Walking Dead: 7 Unanswered Questions After Rick's Final Episode

Caution: Spoilers ahead for The Walking Dead - "What Comes After"

The Walking Dead has finally aired the highly anticipated final episode to star Andrew Lincoln's Rick Grimes and the show's former lead certainly left with a bang, albeit perhaps not quite the one most viewers expected. Here are the biggest questions surrounding "What Comes After". Rick's last outing began as many predicted, with the hero wrenching himself free from the lump of rock he collapsed onto last week and proceeding to wander around having hallucinated conversations with dead characters. Making his way to the bridge, Rick intended to carry out Daryl's original plan and let the zombies fall into the river but, ironically, Rick's people had done a better construction job than expected and the bridge held firm.

In a characteristic act of self-sacrifice, Rick chose to halt the now Hilltop-bound zombie horde by detonating the bridge in a fiery blast and he appeared be caught in the explosion. While Michonne, Daryl and the rest of Rick's family assumed their leader dead - as, presumably, did most fans - a bloody, but alive, Rick was found washed-up on the riverbank by Jadis and both characters were rescued by the mysterious helicopter that has been a key puzzle in The Walking Dead for some time.

The revelations didn't end there, however, as "What Comes After" concluded with a huge time jump that revealed a gun-toting Judith rescuing Magna's group from certain death and immediately after the episode, reports emerged that Rick's fate would be revealed in the form of three feature-length TV movies. With plenty to digest, here are the 7 biggest questions surrounding Rick's final episode on The Walking Dead.

This Page: Questions About Rick's Survival & Future
Page 2: Questions About Judith Grimes & The Walking Dead's Time Jump

How Did Rick Survive His Injuries?

Rick Grimes riding a horse in The Walking Dead

How is Rick still alive? Because he's Rick Grimes, dammit. "What Comes After" will likely split The Walking Dead's fanbase into two camps: those who believe that no one, let alone someone on the verge of death, should survive such a huge explosion and those who reckon Rick was far enough away from the blast to live another day.

The debate will rage on but there's little point trying to make logical sense of the situation since everything about the episode, from the returning characters to AMC's promotion, suggests that "What Comes After" was designed to make fans believe Rick was going to die. Whatever incident befell the character also needed to be big enough to make onlookers assume Rick had died. The fact he didn't, however, is purely down to the network still having plans for him.

As far as unrealistic TV survivals go, Rick's is hardly the worst and, truthfully, there are probably even more unbelievable examples elsewhere in The Walking Dead's history (see: Daniel). However, there was certainly a lot of luck and coincidence at play as Rick lived through a gushing stomach wound, a massive explosion and a dip in a zombie-filled river.

What Makes Rick A 'B'?

The Walking Dead Jadis A Shipping Container

The meaning of "A" and "B" as a classification of person in The Walking Dead is still unclear but "What Comes After" does provide a further clue when Jadis declares an injured Rick a "B" after previously tagging him as "A" when she first captured and stripped him in the Junkyard. One common theory regarding this mystery is that the letters denote a person's capability, with "A" meaning Alpha, or strong capable types, and "B" referring to weaker folk. This would certainly account for why Jadis told those on board the helicopter that Rick was a "B" after she saw his grievous injuries.

This line of thinking also works when considering Jadis' actions towards Gabriel earlier in the season. After he refused to run away with her, Jadis told the irritated priest "and all this time I thought you were a B" and went on to knock him out before threatening him with a zombie attached to a trolley. It's possible that Jadis' line was her way of saying how Gabriel's defiance proved he was tougher than she thought and the subsequent zombie stunt was intended to test his credentials as an "A". Interestingly, The Walking Dead's showrunner, Angela Kang, has strongly suggested in interviews that the show's "A or B" mystery does indeed refer to a person's ability.

If this is indeed the case, the forthcoming The Walking Dead movies could see a far weaker Rick Grimes. In the comic series, Rick famously loses a hand during a confrontation with the Governor and severely wounds his leg during the final battle with Negan. Although he avoided such injuries on TV, could the bridge explosion see Andrew Lincoln's character catch up to his comic counterpart in terms of physical damage and become a "B"?

Where Is Rick Headed?

Pollyanna McIntosh as Jadis Anne in The Walking Dead

Following the huge reveal that Rick has been taken by whatever group owns the mysterious helicopter that has been floating around intermittently since last season, viewers will surely be questioning exactly where Rick and Jadis are headed and whether their new associates are friend or foe. The answers to these questions will almost certainly be saved for the forthcoming Rick-centric movies AMC have planned but some scraps of information can perhaps already be inferred.

Many have theorized that the helicopter in question could belong to The Commonwealth, a massive and well-developed community from The Walking Dead comic books and while this group has already been linked to the Georgie character, there's no reason why her group can't also be responsible for the chopper. In the comics, The Commonwealth is also known to discriminate between the skilled and unskilled, which would neatly explain the "A or B" mystery, and they're also one of the few places with the facilities to treat Rick's heavy injuries.

