There’s a lot of anticipation around The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, and one detail that parallels to another Walking Dead instance makes Rick and Michonne’s return to the franchise more emotional. The series promises to expand on the iconic couple’s love story and make for an epic reunion since both of their exits from the main show. Rick’s exit in season 9 and Michonne’s in season 10 impacted the dynamic between the remaining characters and the Grimes children, like Daryl taking on a much more fatherly role for Judith and RJ.

Over the numerous seasons of The Walking Dead with both Rick and Michonne as main characters, they go through many emotional moments. For instance, Rick has hallucinations of Lori when grieving her death, and Michonne’s pain when Rick supposedly sacrificed himself. Some heartbreaking moments could have an even more poignant impact on The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live because of a small detail.

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live Premieres 6 Years After Carl Grimes’ Death

One of the saddest Walking Dead deaths is Carl’s as it spanned over two episodes and involved painful goodbyes for most of the characters. Carl’s final episode – season 8, episode 9, “Honor” – aired on February 25, 2018, which is exactly six years prior to the premiere date for The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. This parallel is a small and coincidental nod to Carl’s departure and a reminder of his absence in not only The Walking Dead universe but the Grimes family.

Although Carl can’t make a cameo in the present in Rick and Michonne’s spinoff, he’s still a key Grimes family member that played a huge role in Rick’s community. Moreover, his impact on the remaining characters is indisputable. For instance, he wrote to Negan imploring him to change for the better and wrote to Rick to inspire him to show mercy to Negan and focus on building a safe environment for their family and friends. This alone warrants a mention or cameo in a Rick dream sequence or something similar, especially if Rick and Michonne’s other kids make appearances or are addressed by Michonne when she and Rick inevitably reunite.

The Ones Who Live Can Address A Walking Dead Family With An Unfinished Story

The Grimes family as it is now didn’t have the room to fully explore their story since Rick was taken to the CRM before RJ was born and when Judith was still very young. Michonne left when RJ was really young and very much still a more background character. While RJ didn’t end as a main character in the flagship show, his story feels incomplete because he hasn’t met his father yet.

Because The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live focuses on Rick and Michonne’s story and their reunion, by extension, it should address their children. Rick’s final episode followed him searching for his family as he slipped in and out of consciousness, and his first goal in the pilot episode was the same. Given that Michonne’s exit from The Walking Dead was so rushed with little thought put into who would take over raising RJ and Judith or when she would return, the Grimes family story seems incomplete. Thus, The Ones Who Live has the chance to tie up not only Rick and Michonne’s story but their story with their kids.

How The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live Can Be A Tribute To Carl

Despite RJ and Judith being without their parents for years and experiencing traumatic events in that time, the Grimes family story can explore the emotional significance of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live‘s release date to provide a better ending for Carl’s story. Carl’s death in The Walking Dead was brushed aside fairly quickly. Conversely, other losses were explored more deeply, like Madison’s reaction to finding out Nick and supposedly Alicia were dead in Fear The Walking Dead. Since Rick will be alone for some of his spinoff, his isolation may lead to emotional turmoil about being without his family, which could address his grief about Carl’s death.

In Carl’s final letter to Rick, he mentioned taking Judith on walks because she would remember it. If the spinoff includes a Grimes family reunion, this could happen, which would also be a nod to Carl and the hopes he left behind for his family. RJ and especially Judith are also a natural way to link back to Carl since Judith is the only Grimes family member who knew Carl that still lives in Alexandria. The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live can explore Carl’s impact on his family with release dates parallel and can help conclude the Grimes family story, as well as give Carl a more deserving tribute.