Sheriff Rick is back thanks to his signature Colt Python revolver

The sheriff is back in town on The Walking Dead thanks to that trusty Colt Python. The iconic gun symbolizes a lot for Rick and the group.

Hershel’s watch. Daryl’s crossbow. Carol’s knife. Each member of Team Family has some iconic symbol that represents them. Rick’s Colt Python is his iconic weapon. He’s had it from the first very episode and it’s been seen on screen more than any other weapon.

The Colt Python was the standard issue duty weapon for the Georgia State Patrol. So, it makes sense that Rick prefers to use that gun most of the time. It’s probably the gun he’s the most comfortable with and has used the most.

Over the course of the show that Colt Python has become more than just a signature weapon. It’s become a symbol of the fighting spirit that Rick has had throughout the show. The gun represents the Rick Grimes from the old world.

Before he was broken by Negan and had to face the darkness of the new post-apocalyptic world Rick was the quintessential hero. He believed in the rule of law. Rick’s world was a place where the rules were clear. There was good and evil, black and white without many shades of gray. He was willing to fight for what was right. Even if that meant his own death.

But in the new world now there is only gray. Everyone has had to compromise their old beliefs at some point just to survive. There are no more heroes and bad guys. The hero is the person still standing at the end of the day. And the bad guys are any people who are trying to stop that from happening. In this world everyone is a hero and a bad guy.

Losing The Colt

In the Season 6 season finale, “Last Day On Earth” Rick’s Colt Python was taken by Simon when the group was trapped in the forest by the Saviors. Rick losing the Python was symbolic of Rick no longer being in control and losing that innate righteousness that kept him going.

Everything that Rick does is motivated by the desire to protect the people he loves. When Simon took the Python it symbolized Rick becoming powerless in the face of an evil that he had never faced before. And Rick was forced to watch helplessly as Glenn and Abe died, unable to defend them.

The Python became the property of the Saviors. Just like a good portion of everything that the Alexandrians had. And the sheriff stumbled in his resolve because it was the first time since this started that he couldn’t protect the people he loved. The last time the Python was seen Fat Joey had it at Sanctuary.

The Sheriff Is Back In Town

When Daryl escaped from Sanctuary he didn’t waste time stopping and looking the crossbow, his signature weapon. But he did take the time to grab the Python. He knew that Rick needed it in order to find his strength and resolve again.

Rick went to Hilltop with the others knowing that they needed to fight Negan, but he didn’t seem confident about it. When he saw Daryl back with the group and Daryl returned his Python to him it changed everything for Rick. With the Colt back in his hands his confidence returned. Sheriff Rick is back in The Walking Dead world. And he’s going to do whatever it takes to destroy Negan and the Saviors to protect the people he loves.