The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live – What We review S1 E4
What We was one of the strongest examples of a bottle episode in a long time. It solely focused on Rick and Michonne…with a few walker buddies in tow but allowed for some much-needed uninterrupted time for two former pillars of Alexandria.
After tossing them out of the helicopter, Michonne and Rick end up in Greenwood, a once fancy mini-city with inhabitants intent on changing the world. The apartments are of a higher quality than either are used to — with an AI welcoming them to an apartment as it adjusts the room temperature.
Cooling the atmosphere down might be a good thing. Both Rick and Michonne are heated up. Rick can’t believe Michonne tossed them out of the copter. Michonne can’t believe Rick isn’t constantly trying to think of escape routes and is talking about using her communication device to get brought back to the CRM.
In all of the chaos, Michonne hadn’t mentioned RJ, who is now almost 8. They do grow up fast, don’t they?
Danai Gurira wrote What We and by the end of it, I was wondering if she’ll tackle more. Or at least another season of The Ones Who Live. As the argument intensified, Michonne hit Rick with “the clap.” That’s when the conversation has reached another level and a woman is nearing her limit. That was a nice touch and added another touch of authenticity to Michonne.
Michonne tells Rick she doesn’t like who he is with the CRM and wants to know when they broke him. “Look at me. They won a long time ago.” Nice line. Rick is holding something back but keeps dodging Michonne’s probing questions.
Finally, Rick shares something — Jadis’ threat to destroy Alexandria if they leave. Michonne is nonplussed. They just need to find Jadis’ evidence, kill her and go home. It sounds simple enough to me too, Michonne.
Their back and forth continues on even as the storm mirroring their intensity breaks. With the weather clearer, they notice their helicopter crashed into an adjoining apartment tower. Clearly everyone would think Rick and Michonne also died in the crash, right? Rick still isn’t sold.
He breaks down his idea of trying to make the CRM a force for good instead of whatever Beale is doing with it. Rick is sounding appropriately like someone who has been traumatized to the point he’s happy to throw in with his captors.
Michonne still applies basic logic to him. “You’re trying to stay to maybe one day change the CRM who maybe one day will come after us.” There’s a lot of dots Rick wants to connect that don’t seem all that realistic.
After another refusal, Michonne says she’s out and walks out the apartment. Gurira and Andrew Lincoln have been responsible for some very powerfully acted scenes throughout The Walking Dead, but What We basically justified the point of this season. Two incredibly talented actors just bouncing off each other for an entire episode.
With an obvious internal struggle, Rick goes after Michonne just in time to see a CRM helicopter arrive to destroy the crashed copter. Can’t leave any evidence…for the slew of folks that are driving by? The explosion rocks the glass doors allowing an entryway for the walkers assembled at the front. It’s also left tremors that are slowly causing the complex foundation to crumble.
MORE:
- G.I. Joe Classified Series Retro Scarlett review
- McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse The Riddler review
- X-Men’97: Fire Made Flesh review S1 E3
- Invincible – It’s Not That Simple review S2 E6
Rick and Michonne clumsily battle through the walkers. Their teamwork isn’t what it once was, and Rick has gotten accustomed to fighting as part of a military-style unit. Michonne gets her leg trapped under a falling stairwell chandelier (the rent on this complex must have been crazy!) and Rick has to frantically try to free while they both fight off the approaching walkers.
The adrenaline rush gets them hyped up for more than killing walkers once they get into an apartment. Rick better be careful otherwise he’ll be a three-time deadbeat dad. In the afterglow, Rick asks about Michonne’s brand that she and Daryl got from Jocelyn. Michonne explained after she got that scar, she had to stop looking for Rick to take care of RJ. Ironically Rick is still carrying emotional scars.
When Rick gets back on his “I can save the CRM” kick, Michonne tells him the CRM cost her a year while she recovered in the mall. I appreciated Michonne mentioning Nat again. I really wish he’d gone back to Alexandria. He was such a great one-episode character.
“Our love? This? It doesn’t get denied.” Geesh, more episodes for Danai to write, please!
Rick explains the CRM took away Carl from him. He used to dream about Carl and then he was gone. Then he dreamed about Michonne. And then she was gone. Rick could go on being dead inside yet live knowing Michonne was out there. But if he were to actually know she was dead it would break him. Michonne has waited to pull her trump card now that Rick fully opened up — it’s a cell phone drawing of Carl. “What would Carl say?”
That’s the final string to pluck. Rick is back to being Rick again. They get new clothes from the closet — Rick ditching the CRM gear felt like a well-earned moment — and the comm device is on the ground in pieces. This time they clear the hallway in unison. They find a car and drive off together as the building collapses behind them. Nice symbolism. The CRM only destroys. Michonne and Rick are survivors.
Maybe even those who live. What We put Rick and Michonne in an extended time out so Rick can release his trauma and put one of TWD’s most effective duos back on the same page again in a fantastic episode.
Rating: 10 out of 10
Photo Credit: AMC