The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live – Bye review S1 E3

Rick and Michonne’s journey takes several interesting paths in Bye. With Jadis threatening everything he holds dear, Rick feels like he’s got no choice but to send Michonne away. After years of giving up hope only to have it rekindled before finally seeing Rick, Michonne is going to have to die before telling Rick bye…bye, bye.

The episode starts off with Jadis connecting with Rick early on at the city. They’ve got an impressive community much like the Commonwealth, Alexandria, etc. They do have $5 fries, which is admittedly a big selling point.

Jadis is quick to throw out the “I saved your life so you owe me” card out on Rick. Her transition from being a largely grunting, barely forming full sentencing to this cold Michael Ironside type character has been a choice.

Another flashback. This time from right after Okafor’s death. Thorne is grief-stricken at the loss of the man who believed in her and provided her with a new purpose. Rick doesn’t have time to grieve. He needs Thorne to get Michonne pass all the usual safeguards that would prevent a clear threat like her from being part of the community. Rick doesn’t offer any insight on his ties to Michonne but says she could be an asset much like how Okafor viewed Thorne and him.

Back at the current time period, Jadis is back at it with the threats. Now she’s promising to go after Alexandria if he and Michonne try and escape. And if she happens to get struck by lightning or some other unfortunate event, she’s got a file all set to out Rick and tell the CRM where to track down he and his community. Rick alone wasn’t a threat, but Jadis knows that together he and Michonne are unstoppable. That felt like a carefully constructed TV line even if TWD lore would suggest otherwise. Still, it was a pretty cool line.

And Rick did get a good one in talking about Jadis’ goofy haircut. So true, Rick. So true.

Michonne is doing her “mental journal” to Judith using their codes. Her big question is what happened to Rick to make him give up trying to escape. You might want to talk to Jadis. During her consignment duties, Michonne meets Cleo Clifton (Tessa Hope Slovis), a fellow newcomer who seems like she’ll have some significance later.

While she spoke glowingly of Okafor, a conversation with the Major General Beale has changed Thorne’s tune slightly. Maybe it’s got something to do with her new promotion as a Sgt. Major? One thing for sure. Beale isn’t sure if he can fully trust Rick.

And he’s absolutely right to be leery as Rick plots out an escape route for Michonne right down to a lake. Side note: swamp walkers stuck in the water make for a great visual. Michonne gets to the canoe he left but is shocked there’s no Rick. He left a Dear Michonne note explaining the only way she can get back to Judith is for him to stay. Rick is felling pretty good about this plan, telling Jadis it won’t be a problem as Michonne is gone. Clearly, the years away from her made him forget Michonne isn’t one to quit on her friends or family.

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Rick and Thorne see her at the wall ripping through walkers and impressing her fellow consignment crew. Michonne isn’t happy being ditched, but in her tour of the community finds the artist who did the drawings of Michonne, Carl and Judith for Rick. Without realizing it, the artist says the same message Nat told her – believe a little while longer.

Thorne (and Rick) take Michonne to Okafor’s secret meeting spot. After sizing her up, Thorne decides Michonne can join her CRM squad. As Michonne leaves, Thorne mentions she learned some things she’ll share with Rick later. Hopefully it’s not right after she’s starting to bleed out and is in his arms dying. The gist is she might not be so Team Okafor as she initially thought.

The CRM crew has to take out a horde of walkers using a bait explosive device. Thorne manages to get it stuck in the mud and decides to go after the walkers on her own. Michonne was ordered to stay behind, but she can’t let a perfectly good walker destroyer go to waste. She frees it and starts mowing walkers down, getting an assist from Rick in the process. In the explosive aftermath they sneak in a little make out session.

Granted, the fog, smoke and oh yeah, the remaining walkers probably obscured them kissing, but it certainly didn’t seem like the best time. Especially with Thorne already a little apprehensive about Michonne. Make that a lot apprehensive. Not liking the fact that the newbie disobeyed her orders, Thorne aims her gun at Michonne. Rick spots that and steps in the middle, blocking Thorne’s potential shot.

This is becoming an unwinnable situation for Rick. He loves Michonne and desperately wants to be with her, but he knows Jadis will make good on er threat. Plus, he knows he’s testing Thorne’s patience and is getting the evil eye from Beale too. Rick goes off on Michonne in hopes that he’ll make her so angry she’ll leave him and never want to see him again.

On the helicopter ride back to the main base, the turbulence is intense — perfectly mirroring the storm with Rick and Michonne right now. Michonne is “speaking” to Judith apologizing if she never sees her again. Then she grabs Rick and launches both of them out of the chopper and into the ocean below.

We’re reaching a point where Rick is gonna be like Mr. T and avoid helicopters at all costs. Nothing good has come about from getting into one in the entire franchise.

Bye was very solid episode. It felt like Rick is a little too resigned to his “fate” as it’s not like his crew has ever backed down a challenge before. This next episode should be telling in terms of how Michonne sells them actually fighting back.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Photo Credit: AMC