How The Walking Dead is taking a cue from The Wizard Of Oz
Does The Wizard Of Oz hold the clues about Rick Grimes’ fate in The Walking Dead universe? An interesting new theory suggests so!
The Walking Dead has been scattering clues throughout its universe since premiering nearly a decade ago, whether they are intended to be a rewarding payoff for keen viewers, or as an intentional misdirect. Whatever the case may be, the theories they evoke remain interesting for fans to dive into, and it appears we have another possible hint to decipher.
Though millions of viewers have stopped tuning in to The Walking Dead over the last few seasons, it’d be nearly impossible to miss the exit of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) plastered across social media. AMC themselves used Lincoln’s announcement extensively throughout the marketing campaign for the show’s ninth season.
We know already that Lincoln’s series-leading character will be returning for three movies on the network, but according to the folks at Comicbook, an earlier episode of the current season may have provided a clue for Rick’s eventual return to his Alexandrian family.
The site points out that the fate of Rick Grimes may lie within The Wizard of Oz. As unbelievable as that may sound, they make a solid argument.
Comicbook states that the first sign of this came during Rick, Michonne, and Judith’s family fun day montage in “Warning Signs,” the third episode of the season, wherein Rick reads a passage of L. Frank Baum’s iconic novel to his daughter.
“…And as the hours passed and nothing terrible happened, she stopped worrying and resolved to wait calmly and see what the future would bring,” Rick reads before being interrupted. In the novel, that particular passage comes just after Dorothy and Toto arrive in the land of Oz after being carried away by a cyclone.
The Walking Dead–Courtesy of AMC
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During the mid-season finale of The Walking Dead, Rick suffers from hallucinations after being impaled by a piece of rebar. Among those hallucinations are deceased characters Shane, Hershel and Sasha, as well as the still-living Michonne. Andrew Lincoln has mentioned the notable comparisons to The Wizard of Oz in his exit episode, telling Entertainment Weekly that, “Hershel’s the courage, Bernthal’s the heart, and Sonequa’s the wisdom of when you have the peace. And Michonne is home.”
Just before the time jump at the end of the mid-season finale, Rick, having survived impalement and a self-sacrificial attempt to kill the walkers that were heading in the direction of the estranged communities, is taken away by helicopter, which Lincoln suggests to Entertainment Weekly is comparable to Dorothy’s house being lifted by the tornado.
“And it’s that whole thing of being whisked away into the helicopter, and spinning away in the house. I said, ‘We’re in The Wizard of Oz!’ And everybody was like, ‘Oh, yeah. Maybe we are.’ That’s what I’m saying anyway. It all made sense with me.”
Now that Rick is in a faraway land and undergoing what is surely an epic adventure, should we conclude that the eventual movie arc for Papa Grimes is for him to reunite with her family like Dorothy at the end of The Wizard of Oz?
We can hope.
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Do you buy into Comicbook’s theory about The Walking Dead? Are you planning to watch the three planned Rick Grimes movies? We’d love to hear your thoughts!