‘The Walking Dead’ Season 9 Episode 5 Preview: Rick’s Final Episode Details Revealed

Episode 5 of The Walking Dead Season 9 is promising to be Rick Grimes’ (Andrew Lincoln) final episode by AMC. So, what can fans expect from the upcoming episode?

SPOILER ALERT: This article discusses events from Episode 4 of AMC’s The Walking Dead Season 9. Please proceed with caution if you have not yet viewed this episode and wish to avoid spoilers.

Episode 5 of The Walking Dead Season 9 is titled “What Comes After” and is certainly an ominous title after the events in Episode 4 saw Rick impaled on rebar as two herds of walkers approach.

As fans have known for a while now, the actor who plays Rick Grimes is set to leave the hit zombie apocalypse series in order to spend more time with his family. AMC made the announcement after Episode 3 of The Walking Dead that Rick only had two more episodes left, meaning Episode 5 is the last time fans will get to see the main character. Already, viewers know that his death seems imminent thanks to his situation. But, does the synopsis for Episode 5 offer any other clues?

The synopsis for Episode 5 of The Walking Dead Season 9, according to AMC, is as follows.

“Rick is forced to face the past as he struggles to maintain the safety of the communities and protect the future he and Carl envisioned.”

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Shane (Jon Bernthal) will be returning to Season 9 of The Walking Dead. Considering Shane is already dead, killed thanks to Rick, Episode 5 seems like the perfect time for Shane to reemerge in the form of flashbacks or hallucinations while Rick lays dying from his injuries. The synopsis insists Rick will be “forced to face his past,” so it is possible AMC are referring to Shane at this point.

In addition to the synopsis, AMC has also released a trailer and sneak peek for Rick’s last episode on The Walking Dead. The first clip opens with Rick, on horseback, holding his bleeding stomach. During the clip, Rick is seen walking around, climbing over dead bodies, revisiting past events, and all the while clutching his injury. So, it is possible that what viewers are seeing here is hallucinations on Rick’s behalf. Although, the synopsis does also state that Rick “struggles to maintain the safety of the communities,” so it could also be assumed that Rick might manage to free himself from the rebar at some point in Episode 5.

While everyone is focused on Rick’s departure in Episode 5 of The Walking Dead Season 9, the sneak peek clip shows the developing conflict between Maggie Rhee (Lauren Cohan) and Michonne (Danai Gurira) as Maggie tries to get to Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan).

You can view the trailers for Episode 5 below.

Finally, AMC offers the following image stills for Episode 5 of The Walking Dead Season 9. One image shows Anne (Pollyanna McIntosh) and helps add fuel to the theory that Rick doesn’t die in Episode 5 of The Walking Dead. Instead, as previously reported by the Inquisitr, this theory insists that Anne will pick up Rick and whisk him away to the mysterious community that she has been in contact with via walkie-talkie.

You can view the gallery of Episode 5 images below.

Season 9 of The Walking Dead returns to AMC with Episode 5 on Sunday, November 4, at 9/8c.