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Episode six of The Ones Who Live is not only the last of the season, but is set to be the last of this Walking Dead spin-off series. With no plans to continue on with a second season, the series rounds out the couple’s journey, from the Civic Republic to Alexandria.

Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira) lie on the floor surrounded by candlelight while the voices of other characters—Nat, Beale, Thorne, and others—speak ambiantly in the background.

This episode contains many flashback memories from seasons of The Walking Dead, so this opening sequence helps to set the tone.

Before the opening credits, Rick and Michonne bid each other a temporary farewell and Rick approaches, arms raised, to the gates outside the Civic Republic Army base where Anne/Jadis has her file hidden.

Once inside, a relieved Thorne (Lesley-Ann Brandt) greets Rick, asks what happened and expresses her relief that he made it back. Hearing her claim that she is glad she gave herself to and joined the CRM brings to mind the same cycle of PTSD and Stockholm Syndrome that Rick had been trapped in. He listens intently and pretends he wants to see things the same way she does. She claims Okathor was misguided and died because he didn’t really give himself to the cause.

Across the base, Michonne scales the fences of the outer perimeter with a walker hot on her tail. She uses it to her advantage, leaving a soldier to kill it as she sneakily makes her way up and over the wall. She then heads on to Anne’s private room.

The episode quickly shifts between Rick and Michonne as they share a parallel timeline in separate parts of the base.

Thorne takes Rick outside to speak with Beale (Terry O’Quinn) who is killing walkers at the fences. He apparently does this casual activity solo before every operation, so he has time to think. With boastful entitlement, he tries to make Rick feel important for having been allowed to be present (the new world equivalent of a military officer on a fox hunt—entirely protected by a fence while effortlessly killing a handful of walkers). He is humbled by Rick going back to them when they thought he was dead and waffles about the Sword that kills and gives life (buckle up for Beale’s irritating overuse of this phrase).

Inside Anne’s room, Michonne frantically searches for the file hidden somewhere within the walls. The entire room is unsurprisingly filled with art including a painting on the wall of Gabriel. The art, along with the contents of each drawer Michonne opens, is strewn across the floor as she searches high and low. Even less surprisingly and in keeping with the nods to previous series of The Walking Dead, Michonne finds a metal sculpture of a cat. Rolled up inside it she pulls out a paper file, handwritten and filled with notes on Alexandria. Equally angry and relieved, Michonne tears it to pieces and shoves the scraps into her uniform. As she moves to leave, someone comes to the door to deliver a letter but having heard a noise inside (Michonne) she enters but is quickly ambushed and killed by Michonne.

Beale speaks to Rick in his office, asking him to put his gun and prosthetic arm on the table (it’s now time to listen to his dramatic take on the inevitable collapse of humanity and how they are the only ones who can possibly fix it). He asks what is the worst thing that Rick has done to make sure someone survives. Memories fly through Rick’s mind, from killing Shane in the field, people in the prison and the cannibals from Terminus in The Walking Dead. What he settles on however, is the man whose neck he bit through to save Carl, Michonne and Daryl while on the road in Season 4 of The Walking Dead. Beale apologises to him for having to go through this, as though he were a father figure, there to comfort him with fake empathy to win Rick over. He tells Rick that he has given the Briefing 2533 times, but none of them have ever been quite like Rick. While listening to him talk, Rick thinks of the night before when he was telling Michonne how much he missed her and asks if they are crazy for making this plan. Michonne replies that they are certifiable and Rick’s mind then moves through the memories of fights their community had been in over the years.

Beale continues on that he originally came from Pennsylvania but after his abusive father broke his jaw, he ran away and began working at a VWF bar. The people there became a real family for him and at eighteen years old he joined the army. He fought twice in Vietnam before heading to Fort Benning for officer training but eventually went back to Pennsylvania.

Back to Michonne who is still hidden in tactical gear and walking among soldiers who are moving large boxes around. She finds a teddy on the floor and tries to figure out where it’s from or where it’s going. She realizes it can’t be good and thinks back to Carl (Chandler Riggs), Judith (Cailey Fleming) and RJ (Antony Azor) when each of them were young, but eventually her mind finds itself in the memory of burying Carl.

