness. His wars with Negan and the Governor emphasized this, and his spinoff is amplifying his despair.

The Ones Who Live‘s opening episode highlighted that the CRM have successfully prevented Rick from escaping for many years. Despite numerous attempts, including cutting off his own hand, Rick couldn’t find his freedom. Not being able to leave and reunite with Michonne and Judith has slowly broken Rick, leading to him contemplating taking his own life before eventually giving up his attempt to escape and reluctantly embracing the CRM. His shocking reunion with Michonne at the end of the episode will likely change things, but the spinoff has helped reveal how different Rick’s story could have been.

Without meeting Morgan or Glenn early in the series, Rick may never have found Lori and Carl. Even traveling in a different direction may have prevented Rick from reuniting with his family, which would have put him on a different path. This could have led to the protagonist becoming a darker and more ruthless leader. Lori and Carl were a big part of keeping Rick grounded, and Lori’s death impacted him significantly, making him more brutal and violent. Rick’s hopelessness in The Ones Who Lives indicates his fate could have been very different had he not found his family.