The CRM Hint You Missed In The Walking Dead
The Civic Republic Military (CRM) has played a critical role in all three Walking Dead series so far (The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead, and The Walking Dead: World Beyond). The CRM is a shadowy paramilitary organization that's created highly authoritarian cities across the post-apocalyptic United States. While they seem to be playing a central role in the Walking Dead mythology, there's still so much we don't know about this group.
For fans, the CRM is mostly known as the organization that abducted Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), resulting in his departure from the main series. Fortunately, we haven't seen the last of Rick, as he's set to appear in a slew of Walking Dead movies set to be released by AMC. Until those films come out, we're left to guess what the CRM's true intentions are.
As of right now, it seems as though the creative talents behind the scenes of the franchise are happy to go along with the slow burn approach. After all, the CRM first appeared on The Walking Dead during season 8 and has only made a handful of appearances in the main series since then. However, the group's presence on the show could be felt back in season 7. One viewer managed to capture the Easter egg, hinting at the greater threat lurking in this world.
The rings' formation foreshadows the coming of the CRM
During season 7 of The Walking Dead, Sherry (Christine Evangelista) departs Alexandria, hoping to start a new life with Dwight (Austin Amelio). One of the few things she brings with her is a cigarette box containing their wedding bands. There's a moment during this sequence where Dwight takes the bands out of the box, and they fall into his hand in a similar formation to the CRM logo. Redditor u/stayhomewalker posted a screencap of the moment, proving that the rings bear an unmistakable resemblance to what we see later in the series when the CRM appears.
The logo appears everywhere the CRM goes, particularly on their helicopters. It's a symbol of the three civilizations that make up the CRM, which continue to be a mystery to fans. It's important to note that the scene doesn't necessarily suggest Sherry and Dwight have any affiliation with the CRM — the rings just randomly fall into Dwight's hand in that pattern. Still, it seems like a fun little nod referencing what was about to descend upon The Walking Dead fans.
It may be a while before fans learn the truth of the CRM and what really happened to Rick. For the time being, you can tide yourself over with showrunner Scott Gimple's exclusive Looper interview, in which he discusses how the CRM will factor into World Beyond and the future Walking Dead movies.