The Alien, a Walking Dead spinoff comic released in 2016, starred Jeffrey Grimes, younger sibling of Rick, in a Barcelona-set short story. Jeffrey had been traveling shortly prior to The Walking Dead‘s zombie outbreak, and was desperately hoping to get back to his family in the US before tragedy struck. Jeffrey never made an appearance in the main comic series, and AMC’s TV adaptation hasn’t even mentioned the character, but with Daryl confirmed to explore Spain after Daryl Dixon season 2, the chance to introduce another member of the Grimes family looks too good to ignore.
Daryl Dixon Season 3’s Synopsis Allows Rick & His Brother To Reunite
Jeffrey Needs Daryl & Carol To Get Back Home
Daryl Dixon season 3’s synopsis confirms Daryl and Carol venture from France to Spain as part of their ongoing efforts to get back home. Previously, the reason for their trip was unclear – especially after Daryl chose to remain in France with Laurent and Isabella after Daryl Dixon season 1’s ending. Nevertheless, season 3’s synopsis explicitly states that the upcoming Spanish excursion is just a temporary stop on Daryl’s long and winding road to Alexandria, and that makes the potential introduction of Jeffrey Grimes even more intriguing.
If Daryl was visiting Spain just to recruit allies against Genet’s Pouvoir Du Vivant group and then planned to immediately return to France, for instance, Jeffrey’s potential role in the spinoff would have been very short-lived. Since the younger Grimes brother would be looking to reach the United States, and Daryl would be committed to his new French family, Jeffrey would be heading in the exact opposite direction to the spinoff’s main protagonist.
Because Daryl and Carol are confirmed to be seeking passage back to American shores in Daryl Dixon season 3, however, it would be perfectly natural for Jeffrey to hitch a ride with his sibling’s friends. When Daryl Dixon finally does bring the action back around to Alexandria, Rick and Jeffrey can then have their joyous reunion scene.
It Doesn’t Matter That The Walking Dead Has Never Mentioned Rick’s Brother
Family Has Always Been A Tricky Topic In The Walking Dead
The fact that Jeffrey Grimes’ name has never once been uttered in The Walking Dead poses no obstacle to his potential appearance in Daryl Dixon season 3. For one thing, there are plenty of believable reasons Rick might avoid mentioning Jeffrey in conversation with his post-apocalypse pals. Perhaps the brothers were estranged before the apocalypse, or maybe Rick, without any means of contacting Europe, simply assumed Jeffrey had died thanks to his terrible survival skills.
It should be noted that The Walking Dead‘s characters rarely mention extended family as a general rule. Beyond important figures like onscreen relatives (Daryl’s brother Merle, for example) and any children the characters might’ve had, few survivors make a habit of discussing parents, uncles and aunts, siblings, and other family members from before the outbreak. As such, it wouldn’t be unusual for Rick Grimes to have a brother overseas that he never mentioned, meaning Daryl Dixon season 3 is free to include Jeffrey Grimes without carving out a glaring inconsistency.
The Real Problem With Daryl Dixon Season 3 Debuting Jeffrey Grimes In Live-Action
Will Viewers Care About A Reunion They Never Knew Was Possible?
There are plenty of advantages to Daryl Dixon bringing Jeffrey Grimes into the franchise. Any connection back to Rick, the show’s main character, is always a big deal, and the spinoff would be adapting a tantalizingly untouched chapter of Robert Kirkman’s source material. Regardless, one major drawback could nix the storyline completely.
If, during his nine seasons on The Walking Dead , Rick had frequently mentioned Jeffrey and expressed a desire to learn his brother’s fate, the reunion would feel well-earned.
While Rick never mentioning his brother in The Walking Dead before isn’t a problem in so far as creating a plot hole, it does leave audiences with very little reason to care about their relationship. Rick’s reunion with Michonne in The Ones Who Live was the culmination of a narrative dating back to Andrew Lincoln’s exit from The Walking Dead in season 9. When Rick and Daryl eventually see each other again, that scene will have a similarly seismic impact because those characters have developed a strong bond over the span of 14 years.
Daryl Dixon telling viewers that Rick and Jeffrey haven’t seen each other for over 14 years and are very happy to be reunited isn’t really enough. Ultimately, it will just be Rick Grimes hugging a character who, until very recently, didn’t exist, which does little in terms of tugging the heartstrings. If, during his nine seasons on The Walking Dead, Rick had frequently mentioned Jeffrey and expressed a desire to learn his brother’s fate, the reunion would feel well-earned. Without that connection, the in-universe joy Rick and Jeffrey feel when clapping eyes on each other won’t translate to the audience.
