‘The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live’ Review – The Undead Classic Is Alive Once More

Is The Walking Dead, well, dead? Some would argue that it is (and has been), but regardless, it definitely isn’t going anywhere. On top of 11 seasons in the original show, which lasted more than a decade and ended just over a year ago, there are now three, about to be four, spin-offs, all of which continue to receive development and attention. The eldest of which (Fear the Walking Dead) now has eight seasons, nearing the already unbelievable precedent set by the one that started it all. The fourth, now just over a week away, has former and longtime fans alike in a chorus of anticipatory cheers. Rick and Michonne are back in The Ones Who Live, and fans will be thrilled to find that they haven’t missed a beat. No matter how you felt prior, The Ones Who Live is a reminder that The Walking Dead is alive.

From the jump, this one is hard to deny. We open the first episode with a grisly reintroduction to Rick Grimes; Andrew Lincoln hits the ground running in his long-awaited return, gritting his teeth out of the gate in a sequence that’ll likely be an instant classic for diehard fans. It isn’t a particularly long scene, but it represents everything that made Rick, and the series as a whole, so popular in the first place. It’d be a shame to spoil the specifics, but thankfully, there really isn’t a need; you’ll know it when you see it.

The rest of the opening episode is a non-linear clinic in episodic storytelling. We’re caught up on the timeline and given a defined, entirely new scenario, as well as plenty to worry about, as always. The Ones Who Live shares a spirit with the best that anything in the series has had to offer. The overwhelming feeling of unlikely triumph and success through the underdog archetype lies at the bedrock of this show, just as it did in The Walking Dead. It’s part of what makes it so legendarily nail-biting. That, and some gnarly special effects and, rest easy, they’re here too.

Though few and far between in the first trio of episodes, displays of the series’ trademark zombie violence are well placed and consistently, and appropriately, vile. There are uses of CGI supplanting effects on occasion (though considering the series’ mammoth budget, it works), but filmmakers behind the scenes make room for nostalgic blasts of undead gore. It may not be as striking and constant as the original series in this way, but the show stands strong here still.

All of this is fantastic, but the series really hits the zombie on the head for good when Michonne shows up; she seals the deal, in that this is a big win for the franchise. Danai Gurira has, for so long, made such a special stamp on the series. Her emotionally charged performance as the sword-wielding heroine stood alone as a uniquely powerful presence; she’s a long-standing fan favorite for a reason. Much like Lincoln’s Grimes, Gurira’s Michonne picks up right where she left off. She just does a killer job.

What comes as a result of the Rick/Michonne (Lincoln/Gurira) perspective is everything that came about in the same way in The Walking Dead, all of which defined a positive throughline for fans, even amidst the series’ biggest droughts and controversies. The Ones Who Live is all bite, no talk. It capitalizes on every ounce of potential that the original series may have missed with these characters, delivering on the hypothetical promise of undead perfection without bothering to pay any sort of dues. You’re just thrown in; if you can survive the whiplash and hang on tight, you’ll have an incredible time.

That pace may not work for everyone, and it may be the only notable struggle that the first half of this opening season suffers. Not that it doesn’t ever slow down, but there are new characters, new circumstances (for old characters), and a whole new world, in a way. You may have to slide captions on to ensure that you don’t miss a beat, but it’ll be worth it, especially for fans.

With three more episodes and plenty more drama ahead, The Ones Who Live is on pace to score the strongest opening season of any one of these spin-offs yet. It does pretty much everything you could ask for in a new show, whilst retaining the edgy sensibilities of the mega-hit main series. It’s good franchise content, good TV, and, most importantly, more “Richonne.” Win, win, win.

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live premieres on Sunday, February 25, 2024, on AMC and AMC+. 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSiSA-D207o]