The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live season 1, episode 6 recap "The Last Time"

Rick and Michonne's story is coming to an end. In The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live season 1 finale, our deadly and unstoppable duo take on the CRM, but will they be successful?

It's a high-stakes plan where both need to accomplish their tasks if they are to succeed and reunite with their family. Will this finally be the end of the CRM?

The plan

From beginning to end, the episode feels like an intense, anxiety-inducing ride, where audiences cannot accurately predict what will happen next due to the constant scene changes. As Rick and Michonne make love and discuss their plan for the following day, everything comes to light.

On Rick's end, he arrives to the CRM after surviving the helicopter crash thanks to Dana (Michonne) and reunites with Pearl Thorne, who is thrilled to see him. His first task is to meet with Major General Beale and find out what the Echelon Briefing is all about.

Meanwhile, Michonne has to sneak her way inside, find Jadis' notes with all the details about Rick and Alexandria and destroy them. She is able to find her quarters in a creative chaos mess with her artwork displayed all about the space.

Considering they are on a time crunch, Michonne nearly has a panic attack trying to find the notes in the cluttered room when she finally spots a unique cat statue. Inside are pages and pages of information that Michonne immediately destroys with her hands, before realizing the mess she is making.

As she's cleaning up a manilla folder is slipped under the door and hits her boot. The CRM soldier on the other side enters the room and has a brief scuffle before dying at Michonne's hands.

As Michonne makes her way to a briefing, Rick and Beale have their private meeting where it is revealed that the CRM's plan is to take complete control of the Civic Republic. Resources are scarce, and eventually they fear everyone, as in humanity, will die out.

Therefore, they plan to use the gas to bomb Portland but set it up as an unfortunate accident involving a gigantic walker horde. We've seen a similar tactic in The Walking Dead: World Beyond.

Not agreeing with the plan, Rick attacks Beale and successfully kills him, just as Michonne leaves the briefing where it is revealed that a large population of the children at Portland will be killed.

The destruction of the CRM

Quipped with Beale's dead body in a large crate, Rick takes an elevator, unfortunately, with another CRM soldier. After killing him, Rick reunites with Michonne where she reveals the CRM's plan to kill the children.

They agree that the CRM needs to be destroyed today. Meanwhile, Thorne grows suspicious of Rick since his return and puts the pieces together that Dana is really Michonne, and that Rick will try to destroy the CRM (as evidenced by him leaving his weaponized hand behind).

With two walkers in hand, Beale and the CRM soldier, Rick and Michonne set them up to pull a string of grenades to ignite the tanks of gas. This, all the while, a huge meeting is being held at the base with hundreds of soldiers present.

After everything is set up, the duo attempts to leave when Thorne catches them and orders that they stop the explosives. However, the walkers are about to reach the end of the tent, pulling the string, with Rick and Michonne having only moments to spare to find cover under a large tarp covered in water.

The explosion kills practically everyone in sight and walkers emerge from the poisonous gas. Rick finds himself in a tough spot as walkers surround him, while Michonne is able to get the upper hand on Thorne.

As Thorne is dying (?), she gives Rick her gas mask, amazed that he and Michonne were able to reunite with the odds being so very slim. The underlying message is that you do not give up hope and love always finds a way.

Is this the end of Rick and Michonne's story?

The last third of the episode is pretty rushed, where we learn that the Civic Republic decides to oversee the CRM. This would have been nice during The Walking Dead: World Beyond but at least the evil military group is no more, at least in the United States.

Rick and Michonne are somehow able to get a helicopter where they reunite with Judith and RJ. The family is reunited, and the episode closes on this wholesome moment.

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live season 1 episode 6 review

Overall, The Ones Who Live lived up to the hype of bringing back our beloved hero and heart of The Walking Dead; Rick Grimes. It told a powerful and compelling love story between him and Michonne, that leaves audiences with an inspiring and heartfelt conclusion.

Truthfully it would have been nice to have more of those endings on The Walking Dead (Carl, Beth, Andrea etc.), but the message remains clear, that even in the most unlikeliest of situations, hope and love can survive.

Although The Ones Who Live follows the same 6-episode formula as The Walking Dead: Dead City and The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, it didn't feel conclusive in the sense that it felt very rushed multiple times. For some reason, at least in my opinion, Dead City and Daryl Dixon concluded with the perfect pacing.

The Ones Who Live, not so much. An extra two episodes would have proven beneficial; however, this was an extremely satisfying finish to the new wave of TWD spinoffs. How will Rick's return affect the rest of The Walking Dead Universe?

Considering Dead City and Daryl Dixon got greenlit for season 2 (Daryl Dixon already finished filming), will The Ones Who Live return for another season? If so, what will be covered?

I look forward to seeing where the spinoffs will venture next with anticipation and curiosity.

What did you think of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live season 1, episode 6? Let us know in the comments below!

You can watch The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live season 1 on AMC.