'The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live' Episode 1 Takeaway: Rick Grimes' life hangs in the balance amid deadly attack
Contains spoilers for 'The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The highly anticipated series 'The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live' premiered on AMC on Sunday, February 25. It brings back Andrew Lincoln in the role of Rick Grimes, who departed from the original 'The Walking Dead' series in the ninth season.
Five years after the bridge explosion, Rick discovers himself trapped within an impenetrable city, with no available escape routes. Transitioning from his role as a consignee to that of a soldier, he reluctantly abandons the hope of reuniting with his family following numerous unsuccessful attempts.
Rick Grimes' helicopter crashes in 'The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live' Episode 1
He burns his letters and the longing to be reunited with his wife, Michonne Hawthorne (Danai Gurira), committing himself to the mission of saving the world.
In one of the last sequences of Episode 1, we witness Rick in a helicopter with Donald Okafor (Craig Tate), heading to an undisclosed. During the journey, Rick opens up, recounting a childhood memory of a farm fire that occurred when he was just 7 years old.
As he concludes the story, an explosive device breaches the helicopter, fatally injuring Okafor. The ensuing detonation leads to the helicopter's crash in the woods, where Rick and fellow soldiers stumble out, engaging in a firefight against an unidentified adversary.
Michonne Hawthorne finds Rick Grimes after five years in 'The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live'
Rick falls to the ground, and a mysterious figure emerges, swiftly killing the other soldiers. Approaching Rick, they remove his helmet, revealing his face.
As Rick gazes upward, he locks eyes with Michonne, tears rolling down her face. After more than five years apart, the lovers are finally reunited.
It becomes clear that Michonne launches an assault on the city in her quest to locate Rick. In Season 10 of 'The Walking Dead' series, viewers witness her journeying up north, driven by the discovery of evidence suggesting that Rick survived his apparent death.
Yet, the long-awaited reunion does not signify a happy ending for Rick and Michonne, as they find themselves belonging to different worlds and entangled in a war against the living.
Episode 1 of 'The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live' is now streaming on AMC.