The Walking Dead returns in fashion with a major missing plot point from the original comic
By Nathan Brolly
The new show focuses on The walking Dead’s main character, Rick Grimes.
Throughout the original run of The Waking Dead, fans were eagerly awaiting the implementation of a certain major plot point for the titular main character Rick Grimes. Now, almost 12 years later, that event was finally depicted in the newest series – The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live.
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live takes place years after the departure of Rick Grimes's character back in season 9 of The Walking Dead where Grimes now finds himself held captive by the Civic Republic Military (CRM), a shadow army organisation that has been hinted at throughout the original walking Dead TV show as well as other spin-offs such as Fear The Walking Dead. The fairly lacklustre spin-off series “The Walking Dead: World Beyond” provided a bigger focus on the CRM but the series was intentionally ended after only two seasons resulting in a lack of information about the CRM’s hidden agendas.
Grimes's captivity by the CRM sets the stage for a daring escape attempt, culminating in a momentous decision – the amputation of his own hand to break free from his captors. This is the moment all comic book fans have been waiting for as the comic book version of Grimes had his hand chopped off by the major villain, The Governor in the early stages of the graphic novel. Comparing this to the original series, Grimes was due to have his hand cut off in season three but due to practical and digital effects costs as well as difficulties with stunt performances, this key point was axed.
While this is understandable, many fans and even Andrew Lincoln, the actor for Grimes were left disappointed. On top of this the creator of The Walking Dead Universe, Robert Kirkman held a deep regret for not pushing harder to implement this element. The loss of Grimes's hand would not have only been a severe shock moment for the early stages of the show but would have provided great character development. In a post-apocalyptic world where physical prowess is a necessity for survival, a disability of that magnitude could have opened up new narrative possibilities on the themes of survival, adaptation, and acceptance.
However, it is sad to say that the application of the loss of Grimes's hand falls flat since Grimes instantly receives a stronger replacement prosthetic hand. Of course, we are only one episode into the six-episode run series so there are plenty of opportunities for this plot thread to evolve and serve as a pivotal character arc for Grimes.
While it has come very late into the universe, the decision to implement the loss of Grimes's hand represents a bold creative choice and has appeased the fans who have been awaiting this moment for many years.
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live is currently not available in the UK but due to garnering over three million viewers in just three days as well as receiving ratings of 9/10 on IMDB and 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, I believe it will only be a matter of time until the series is released for viewing in the wider UK.