The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live
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Rick and Michonnes love, and democracy of all things, prevailed.
First of all, this final episode started out by retconning my own interpretation ofthe penultimate episode.
(Steven Soderbergh, kindly take notes for theOceans Elevenprequel.
Weve been missing out on heist hanky-panky all these years, and Im not interested in going back.)
That was so smart of them.
I dont know why I assumed theyd be impulsive.
The next thing we see is Rick and Michonne saying good-bye after landing Jadiss helicopter at the Cascadia Base.
The objective is clear: Ricks going to get top-secret information from General Beale before the military summit.
Michonne is going to destroy the dossier Jadis/Anne used to blackmail them.
Rick checks in with Thorne on base and tells her that Dana, a.k.a.
Michonne, died saving his life.
She leads him to General Beale to be briefed.
Before they begin, Beale shares his bleak philosophy that theyre all basically dead, just like the walkers.
Why would this episode remind us ofthat??
People talking in rooms has never beenTWDs style, which makes the Beale and Rick scene stand out immediately.
In fact, theyre planning on destroying Portland later that day.
Beale next plans to place Philadelphia under martial law.
There was a miniscule chance that the Echelon Briefing would convert Rick to the CRMs cause.
Okafor warned him not to be seduced by it: Swear on the sword … dont let it take.
We all sawDune: Part Two,right?
Thankfully, Rick Grimes is not Paul Atreides.
Hes a community enthusiast and wont stand for genocide.
After hearing all of this, Rick wont even stand for Beale.
How do I say this elegantly?
Were not dead, Rick growls.
With that, he stabs Beale through the heart with his own sword.
Im gonna guess that impulsive murder was not part of the decidedlynotimpulsive plan.
Im not judging, but it does complicate their exit strategy.
If you thoughtThe Ones Who Liveneeded more Rick Grimes bashing in heads, your time is now.
Meanwhile, Michonne also hits a snafu.
She sneaks into the base and picks the lock to open Annes room.
The artist formerly known as Jadis has littered her walls with paintings, including some of Beale and Gabriel.
Michonne rummages and finds the handwritten dossier hidden inside a metal cat statue (see below).
She comes in to investigate, and Michonne has to kill her.
Were all doing a little extracurricular murder today, it seems, and it doesnt end there.
Its a chilling sight for anyone with half a heart, and especially a mother like Michonne.
She goes outside for air and spins right back around with a new, marginally impulsive plan involving grenades.
Its the right thing to do.
It probably would be impossible if the entirety of the CRMs elite force wasnt gathered for an all-hands briefing.
Plus, dont forget that Michonne spent a year living with an amateur munitions expert named Nat.
She has the skill set to pull this off.
Rick helps set up the grenades she rigged under a tent of mustard-gas stores.
And Rick gifts Beales Revolutionary War sword to Michonne as a little treat.
Im a little bummed that they didnt get to reveal that to her personally, to be honest.
Our heroes survive the initial blast by pulling a wet flag over them.
Michonne has experience with this, after all.
The ensuing escape through the golden fog, however, gets dicey.
Rick is rushed by walkers while Michonne fights Thorne.
Love doesnt die, Michonne snarls as she stabs Thorne in the chest.
But Thorne does, and Rick honestly might too.
Michonne definitely thought she lost him.
There are probably still some Beale faithfuls out there.
And maybe the Earth is dying, haha!
But its over for now.
Cailey Flemings Judith Grimes finally gets to share the screen with her dad.
Rick finally gets to meet his tiny son, RJ.
The dialogue is sentimental, but dont fuss about it, thats just how kids onThe Walking Deadtalk.
You would too if you didnt grow up with pop culture teaching you how to be above sincerity.
In all seriousness, the worst already happened to them.
The low point for Rick Grimes was in the very first episode ofTOWLwhen he wanted to die by suicide.
The low point for Michonne was when she wanted to stop believing.
The whole show has been about bringing them back from that.
Theyre safe and together and in love.
Thats all that matters.
Whatever you say, beautifuls!
She loses it when their temporary home is destroyed.
A few seasons later, Rick finds her a wooden cat statue in Jadis/Annes trash heap as a replacement.
Talk about holding a grudge.
That is what Beale was implying, right?
He glossed right over that.
So, so sorry.
