The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live — Why doesn’t Rick kill Jadis?

In The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live Episode 3, it might seem like Rick is skipping out on an easy solution to the Jadis problem, but there’s something in the way — here’s why Rick doesn’t kill Jadis.

In the latest episode of The Walking Dead spinoff, Jadis forms a large part of Rick’s conflict. Stalking him around the CRM base and threatening those he loves is just another day for her. Jadis is just one of a handful of familiar characters who have shown up in The Ones Who Live, but of all of them, she’s the biggest threat.

In The Walking Dead, Jadis is a villain who grows slowly but surely. Her unwavering and unhealthy alliance to the CRM and their plan to rebuild society makes her a problem. Kidnapping people and sending them to the CRM was her mission in the original series, and in the new spinoff, The Ones Who Live, she rises in the ranks – much to Rick’s dismay.

Still, fans have wondered why Rick doesn’t just kill Jadis and eliminate the threat. But there’s a good reason for his hesitancy, and we’ve got everything you need to know below. Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Ones Who Live Episode 3!

Why doesn’t Rick kill Jadis in The Ones Who Live Episode 3?

Rick can’t kill Jadis in The Ones Who Live because she’s already formed a contingency plan for that exact scenario, creating documents that outline Rick and Michonne’s secret, to be found in case she’s murdered by Rick.

In many ways, yes, it would be much easier if Rick just killed Jadis and ran off with Michonne. But Jadis has already accounted for that, because she isn’t stupid. When talking to Rick in Episode 3, Jadis reveals that she’s hidden documents which would reveal his big secret surrounding Michonne among her personal possessions.

AMC

“In the event of my untimely demise, I just put a little file among my possessions telling them everything they need to know about you and all the people that you love,” she informs him.

This means that, if she’s killed, the CRM would eventually find it and go looking for Rick.

She also knows the location of Rick’s group and his family, and makes a point of reminding him of this fact. Clearly, Jadis isn’t above killing innocent people. Rick knows that any wrong move he makes would result in the death of Michonne, Judith, and everyone else he loves.

All this means that any murder or attempt at escape would be futile. And anyway, the idea of running away seems to terrify Rick now. He tries to get Michonne to leave without him, knowing that he would have to stay behind to throw the CRM off the scent. But, ultimately, she won’t leave without him.

The two eventually make an escape at the end of Episode 3, with Michonne grabbing Rick and throwing them both out of a moving helicopter amid a violent storm. Whether they made it out unscathed is something we’ll find out in Episode 4. Either way, with Jadis still alive and unwilling to let Rick go, it’s very likely she’ll be on their tail.

For more on The Walking Dead, check out our other guides:

How to watch The Walking Dead in order | How to watch Tales of the Walking Dead | Is The Walking Dead over? | What caused The Walking Dead virus?