Warning: This article contains spoilers for episode 1 of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live.

Summary

• Rick's return to The Walking Dead spinoff, The Ones Who Live, is filled with darkness as he finds himself trapped in a CRM facility with strict rules about privacy and near impossible escape.
• The loss of Rick's hand in episode 1 was a long-time coming and a significant moment in The Walking Dead comics. The spinoff's larger budget allows for a realistic depiction of the injury and adds to the intense and disturbing nature of the scene.
• Rick losing his hand could mean a less action-focused future for the character, as it may hinder his effectiveness and force him to take a step back. It could also lead to his involvement with the Civic Republic and potentially becoming a leader, offering him a new role.

The Ones Who Live didn't waste any time getting straight into the drama with Rick Grimes having a huge moment upon his Walking Dead return. Rick may have finally returned to the franchise, but it seems it could be a while before he gets any kind of happy ending, as the spinoff was full of darkness for the protagonist. Surviving his near-death experience in The Walking Dead season 9 only led to Rick finding himself in a CRM facility that he can't leave. The group's strict rules about privacy make Rick's attempts to escape near impossible, forcing drastic action.

Episode 1's biggest moment shows how desperate Rick was to escape the Civic Republic, cutting off his own hand to try and earn his freedom. The CRM appears to be The Walking Dead's most powerful group, and keeping Rick inside the facility for years is proof of that. While clearing walkers from the community's perimeter, Rick has a metal cuff around his wrist, keeping him attached to a CRM soldier. Rick shockingly cuts off his hand to try and escape the Civic Republic as there's a small window to run, which kicks off the series with a huge sacrifice.

Why Rick Grimes Is Finally Losing His Hand In The Ones Who Live

Rick Losing His Hand Was Speculated Throughout His Walking Dead Run

Although Rick's attempted escape was unsuccessful, losing his hand was a long-time coming and The Ones Who Live finally decided to pull the trigger. Rick losing his hand was an essential moment in The Walking Dead comics and happened relatively early on during the comics' run. Despite some teases, it seemed like Rick may never lose his hand in the TV series, especially after his departure from the show. Being the main star of The Walking Dead for so many years made it tough to go through with Rick losing his hand.

It would require makeup, CGI, and other effects to be used in nearly every episode that he was featured in, which may have been too much work. Now that Rick is no longer being the franchise's sole protagonist, there is less focus on him overall and The Ones Who Live's large budget can ensure the injury looks realistic, as the franchise has done with similar incidents in the past. Rick's spinoff is the perfect time to have the character lose his hand, as after The Ones Who Live, it may be a while before he appears again.

The Ones Who Live airs Sundays on AMC and AMC+.

The Ones Who Live Makes Rick's Walking Dead Hand Loss Even More Shocking

Rick Losing His Hand Was Even More Brutal Than Anticipated

While there was some speculation Rick may lose his hand in The Ones Who Live, the way it happened was more shocking than anticipated. In the comics, the Governor is the one to cut off Rick's hand, but doing it himself proves to be even more horrifying. The scene perfectly captures Rick's desperation, largely thanks to Andrew Lincoln's stellar acting, but cutting his hand off didn't completely solve the issue. Knowing he had to stop the blood loss, Rick cauterized his wound on a burning zombie, highlighting the show's creativity while emphasizing the scene's brutal nature.

Eagle-eyed viewers seemed to notice Rick had no hand in The Ones Who Live's trailer. Rather than focusing too hard on hiding this fact, the spinoff opted to make the moment as intense and disturbing as possible. Having this scene happen so quickly in the show explains why Rick's missing hand was noticeable in the trailer. The trailer made keeping this moment a surprise difficult, so The Ones Who Live had to find a new way to shock the audience, hence the scene's brutality.

Losing his hand helped sell the show's plot by indicating the misery Rick has gone through while trying to escape the CRM. Walking Dead viewers know how capable Rick is of overcoming the odds and going to these extreme lengths epitomizes how strong the CRM really is. Rick cutting off his hand was one of his last desperate attempts to escape and proves he would do anything to be free as losing a limb is a huge detriment in the apocalypse. Despite this, Rick went to such shocking lengths, which shows the danger of the CRM.

The Walking Dead Teased Rick Losing His Hand Before (But Never Did It)

There Were A Few Occasions Where The Protagonist Nearly Lost His Hand

Rick Grimes did not lose his hand in The Walking Dead's main TV show, but it was teased several times throughout the series. The most infamous example was during the season 7 premiere, where Negan attempts to get Rick to submit to his way of life. Having already killed two main characters, Negan attempts to break Rick by telling him to cut off his son's hand. Rick wanted to sacrifice his hand instead, but Negan was satisfied that Rick had finally understood the message. Several walker fights also resulted in the protagonist nearly sustaining the permanent injury.

In season 6, Rick fought off several walkers, one of which had a machete stuck in its head. This cut Rick and made audiences worry about a potential infection, but he was able to survive without losing his hand. He also fought a walker wearing a spiked helmet which severely injured his hand, but once again, Rick was able to recover. Even subtle things such as frequently wearing bandages throughout the show teased the potential injury happening, but it never came to be, and ultimately, The Ones Who Live found the perfect way to implement Rick losing his hand.

What Rick Losing His Hand Means For His Walking Dead Story

Losing His Hand Means Rick May Have A Less Action-Focused Future

After losing his hand, Rick's Walking Dead story may have changed forever. His longevity and importance to the franchise means he has seen just about as much action as any character and has one of the highest kill counts in the show. Rick has been pivotal when it comes to the show's more dramatic scenes, but he may have a less action-focused future. Although the CRM provides a pretty suitable replacement, Rick will surely be less effective going forward without two functioning hands. This may force him to take a step back and could be detrimental to his escape.

Rick's immediate future seems to be escaping the CRM, especially after reuniting with Michonne. However, this will be difficult without his left hand. Instead, Rick's future may be with the Civic Republic, potentially returning to the facility in episode 2 and attempting to take it over from the inside. There are still plenty of characters that Rick must reunite with, but this could happen in the CR. The Ones Who Live could end with Rick becoming the leader of the Civic Republic and inviting his allies to make it their new home, providing Rick a less action-heavy role.