Warning: Spoilers for The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live to follow.
Since its premiere on AMC in 2010, The Walking Dead has had no issues with straying from the source material. In the comics, Lori isn’t a terrible mother, Carl never dies, and Daryl isn’t even a character.
But one moment that remains vivid in fans’ memory is the loss of Rick’s hand. This moment is integral for the character in the comics, but never makes it to live action. That honor instead goes to Alexandria community member, Aaron (Ross Marquand), after he gets trapped under a pile of logs. The Walking Dead seemed to prefer to make pointed homages to Rick’s (Andrew Lincoln) seminal moment. His hand has been in danger in the series, in addition to that terrifying instance where Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) demands that Rick cut off Carl’s (Chandler Riggs).
There seems to be no time like the present, however. Finally, after over a decade of storytelling, Rick loses his hand in the first episode of The Walking Dead spin-off, The Ones Who Live. The first time we see Rick since he is presumed dead, we see the lengths the former leader will go to reunite with his wife, Michonne (Danai Gurira), and daughter.
Lincoln told The Hollywood Reporter that he was more than happy to get to live his severed hand dreams. This moment was something he had been pushing for during the initial run of The Walking Dead, and now it has finally come to fruition. Lincoln went on to explain that it was significant for the story they are trying to tell in the new six-episode arc.
“This is more than just a nod. It’s honoring the story. It’s what [The Walking Dead creator, Robert] Kirkman did. It’s the nature of the world that we’re inhabiting in this. These people are not superheroes. They are people in extreme situations, doing horrendous things — sometimes brilliant but sometimes horrific things — in order to stay alive and keep those around them alive. So I was very keen to do this, and to hopefully have a very shocking first act that makes people sit back and think, ‘Oh, we’re in for a bit of a ride here. This is different. There’s real jeopardy here.’”
In Rick’s final appearance in The Walking Dead, he detonates a bridge to destroy a hoard of walkers. The move works, but now wounded, Rick is taken into the custody of the Civic Republic Military. They operate in a hidden city and are so keen to keep their secrets, that they keep him a conscripted prisoner, leashed by the hand and all.
One night in the woods, he chooses his moment and decides to chop off his hand in one of his many escape attempts. They succeed in recapturing him, which makes his decision all the more tragic. Fans of the comics will recognize that this moment is far different — and far later — from what occurs in the book.
How does Rick lose his hand?
One of the many changes the AMC series made from the books was its brutality. Physical violence was toned down on occasion, as well as the villains. In the television series, the iconic Governor of Woodbury (David Morrissey) seems refined and civilized compared to his comic book counterpart. The Governor is one of the most reprehensible antagonists whose crimes are, in several instances, too nauseating to list.
Upon one of his first interactions with Rick, he makes it clear what kind of a monster he is. After capturing Rick and his group, the Governor questions them about where they come from. Understanding that they must have some kind of nice setup, the Governor wants control of it. Rick refuses to reveal the location of the prison, leading the Governor to promptly hack his hand off. This display is surprising and brutal, but just the beginning. The Governor goes on to torment Rick and Michone, which ultimately leads to his much-deserved death.
The book does not support the nonsense of humanizing the villain or showing he can be a good guy given the right circumstances. In no uncertain terms, The Walking Dead is about showing that people are the real danger, and this is true of almost every community Rick encounters. The same goes for the CRM. Even though Rick cuts off his own hand in the show, he wouldn’t have had to do so if he wasn’t under fascist rule. It’s a dead world, and we’re all just living in it.
