The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live - Season one, episode 3 - "Bye"
YEARS AGO
Rick and Jadis I: In the recent past, new Consignees--including Rick--are granted a free day to explore the city they are working toward joining. Jadis calls out to Rick (who has not seen Jadis since she rescued him at the bridge) and begins to fill him in on their association with the CRM, how she's questioned about him, and what mindset he needs to adopt. Rick is surly, none too happy with essentially being kidnapped to a place he cannot leave. He deduces Jadis is not forced to work consignment thanks to delivering him. Jadis continues, informing him the CRM has a five-hundred year plan to rebuild the old world,--perhaps better than the first world, which would mean their descendants would have a world free of the dead (or, threat in any case), which she argues is a goal worth spending the rest of a life trying to achieve. Angered, Rick barks his plan to go home, ignoring her reminder that she saved his life.
HOURS AGO
Rick and Thorne I: Shortly after reuniting with Michonne, Rick implores Thorne to take Michonne under her wing, not only to give her a level of protection (by being seen as having no personal connection to Rick), but selling himself and Michonne as part of Okafor's plans for the CRM. Thorne is unsure, but gives thought to Rick's pleas...
Rick and Jadis II: Picking up where their conversation left off in E2, Jadis warns Rick that if he and Michonne were to escape, the CRM would hunt them down, but Jadis--knowing where Rick's home is--would need to get there first in order to kill everyone to prevent her arrangement with Rick from being revealed to the CRM. That said, knowing Rick intends to kill her...someday....she's hidden a file with all pertinent information on Rick and his world for the CRM to find. Either way, Rick and his loved ones would be killed. Rick--getting choked up--asks why; Jadis reinforces the CRM company line that secrecy (concerning the existence of the city) must be preserved...and that's tied to not to jeopardizing all she's built for herself.
Jadis suggests Rick and Michonne live their lives with the CRM--the last "light of the world.". Rick wonders why she's now resorted to threatening him & his loved ones when she did not the last time he told her he would try to escape. Jadis matter-of-factly states that with Michonne at the CRM: "You two together? You can do anything." (SEE NOTES).
Rick does not reply, because he knows its true, although he's behaves like one who does not what that to be the case, at least where the CRM is concerned.
Michonne: As a Consignee, Michonne has wall duty killing Walkers, and cannot fight the impulse to use her fighting prowess to take charge of a Walker problem, which is observed by a worried Rick, who looks to see if any other CRM soldiers took notice...
Beale / Rick / Thorne I: Major General Beale speaks at the funeral of Okafor, stretching a poor attempt to tie the actions & sacrifice of brigadier general Hugh Mercer to those of Okafor... Later, Thorne recalls how she was rescued and recruited by Okafor when she was prepared to die, but this is interrupted by Beale, who still has doubts about Okafor's belief in the duo, referring to Rick as Pharmakon, or something that is both a cure and poison (SEE NOTES)...
He asks to speak to Thorne in private, leaving Rick's trying to process what move to make in the face of Beale's suspicion...
A near-frantic Thorne reveals she's been promoted to Command Sergeant Major, and has learned about the Echelon Briefing. With the military and community leader from every corner of the CRM soon to arrive for an all-important meeting, Thorne now intends--thanks to her promotion--to place Rick in a more authoritative position, but warns Beale is suspicious of Michonne, despite telling him she's part of Okafor's overall plan. Rick promises to speak to Michonne about her behavior, but reaches a pivotal decision...
Michonne and Rick I: Fearing Beale will discover and take some action against Michonne, Rick devises an escape plan for Michonne, involving a boat and a Walker dressed like a "Dana the Consignee" to serve as her failed attempt to leave. Michonne finds the boat, and appears ready to leave, but is stopped cold when she finds a note from Rick, explaining his intention to stay at the CRM for the rest of his life. Michonne is distressed beyond words.
The next day, Rick reports his scheme to Jadis, and demands she's on the investigation into Michonne's "death" to sell the story. Jadis prods Rick about his desire to kill her, seeing if he still has that in mind. Rick never addresses that--or her reminder of having a waiting file on him. Jadis believes Rick's decision to stay might be motivated by something else (SEE NOTES), in addition to trying to secure Michonne's freedom, but again, he does not address the inquiry.
Michonne and Rick II: Joining Thorne at the Walker wall, Rick is shocked to find Michonne back at work, but he's more disturbed by Thorne's comments; studying Michonne, she finds the idea of "Dana" looking for safety with the CRM a spurious story at best....
