Sunday's 'The Walking Dead' surprises with a huge reveal and fans are losing it

July 21, 2024

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Warning: There are major spoilers ahead for AMC's "The Walking Dead."

Sunday’s episode of "The Walking Dead" showed the return of a familiar face fans never thought they’d see again.

As Rick and Daryl brutally fought their way through one of the Saviors' safe houses, Rick was brought to a standstill when he caught sight of a photo of a couple.

When a gun is put to his head, Rick recognizes the man holding it immediately as Morales. You remember him, right? He and his family were with Rick, Carol, Carl, and Daryl back at a campsite in Atlanta on season one.

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Here he is from season one:

Morales and his wife on season one. AMC

Longtime fans of the show lost it.

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If you didn’t recognize Morales, here's a quick refresher on what you need to know about the character's big return.

As Rick mentioned, Morales and his family were with the original group of survivors outside of Atlanta on season one. When Rick and company decided to head to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for answers, Morales told the group he and his family were going to head their own way.

Morales breaks the news to the group that he and his family will be parting ways with Rick and the other survivors. AMC

When we last saw Morales, his wife, and two children, they were heading off to Birmingham, Alabama to be with family. Morales said he needed to do what was best for them as Rick was doing for his own family.

It's not known yet whether or not Morales ever arrived in Birmingham or how he arrived in Virginia with the Saviors. We don't even know Morales' first name. The character only went by his last name on the show's first season. Those are two things we'll have to wait to see if we'll find out next Sunday.

Fans have been wondering for a while if we'd ever see Morales and his family again. The past few seasons people thought there was a chance we may see him again, especially since Morgan, another season one character, returned years later after being off screen for so long.

Juan Gabriel Pareja, who plays Morales, told INSIDER Monday there were actually "casual conversations" about potentially bringing him back years ago when Glen Mazzara was a showrunner during seasons two and three.

Current showrunner Scott M. Gimple appeared on "The Walking Dead" aftershow to explain why they brought back the character after seven seasons.

"Rick isn't the guy he used to be," said Gimple on "Talking Dead." "To face the past like that is a huge thing for Rick. This whole season is, you know we talked about that 100th episode last week, but this whole season the past keeps coming up in one way or another and Morales is evidence of that."

Morales' reentry onto the show right now is pivotal at a time where it's easy not to have compassion for any of the characters fighting for Negan. With the exceptions of maybe Dwight and Eugene, many of Negan's followers come off as cold and heartless. It's tough to connect with any of them when they appear to be shells of characters introduced briefly only to be taken out seconds or minutes later.

But fans know Morales was a good family man at the show's start with values which aligned with Rick's. Has he changed?

A lot has changed. The last time Morales and Rick were together Rick handed him a gun and half a case of bullets to send him on his way. AMC

Or better yet, has Rick?

Rick's core allies — Morgan and Tara — were relentless in taking out Saviors Sunday night. It was a bit scary how much they felt like the hardened group of survivors. Had it not been for Jesus and some of the other members of the Hilltop, they would have slaughtered everyone without a second thought.

Morales' reintroduction could help hold a mirror to Rick, Carol, Daryl, and Carl to show that their current way of taking out the Saviors may not be the perfect answer to Negan.

We already saw Rick questioning himself when he looked into a mirror near the episode's end after murdering countless Saviors and spotting a baby in a crib. Who is the man he is becoming, or has become, and is this the better world he's truly fighting for?

"The Walking Dead" airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on AMC.

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