Beale asks Rick about what he saw of the militaries actions at the start of the apocalypse. He tells Beale about the Federal Forces trying to clear out what they called “disease vectors.” Beale uses this to move onto the next part of his indoctrination speech, relaying a story of how he was in a situation where he had to decide between the survival of Pittsburgh or Philadelphia. Essentially, he saved Philadelphia by letting Pittsburgh get completely overrun and compares it to Rick’s story. Saying that although it isn’t quite biting out someone’s throat, it isn’t “nothing.” Rick says “no,” it isn’t nothing. He repeats something Rick said earlier about his father telling him that “sometimes things have to burn to bring things back.” Beale thinks that’s what he did by killing his past life and city, to save another. Moving along, he then throws out a statement that the most likely outcome after all the efforts they make, is that all humans are going to die out.

Michonne wants to figure out what the soldiers are planning and enters a hall where a briefing is taking place. The soldiers are being briefed on something called Operation N1W and more specifically, the Child Evacuation Protocol.

Back in his office, Beale hands Rick photos of herds of millions of walkers and says that mankind has approximately only fourteen years left on this earth. He lists the things that will eradicate us other than the obvious death by walkers, such as starvation, as the balance between population and crops is tenuous. He also cites the evolution of new diseases that will be transmitted to humans from the dead, eventually leaving the world full of nothing but walkers. With all this said, he prepares his closing statement by saying that it’s why they do what they do. As he expected, Rick asks him what they do (Beale clearly sets this up for maximum brainwashing impact) and Beale responds that they’re trying to beat the odds. With that said, Ricks mind runs through times he and Michonne have genuinely beaten the odds – when he almost died for example.

Michonne, still in the meeting, hears them talk about CRM Frontliner embeds (spies) who have been living in communities in Portland specifically to select intelligent children who will be evacuated.

Rick and Michonne in separate parts of the base, are simultaneously learning the true depth of evil that the CRM are capable of.

Beale tells Rick that the CRM intentionally destroys cities for resources, strategic superiority, secrecy, and security.

Flashing back to Michonne, she watches images of children being displayed on a screen as the soldiers continue being briefed on their upcoming mission. They are told 10% of the children will be airlifted from three separate schools while the entire rest of the population will be gassed to death. With nothing but her eyes visible, the darkness does little to hide the horror in them.

Beale tells Rick they have spies in communities across the world to monitor them and potentially sabotage them, or to at least influence their politics and approaches. He continues on that they intentionally destroyed Omaha and entire campus colony – one of their own cities. This next mission is to do the same in Portland so as to leave themselves as a supreme force on the continent, perhaps even the world.

Thinking to the night before, Rick remembers how he said to Michonne they will tell the Civi Republic City what the military has been doing. Michonne doesn’t leave people behind and they agree that if they don’t do something, no one will, it’s at this moment Rick realises just how correct that notion was.
In response to the “tragic mysterious loss” of Portland as their last alliance partner, they plan to declare martial law and do away with their council. After that, they will march through America, killing each community they encounter and take their resources. Beale thinks this gives them the only chance they have to survive. Rick pulls a knife out as Beale talks but keeps it close to leg, hidden by the table. Rick flashes back to memories of the hospital, Terminus, the Wolves and Negan in The Walking Dead.

Michonne hears that the children will be put in “bubble,” with black out windows to prevent them hearing the extermination of their friends and family. The soldiers are instructed not to give in to trauma the children will experience. A panic sets in and Michonne clicks her walkie talkie button on and off signally to Rick. Flashing to the night before, Rick told Michonne that if anything changes while she is on base, to signal on the walkie and he’ll get back to her when he can. As the clicks play through his Walkie, Beale notices and asks if Rick is expecting a call. He replies that it was Thorne checking in as she was eager to discuss the briefing after Rick receives his.

Inside the hall, soldiers are told that once in Portland they should concentrate on comfort items for the children and instead of saying that everything is going to be ok, they must tell them that they will be ok. Michonne thinks again of her children when hearing this and before leaving the person leading the meeting tells the soldiers that any of these children could be the one to ensure their survival.

