Creators Andrew Lincoln, Danai Gurira, and Scott M. Gimple take us on set for that last scene.
But the final scene ofThe Walking Dead: The Ones Who Lives season (andperhaps series?)
finale did something else entirely.
Andrew Lincoln on ‘The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live’.Gene Page/AMC
The finale began withAndrew Lincolns RickandDanai Guriras Michonneon a mission to take down the CRM from the inside.
And that they did.
What was it like filming that big reunion?
Andrew Lincoln, Danai Gurira, Cailey Fleming, and Anthony Azor on ‘The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live’.Gene Page/AMC
And why did pretty much everyone not named Rick or Michonne die along the way?
We spoke to the three executive producers to get the inside story behind the finale and that final scene.
(Also ensure to read our article on what they had to sayabout a possible season 2.)
Danai Gurira as Michonne on ‘The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live’.Gene Page/AMC
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Tell me about deciding on this family reunion as the final scene.
How did you decide that’s where you were going to end this story?
I truly believe that that was always the ending and we were moving towards it.
Terry O’Quinn and Andrew Lincoln on ‘The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live’.Gene Page/AMC
I might be wrong.
DANAI GURIRA:It definitely was that we were journeying towards that ending.
That was not on the table, I don’t think at any point.
Danai Gurira as Michonne on ‘The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live’.Gene Page/AMC
It was always like, how do we get them together?
How do we bring Rick his happy ending, and Michonne her happy ending?
That’s what I recall.
Andrew Lincoln and Cailey Fleming on ‘The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live’.Gene Page/AMC
ANDREW LINCOLN:Yeah.
I mean, that would’ve been a bit rude.
Well, you guys pretty much killed everyone else.
LINCOLN: That is true.
Was that by design, to up the body count?
LINCOLN: I think we sort of backed ourselves into a corner, really.
I think the whole gas idea, we just relied on Scott to work out.
Further, the deaths of those characters individually affected Rick and Michelle so deeply.
So those deaths, they were not for shock value or body count.
It was a little bit more aspiring to Joseph Campbell stuff.
LINCOLN: But you also did want an army of the dead.
GIMPLE: As far as the army, the gas was very much about that.
That’s just a wound I will eternally carry about our finale, so just putting that out there.
It has stood the test of time.
That’s her belief system, and it’s proven itself to her.
Thorne is a casualty, a fatality of the system.
Consequently, it results also in Thorne’s demise and Michonne’s getting back to her love.
So yeah, it’s a crux of the whole ideology that is pairing that shown through.
I guess maybe Esteban is still out there somewhere, but that’s about it.
GIMPLE: I mean, the title isThe Ones Who Live.
LINCOLN: We should have just saidWe’re the Only Ones Who Live.
LINCOLN: I loved it.
As you know, he’s one of the sweetest, coolest dudes I’ve ever met.
We bonded onJoni Mitchell,randomly.
He’s got the most beautiful singing voice, and he plays the guitar.
Then you have a couple of anecdotes in between sets, and off he goes again.
He allowed me to bruise his skin terribly with a fake sword, which I felt really sad about.
He had really bad bruising the next day, and I felt terrible.
He’s a maniac and I love him to bits.
He sort of threaded the needle of all of those so perfectly.
It’s also a dark part of these characters.
It’s also a crazy part of these characters.
They do insane things, but nine times out of 10, it’s on behalf of others.
That is something that both characters individually have always had in common.
Then you put them together and they’re insane on a grand scale, which they were this episode.
What are you going to do?"
But they both had the exact same answer, because they have the same soul.
I want to get back to the final scene.
Take me on set for that day.
GURIRA: It was a very awesome day.
It was also intense.
I was very happy for both characters, interestingly, and I thought it was very special.
There was something awesome about seeing both Cailey and Anthony.
Anthony, he’s a lovely young man.
For the character of R.J., this guy’s been looming around like this absent father.
And as an actor, hes never met him.
Anthony was really fascinated by him, and was joking on him and giving him a hard time.
There was just a really great rapport they had, which was kind of poetic.
Cailey’s always fantastic and just right on the money and she’s always so incredible to be around.
So it was a really great day.
LINCOLN: Yeah, It was wonderful.
Then I see how accomplished an actress she is.
She was just, as Danai said, every single take, so grounded, so moving.
But it was a lovely day after quite an exhausting shoot.
It was towards the end.
But we were so deeply involved almost right away in some degree of post-production.
Andy’s like, “What’s the big deal?”
I mean, they were necessary, but they could have been done another day.
GIMPLE: Andy was being moved from one intense scene to the other intense scene to the other.
It was emotional ping pong.
LINCOLN: Yeah, that’s right.
They said, “We want seven tears onto the camera lens now.”
GURIRA: I was literally smoking cigars.
It was really funny.
LINCOLN: You were smoking cigars and having drinks.
GURIRA: Eating pizza and champagne.
I felt bad for him.
I was having a blast.
GIMPLE: I was picketing in New York, so a wild array of experiences.
LINCOLN: It was a wild ride.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
