Will Rick Die on The Walking Dead Finale?
6 Reasons Rick Could — And Should — Die on The Walking Dead
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This is the first official image of the season eight premiere. Viewers don't realize this at the time because the camera remains tight on Rick's tear-stained eyes — and of course, the expectation is that the story would start with the present rather than a flash forward, which becomes clear by the middle of the episode. What we don't learn until later is the full context of the image. That information doesn't surface until episode nine, as Rick kneels beside his dying son in the sewers of Alexandria. At that time, we experience the full version of Rick beaten and bloodied under the tree and realize that everything that unfolds throughout the season leads to this moment.
The worrisome aspect of this image comes from its positioning at the beginning, middle, and (presumably) end of the season. Imagery repeated in this pattern is a "framing device," often used in literature as the companion element to a story-within-a-story. The introductory narrative sets the stage for a larger, more nuanced storyline. What does that mean for our hero? To paraphrase one of my favorite movie quotes, "Ricky, you in danger girl."