Beale tells Rick that even after all his escape attempts, making his way back to them like he did has caused him to think that Rick will be their next leader. The fact that they thought he was dead meant he could easily have escaped, but instead he came back, making him a powerful story for the people. He asks Rick who is the person closest to him that he has lost. After a moments pause, Rick says his son and that is who he saved while tearing out the man’s throat. Rick grimaces when Beale states that he ultimately couldn’t save him in the end. Rick shakes his head and remembers burying Carl with Michonne. Beale (having clearly done this countless times before) tries to win him over by saying that Rick can bring all his loved ones to them and they will be safe from the marches. He’s willing to take that chance, but Rick sees through this and spins his knife around into a better position.

Downstairs, Michonne bursts through the doors out into the fresh air outside, traumatized by what she has just learnt inside the meeting.
Summarising once more, Beale repeats that their special forces will take out Portland, take over the entire Civic Republic and begin marches across the country. He again uses Rick’s father’s wide words “we will burn things to bring things back.” Followed again by “the sword that kills is the sword that brings life.” After this he un-sheaths his special sword that he carries round whenever he has a point to prove and asks Rick to swear on it. Rick remembers Beale asking him questions in the first episode when he claimed to be able to read men’s eyes and then the last thing that Okafor said before he dies, that Rick should swear on the sword when it comes to it. Rick looks Beale in the eye and Beale quickly realises that Rick is very much, not on board. Reaching for his gun, he barely has time to aim it before Rick throws his knife into Beale and jumps over the desk onto him. The two of them fight while Beale exclaims that Rick could’ve brought people there and been a part of saving the world. Rick disagrees however and tells him that the world isn’t going to end. Rick is a stronger fighter than Beale and having taken the sword from him, drives it through his hand. He tells Beale that he didn’t lose his son, he lost himself, but that his son and his wife have brought him back. Throwing his cheesy line back at him with true Rick Grimes style, he shouts that they are the sword that kills and gives life, that it’s one unstoppable life and tells Beale that they aren’t dead, but as he pushes the sword deep through Beales chest, he tells him that he is (Beale). Rick takes a moment to pull himself together and messages Thorne that he got the briefing. He says he can’t meet yet as Beale has given him something to do.

Rick bundles Beales body into a storage box and wheels it into an elevator. Another soldier gets in with him and Rick shifts anxiously hoping that the soldier doesn’t ask questions, especially as blood begins to leak out from the box onto the elevator floor.

Michonne walks out on top of roof to leave, but realizes they can’t go and leave the CRM to carry out their plans. She takes a box full of grenades and heads back inside to find Rick.

When the elevator door opens, the solider looks down and sees the pool of blood. He and Rick fight and Rick desperately tries to stop the lift from closing and taking the body away. Having momentarily pinned him down, Rick uses his fake hand to literally batter the soldiers head clear through. Behind his, the elevator doors open up to Michonne standing within it. They have both heard about the mission to destroy Portland. Michonne tells him that the bombs in tents outside will be dropped after the children are stolen. They agree to stop the CRM before going home. Outside Thorne goes to check on Beale, he is not stood clearing the dead at the fence where he normally is. She asks aloud to herself what Grimes is up to.

Rick and Michonne put their plan into action by linking the grenades inside the box together with wire and Michonne explains that she took inspiration from her friend Nat (who just loved to blow things up). Rick says that Beale told him he could lead the CRM one day. Michonne smiles and jokes that maybe he was right and could do it all by himself. Rick asks Michonne if she wants to just go home now, but she says they have to do this and make the world a better place for their children. Rick becomes upset at all the time they missed and says he wishes they could just go back. She touches his face to comfort him and tells him that they are back and this is the kind of stuff that they do.

Thorne searches for Rick and enters his room hoping to find him but instead finds his prosthetic hand abandoned by the window. Outside, the storm trooper equivalent of the CRM (evil mindless goons) wait for their briefing before they embark on their terrible mission. Rick and Michonne go into a tent full of the chlorine bombs and use the wire to dangle the grenades  like fairy lights in a row alongside the bombs on either side of the tent.

Thorne looks outside a window at the collecting mass of military leaders and elite soldiers and she begins to piece together the things Rick has told her – ultimately realizing that Bethune is in fact his wife Michonne. She becomes worried for the safety of the mission and rushes outside.

