The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live has finally reunited Michonne and Rick Grimes. But in doing so, the series pulled a highly effective trick.
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live has been an exciting rollercoaster of important plot points and shocking scenes. From the moment Rick Grimes cut off his hand in the first episode, viewers knew this spin-off was willing to take risks and surpass the expectations set down by The Walking Dead original series. In most regards, the new addition to the franchise has impressed fans.
That’s not to say that this spin-off hasn’t made some of the same mistakes as others in the franchise, such as killing off supporting characters too soon after they are introduced. Despite repeating these questionable decisions, the show’s nuances and themes have added something unique to this wide world of the undead. Though fans thought they had a good idea of the overarching tone of The Ones Who Live, the first few episodes have further reiterated how complex this storyline is–and needs to be.
The Ones Who Live Was Supposed to Be a Love Story
The first episode of The Ones Who Live broke records, proving the show has what it takes to revolutionize the beloved horror TV show series. Before the premiere, it was advertised as an epic love story among all the gloom and sorrow surrounding The Walking Dead world. Fans were hopeful it would be the same fear and shock the series is known for but with an added level of love and heart-to-heart.
In that regard, The Ones Who Live hasn’t quite delivered yet. Though the show focuses on the relationship between Rick and Michonne, the first two episodes focus on how the two dealt with being apart and their desire to be together. The themes of these episodes were more about heartbreaking and yearning. The third complicated their love story by creating a tense scenario in which Michonne is fighting for love, and Rick is fighting for his family’s survival. So far, the spin-off doesn’t seem to be living up to the hype of an “epic love story,” leaving viewers waiting for the divided lovers to overcome the impossible and make everything right.
Rick and Michonne Have a Unique Past
To understand the complicated scenario in The Ones Who Live, audiences need to understand the timelines of Rick Grimes and Michonne Hawthorne. In the TV series, both of these characters go through a great deal of heartbreak before meeting and becoming a couple. Michonne is betrayed by her boyfriend, which results in the loss of her young son. Rick loses his wife in childbirth, leaving him to function as a leader while trying to be a role model for his two children.
This heartbreak could have been the downfall of anyone, but not the survivors that live in The Walking Dead world. As a team and partnership, Michonne and Rick have overcome various villains, unexpected tragedies, and unforeseeable devastation. The key to their success was working together to build a better community and life. After they are separated and kept apart, it’s understandable that they are able to survive, but not in the same capacity and mindset that they did together. The uniqueness of Michonne and Rick’s love story is how their characters function together as well as apart.
The Love in The Ones Who Live is Complicated
The climactic moment in The Ones Who Live is when Rick and Michonne finally reunite toward the end of Episode 2. Danai Gurira captured the hearts of Walking Dead fans when she said the line “I found you” repeatedly with all the astonishment and love Michonne had worked up to for nearly a decade. This emotional moment couldn’t be overshadowed, even when Rick declared Michonne had to bow to the CRM and condemn herself to the same imprisonment he had endured for so long.
But that is precisely why The Ones Who Live has such a complicated storyline. Rick and Michonne have been in dangerous situations throughout their years together, but no threat can compare to the monumental power of the Civic Republic Military. In this scenario, love is simply not enough. That is proved by various details in the spin-off, from Rick trying to send Michonne away to Michonne keeping their son a secret from him. Before the CRM, Rick and Michonne’s love was as unstoppable as their survival skills. This new villain has certainly humbled their gumption and perhaps even the confidence fans have in these long-running heroes.
What’s to Come in the Spin-Off?
The Walking Dead fans may feel a little cheated when it comes to the love story in The Ones Who Live. However, there’s no such thing as a perfect love story in a world rife with death, sadness, and danger. That’s proven at the end of The Ones Who Live, Episode 3, “Bye,” when Michonne pulls Rick out of a helicopter to have a chance to reason with him. The desperation in that decision perfectly emulates how intricate Rick and Michonne’s situation is while they’re trapped by the CRM and unable to get back to their family.
Given the circumstances, the show has done a good job of highlighting their love for one another. Considering that, the creators have developed a love story that is uniquely Michonne and Rick. If the two lovers had fallen into each other’s arms and run away, the plot would have been completely unrealistic and anticlimactic. In a franchise like The Walking Dead, a sweet romance wrapped in a neat bow isn’t going to fly with the audience. These two lovers aren’t getting in their own way, as is the case for many classic rom-com storylines. In their world, it truly is the villains like the CRM that have to be overcome before love can prevail.
For love to prevail, these two lovers need to work together like they had in the past. The Ones Who Live seems to be a culmination of everything Rick and Michonne have been through, both together and apart. Important questions are raised, such as: Is the CRM truly the antagonist that will take down iconic hero Rick Grimes? Though the odds are against them, these survivors have beaten the odds over and over again. With three episodes still left in the season and a renewal inevitable for this spin-off, The Ones Who Live still has a chance to be the epic love story promised, though in a uniquely Walking Dead fashion.