Andrew Lincoln’s return meansThe Walking Dead: Dead Cityseason 2 will find it harder to ignore Rick Grimes than include him.Lincoln originally leftThe Walking Deadin season 9, but came back for a spinoff series,The Ones Who Live, along Danai Gurira’s Michonne.The Ones Who Liveendedwith the Grimes family reunited and safely home, and although the exact location was never specified it seemed to be either the Commonwealth or Alexandria.
WhereasThe Ones Who Livetook place shortly afterThe Walking Deadseason 11’s ending, however, Maggie and Negan’s spinoff,Dead City, is set further ahead in time. As a result, the prospect of a Rick Grimes cameo inThe Walking Dead: Dead Cityseason 2becomes a natural topic of conversation. While nobody involved withDead Cityhas overtly hinted towards Andrew Lincoln’s involvement, season 2’s premise provides an obvious gap where Rick Grimes could slot in. Indeed, it would almost be strange if Rick remained absent during the moment in question.
Rick Grimes Would Have Something To Say About Maggie’s Mission To Save Negan
Rick Grimes May Not Care About Negan, But He Does Care About Maggie
After betraying him inThe Walking Dead: Dead Cityseason 1’s ending, season 2’s story is all about a remorseful Maggie attempting to make amends via a rescue mission. Maggie will abandon the safety of her community for the wilderness of New York City in a hopeful effort to rescue the man who brutally murdered her husband. Rick Grimes will undoubtedly have something to say about that. Irrespective of whether Rick agrees with the idea of saving Negan,The Walking Dead’s original protagonist will never let Maggie, one of his oldest surviving friends, brave the horrors of New York alone.
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Rick will likely know that changing Maggie’s mind or convincing her to stay is impossible, and he might not be in the mood for a dangerous excursion after the events ofThe Ones Who Live. Nevertheless, Maggie will face massive zombie hordes and multiple enemy settlements inThe Walking Dead: Dead Cityseason 2, andunder no circumstances could Rick allow Maggie to enter that battle without backup, supplies, and a guarantee that the allied Commonwealth communities stand ready to assist if needed.
The Secret Is Surely Too Big For Maggie To Keep
The only reason for this conversation between Rick and Maggie not happening would be if Lauren Cohan’s character sneaks off to New York without anyone knowing her destination or intentions. In that scenario, however, one would have to question whether Rick has lost his touch afterThe Ones Who Live. Not only is Rick’s gut instinct notoriously sharp, but he knows Maggie better than mostcharacters inThe Walking Dead.Rick should be able to deduce where Maggie is goingand why, even if she makes every effort to hide it.
Dead Cityseason 2’s premiere is crying out for a scene where Rick and Maggie discuss Negan’s rescue.
Furthermore, Maggie taking on the Dama without Rick finding out would raise questions over whetherThe Walking Dead’s various allied communities have grown distant after season 11’s ending. The likes of Alexandria and the Commonwealth were harmoniously united during the main show’s conclusion. Maggie waging a one-woman war against New York that doesn’t even register on Rick Grimes' radar risks seriously undermining the togetherness and cooperation ofThe Walking Dead’s final episode.Dead Cityseason 2’s premiere is, therefore, crying out for a scene where Rick and Maggie discuss Negan’s rescue and figure out some way her allies can help.
Avoiding The Rick-Shaped Elephant In The Room Won’t Work
The Walking Dead: Dead Cityseason 1 narrowly got away with not mentioning Rick Grimes. SinceThe Ones Who Livehad not yet aired, Rick’s ultimate fate was unknown, leaving audiences no reason to expect any kind of involvement from Andrew Lincoln. During season 2, however,viewers will be fully aware thatRick returned home sometime prior toDead City.
Rick Grimes will surely be keeping a closer eye on the Rhee family moving forward.
In hindsight, that creates a problem forDead Cityseason 1. For one thing, Maggie and Negan went an entire season without ever mentioning their old friend who came back from the dead after joining a villainous military organization hellbent on committing genocide. Even ifThe Ones Who Livehappened years earlier, that’s quite a big event to go unmentioned. Even worse,Rick made absolutely no contribution toward the rescue of Maggie and Glenn’s son, Hershel, which feels like a major plot hole for someone with such a heroic reputation.
Daryl Dixon
The Ones Who Live
Rick’s non-involvement in season 1 makes aDead Cityseason 2 cameo all the more important. After being unable to help Hershel when he was captured by the Croat, Rick Grimes will surely be keeping a closer eye on the Rhee family moving forward, which means not letting Maggie tackle perilous missions behind enemy lines alone. Should Rick once again be conspicuous by his absence inThe Walking Dead: Dead Cityseason 2, it could become difficult for audiences to suspend their disbelief, as there is no in-story reason for two of the franchise’s closest allies to avoid working together on the technicality of “this is a spinoff.”
