The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live’s main villain summed up Rick Grimes’ entire Walking Dead story with a single line. The franchise has been going since 2010, with Rick Grimes being the central character for the majority of the time. Throughout his journey in the apocalypse, he has faced many challenges and undergone several character arcs, yet his latest foe nailed his entire history with one line. The Ones Who Live has been repeating aspects of Rick’s Walking Dead stories over the years, making the franchise’s latest villain feel all the more unique as he understands Rick’s influence.
Major General Beale is The Walking Dead’s latest antagonist, and he seems to be well aware of how threatening Rick can be to the CRM. Beale’s understanding of the protagonist makes him even more menacing as, despite feeling Rick could be a problem, he allows him to be part of the consignee program and even lets him join the CRM. Given Beale could easily kill him, the villain’s analysis of Rick becomes all the more interesting as he may have intentions unclear to Rick or the audience, which makes Beale’s pharmakon comment add to his sense of wisdom and intimidation.
Major General Beale Knows Exactly What Rick Is In The Ones Who Live
Beale Is Aware Of How Influential Rick Grimes Can Become
Major General Beale’s comment about Rick proves he knows exactly what the protagonist is in The Ones Who Live. As Beale talks with Rick and Thorne, he states, “I keep thinking pharmakon, an Ancient Greek meaning both poison and the cure.” This single line perfectly sums up Rick’s story in The Walking Dead. He has a history of joining and disrupting new communities, changing how they work and operate, before fixing them. Rick’s survivalist skills have forced him to change while simultaneously influencing those around him. This sometimes causes conflict, but ultimately ends with his new community seeing significant improvement.
With Beale pointing this out, it confirms he can read Rick’s personality perfectly. Despite Jadis claiming he was a B, Rick has never tried to hide his true personality from the CRM, with Beale obviously recognizing how influential he can be. The fact that Rick cut off his own hand in The Ones Who Live proves he is willing to take drastic measures for what he believes in. Beale acknowledges this, indicating that the CRM leader knows Rick threatens his operation, but can also see the protagonist’s value, which is why he is still on the fence about trusting him.
Rick’s Full History Of “Curing” Communities In The Walking Dead Explained
Rick Grimes Has A History Of Fixing & Taking Over Communities
Throughout The Walking Dead, Rick has cured many communities. When he is reunited with his wife and son at the start of the apocalypse, Rick joins them and a small group of survivors. His former friend Shane led the group, but Rick soon took over, helping them find a safer location. His group end up at Hershel’s farm, which he also assumes some leadership over. Alongside Hershel, Rick helps try and keep his group alive, eventually having to find somewhere even more fortified. The prison proves to be a great spot, but also contains some unwelcoming inmates.
Rick tries to make peace with them and ends up killing those who prove problematic while welcoming those who want to live in harmony. He helps make the prison a great home, even growing crops as they build a stable community. However, The Governor destroys this, and in turn, scatters the group. Once they reunite, Alexandria is the next location Rick cures. Alexandria isn’t problematic, but it still has a few bad people, and the community isn’t equipped to deal with the outside world. Rick proves to be The Walking Dead’s best leader by changing the community’s culture.
Once again, he gets rid of the survivors who are causing problems or forces them to change, and despite being seen as hostile for some time, Rick successfully wins over Alexandria. He then branches out and makes alliances with the Hilltop and the Kingdom, communities that he and his people help improve. Finally, he helps cure the Saviors who he was initially at war with. After defeating the Saviors, Rick offers them the chance to stay with his people in various locations, giving them a chance at redemption, which ends the war and cures a relatively poisonous group.
Why Doesn’t Beale Just Kill Rick Grimes?!
Major General Beale Could Easily Kill Rick If He Wanted To
Although Beale isn’t aware of Rick’s history, he clearly knows what Rick is, which makes it seem like killing him would be the easier option. If he wanted to, Beale could kill Rick easily yet chooses not to, suggesting he has ulterior motives. Okafor vouched for Rick before his death, but even after he’s gone, Beale keeps Rick around despite not fully trusting him. It is possible that he believes Rick could be a valuable part of his system and have a similar role to Okafor, but there may also be another surprising reason that Beale keeps him alive.
Rick seems destined to take over the CRM in The Ones Who Live and perhaps Beale is counting on it. Despite his villainous nature, Beale does want to find a cure and rebuild the world. However, he has done unspeakable things and caused countless deaths as CRM leader. Perhaps Beale knows that Rick is the cure to his poisonous system and wants Rick to be his successor. Once he has finished his dirty work, Beale may want Rick to take his place and fix the CRM, allowing the world to be rebuilt, even if he doesn’t live to see it.