Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman has said many times that no character is safe on The Walking Dead , but could recent clues be pointing to the demise of the main character and group leader, Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln)? It may not be as far-fetched as fans think. And if Rick is killed off on The Walking Dead , can the series continue the level of success it’s enjoyed and maintain its fan base?
Given Norman Reedus has already warned us the season finale will be a tearjerker, one that almost certainly involves a major character death, given the high stakes of losing Beth (Emily Kinney) and Tyreese (Chad Coleman) already this season on The Walking Dead . For writers to amp up the drama and suffering, they have to kill a really major and beloved character.
Some Walking Dead fans think they may kill Daryl due to a synopsis of the finale saying he finds himself in trouble, but there seems to be a greater theme at work pointing to other characters as casualties. The Easter egg discovered by The Spoiling Dead Fans seems to be the overall theme of the second half of the season, and could be a major clue to who dies in the finale. Each Alexandria episode title correlates to a story told by Dale (Jeffrey DeMunn) back in Season 1, with episode titles in bold.
“I like what the father said to the son when he gave him a watch that had been handed down through generations. He said: ‘I give you a mausoleum of all hope and desire which will fit your individual needs, no better than it did mine and my father before me. I give it to you not that you may remember time, but that you may forget it. For a moment, now and then, and not spend all of your breath trying to conquer it.’”
References to time and timepieces have been scattered throughout The Walking Dead , most notably when Hershel (Scott Wilson) gave his pocket watch and his blessing to Glenn to pursue his relationship with Maggie (Lauren Cohan) back in Season 2. Another watch exchange was when Carol (Melissa McBride) gave Rick her watch after Rick kicked her out of the prison group.
When they arrived at the Alexandria Safe Zone, Rick stopped and adjusted that watch to Alexandria time. This may seem like an irrelevant gesture, but don’t write it off as it ties Rick into this time theme going on till the end of this season of The Walking Dead .
The most ominous part of this Easter egg for Rick, however, is “I like what the father said to the son when he gave him a watch.” The only father and son in the group is Rick and Carl, so could the writers be setting us up for a poignant moment where Rick dies and gives his watch to Carl?
The other time-related possibility is that Glenn dies as he did in the comic books, and Maggie gets the watch back that belonged to her father. Or, since we know those Walking Dead writers love to mash-up the TV show and the comics, maybe they’ll kill off Maggie and leave Glenn reflecting on the watch her father gave him.
Also, Rick shaved off his wooly beard on the last episode, and fans know that Norman Reedus and Executive Producer Greg Nicotero both saved portions of it as a odd souvenir. Are they just being weird, or are they commemorating Andrew Lincoln’s impending exit from The Walking Dead ?
Do you think the Walking Dead writers could kill off Rick, and do you think that’s what the time references mean?
[Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images]