Over the course of nine seasons, Rick Grimes developed many characteristics that made him one of the most popular characters on TV, but The Walking Dead shockingly removed one of his defining traits. The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live has presented the CRM as The Walking Dead‘s most powerful group yet, and Rick’s time with them has changed him significantly. After Jadis took Rick to the CRM, he has been desperately trying to escape to no avail. With around nine years passing since the bridge incident, Rick’s personality has slowly changed due to the CRM’s influence.

Despite the Civic Republic offering Rick his own place, food, and everything else he needs to survive the apocalypse, the protagonist feels like a prisoner. He was taken away from his family and isn’t allowed to leave, with Rick even cutting his own hand off to try and escape. This has taken a mental toll on him, which the spinoff showed in episode 4. Rick’s overall attitude towards Michonne is cold in the episode, but one line highlights just how much he has changed, with one of his defining traits seemingly gone in The Ones Who Live.

Rick’s Reaction To Learning About RJ Is Shocking

Rick Was Seemingly Uninterested In Learning About His Son

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Bloody Rick Grimes holding a gun on The Walking Dead

When Michonne finally tells Rick about RJ, his reaction is a huge surprise. Before episode 4, Rick and Michonne had few opportunities to talk privately, leaving a lot to catch up on. Despite the opportunity arising, Michonne doesn’t tell Rick about their son in The Ones Who Live episode 2 and chooses to wait for a better time. When Michonne finally tells him about RJ, Rick doesn’t seem overly interested in finding out more. Michonne mentions they have children as opposed to just a daughter, but Rick shows little enthusiasm.

Knowing how much he would sacrifice for his children makes his dismissive attitude about finding out he has a son truly shocking.

He immediately tries to direct the conversation back to the CRM and why escaping is a bad idea, which stuns Michonne. One of Rick’s biggest traits throughout his Walking Dead tenure is being a good father. He has often fought to keep his children safe and even honored his son’s dying wish to end the war with Negan. Knowing how much he would sacrifice for his children makes his dismissive attitude about finding out he has a son truly shocking. It may seem out of character, but in reality, it shows just how much the CRM has changed him.

The CRM Broke Rick More Than Any Other Walking Dead Villain

Rick Seems Like A Different Man After Facing The CRM

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The CRM guards look on in Fear the Walking Dead Andrew Lincoln and his beard as Rick Grimes in The Walking DeadRick Walking Dead Spinoff Reveals What CRM Knows About other Countries The CRM The CRM The CRM guards look on in Fear the Walking Dead
 Andrew Lincoln and his beard as Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead

With Rick’s attitude towards his son being so unexpected, it proves that the CRM have broken him more than any other villain. Many Walking Dead villains have tried to take down Rick, but none have been as mentally intimidating as the CRM. Negan and the Saviors managed to win the mental warfare for a while by killing two of Rick’s closest allies and threatening his son. It is arguably the lowest Rick has been in the series until his time in the Civic Republic. Despite his limited screen time, Major General Beale has proven to be a truly menacing threat.

Rick’s emotional confession at the end of the episode indicates just how the CRM broke him.

His ruthless leadership over the CRM is disguised by a seemingly friendly and laid-back attitude, and Rick saluting him shows the villain even has Rick’s cooperation. It seems that Rick is even more afraid of Beale and the CRM than he was of the Saviors, highlighting just how much power they have. Given how desperate Rick was to leave in the flashback sequences, he would have jumped at the chance to leave with Michonne and meet his son had it not been for the CRM. Rick’s emotional confession at the end of the episode indicates just how the CRM broke him.

The Real Reason Rick Didn’t Want To Know About RJ In The Ones Who Live

The Trauma Rick Has Faced Has Made Him Detach From The People He Loves

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The real reason Rick didn’t want to know about RJ in The Ones Who Live comes down to his way of survival in the CRM. After finally opening up to Michonne, Rick reveals that he felt like he’d already died but had learned to live by believing his family was happy and healthy. So long as Michonne and Judith were fine, Rick could keep going. He explained how he couldn’t envision Carl in his dreams anymore, which suggested that detaching himself from his loved ones acted as a defense mechanism, allowing him to repress his true feelings.

Accepting that he wasn’t going to see his loved ones, but believing they were still alive, was Rick’s best survival method. Michonne’s return and RJ’s reveal only push Rick further away, as he feels he has to stay in the CRM to keep Michonne and his family safe. By joining the CRM, Michonne puts herself at risk, which leaves her children without protection and gives Rick a dilemma. RJ acts as a reminder that Rick can’t truly save his family and is also perhaps the reason he eventually tries to escape with Michonne in The Ones Who Live.