‘The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live’ has a lot of expectations riding on it given the outstanding record of its predecessor. While the show came with many possibilities, its creators wasted no time in debunking expectations of a solely romantic storyline. In the very first scene of the series premiere, the makers have introduced viewers to a gruesome scene.
The series premiere kicked off with Rick Grimes played by Andrew Lincoln working for the Civic Republic Military as he tries to clear out walkers on fire. However, the twist came when captive Rick chops off his own hand as a measure to escape the captivity he is held in. The gruesome scene introduces the viewers to the nature of the rest of the show and what they may expect from it.
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“I Just Bullied Everybody Into Submission”: Andrew Lincoln Says It Was His Idea To Cut Off His Character’s Limbs
In the gruesome scene in ‘The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Lived‘, where Rick took the twisted step, he also boldly declares “This is how” before severing his left hand. He then goes on to cauterize the wound using the flames of a dead zombie. The act falls parallel with ‘The Walking Dead’ comic book, where Rick loses his hand early on — a narrative choice that the TV adaptation had opted against.
According to the comic book, Rick looses his limbs after they get chopped off by the Governor, played on TV by David Morrissey after Rick refuses to answer questions while being interrogated. The incident happens in issue 28 of the comic book, according to which, TV Rick would have lost his hand around season 3 of the original series.
Showrunner Scott M. Gimple revealed that the decision to separate Rick from his limbs came from the actor Andrew Lincoln himself. “I played around with the idea but didn’t commit to it through all sorts of iterations of the story. But it was Andy that pushed it. Andy was the one to bring it across the goal line,” Gimple said.
Lincoln also asserted that he was persistent. “I just bullied everybody into submission,” he said. “And there were quite a lot of conversations, particularly with AMC, with people going, ‘Now Andy, we love the idea, but are you really sure about this?’“
“But I just thought: This is the time to do what the comic book did and honor that. I’ve been trying to pitch this for years, and everybody was just shouting me down,” the actor said.
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‘The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live’ Is Seemingly Set To Match ‘The Walking Dead’ Fans’ Expectations
Gimple clarified how the incident would add layers of complexity to the story and also give it a direction. “The reason it’s at the start of the story is that this is Rick Grimes. So why hasn’t he escaped? This is a guy who will do anything, but what happens when you do anything and you still don’t win? And he doesn’t even give up after that!”
While the comic’s creator Robert Kirkman said he regretted cutting off Rick’s hand in the source material, Gimple sees the TV adaptation as an opportunity to navigate the challenges it presents. According to Gimple, the TV version just requires “a commitment to figuring it out, whatever problems might come of it.”
The showrunner also opines that the original comic book moment was worth whatever headaches it created for Kirkman. “I think it was important as a comic reader to see it, because it helped set the tone of what this world is that these crazy things can happen,” he said.
‘The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live’ has thus made it amply clear that it won’t shy away from the grittiness that defines ‘The Walking Dead’ franchise.
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