There was a six-year time jump this season on The Walking Dead and a lot of  “Scars” left behind. All of it involving Michonne (Danai Gurira) and Daryl (Norman Reedus).  So what happened after Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) disappeared?

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After the bridge blew up, Daryl and Michonne looked up and down the river bank for any sign of Rick.  they don’t find anything, but continue to search.  Michonne doesn’t let pregnancy stop her from looking, but she’s getting close to delivering.  Daryl went as far as the ocean and found nothing, but he won’t give up.   Besides, he may be the only one looking soon. 

Present

Michonne cleans Rick’s gun and puts in a box with Judith’s (Cailey Fleming) name on it.  She sees Aaron (Ross Marquand) approaching her house and walks outside.  Daryl, Connie (Lauren Ridloff), Henry (Matt Linz), and Lydia (Cassady McClincy) have arrived, but no one will let them in.  Michonne allows them to enter, only because she trust Daryl.  Siddiq (Avi Nash) stitches up Henry’s leg as Daryl tells Michonne that they are leaving for the Kingdom as soon as he’s done.  He knows the danger they are in and doesn’t want that danger to find Alexandria.  Michonne sent Aaron and Scott (Kendrick Green) out to make sure they weren’t followed, just in case. 

Henry and Lydia look at his stitches when Michonne asks to speak to Lydia alone.  Before he leaves, he thanks Michonne for allowing Alexandra to attend the fair. Michonne sits with Lydia and tells her that she has done some terrible things to keep Alexandria save. She’s not proud of some of those things and tries to forget, but it’s what she had to do.  She has made her peace with it all.  

Michonne says things would have been easier if she only had to risk her own life.  If she could just walk away and take the risk with her; if leaving would make everyone else safe, then it wouldn’t be so hard.  She tells Lydia to think about that before leaving. 

Daryl visits with Judith about why he’s leaving.  Judith wants to help, but Daryl says it’s best that she stays in Alexandria.  He says Michonne is right, but Judith disagrees. She’s heard the stories about the war with the Saviors. Judith believes they can do it again.  Daryl says she hasn’t heard all of the stories of what they’ve done to keep this place safe.  Judith asks what her dad would do. They both know he would help. 

Six Years Ago

Rosita (Christian Serratos) and Scott return to Alexandria with a group of kids and a woman. The woman recognizes Michonne and is happy to see her. Michonne smiles at her friend named Jocelyn (Rutina Wesley).   Jocelyn is hurt and Siddiq patches her up, but Jocelyn tries to leave.  Michonne catches her and tries to calm her down, asking Jocelyn what she needs.  Jocelyn says she needs help.

Michonne leads a group of Alexandrians with one of the girls from Jocelyn’s group.  They go to an abandoned building and find more kids.  They bring the kids back to the community and set them up in a house of their own.  Michonne really likes them there, wishing Rick could see their community now.

Welcome to the Alexandria Safe Zone

Danai Gurira as Michonne – The Walking Dead _ Season 9, Episode 14 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

Michonne talks to Jocelyn about raising so many kids. Jocelyn says the other adults in the group were too broken to continue on. She taught these kids to hunt and take care of themselves.  She says they take care of her.  

Jocelyn changes the subject to Michonne, saying she knows she has a look of determination on her face.  Michonne told her about Rick.  She’s afraid she will never find him though.  Jocelyn says it’s okay if she doesn’t, but she knows if Michonne doesn’t try, she will never forgive herself.  Michonne needs to know what happened to him; not only for herself but for Judith and her baby as well. Jocelyn says if Michonne can find her after fifteen years, she can find anybody.

After some time has passed, Michonne and some of the other parents let their kids stay the night with Jocelyn’s kids.  When they go to retrieve the kids the next morning, all of the kids are gone. They frantically run around the community looking for any sign of the kids.  Scott notices that the pantry door is open so he investigates.  He calls out to Michonne because he finds a dead man inside the empty pantry.  Another parent runs up and says the infirmary has been raided. Michonne sees a trail of tiny bloody feet leading to a manhole.  Jocely and her kids took Judith and the other Alexandrian kids, raided the pantry and infirmary, and left in the middle of the night. 

