Fans of The Walking Dead must be strong now because the emotional farewell is imminent. The greatest horror series of our time ends in a week after 11 seasons, 12 years and 177 episodes. And if there’s one wish that just about everyone wants to see fulfilled in the finale, it’s Andrew Lincoln to perform as Rick Grimes.
The former main character of The Walking Dead has not been seen for four years. It’s hard to imagine an end without the man who started it all. Whether we’ll actually see Rick again next week remains a well-kept secret. The penultimate episode entitled Family but now has opened up two concrete ways for Andrew Lincoln to return in the finals.
Warning, spoilers for The Walking Dead:
Possibility 1: Rick Ex Machina in The Walking Dead finale
In the final episode of The Walking Dead, entitled Rest in Peace, the Commonwealth is overrun by a vast horde of undead. The fact that some of them can climb and even use weapons like rocks and knives doesn’t make things any easier. But how should this one huge fight within one episode be wound up and the Commonwealth purged of the zombies? This is where Rick Grimes could come into play.
Check out the trailer for the final episode of The Walking Dead here:
The Walking Dead – S11 E24 Finale Trailer (English) HD
Throughout Season 11, references continue to be made to a secret Commonwealth ally that almost certainly could be the Civic Republic Military (CRM). Will Pamela Milton (Laila Robins) ask for help in her hour of need? The CRM along with the helicopter could come as a surprise Last minute rescue Pop up.
And if The Walking Dead is already bringing back the CRM, then there is a high probability that it will too Rick Grimes as part of a task force, who has resided in the Civic Republic within the series universe for years. Thus, the finale would also build a direct bridge to the upcoming Richonne spin-off, which deals with Rick’s time in the mysterious mega-community of more than 200,000 people and Michonne’s search for her husband.
Possibility 2: Rick Grimes stops by as a hallucination
But the penultimate episode prepares for another possibility for a Rick Grimes appearance, for sure not quite as epic but more obvious would. Because amidst the shocking events of Episode 23, Judith Grimes (Cailey Fleming) shot by Pamela Milton.
The badly wounded girl is eventually rescued from the horde by Daryl. Delirious she seems to see something we don’t see. The episode ends with her astonished words: “dad?“
© AMC
Rick’s return could be the biggest The Walking Dead surprise
The Walking Dead could take a similar path to Season 9 Episode 5 to bring Rick back — namely as a hallucination. His farewell episode also brought back some deceased characters such as Shane, Sasha and Hershel, whom the badly wounded, fading Rick encounters in dreams.
Judith is now also in a critical condition and could meet her father in a near-death vision. And maybe saying goodbye to The Walking Dead can do a few more that way other dead and missing figures from Judith’s life return, like Mama Michonne (Danai Gurira) and even little brother Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs).
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What are your theories for a possible appearance of Rick in the finale?