The Walking Dead 904: Did anyone die in The Obliged

Did The Walking Dead just throw fans another “dumpster death”? It may not be the end quite yet for a beloved character.

The Walking Dead may have just delivered another “Glenn and the dumpster” fake out death to fans. As Rick’s end on the show approaches it’s still up in the air whether he will die or be written out in some other way.

The last few minutes of The Walking Dead “The Obliged” were shocking ones where Rick appears to be critically injured. It’s already been confirmed that Jon Bernthal, Scott Wilson, and Sonequa Martin-Green will be reprising their roles as Shane, Hershel, and Sasha before Rick leaves the show. And it seems likely that Rick will hallucinate from his injuries and see these important figures from his past as he starts to slip away.

But is that really the end for Rick Grimes? Will the iconic sheriff die alone, injured and surrounded by walkers? Or is this another “Glenn is under the dumpster” style fake out to make fans think that Rick’s story ends permanently in a freak accident?

It’s never been made clear how exactly Andrew Lincoln will leave The Walking Dead. There has been a lot of speculation fueled by careful word choices from Angela Kang and others that Rick will in fact survive and be written out of the show in another way so that he could return to the story at some point. So while it looks bleak for Rick right now after getting thrown from a horse and landing on a piece of rebar which impaled him in “The Obliged” it may not actually be the end for him.

Meanwhile At The Heap

It also wasn’t looking good for Father Gabriel. Jadis/Anne planned to use him as her ticket to the helicopter mystery community. In the last episode she knocked him out and took him captive. In this episode she gets ready to make him face a Winslow style walker. But in the end she can’t bring herself to do it. Instead she chokes him until he passes out. When he comes to he’s in one of the shipping containers and Jadis/Anne is gone. She left him a note and took off rather than sacrifice him to pay for entry into the helicopter community. Will she find another A to get her into the community?

A Farewell To Rick Grimes

Whether Rick survives his horrific injury and leaves the story some other way or not what is certain is that next week’s episode of The Walking Dead, “What Comes After”, will be Andrew Lincoln’s last episode of The Walking Dead.

It’s difficult to imagine what The Walking Dead will be without Rick Grimes, since the story has always about Rick and his family. But The Walking Dead will go on and there are many more stories of survival to tell. And those future stories will carry the legacy of Rick Grimes and Carl Grimes and all of the beloved characters who have left their mark on the show.

Be sure to watch The Walking Dead “What Comes After” on Sunday, Oct 4th to say goodbye to Rick Grimes, one way or another.