The significance of the dreams may go beyond the emotional meaning they hold for Rick Grimes. They could also tie into the ending the show has planned for Andrew Lincoln’s character. Based on his current motives, as well as those of Michonne since she left Alexandria, it’s easy to imagine The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live coming to an end with Rick and Michonne, having reunited at last, finding their way back to Alexandria and their children. However, if his dreams are any indication, the franchise may have another future in mind for Rick.

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live Opening Minutes (Clip)Rick Grimes’ Dream Sequences Set Him Up As A Future Civic Republic Leader

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The approach taken with Rick and Michonne’s scenes in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live episode 1 lays the groundwork for a massive change in the status quo for both the characters and the CRM. Oddly enough, the setting of the dreams looks to be Philadelphia, the secret city of the Civic Republic Military and their primary headquarters. The decision to set these dreams at the home of the CRM – as opposed to Alexandria – signals what may be Rick having a subconscious interest in settling down and building a future there.

His dreams of quiet meetings with Michonne on park benches hint that there’s a potential version of the CRM that Rick could be content with.

Rick hasn’t been shy about his dislike of his captors, but it’s possible that whether he wants to admit it or not, Rick sees potential in the CRM. His dreams of quiet meetings with Michonne on park benches hint that there’s a potential version of the CRM that Rick could be content with. Perhaps if they had better leadership not hindered by their strict avoidance of people “willing to die for what they believe in” the Civic Republic could be a force for good. Such a place could be what Rick is envisioning in his spinoff.

Okafor Is Already Grooming Rick To Take Over The CRM

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Rick acquiring the position of CRM leader and usurping Major General Beale in The Walking Dead would be a massive leap for the character and one that would be incredibly difficult to pull off, but not an impossible one. Okafor’s behind-the-scenes efforts to improve Rick’s standing in the CRM are evidence of that. Without him, it would be hard to imagine an outsider like Rick gaining enough power to take over the CRM, but Okafor is extremely influential in his own right and also a person who has placed a tremendous amount of faith in Rick. His support can take Rick far.

While Okafor may be dead, what he set into motion may be enough to kickstart Rick’s rise.

Okafor claimed that his goal is to get Rick in the “upper echelons” of the CRM, and by the end of episode 1, he’s already succeeded in obtaining some degree of authority for Rick. And while Okafor may be dead, what he set into motion may be enough to kickstart Rick’s rise. Not only that, but the time he’s spent with Rick, preparing him to hold “power,” could be crucial to his development as a CRM officer. Not only that, but since it was Okafor’s aim for Rick to bring “change” to the CRM by rising up the ranks, it could be that Rick or Thorne taking over the organization was his main priority from the beginning.

Why Michonne Disappears In Rick’s Final Dream

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Rick’s future with the CRM may force him to forget about her.

An ending where Rick takes over the CRM wouldn’t necessarily call for Michonne to be there at his side, and what ultimately happens in the dreams are a hint toward that possibility. Supporting the notion that Rick’s dreams are more about the CRM and less about Michonne is the final dream scene, which shows Michonne fading into a blaze of fire. The fact that the dream coincides with Rick moving on from his original goal to find Michonne is a sign that Rick’s future with the CRM may force him to forget about her.

Rick holds on to the idea that he’ll get back to Michonne until late in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live episode 1 when Rick finally comes around to Okafor’s plan. This, combined with the dream, signals that in spite of the emphasis on the strength of their relationship, Rick and Michonne being together doesn’t have to be the endgame of the series. If Rick completely embraces Okafor’s mindset, he may choose the world over his own wants when the time comes.