The Walking Dead season 11 has made saving Rick Grimes the only way Daryl’s spinoff can work. AMC has already confirmed its intentions to give Daryl (Norman Reedus) his own Walking Dead spinoff. Previously intended to include Melissa McBride’s Carol, his new show is expected to launch sometime after the main series concluded its 11-season run.

The Walking Dead is expected to end the stories of several of its main characters, but at least three will have their journeys continued in other projects. In addition to AMC’s Daryl spinoff, there’s also a plan in place for Negan and Maggie to take the spotlight in Isle of the Dead. All of this has created the assumption that by the time The Walking Dead season 11 part 3 wraps up, the series will have given the three characters reasons to part ways with the rest of the cast and leave Alexandria, presumably for good. For now, it’s not clear what their new goals will be after The Walking Dead ends.

What the show is currently doing with Daryl greatly limits the possible explanations it can give for his character leaving Alexandria. In The Walking Dead season 11 part 2, it was revealed that Daryl is the one who’s been taking care of Judith and RJ since Michonne left. Since he’s basically acting as a father to both children in the absence of their parents, Daryl can’t just ride away from Alexandria on his motorcycle like they talked about in season 10. He now has important responsibilities that he can’t easily walk away from. Plus, it would be out of character for Daryl to repeat Michonne’s problematic exit and abandon the children. He knows Michonne’s absence has hurt them and he’d only make things worse if he left too. That’s why Daryl’s departure can only be justified by a mission to save Rick.

At this point, finding Rick has to be the premise of Daryl’s spinoff in order for him to be properly motivated to leave Alexandria. If Daryl finds out that Rick is still alive (and somehow gets at least a rough idea of where to look), he could go look for him. And perhaps to avoid the children experiencing abandonment by a parent for the second time, Daryl could take the children with him on his journey, with the character promising that they’ll all find Rick – and possibly Michonne – together.

The Walking Dead season 11 could very well be building toward this particular scenario. Based on how things are going and how long the show is dragging out its Rick Grimes reveal, it could be that the plan is for Daryl’s next goal to center on saving Rick. Judith knows that Rick is still alive, but has thus far avoided telling Daryl. A shot in the promo for The Walking Dead season 11 part 3 shows Daryl holding Rick’s gun, which could be a tease of the moment where Daryl uncovers the truth. When he does, that may be the setup the show needs for Daryl’s story to kick off.