‘The Walking Dead’: Lennie James Opens Up About [Spoiler]’s Death

The Walking Dead midseason finale may have brought Morgan and Rick closer together in a heartbreaking way according to Morgan Jones actor Lennie James.

Spoilers for The Walking Dead Episode 8×08, How It’s Gotta Be, follow.

The zombie apocalypse is in the process of claiming its next victim, as Carl Grimes has revealed himself to have been bitten by a walker. Unfortunately, there is no cutting this bite off in an effort to save Rick’s son’s life and none of the cast members are acting as if there is a happy ending possible for Carl — reminiscent for Morgan Jones of how his own son Duane was taken from him.

The loss of Carl will put Rick Grimes in a similar place as Morgan Jones. Now, both Atlanta men have not only lost their wives, but will have seen their sons die, as well. Lennie James opened up about how the devastating common losses will effect Rick and Morgan’s relationship going forward in an exclusive interview with ComicBook.com.

It really does [effect the relationship between Rick and Morgan] and actually the way that the writers and storytellers on this one kind of handled it, has been really kind of clever because it has manifested in actions not necessarily words,” James said. “It’s kind of manifested in what the two men do for each other how they stand side by side, how they stand back to back and it’s is almost so deep…”

Of course, Rick and Morgan started the apocalypse together. Morgan is the man who introduced Rick to this new world which belongs to the dead, which has helped create their unbreakable bond. Now, their bond grows stronger for unfortunate reasons as their differences become fewer.

“Morgan and Rick have kind of been mirroring each other all the way through their journey they were at the beginning two men defined by their families and defined by their women that they married and their children they had,” James said. “That has been their main focus of survival throughout this kind of apocalypse and now they are, they are both breast of two of the main things that identified who they were and what they built their lives upon and each point when a major thing happen to each of them that it is no coincidence that they happen to come across each other or they touch base or they bump back into each other.”

Still, James promises the writers don’t have Rick and Morgan sitting down for a pity party. Instead, their new dynamic may be seen through unspoken touches during interactions and scenes together in the back half of The Walking Dead‘s eighth season. After that, though, James’ Morgan packs up and heads to Fear the Walking Dead.

The departures of James and Riggs from The Walking Dead is not anything Rick actor Andrew Lincoln is particularly excited about.

“Lennie said it to me the other day,” Lincoln told ComicBook.com. “He said, ‘Now there’s only one person.’” The Walking Dead‘s call sheets are numbered in order of appearance. With Riggs leaving and James not far behind him, Lincoln is the only cast member remaining in the top ten. “Lennie I think is nine on call sheet,” Lincoln went on. “Chandler is, I think, two or three on the call sheet. Now, there’s only me left in the top 10. I think Norman, Melissa, and Danai and LC, they’re all in the twenties. So, it is a kind of profound… This job is, as I’ve said before, glorious, wouldn’t trade it for the world, but there is a stinger. There’s the fact that, I seem to be the guy left on the pier waving people away. That’s hard, particularly when it’s someone, like Morgan and Rick’s relationship is beautiful in this story. It began with that man saving Rick’s life, continued in saving his back, then they’re almost like Gemini twins. They share the same history, common history, in finding each other, losing a wife, and now, losing his son.”

“All of the back eight is this terrible death,” Lincoln concludes. “This emotion is unending throughout the whole cast and, I think, it’s palpable. The cost of this battle is much more full because of what happened.”

The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9 pm ET on AMC. For complete coverage and insider info all season long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter.