On this episode of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, Michonne and Rick have to face a bigger danger than the CRM or walkers. They need to face the truth about their life, their marriage, and their future.
What We
Danai Gurira not only starred in this episode, but she was also the showrunner. What we got with this entire episode was Michonne’s dealing with the truth about Rick and his trauma. Except for the walkers and the lone helicopter, this story was all about Michonne (Danai Gurira) trying to save her marriage. It was sad, it was infuriating, but most of all, it was about love…and let’s be real here for a moment: Rick was not following the bouncing ball. He was still trying to return to CRM Headquarters and every excuse that he used…Michonne shot down.
I don’t know why I’d assumed that Rick knew about RJ (Anthony Azor), but apparently, he did not; even after Michonne explains that Rick has a son, Rick is still trying to get back to Philadelphia. Even when Michonne tells Rick that she doesn’t know if Judith (Cailey Fleming) was okay because Judith hadn’t been answering the walkie…Rick still has one finger on that walkie button to call for a ride home. At this point, my daughter came into the room to find out why I was dropping so many “F” words.
The very fact that they survived that jump from the helicopter and found their way to a high rise that still had a working Romba and temperature-controlled living quarters was one hell of a lucky draw. The building was high tech, but high tech is no match for an apocalypse. Thanks to that lone helicopter, the building they were in was in danger of collapsing on itself. And that is when Michonne drew the line in the sand.
Conclusion with Spoilers
Trauma: is when we experience very stressful, frightening and distressing events that are not only difficult to cope with but are out of our control. Michonne wanted to get back to her children. You all know how I feel about her leaving them in the first place, right? She walks out of that room…waits to see if he will follow…nothing. The feeling of despair that hit me at that moment was like a ton of bricks. WTF, Rick? But then, he finally does the right thing and goes after her.
It is through their lovemaking that Rick finally opens to Michonne. He tells Michonne about his dreams of Carl, how he lost his hand, and his fear that Jadis will wipe out his friends and family if he doesn’t return. Michonne finally looks past Rick’s stubbornness to see the trauma he can’t escape from.
Michonne gives Rick a gift. A phone with Carl’s image, and they escape together in a hybrid stick shift car with Tony Orlando’s ‘Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree’ playing on the radio…and for now…all is right in the universe.
