The Walking Dead: Why Rick Grimes Has To Die

2. There Isn't Time To Write An Open-Ended Exit

While the writers have had a good few months to prepare for Rick's exit, the opening few episodes of Season 9 don't suggest they have a big plan in place for his departure, at least not in an open-ended sense.

For Rick to simply decide to leave, there needs to be a major explanation for his decision: of why he's going, where he's going, what he plans on doing, if he'd ever return, why he's leaving Michonne, Judith, et al, and many more. And yet, there are only two episodes left.

This isn't some random character, this isn't Heath, it's Rick Grimes. He IS the show. He can't simply wander off into the ether; any exit needs to be properly defined, and while an open-ended one could potentially work in some capacity, two episodes - especially when he's so committed to the communities and Michonne - just isn't enough time to do it.

In The Walking Dead, a death can come out of nowhere, and you can still give most of an episode over to him dying (which is then why you'd have the likes of Jon Bernthal and the late Scott Wilson returning).