Has everyone recovered from The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live? That series was intense! The latest chapter in the Walking Dead TV Universe gave us thrilling action, emotional drama, and plenty of savage violence. With so many standout scenes, it’s not easy to pick our favorites. But after much thought, we’ve come up with our top 5 moments from The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live…

Rick Cuts off His Hand

Episode 1, “Years”

The series began with Rick cutting off his own hand, quickly showing viewers that this series wasn’t playing around! The CRM doesn’t believe in letting their citizens (aka prisoners) escape, but Rick Grimes had other ideas. Rick volunteered for a mission, using it as an opportunity to make his getaway. Anticipating this, his CRM handlers put Rick on a leash, attaching it to his hand.

The CRM underestimated Rick’s love for his family, and his resolve to reunite with them at any cost. As soon as the handlers looked away, Rick used an axe to chop off his hand, freeing himself from the leash. Rick began to run, but blood loss and some walkers stopped him from getting away. The CRM were able to recapture him, preventing him from reaching Alexandria. While Rick’s plan didn’t work out, it was still an intense way to begin the series, showing us how far he’s willing to go to be with the ones he loves.

Michonne Throws Rick off a Helicopter

Episode 3, “Bye”

Breaking up is hard to do, but breaking up with Michonne is downright deadly. You don’t want to get on her bad side, as Rick quickly discovered. Rick feared the CRM would discover Michonne’s identity and kill her, so he tried to drive her away. He broke up with her, believing that if she had some distance from him, it would keep her off the CRM’s radar (and satisfy Jadis).

Rick seemed to forget that Michonne is nobody’s damsel in distress. She found a creative way to remind him. While Rick and Michonne were aboard a helicopter for a CRM mission, she wanted a private place to chat. So Michonne did what any rational person would do – she threw Rick and herself off the helicopter. I bet that got his attention, because it certainly got mine!

Showdown With Jadis

Episode 5, “Become”

Jadis was the biggest obstacle keeping Rick and Michonne apart, so it was supremely satisfying to witness her demise. Yet I couldn’t help but also feel heartbroken. Why does The Walking Dead make me feel sympathy for its villains?

After Rick and Michonne escaped the CRM, Jadis tracked the couple down (thanks to a trail of ramen). A tense standoff followed, but Jadis was so focused on Rick and Michonne she didn’t notice a group of walkers fast approaching her. Rick and Michonne were able to clear the walkers, but the damage was done. Jadis would not survive her injuries.

Throughout this episode, we saw flashbacks to Jadis’ meetings with Father Gabriel. These scenes reminded us that for all her evil actions, Jadis had hopes and dreams of her own. She was a tortured soul haunted by the mistakes of her past, and we couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. In her final moments, Jadis did the right thing, telling Rick and Michonne where her dossier on Alexandria was. This ensured they could destroy it before it was discovered by the CRM. Jadis asks Rick to shoot her before she turns into a walker, and in an act of compassion, Rick puts her down. Farewell, Jadis. You were a formidable foe.

Rick and Michonne Blow up the CRM

Episode 6, “The Last Time”

It was Rick and Michonne against an entire army. The army never stood a chance.

After escaping the CRM, Rick and Michonne decided to return in order to end the group’s threat once and for all. First, they killed General Beale and his soldiers. Then they attached a cache of explosives to a string, which led to Beale’s corpse. When Beale turned into a walker, Rick and Michonne let him roam.

Beale pulled the string, triggering a giant explosion. The CRM not only lost their army, but all their weapons as well. Rick and Michonne survived the explosion by ducking under a tarp, which was a pretty badass moment. That’s right, you can even put Rick and Michonne at ground zero of an explosion and they’ll do just fine.

Family Reunited

Episode 6, “The Last Time”

I loved all of this show’s explosions, battles, and CRM intrigue, but none of them compared to the final scene. After destroying the CRM, Rick and Michonne returned home to their children, reuniting their family at last. The way Judith enthusiastically ran up to Rick had my eyes watering. It’s been years since she’s seen her dad! Plus, Rick finally got to meet his son RJ. “You’re the brave man,” said RJ. “I am, but maybe you can call me dad,” Rick replied. My heart exploded with joy. Rick and Michonne went through so much to get to this moment, and now their family is back together. It isn’t often we see happy endings in The Walking Dead, but if anyone deserves one, it’s the Grimes.

Thanks for reliving The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live with me. The series was a special treat for longtime fans like us. I can’t wait to see what’s next in the Walking Dead universe, but for now let’s let Rick and Michonne enjoy their well-earned happy ending.