In the premiere episode of the new “The Walking Dead” spin-off, “The Ones Who Live,” a small Easter Egg is hidden that almost fades into the darkness of the night.
While the spin-off “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” honored a Hollywood legend with a poignant scene, the homage in the first episode of “The Ones Who Live” is dedicated to a character from within its own ranks. The creators have embedded a reference to a “The Walking Dead” episode in the series premiere, a nearly nine-year-old episode.
- Warning: Spoilers for “The Ones Who Live” Episode 1 follow –
With the first episode of “The Ones Who Live,” Andrew Lincoln celebrates his long-awaited comeback in the role of Rick Grimes. Before being critically wounded and abducted by the Civic Republic Military (CRM) after a bridge explosion, he led his allies through the dangers of the post-apocalypse. One person who crossed his path multiple times was Morgan Jones (Lennie James). He and his son, Duane (Adrian Kali Turner), were the first survivors Rick encountered after awakening from his coma – and it is him to whom the hidden reference in the new spin-off is dedicated.
CRM’s Turnaround: Okafor Strives for Peace Lieutenant Colonel Donald Okafor (Craig Tate) had vigorously advocated over the years for Rick Grimes and Pearl Thorne (Lesley-Ann Brandt) to become part of the military – even though they had caused trouble in the Civic Republic for a long time. Rick had attempted to escape four times. And Thorne had even attempted to kill Okafor. Nevertheless, he wants to help both of them attain leadership positions.
However, he pursues a not entirely selfless plan with this. Because from the beginning, Okafor saw something in their personalities that he now wants to make use of himself: determination,
strength, and the will to make the world a better place. Okafor himself aims for the latter. However, this does not necessarily align with the intentions of the CRM, which is why he wants to gradually revolutionize its structure from within.
Therefore, Okafor wants to initiate a secret operation with Rick and Thorne; because he not only believes that the world can become a better place but also that his proteges are capable of saving the world. To impart the necessary background knowledge on combat strategies, power structures, and warfare, Okafor hands Rick and Thorne a stack of books. Among them is a title that may seem familiar to you:
“The Walking Dead” shows how a man breaks down If you are now wondering about the significance of the book or how it is connected to Morgan Jones, you should revisit the fourth episode of the sixth season of “The Walking Dead.” This episode, which incidentally is titled “Here’s Not Here,” interrupts the storyline of the sixth season to present Morgan Jones in an entirely new light. When he first met Rick in Season 1, he had taken refuge with his son Duane in the house of Rick’s former neighbors. Since the former police officer had just awakened from a coma, they had to inform him that the world was ending – because the dead were rising. Among them was Morgan’s wife, Jenny (Keisha Tillis). Father and son suffered greatly from the loss.
Eventually, Rick and Morgan parted ways with Duane to search for his family. They had planned to stay in contact via radio but heard nothing from each other for a long time. Until Rick, Michonne (Danai Gurira), and Carl (Chandler Riggs) found themselves in a hail of bullets in the third season, for which – as it turned out – Morgan was responsible. Since his son Duane had also died by then, he had lost his mind. Although Rick managed to reach out to him, Morgan chose not to join his group.
“The Art of Peace” returns: A homage to peace At the end of the fifth season, Rick and Morgan finally crossed paths again – just as Rick shot Pete Anderson (Corey Brill). Previously, he had delivered the famous “We Are the Ones Who Live” speech. So, in a way, the circle closes. Based on what Morgan experienced between Seasons 3 and 5, he is dismayed by Rick’s dark transformation. Because thanks to the aforementioned book, Morgan has indeed managed to find himself again.
We find out exactly what happened to him in Season 6, Episode 4: Morgan sneaked into a man’s house, which is why he took him prisoner. He introduced himself as Eastman (John Carroll Lynch) and threw “The Art of Peace” into Morgan’s cell to teach him the art of Aikido. Morgan recited:
“Aikido does not mean killing. Although almost all faiths have a commandment not to take life, most justify killing for one reason or another. In Aikido, however, we try to completely avoid killing. Even with the most evil people.”
Since he no longer saw any meaning in life after the death of his family, Morgan wished that Eastman would kill him. But he brought him closer to martial arts and its ethical content – and thus gave Morgan a new life. However, other characters were of course not immune to death. Can you still remember the most terrible scenes?
Do you remember these “Walking Dead” deaths?