The Trouble with Kids

Present: Aaron and Michonne walk Daryl and his group to the Alexandrian gates.  Aaron comments that Daryl does make a great father. And he got to skip the exploding diapers phase.  Daryl hugs Michonne and sees Judith in the distance. Michonne says Judith is mad at her, so Daryl suggests that she tell Judith about what happened.  Michonne says she’s not ready. She wants Judith to be a kid a little while longer. Daryl says Judith is more than a kid.  He calls for Dog and his group leaves Alexandria for the Kingdom.  

Michonne has dinner with RJ and Judith, but Judith doesn’t eat. She tells her mom that she had a snack earlier and just wants to go to her room.  Michonne excuses her, but can’t sleep later that night because of Judith. Michonne gets out of bed and goes to Judith’s room to talk.  When Michonne opens the door, Judith is gone. 

Michonne visits Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), demanding to know what they talk about. Negan says they talk about a lot of things, including stories about Rick, Carl, and the war.  He even told her the terrible things he did because she asked.  He says he always tells Judith the truth. 

Judith confided in Negan that she doesn’t like that Michonne won’t let new people in.  He says it’s not the world Carl (Chandler Riggs) wanted. That triggers Michonne and she yells at Negan saying he doesn’t know anything about her daughter.  He figures out that Judith is gone and says she’s just like her mom. She won’t let things lie. That scares Michonne and she runs home. She looks inside the gun box and the gun is gone.  Judith left a note though. She said she was sorry, but they have to help their friends. Judith is going to the fair. 

Scars

Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon – The Walking Dead _ Season 9, Episode 14 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

Flashback: A very pregnant Michonne and Daryl search the woods for any sign of the kids. Daryl makes Michonne take a break.  Michonne is upset with herself, saying it’s all her fault.  She let her guard down around someone who was supposed to be a friend.  She should have sensed the danger. Daryl says its not her fault.  Some people are so evil that they have to wear a mask around other people. They will find the kids.

They find an abandoned schoolhouse and Michonne sees one of Jocelyn’s kids. He pulls a knife out but runs away from her.  Michonne follows him inside the school.  Daryl sees them and enters the school close behind. He finds Michonne in the hall facing a group of kids.  The oldest boy tells them to drop their weapons.  A little girl shoots Daryl in the shoulder with an arrow and Michonne surrenders her weapon.  A boy walks up and hits Michonne on the head.

When Michonne wakes up, she is tied to a pipe hanging from the ceiling. Daryl is standing in front of her, trying to loosen up his ropes.  Jocelyn tells Michonne that she taught the kids to be how they are because they can’t be soft. A boy approaches Daryl with a branding iron and brands the X on Daryl’s back.  Jocelyn sits in the corner and watches, offering encouragement when needed.  A little girl takes the branding iron, but she’s scared. Jocelyn instructs her to control her fear. The girl takes a deep breath and brands the X on Michonne. 

Forcing Her Hand

Daryl finally gets out of his ropes and knocks out the guard.  He unties Michonne and she suggests they split up to find the kids.   While Daryl ties up the guard, Michonne runs into a room where Jocelyn and a few of the children are securing their building.  Michonne only wants her kids, but Jocelyn says Michonne lives in the past.  Judith is better off with them.  Jocelyn instructs one of the kids to get the Alexandrian kids and hide them.  The others are instructed to kill Michonne.  They mark their kill then kill their mark. 

Two of the kids stand against Michonne; one of them has her katana. She pleads with them not to make her hurt them, but they attack anyway.  Michonne is able to knock the katana out of the girl’s hand, but a boy slices her stomach.  Michonne goes full Mama Bear, scaring the kids away. She picks up the katana and runs after them. 