Elsewhere, Michonne furiously yanks Rick's helmet off, her stare saying it all. Rick explains that the only way he lived was due to the actions of one man being there (Okafor, I presume), and the only way she can escape is for Rick to serve that same purpose. He recalls how it took years to learn he was never going to escape, asking for help he was never going to get. Quoting his letter, Rick lays it all out there: if Michonne loves him, she'll go. Michonne will not say a word.
In the city, Michonne (V.O. of her message to Judith) wonders if she should have returned home without Rick, believing Rick had been sold on the potential of the CRM...until she comes across the artist who illustrated the faces on Rick's phones. The artist (who knows much about Rick's former life and family) notes that Rick found her, leading Michonne to reply that she has to find him...
Michonne and Rick II: Thorne (with Rick in tow) takes Michonne to a bombed out area to interrogate her about her beliefs and motives; speaking in code, Michonne says she saved Rick because he seemed helpless, just as Thorne reaches behind her back to grip the handle of her knife. Instinctively, Rick--standing behind Thorne--readies his gun, until Michonne's answers ease the tension. It turns out this was all a test on Thorne's part, but she's still very unsure about Michonne--the threat she poses.
Taken deep into the country to kill off a couple of hundred Walkers, tensions flare as Michonne breaks Consignee protocol to single-handedly move a sound/light emitting device deep into a target area in order to draw Walkers in to be eliminated--a task Thorne was too weak to complete. With Rick's help, the device is activated, but Thorne--angry and threatened by all Michonne represents--takes aim at her, until Rick deliberately steps in front of Michonne, using a Walker as a shield.
Later, an enraged Thorne orders Rick to move Michonne back to wall duty, blaming Rick for her insubordination. Despite the negativity between the two, Thorne reveals Beale's plans to promote Rick....
Rick and Jadis II: Jadis comes on to Rick (again), then spots Michonne, making light of the latter's shock. Rick's had enough of being pulled in three different directions, so he forcefully pulls Michonne aside...
Rick: "It doesn't matter."
Michonne: "Jadis??"
Rick: "It doesn't matter! You're going back to base right now, then i'm gettin' you the Hell outta here, if I have to knock you out to put you on that goddamed boat myself! I belong here--you don't, and you'll never change that! It's over--everything we had is broken! You hear me?!?"
Michonne is stunned by words she never thought would be said to her.
On the helicopter back to base, Michonne and Rick sit facing each other, without exchanging a word. Suddenly, an scowling Michonne detaches their seat belts, grabs Rick and leaps out of the helicopter into the stormy darkness, her VO apologizing to Judith, because she does not know if they will ever make it back...
NOTES:
Nice cliffhanger, although we know certain WD characters have enough plot armor to protect the Death Star. I believed Michonne would become disillusioned with Rick resigned to spending the rest of his life with the CRM, and thanks to Danai Gurira's subtle, yet powerful skills as an actress, her every expression conveyed hurt (that Rick would not even try to escape), yet the deepest love through all of the drama--particularly Rick's growling break-up speech.
Thorne taking aim at Michonne--believing that she really is an "A", pushed Rick into pretending to end his relationship with Michonne, but I cannot imagine he's so panicked by the CRM threat Thorne poses, that he would not have a back-up plan to deal with Thorne. Her sort-of friendship with Rick has its limits, since she--a woman who has repeatedly said she had nothing to live for until Okafor rescued her (though her indoctrination took time), so her loyalty would--in psychological terms--be with a person or body which she viewed as providing a new lease on life.
Clearly, Rick staying put to rise in the ranks of the CRM places him in a position to make strategic moves against the organization (but it goes without saying that the ever-suspicious Beale is expecting betrayal), and its the only way he can keep Jadis from releasing the file, which would endanger his loved ones.
"Grimes 68" spray-painted on a wall...meaning? Is "68" Rick's birth year? Rick tried to escape 68 times before officially giving up?
Jadis, despite her threats to all Rick cares about, still shows some attraction to him, but one of his parting comments about her "shit haircut" was unexpected, but funny because its always been true. Jadis wondering why Rick did not escape with Michonne had me thinking she was implying more than his hanging back to kill Jadis...more as in some sort of growing relationship with Thorne, but the former reason may be closer to the truth.
Lincoln and Gurira are so incredibly talented, making their relationship saga so engaging and believable that they almost make one forget this is part of a survival horror TV franchise. Without question, the romance of Rick & Michonne is the most compelling and naturalistic of any ever created for TWD franchise. Three episodes in, and The Ones Who Live has replaced Daryl Dixon as the best WD spin-off series.
Next: "What We" - Rick and Michonne on the run? Not quite, as Rick tires hard to convince Michonne that they need to be afraid of the CRM.
GRADE: A+.
