Fear the Walking Dead: Why Morgan Returned to King County and How It Completes His Arc (2024)

Actor Lennie James surprised fans when he announced that Season 8 of Fear the Walking Dead will be the last they'd see of Morgan Jones. On top of the fact that Morgan was returning to his roots in King County, the idea that Morgan was at the end of his story was inevitable.

Characters who are at the end of their days -- whether in regard to death or exiting a television show -- almost always take a trip to the past. It's a time to reflect on their journey through all their mistakes and achievements. Rick Grimes did this on his last episode of The Walking Dead when he hallucinated Shane Walsh (the best friend that he killed) and Hershel Greene, his mentor that kept Rick from treading down a dark path. Even Alicia Clark, whose fate remains inconclusive, memorialized her childhood and her mother on her last episode of Fear the Walking Dead. Morgan isn't leaving anytime soon, but his time in King County does count down his final days on the series.

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King County has nostalgic roots in The Walking Dead universe. There, Morgan and his son Duane rescued Rick Grimes after he woke up from a coma in the zombie apocalypse. The father-son duo parted ways from Rick in the pilot episode, but Morgan's time there remained crucial for his development. It was later revealed in The Walking Dead Season 3, Episode 12, "Clear," that Duane was killed by Morgan's zombified wife, Jenny. The guilt ate Morgan alive, as he couldn't bring himself to kill Jenny before in her undead state. He blamed himself for his son's death for years, leading him to kill everything in his path and destroy any humanity left within him.

In Fear the Walking Dead Season 8, Episode 4, "King County," Morgan returns to the Georgia county to not only put his undead son to rest, but to forgive himself. He's been living with this burden for years, and it's hindered on Morgan's relationship with both Grace and Mo. Opening up to them about his wife and daughter is the reassurance he needs to move forward with a new family, without forgetting about his first one. Putting down his undead son -- whom he had locked away in the attic in a hallucinatory state years ago -- to save Mo is the action he needed to take to fully accept Mo as his daughter.

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Why Morgan Jones Doesn't Need to Reunite With Rick Grimes

Being the first person who taught Rick Grimes the way of the apocalypse, it's reasonable for those to want Morgan and Rick to reunite in the future. They have a shared history that is untouched. But in reality, a reunion isn't necessary. Their story ended when Morgan left Alexandria after the Savior War, and Rick fully accepting his decision. The two hadn't always seen eye to eye on their philosophies on the flagship series. Rick allowing Morgan to leave was their way of forgiving each other for their past feuds.

"King County" sees Morgan using Rick's rifle to kill Duane in order to save Mo, which is enough of a tribute to honor Rick's impact on Morgan's life. He's carrying out what Rick intended Morgan to do with his gift, which is to protect his child from any harm that comes their way. Meeting Rick in the flesh again after all these years unfortunately wouldn't carry the same vivaciousness; Morgan has already accepted his son's death with Rick spiritually guiding him. Otherwise, it would only be a redundant fan service that would do an injustice to Morgan's growth in King County.

New episodes of Fear the Walking Dead air every Sunday at 9:00 PM ET on AMC and premiere early on Thursdays on AMC+.