‘The Walking Dead’ Showrunner Reveals Rick Grimes Easter Egg

Andrew Lincoln’s character, Rick Grimes, may not be physically present on The Walking Dead anymore, but the showrunner is finding new ways to keep Grimes’ memory alive.

According to a report from Cinema Blend, showrunner Angela Kang recently dished on an easily overlooked Rick Grimes Easter egg, which was placed in the show’s “The Calm Before” episode. The show’s Season 9 penultimate episode brought a major shock to viewers after the sudden death of nearly a dozen characters. The victims had a deadly encounter with Alpha and the Whisperers, and Alpha used their deaths to make a point and mark her territory in a major way.

Fortunately, there was a bit of goodness to offset the tragedy. During the episode, the members of the different communities gathered together for a fun-filled fair. During the event, the leaders of each community stepped away to sign Michonne’s charter and during this scene, there was a subtle reminder of Rick Grimes.

Kang talked about the brilliance of the show’s composer, Bear McCreary, and how he managed to create the perfect score for each episode.

“I’d wanted to establish a hopeful, Western feel at the top of the season, and I thought he captured that so perfectly with this lovely fiddle solo,” she said. “He built upon and riffed on that theme in subsequent episodes, always tied very closely to Rick and his drive to create the future that Carl (Chandler Riggs) envisioned.”

After Rick’s disappearance, that musical identity sort of faded out. However, the team found the perfect moment to bring it back, since both Rick and Carl were strong supporters of Michonne’s vision.

“That theme disappeared for a long time after the six-year time jump, but astute viewers may have recognized that it finally came back when the community leaders signed Michonne’s charter in ‘The Calm Before,'” Kang said. “I loved that, musically speaking, Rick was in the room for that scene.”

Kang also said McCreary had been “an incredible creative partner” during their time working together on Season 9, and she spoke highly of his ability to effortlessly tie in the right music into each scene of the show.

There’s only one episode left of Season 9, so there might not be any more fun Rick Grimes Easter eggs for fans to discover, but they can look forward to Lincoln’s return to the screen in The Walking Dead television movies. The first movie is set to air in 2020.

As for the show, The Walking Dead finale will air on Sunday, March 31, on AMC.