Major spoilers below for the latest episode of the spinoff The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, so be warned if you haven’t yet watched on AMC or with an AMC+ subscription.
Following a premiere that caught viewers up with how Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes fared in the years since his emotional exit from The Walking Dead, the franchise’s latest spinoff shifted its focus to Danai Gurira’s Michonne. Her deadly trek took out friendlies Aiden And Bailey, who first appeared in Michonne’s final TWD ep, as well as Matthew August Jeffers’ newly introduced Nat. Such losses made her big reunion with Rick all the more earned and heartwarming, but then the final scene brought back another long-gone character, and that’s all I wanna talk about now.
Pollyanna McIntosh's Jadis Is Back In Badass Mode
The last time audience’s saw Rick and Pollyanna McIntosh’s Jadis together on screen was during The Walking Dead’s Season 9 ep “What Comes After,” as they flew away in one of the CRM helicopters. Now, the characters are in a completely different setting from what we’re used to, although the chain of command recalls their first meeting, where she was in an advantageous position of authority as the leader of the landfill-living Scavengers.
I’m not entirely certain where this part of the Ones Who Live timeline matches up with the events that took place during The Walking Dead: World Beyond, but the Jadis that shows up in the final moments of “Gone” is obviously the hardened CRM loyalist version that appeared in the Nebraska-set spinoff. Nothing so artsy about this armod-clad soldier, though she quickly proves herself to still be straddling the line between CRM interests and her own. She and Rick have maintained whatever vow of secrecy they initially agreed to, and she seems perfectly willing to also feign ignorance when it comes to Michonne, so long as nothing disruptive comes of it. (As if.)
Of course, Jadis’ pact with Rick is less about survivor empathy and more about looking out for her own interests, something she makes quite clear in saying she’d have zero qualms with killing those in Alexandria and other communities — including her former lover Father Gabriel — if he tries another escape attempt. She doesn’t outright demand anything further from Rick to maintain her silence on Michonne’s true identity, but I have to imagine there are ulterior motives lurking, or else she wouldn't have broken into his place and drank his booze to get the message across.
Did Jadis' Final Question Even Make Sense After Her Threats?
Sure, I get why the final line of the episode hinged on an F-bomb, and the stare-down between Jadis and Rick was a cool way to close things out. But I'm not quite sure if I understand why the line exists in the first place.
Jadis let Rick know she knew Michonne was there under false pretenses, acknowledging that she was the one most likely to end up tracking Rick down. And then Jadis laid out her threats for what would happen if he tried to leave again. Which led to this final bit:
So I have to ask you this question, and I’m sorry for the language but, you’ve heard a lot of language from me. Yes, yes, yes. Rick, what the fuck are you doing?
Oh, let's do the math on this one. If you carry the 4 and allow for "x = 3," then you get "Of course he's going to try and escape again to get back to his children now that their mother has suddenly arrived."
Seriously, what does she think he's going to do? Dutifully welcome Michonne into the often heartless CRM existence? Continue going about his daily duties without occasional jaunts to whatever private areas he and Michonne can make out in?
On the flip side, if she is already suspicious about him going AWOL again, then does she think he's just going to freely admit that? Granted, I don't know all of the specifics of their agreement, but she's (presumably) not stupid enough to believe he'd out his escape plans without further duress. So what answer could she possibly be looking for?
Will TWD: The Ones Who Live Bring Back Hal Cumpston's Silas Next?
As exciting as it was to see Jadis back on the small screen for The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, the character's arrival was already expected by the prior confirmation that Pollyanna McIntosh would once again don the character's abrupt hairstyle. Granted, I'm very happy it happened here in the second episode and wasn't held until later in the season. But what about that other familiar face who, like Rick, was last known to be heading off with Jadis, the wallflower-turned-warrior Silas?
To date, fans of The Walking Dead: World Beyond haven't heard much about any of that spinoffs' core characters. At some point, I certainly hope to see a future spinoff catching back up with Iris' group heading out to Portland, but The Ones Who Live offers a seemingly perfect opportunity to bring Silas back into the fold as someone else within the CRM stronghold that shares interests with Rick and Michonne.
Of course, even if Silas does return in the next four episodes, that certainly doesn't guarantee that he'll be able to help the central duo escape back to their loved ones in Alexandria. As Michonne witnessed in "Gone," the CRM group is massive, has tons of resources, and is quick to use those resources to eliminate threats. Rick's anti-pep talk made it clear he doesn't have a whole lot of faith about taking the group down.
Which isn't to say that any of that will stop Michonne from trying, and I could easily see Silas taking her side quicker than Rick's, as someone who knows exactly how deadly and destructive the monsters at CRM are.
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live air Sunday nights at 9:00 p.m. ET, with other upcoming Walking Dead shows on the way in the future. While waiting, check out all the other upcoming horror TV shows.
