The Ones Who Live stone head walkers, are they a variant or what?

The fifth episode of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live was a crazy ride featuring a totally unexpected cameo, a significant death, and another new walker version never seen before. It is sad to think there is only one more episode remaining in this series.

This article contains spoilers forThe Walking Dead: The Ones Who Liveepisode 5, "Become."

Unless you live under a rock, you probably know that Father Gabriel (Seth Gilliam) was the surprise cameo in this episode. Including Gabriel in Jadis' (Pollyanna McIntosh) story was a solid choice. Sadly, Jadis is bitten by a walker and begs Rick (Andrew Lincoln) to do what he promised: kill her. This was a dynamic episode that fleshed out both Jadis and Gabriel's stories because all this time they have been meeting yearly to catch up and get away from their current situations.

New walker in The Ones Who Live

Another interesting development in this episode was the introduction of a new type of walker. These were covered in a calcified stone of sorts, but is this a variant?

At the beginning of the episode, Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira) hear screams and run to assist. The scene shows a deformed walker in the foreground with an axe head embedded in its grotesque-looking head. There are three people, one helping another whose leg is caught in a snare and another having a hard time fighting off these strange-looking walkers. Rick steps up with his machete, and the blade bounces off the skull; as Rick looks perplexed, Michonne tries, unsuccessfully, with her rebar.

Michonne states that their skin is like stone, and a close-up reveals a better look at the calcified growths all over its upper body. Rick is able to penetrate the stone with his prosthetic hand so that Michonne can stab them to their deaths.

Dalton (Will Brill), who is traveling with Red (Ben Dickey) and Tina (Han Van Sciver), explains that the walkers become that way from the steam vents and clarifying there are also wet ones, so some are baked and some boiled. Likening them to pierogies.

It is revealed that Rick and Michonne are in Yellowstone National Park, known for its geysers and hot springs. This is how the walkers have become "crusty" and "wet," making these not variants but walkers who have been altered by their environment.

This has been seen many times in The Walking Dead universe. One of the most memorable was the bloated well-walker, played by Brian Hillard, in the season 2 episode "Cherokee Rose." This was a unknown man who fell into the Green Family well, whether he was human or walker at that time it is unclear, but he remained in that well for quite sometime as he absorbed large amounts of water. So much so that when they tried to pull him out, his body ripped apart, and guts and goo sprayed everywhere.

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