The Ones Who Live presents the epic love story of two iconic characters changed by a changed world. Kept apart by distance, by an unimaginable power, and by the ghosts of who they once were, Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira) are thrown into a dangerous new land, built on a war against the dead and ultimately, a war against the living. Despite new threats unlike they’ve ever seen, Rick and Michonne will stop at nothing to find each other and together, fight their way home.
What We Thought:
Like most people who watched The Walking Dead I eventually gave up on the show. I stopped watching right around when Carl died. I knew Rick Grimes had been killed off at one point and eventually came back, but didn’t know how or how much of it was in the original TWD series. The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live: Season 1 takes place years after his return, but also explains a bit more about what happened on the bridge and where he disappeared to. It uses time jumps to the present day of its story with a timeline of the TWD series and events that took place off camera.
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live: Season 1 feels a lot like The Walking Dead. There are walkers, an area where people try to live, corrupt people in charge thinking what they are doing is for the best and everything that eventually ran the original series into the ground. Most of this season just feels like a continuation without bringing much newness to the story and characters. Like the other previous spinoffs with Daryl, Negan and Maggie, if you watched the entire original run you’ll understand more of what’s happening compared to those of us who gave up on it.
I think that’s my biggest issue with this series, even though it only focuses on Rick and Michonne, it might as well just be a new season of The Walking Dead. You get new characters from Terry O’Quinn (Lost) and Lesley-Ann Brandt (Lucifer), but it’s all based around Michonne and Rick trying to find each other and what happens when they do.
I will say the one stand out episode of the six episode season is Episode 4 written by Danai Gurira (Michonne). Rick and Michonne are finally together and despite being set in a world of walkers, it’s a great episode about love, love lost and where you go and what you do when a relationship hits a snag. Most of the episode involves the two characters talking and fighting about everything they’ve been through and what’s next. Rick wants to go back to his new life and try to fix things and protect everyone, Michonne wants to go back to Alexandria with him and be with their two kids. It’s a very different type of episode and stands out from the other five.
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live: Season 1 ends with a possibility of future seasons, but it also ends where you could close the door on these characters. AMC clearly wants to keep cashing in on The Walking Dead despite ratings nowhere near where they were 10 plus years ago. The other spinoff series have gone beyond just one season so I’m assuming AMC has greenlit a second season, but I really don’t think it’s necessary. Diehard fans will enjoy seeing Rick and Michonne back together, but don’t expect anything different from the original series.
The Nerds Templar 