Rick hands Michonne her sword. They are now ready and say that this is the last time they will ever have to be away from each other. Rick and Michonne attach the ends of the wires to the walking corpses of Beale and the soldier Rick killed. They lead them in opposite directions so that as they walk, they will pull the pins out of the grenades one by one. With just enough slack to theoretically give them enough time to escape, they rush out of opposite sides of the tent and meet up together but before they can make their escape,Throne cuts them off. She holds up her gun and tells them she knows Rick lied, demanding to know what they did and where Beale is. She insists that they go back inside and undo whatever they did. They turn to walk back toward the tent, holding their raised hands with each other as they go. Thorne mutters to herself that they are going to fix it but is shocked when she sees the familiar, but very dead face of Beale appear as he stumbles out from the tent. Realizing the pins have now all been pulled from the grenades, Rick and Michonne jump aside and head amongst some of the storage crates. Michonne cuts into a water tank and tells Rick to pull a flag down over them. The explosion sends the chlorine gas out in a huge wave killing the soldiers instantly, just as it had with Michonne’s friends on the road. Under the flag, Michonne tells Rick it doesn’t take too long to clear and they will be safe for a while covered by the water soaked flag. Somewhere nearby they hear Thorne calling out to Rick. He realizes she has one of their gas masks and tells Michonne to get the other one while he fights Thorne for hers. They cover their mouths and burst out from beneath the sheet. Rick and Thorne fight while she screams at him for destroying the CRM’s only chance to save the world. The dead begin flooding all around them, swamping Rick while Thorne manages to get to her gun. She tries to aim it at Rick but he is almost completely surrounded by the dead. Behind her, Michonne appears with the other mask and ready to fight, sword against gun. Thorne says that she realizes who Michonne is and asks how she got to Rick. Michonne angrily responds that she never gave up, or gave herself up like Thorne did. Demanding to know where Rick is, Thorne says to turn around. Caught off guard by a walker behind her, Michonne drops her sword and places the walker between the two of them. Though Thorne kills it, clearing the space between them, she talks instead of shooting Michonne. It’s as though Thorne needs Michonne to agree with her perspective so she can keep living inside the brainwashed bubble she accepted so many years ago. Thorne shouts that love is dead, but Michonne disagrees, stating that love doesn’t die. Using her foot to flick up her sword, she drives it deep into Thorne’s body.
Behind her, Rick lifts up a grenade he had kept on himself. He pulls out the pin and an explosion erupts. Michonne spins around, terrified that after all this, she has truly lost him. Rick pushes his way out from underneath the pile of corpses having used them for cover. The couple hold each other and walk past a dying Thorne. She hands them the mask and tells them that Okafor was right. They both finally have their masks on and fight their way to safety up over the edge of one of the metal cargo boxes.

A voiceover of a news report reveals the shocking discovery of operation N1W to the public which unravelled following the explosion. It cites the CRMs Frontliner force, Force Command and General Major Beale as those responsible, all of whom had died in the blast (I’m assuming that it looks as though they were accidentally killed by their own explosives). The Civic Republic City then voted unanimously for emergency oversight over the remaining CRM forces. The reporter stresses that these operations were carried out by the highest military levels and the infantry were not involved. He continues that the Civic Republic City have also overturned the military’s guidelines, finally allowing people to leave at will and allowing for new citizens to be welcomed in as they arrive. They will also extend help to other communities and offer to airlift them back to the city should wish to join,

Rick’s hand shakes nervously as he and Michonne take the helicopter to fly back home. Somewhere in Alexandria a walkie is picked up as Michonne calls out to Judith using their code names.

As they begin to leave the helicopter, RJ and Judith run as fast as they can across the clearing toward their parents as Michonne and Rick do the same. Although Michonne wasn’t away nearly as long, she has still been gone for several years. Michonne holds the two of them, commenting on how big they have gotten. Judith makes her way slowly towards her dad and tells him that she knew he wasn’t gone and that she never wanted him to be alone. He tenderly replies that he thought he was, but looking up at Michonne, he tells Judith that he realized he wasn’t. He tightly holds Judith before finally meeting his son RJ, who is wearing the same hat that Carl had as a child, before passing it on to Judith. RJ asks Rick if he is the brave man and Rick takes a breath before responding that he is, but that RJ can call him dad. RJ tells him he knew he wasn’t dead and that he just believed.

The four of them hold each other, finally giving the fans of a franchise that has run for thirteen years, the reunion of a family that was torn apart and kept apart for far too long.

Photo Credit: AMC