The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live Episode 1 Unveils CRM’s Global Power & Hints at Future Perils
Summary
– The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live reveals that the CRM is likely one of the most powerful militaries in the world, but there may be some competition.
– It is suggested that the CRM has connected with other countries, with the criminal organization Pouvoir in France being a possible ally.
– The existence of a greater threat beyond the CRM is hinted at, potentially setting up a future storyline for a Walking Dead crossover.
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live hints at how much the CRM knows about the world outside the United States in the zombie apocalypse. Although The Walking Dead: The World Beyond did much to flesh out the Civic Republic Military and its place in the franchise, much about it was left ambiguous. Several important questions remained, including the CRM’s reach and knowledge of what goes beyond the nation’s borders.
In just its first episode alone, Rick and Michonne’s spinoff takes several steps to expand on the complex history of the Civic Republic Military in the Walking Dead universe. The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live series premiere formally introduces their leader, Major General Beale, shows off their secret headquarters in Philadelphia, and elaborates on the events that started their rise. In establishing all these details, the spinoff also sheds light on where they stand compared to other world powers.
Rick’s Spinoff Hints The CRM Knows About Some Countries, But Not Others
During an exchange with Rick Grimes on a park bench in The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live episode 1, Major General Beale notably described the CRM as “what is likely the most powerful military on the planet.” While Beale’s statement excuses confidence about the CRM’s strength, it leaves some doubt as to whether it truly is the greatest force. Beale seems to know enough about global affairs to say that the CRM is among the planet’s strongest militaries, but perhaps not enough to outright prove its place at the top.
Beale stopping short of claiming the CRM is the most potent military implies one of two things about the CRM’s knowledge of other countries. One possibility is that the CRM is aware of other militaries that might rival it, but it isn’t sure how they stack up against Beale’s armies yet. Or, it could be a sign of gaps in Beale’s intel. That makes sense, as there may be corners of the post-apocalyptic world that the CRM generally knows nothing about at this point in The Walking Dead timeline.
What Countries The CRM Might Have Connections To In The Ones Who Live
Presumably, whatever efforts it made to grow in power and learn more about the outside world led to the CRM contacting other countries. Alliances may have even been formed, but that remains to be seen. As for who they could have relations with, the most plausible candidate would be Pouvoir, a villainous organization based in France. In The Walking Dead: The Daryl Dixon, Pouvoir functions as a militia that performs experiments on zombies and takes advantage of people they see as weak.
Pouvoir has so many parallels to the CRM that it wouldn’t be surprising if it turned out in Daryl Dixon season 2 or The Ones Who Live that they’re aligned in some way. They have similar motives, so a joint decision to share their research would be a feasible reveal later in The Walking Dead’s future, especially if a crossover is on the horizon.
The Walking Dead Sets Up A Bigger Threat Than The CRM
While Beale may think that the CRM isn’t outclassed by anyone, another character within the organization doesn’t appear to match his conviction. Okafor, the character who recruited Rick to bring “change” to the CRM, hinted at the existence of a greater threat. Most of Okafor’s worries were about the CRM’s faults, but his intention for the CRM to be reshaped from within so that they can “save the world” implies that there’s something out there that they need to “save” it from. That danger could come in the form of another military.
Heading in that direction would give the franchise an easy way to continue beyond the battle with the CRM. While it would be easy to assume that the CRM would be the villain of a Walking Dead crossover, that may not be the case if they’re defeated in a future season of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. The notion that a world power dwarfs the CRM gives the franchise an avenue to explore if the CRM is no longer a factor. This tease could be integral to the setup for a Walking Dead crossover.
