The much anticipated The Walking Dead spinoff The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live debuted last week and featured an incredible reunion between franchise mainstays Michonne (Danai Gurira) and Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), whose departure from the main series was a huge loss both emotionally and creatively.
The first episode of The Ones Who Lives effectively brought viewers up to date on Rick’s activities since the bridge disaster in Season 9. The second episode of the spinoff, “Gone,” puts Michonne front and center as we delve further into the supporting cast that she encountered while looking for Rick.
A huge loss both creatively and emotionally, Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira), two franchise mainstays, made an amazing comeback in the highly anticipated The Walking Dead spinoff The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, which debuted last week.
The Ones Who Lives’ premiere episode successfully updated fans on Rick’s actions following the bridge catastrophe in Season 9. In the second installment of the spinoff “Gone,” Michonne takes center stage as we learn more about the supporting cast she came across in her search for Rick.
Recap
Michonne reappeared at the end of last week’s episode, sporting the enigmatic Samurai garb we first saw in the Walking Dead series finale. The question of how in the world she obtained the armor is likewise addressed rather swiftly. It’s not the Gap, either.
Six years have passed since the bridge explosion (perhaps around the time Michonne left the show in Season 10 to look for Rick), according to the title card, and we are once more getting to know a new town. This group’s rule states that they will not hesitate to help any member who unexpectedly finds themselves in a difficult situation.
This rule goes against the very essence of what a community is. We discover via exposition that Bailey and Aiden, the man and woman Michonne rescued, are residents of this settlement, and that Elle, Aiden’s sister, is in charge.
When it comes to joining the gang, Gurira’s Michonne is very “thanks, but no thanks,” and she truly wants to keep her journey to Bridger’s Shipyard in New Jersey going.
However, Michonne is persuaded to accompany them instead of heading north and being entangled in “the migration,” an odd occurrence involving a bunch of walkers, well, migrating during this time. Michonne somehow doesn’t feel like the highlight of her own show.
She appears to be vying for screen time with these new supporting characters rather than not being present in the episode enough. In The Ones Who Live, Nat, Bailey, and Aiden prove to be crucial to Michonne’s story, but a significant portion of the conversation is devoted to learning more about the backgrounds of these three relatively new characters.
They are a generally upbeat group despite their situation, and they manage to reveal a cheerful side of Michonne that we don’t frequently get to witness. The episode actually has them joking around by a campfire while it slows down and takes its time.
Though it does make their conclusion all the more tragic, it’s kind of strange how Michonne’s personal issues so easily persuade them to leave their community and follow her in search of Rick.
A CRM helicopter drops chlorine bombs, drying up everyone’s throats and lungs, putting an end to their plans, and providing these individuals with a much-needed reality check. This rapidly deflates the upbeat vibe these characters were carrying.