Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Lincoln, Gurira, and Gimple revealed they always intended for The Ones Who Live‘s ending to have Rick and Michonne reunite with their kids. They also explained why they didn’t have a tragic ending to the show, and why killing either of the main duo off would have been disappointing. Check out what Lincoln, Gurira, and Gimple had to say below:

Scott Gimple: To my recollection, that was the ending and we were working on the journey to that. But I have horrible working memory and I have two people that were there with me, so I want to get a confirmation on that. I truly believe that that was always the ending and we were moving towards it. I don’t think there was ever a world where either one of those characters didn’t stay on with the other. I might be wrong.

Danai Gurira: It definitely was that we were journeying towards that ending. There was definitely never an idea of like, “Oh, let’s let it be a tragic ending.” That was not on the table, I don’t think at any point. It was always like, how do we get them together? How do we bring Rick his happy ending, and Michonne her happy ending? That’s what I recall.

Andrew Lincoln: Yeah. I think it would’ve been a bit of a gut punch if we’d done six episodes, got everybody back, and then killed them both. I mean, that would’ve been a bit rude.

The Ones Who Live Gives Rick & Michonne A Fitting EndingImage via AMC

The final episode of The Ones Who Live wraps up its story, with Rick and Michonne stopping the CRM’s nefarious plans and going home, just like they said they would. In the final scene, Rick is reunited with his children, offering him a chance to keep protecting the people he loves after being away from them for so long. Michonne also now knows her family is safe, with their enemies destroyed and their home protected from any outside forces that could cause them harm.

A core reason their ending together is so fitting is because of how much time the two have been away from their family, especially Rick. While Michonne has been gone for around a year or two since her departure in season 10, Rick hasn’t seen Judith in at least seven years, making their return all the more emotional. Since The Ones Who Live is a love story, it makes sense for the last scene to reflect this by giving its characters a happy ending.

Due to just how definitive the last episode is, it’s unclear if Rick and Michonne would ever return for The Ones Who Live season 2. The duo’s return home makes it less likely their story will continue anytime soon, having earned a happy ending through all the hardship they’ve endured. However, with the show receiving so much critical praise and featuring two classic characters from the franchise, anything is possible. For now, though, the spinoff’s definitive final scene offers a happy ending.