The other kids lead Judith (Chloe Garcia-Frizzi) and the others into a camper in the back.  Michonne follows the older kids, but Jocelyn is waiting with a 2X4 and hits Michonne in the back over and over. Jocelyn says she didn’t know it would be Michonne and she’s sorry.  Michonne fights back, stabbing Jocelyn in the leg, making her fall to the ground.  Michonne then stabs her in the heart, killing her.   

Whatever It Takes

Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon – The Walking Dead _ Season 9, Episode 14 – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC

The older children surround Michonne. She tells them that they can stay in Alexandria and be safe.  The older kid tells a little girl to kill the Alexandrian children. He runs at Michonne and she throws him to the ground. A boy lunges a knife at her. She holds him back, begging him not to make her hurt him. Another kid rushes at her and she swings her sword.  One by one, Michonne kills the kids who attack her, crying while she does it.  She catches up to the little girl at the camper and begs her not to hurt her kids.  The little girl gets scared and runs away.    

Michonne calls for Judith as Daryl finally catches up with her.  Judith steps out of the camper and doesn’t recognize Michonne at first. She takes a second to look at her then runs toward Michonne, calling her Mommy.  Daryl and Michonne round up the Alexandrian kids and head home. When they get there, everyone surrounds the injured Michonne, wondering what happened. Others hugged their kids and took them home. 

Out of the Mouth of Babes

In the present, Michonne goes looking for Judith. She finds a large group of walkers and calls out for Judith. the group turns on Michonne and she goes on a killing spree.  She finds Judith killing the same large group.  Judith thinks she has finished off her small pile of walkers when she sees Michonne behind her.  One of the walkers is still alive and grabs Judith. Judith screams out for her Mommy and Michonne runs to kill the walker.  

Judith walks away with a cut on her arm.  As Michonne cleans it, she tells Judith about Jocelyn and her kids.  Judith remembers everything.  So why doesn’t she understand why Michonne is so protective? Judith says their friends need their help.  It’s that easy. Loving someone means you will do whatever it takes to keep them safe. She asks when they stopped loving their friends.  Michonne says they didn’t, but Judith says that’s how it feels.

Protecting Those We Love

They return to Alexandria and stand in front of Carl’s grave.  Michonne says after they buried Carl, she vowed to never bury another child.  Then Rick disappeared and she was lost.  Then Judith was lost and she was more scared than she’s ever been. Others in the community were scared too.  The community decided at that time to focus on the protection of the people who lived there.  That wasn’t Carl or Rick’s vision, but it kept RJ and Judith safe.  And that’s all Michonne wanted. Michonne says Judith is right. They have to protect the people they love. All of the people that they love.

Judith and Michonne leave Alexandria and catch up with Daryl and his group.  They offer them a ride to the Kingdom. Meanwhile, another carriage arrives at the Kingdom and two Whisperers watch from the woods.  They must tell Alpha.

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Thoughts

Every now and then The Walking Dead gives us an episode that really makes us think how far would you go to save those you love.  This situation could happen in real life.  The villain was a person, someone Michonne grew up with and she thought was a friend.  So even those we think we know well can turn out to be the villains of our story. Does that mean we shut out the world to protect ourselves?  Maybe for a little while. But eventually, we have to start letting people in.  We can be cautious without being completely shut off from the world.

I totally understand why Michonne runs her security the way she does.  And I would have backed her 100% if I lived in Alexandria. The way others have been treating Michonne this season has been bothering me.  Now I know why she did what she did.  It’s justified in my book. But she and Daryl never told anyone.  Would they agree with what she did?  Or with they cast her out, seeing her as a threat?  She saved their kids, and at the same time risking her own life and the life of her unborn baby.  Should Michonne tell the others?  And does this have anything to do with her fractured relationship with the Hilltop?  

So many more questions, but only two more episodes.  Get ready for more heart-racing drama. This season will not end well. 

 

 

 

 

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