However, with this story directly leading into a new branch of the The Walking Dead franchise, there's also a strong possibility that Rick will find himself in an entirely new community and, given that these people are seemingly involved in human trafficking, he may not immediately feel at ease there. In either case, the mystery settlement will surely need to be far enough away from Alexandria to prevent Rick returning home in time for The Walking Dead season 10.

Will Rick Return After The Movies?

Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead

Whether or not Rick Grimes will wind his way back to The Walking Dead following his stint in the series of planned movies is something that the actor himself may not even know at this stage. Lincoln left his role on TV out of a desire to spend less time away from home and a movie set-up allows him to do just that, while still continuing Rick's story. Whether or not he'll want to return to the intense shooting schedule of The Walking Dead afterwards is anyone's guess.

However, it seems reasonably certain that even if Rick doesn't return to The Walking Dead on a full-time basis, he will reunite with Michonne, Judith and the rest of the gang at some point for a proper goodbye, whether in a movie or in an episode of the TV series. It's almost implausible that Rick's family won't eventually learn about his survival, even if such a storyline is years away from hitting screens.

Any potential return for Rick surely also depends on the success of this new, wider The Walking Dead franchise. If the first movie bombs and viewing figures continue to drop for the TV series, AMC's plans could change very rapidly and long-term stories could be swiftly nixed in favor of short-term resolutions. The Walking Dead is taking a huge risk that could either backfire or pay off massively.

Page 2 of 2: Questions About Judith Grimes & The Walking Dead's Time Jump

Why Did Rick Dream Of Sasha?

"What Comes After" was largely a very strong and moving episode of The Walking Dead that attracted a mostly positive reaction but the hallucination scenes were by far the most polarizing element of Rick's swansong. Some may feel that the scenes came across as forced, others may take issue with the ropey CGI, but perhaps the biggest problem was the odd selection of characters.

An argument can certainly be made for Shane's inclusion and Jon Bernthal's highly-publicized return undoubtedly added to the hype of the episode. The reasoning behind Hershel's appearance was less clear but after actor Scott Wilson sadly passed away, seeing him return to The Walking Dead one final time proved to be a very real and touching moment.

Rick's hallucination of Sasha, however, is somewhat harder to explain. In The Walking Dead, Sasha was very much a supporting character and certainly had very little personal attachment to Rick. There are an array of faces who would've been a better fit in this moment including Carl, Lori and Glenn. Why did Rick dream of Sasha? Either because she was the only past member of the show's main cast willing to appear or because she's in Star Trek now and more famous than she used to be.

What's Happened To Judith?

Never before has a fictional character gone so quickly from finger-painting and bedtime stories to sniping zombies with a revolver. Judith Grimes has grown up fast; she's fearlessly taking out zombies, she's a badass with a cowboy hat. She's... Carl.

After the death of Carl Grimes in The Walking Dead, many fans were left wondering how the character's various comic arcs would play out on TV and it was promised by then-showrunner Scott M. Gimple that Carl's stories would still be adapted but would feature different characters. No one quite knew how this would work and considering Judith was still struggling with the alphabet at this point, few suspected she would be his replacement.

Thanks to The Walking Dead's latest time jump, however, the show has essentially found itself a brand new Carl Grimes in his half-sister, Judith. Clearly, the youngster is capable and trusted enough to be venturing out alone and she's already exhibiting the same qualities as her late sibling by helping bring Magna's group to Alexandria. She also appears to be packing her father's gun and a mini version of Michonne's sword. Seems kids really do grow up fast these days.

What's Happened In The Time Jump?

Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon in The Walking Dead

In The Walking Dead comics, a time jump of over two years occurs after Negan is defeated but the TV series instead opted for 18 months. Viewers certainly weren't expecting another jump in this week's episode, especially not such a lengthy one, and while the exact time period is unspecified, Judith's appearance suggests that the show has skipped approximately five years. Interestingly, Daryl seems to be operating somewhat away from the main group in the wake of Rick's "death".

Although this latest time jump theoretically puts the TV series ahead of the comics, it's likely that the two versions of The Walking Dead will now be closer in terms of how advanced Alexandria and its allies are. After the comic time-jump, Alexandria is hosting a festival, the residents are making beer and the communities are routinely armed and well-drilled in the art of repelling zombie hordes. Compared to this, the survivors have been relatively primitive in The Walking Dead season 9 thus far, still squabbling between themselves and struggling for supplies.

As such, the next episode of The Walking Dead will likely see a far more settled, civilized and peaceful Alexandria. A peace that will be swiftly turned upside down by the Whisperers.

Rick's The Walking Dead exit has, as expected, left viewers with a lot of questions. However, the episode also provided plenty of answers. Not only do fans now know Rick's fate but they also know the direction of the franchise after months of swirling rumors regarding movie expansions and big announcements. Perhaps the most significant question answered by "What Comes After" however, is whether or not The Walking Dead can carry on without Rick in the show. Judging by the early reaction to the time jump and Rick's survival, the answer to that question is a resounding "yes."