This 'Walking Dead' Theory About Judith Is So Heartbreaking

Towards the end of "The Damned" on The Walking Dead, Rick discovered that the Savior he'd just killed had been guarding something very precious: a baby girl fast asleep in her crib, whose named appeared to be Gracie based on the surrounding decorations. Rick seemed too overwhelmed with shock to figure out his next step before reinforcements arrived, but he can't just leave the kid there. He will have to do something. And this Walking Dead theory about Judith comes up with a tragic solution. But wait — what does Judith have to do with Gracie? Let's unpack just how connected these two girls could be.

After the discovery of Gracie, some very perceptive fans noticed a telling detail. There was a stuffed rabbit tucked in a corner of the crib that looked a lot like the stubbed rabbit Judith had been holding in the Episode 1 flash forward to Old Man Rick. Thus a theory was born: fans began to speculate that Judith will die at some point in the current timeline (hence the flashes of sobbing Rick by the graves in the premiere) and Rick will go on to raise Gracie as his own. Therefore, the little girl in the flash forward wasn't Judith at all; she was Gracie grown up. It's a compelling, heartbreaking theory, but what are the chances that it's true?

When the little girl in the flash forward ran to greet Old Man Rick, she called him daddy but he did not refer to her by name. That could be an indication, at least, that the show wants viewers to question her real identity. However, Reddit user KleenexBandit pointed out that the credits did list the girl as "Six Year-Old Judith," making it clear who she was and how many years in the future the time jump was. There's really no reason to lie in the credits (the show could have just as easily listed her as "Six Year-Old Girl"), so the theory may be kaput before it even began.

A video on YouTube by Make A Path Presents described some of the more circumstantial evidence for the theory. The song playing over the flash forwards was "Another One Rides The Bus" by Weird Al Yankovic, which is significant in two ways. The first is that it was a parody of "Another One Bites The Dust" by Queen, which could be a hint that one of the characters in the scene may die. The second is that there was once a scene in Season 5 where a group of characters rode a bus together and they all went on to lose someone or something because of Negan. So perhaps it's a clue about the waterfall effect of Negan: he causes Rick to lose his daughter, just as Rick caused Gracie to lose her father, inspiring Rick to put an end to the constant violence.

That last one is a stretch, but the rabbit still seems like it may be important. It's a little too distinct looking to be a prop that was simple reused in two scenes, especially since the scenes happened so close together. It doesn't necessarily mean Judith will die, though. Rick could end up taking the rabbit back with him for Judith, though it would be a jerk move to kill a kid's dad and then take her toys. He could take in Gracie and she could end up sharing the rabbit with Judith, as sisters do.

Viewers also still don't know if the flash forwards are real or imagined, making it harder to rely on them for the truth. If they're just a dream, then maybe the toy in the little girl's hand is just a manifestation of Rick's guilt over killing Gracie's dad. There are many possibilities that could explain the reappearance of the stuffed rabbit, but not much definite information to prop up the theories. Fans will have to keep their eyes open for more proof.

Watch Romper's new video series, Romper's Doula Diaries:

Check out the entire Romper's Doula Diaries series and other videos on Facebook and the Bustle app across Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV.