The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live Tests A Time-Honored Relationship

This post contains spoilers for "The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live."

Bad news for Richonne shippers: Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira) are currently at odds with one another in "The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live," to the point that their entire relationship is being put to the test. In episode 2, "Gone," we saw the lovers reunite after overcoming impossible odds, hugging and crying until their reunion was cut short by a CRM chopper. Rick repeatedly reminds Michonne not to show who she really is, as being branded as an "A" (a leader willing to die for their cause) is a fate worse than death. The two fabricate a story about accidentally running into each other, where Michonne saved Rick and is simply a "B" (an everyday survivor searching for safety).

Although this cover story is convincing, Michonne is not the kind of person to turn a blind eye to corruption, especially when it results in the death of innocents. After Rick affirms that he is not really with the CRM, Michonne does not appreciate how easily he is able to stomach their atrocities and pretend to be one of them, no matter where his true allegiances lie. Although Michonne is forced to construct a faux personality to cater to the CRM, her eyes remain cold and unsympathetic to their schemes, and perceptive members of the CRM quickly pick up on this glimmer of rebellion.

In episode 3, "Bye," Anne/Jadis (Pollyanna McIntosh) reminds Rick that the cost of running away with Michonne is a lifetime of death and destruction, as she will ensure that the CRM kills every last person they love. This warning sows doubt in Rick's mind about his escape plan, which leads to the conflict between him and Michonne.

Rick gave up on searching for Michonne only when he realized that it was futile. Before this realization, he did everything in his power to escape multiple times but failed (and lost his arm in the process). Michonne's presence in his life completely alters his goal, as they need to find a way to escape together without jeopardizing the person they love. Although Michonne is aware of the risks, she believes that the two of them combined are unstoppable — and she is right. Even Jadis remarks that the duo is so powerful that she has planned to expose details about Alexandria in the event that she dies mysteriously.

After Jadis threatens Rick, he does something desperate: he lies to Michonne about escaping together and leaves a note at their meeting spot, asking her to leave on her own. His rationale is to get Michonne safely to their daughter, Judith, without incurring the wrath of the CRM. Michonne, being the loyal and determined person she is, returns to the base, and is rightfully appalled that Rick could even suggest such a thing. After all, the two of them fell in love under extraordinarily harsh circumstances, but they still made it work. 

Michonne refuses to leave without Rick, and inadvertently proves that she is an "A" after two half-dead walkers rise inside the base, and she promptly kills them instead of relying on the soldiers. This attracts the attention of Thorne (Lesley-Ann Brandt), who will do anything to move up the ranks of the CRM — including committing cold-blooded murder. 

After Michonne defies Thorne's direct orders as a consignee during a mission (where she essentially takes charge after Thorne fails to be an effective leader), Rick explodes with frustration. With Thorne viewing Michonne as a threat, and coming to the verge of killing her twice, Rick chastises Michonne for her reckless behavior and says the unforgivable. "Everything we have is broken," he states, which leaves her questioning her decision to stick with him after everything that happened. The tension between them is at an all-time high, and as the two travel back to base in a chopper, Michonne jumps from it with Rick, presumably escaping with him in the most dramatic, bonkers way.

Fans of "The Walking Dead" will know that Michonne and Rick have a son together, R.J, (Rick Junior), as she was pregnant during the bridge incident where Rick was presumed dead. Rick still does not know this, and it was probably a wise choice on Michonne's part to withhold this information from him for now. Plotting an escape from the CRM is hard enough without the added emotional fallout of Rick learning that they have a son he's never met. However, his statement, which insinuates that their relationship is now unfixable, makes Michonne's secret even more tragic and injects more pathos into her undying belief in the man she loves.

With Michonne deciding to risk it all with that audacious chopper jump, it is up to Rick to explain why he's acting the way he is so that the two can mend their frayed bond and become a united front. Although Rick is mostly motivated by the fear of losing Michonne, some emotional layers remain undiscovered, which need to be unraveled sooner rather than later.

The first three episodes of "The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live" are now streaming on AMC+.