Tales of the Walking Dead’s ‘Davon’ episode alludes to one of Rick Grimes’ most famous moments in The Walking Dead – and totally proves him wrong.

Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes was always the heart and soul of The Walking Dead franchise. That’s why fans were so upset that he was “killed off” in Season 9. At least Rick came back for the Walking Dead finale, and Lincoln will soon star in a spinoff alongside fellow TWD actor Danai Gurira as Rick and Michonne continue their characters’ epic love story. But Rick’s influence has remained constant and even extended into other series.

Even while Rick was gone, TWD continued to reference his legacy. Judith and RJ Grimes still wore his hat and Daryl used his classic Colt revolver in Season 11. Jadis dropped an obvious Rick reference in the second season of The Walking Dead: World Beyond. Then Tales of the WalkingDead got on the action, alluding to one of Rick’s best-known scenes… but not to memorialize him. Instead, the spinoff proved that Rick was wrong.

What Happened to Tales of the Walking Dead’s Davon?

Tales of the Walking Dead received mixed reviews as the anthology tried to expand the Walking Dead universe. Season 1, Episode 1, “Evie/Joe” gave zombies a new name while Season 1, Episode 2, “Blair/Gina” provided a look into walkers’ minds. Season 1, Episode 3, “Dee” dished up another serving of Alpha’s backstory and Season 1, Episode 4, “Amy/Dr. Everett” may have set up a future villain. But Season 1, Episode 5, “Davon” was different from all of those.

After nearly losing a leg, Davon woke up in a foreign town, but had no idea how he got there. More importantly, he had no idea why the townspeople were accusing him of murder. As his memory started to come back, he pieced together what had happened. His caretaker had been killing children and he stumbled upon the evidence. As she explained to him that sometimes “murder is mercy,” they fought and the woman died when acid fell on her face. That’s when her son — the true mastermind — arrived, hit Davon on the head and framed him for their crimes.

Like The Walking Dead‘s Alpha and Lori Grimes, the murderers in “Davon” believed that some people weren’t capable of making it in the apocalypse. They decided to “save” them from a horrible life by killing them. Aside from being disturbing, this philosophy totally contradicted one of Rick Grimes’ most famous speeches.

Tales of the Walking Dead Subtly Called Back to a Heartbreaking TWD Scene

In The Walking Dead Season 4, Episode 8, “Too Far Gone,” the Governor attacked Rick’s prison. Trying to save everyone’s lives, Rick said this: “Everyone who’s alive right now, everyone who’s made it this far — we’ve all done the worst kinds of things just to stay alive, but we can still come back. We’re not too far gone. We get to come back. I know we all can change.” Unfortunately, that speech didn’t work because seconds later, the Governor brutally decapitated Hershel — proving that Rick was wrong about at least one person.

The events of “Davon” were one more instance of disproving Rick’s belief in humanity. Throughout the episode, there was a theme that everyone had to choose who they would be — and everyone repeatedly made the wrong choices. The town’s twisted sense of justice proved that some people in the Walking Dead universe are, in fact, too far gone.