Michonne’s farewell episode seemed to be a new beginning but was it really? Here’s our recap of “What We Become”!
“What We Become” focuses on Michonne, her past, and her future. Sort of.
When we last left her, she was sailing with Virgil to the island he called home, promising weapons. We arrive at the island, and things aren’t what they seem. Virgil needed Michonne to go with him because he needed someone to kill his family who had become walkers. He’s also very adamant that Michonne not explore the island or its buildings without him.
Michonne doesn’t do well with orders, though, and that night, she searches the buildings and finds people being held captive. This causes Virgil to lock her up in a room, too. In this room, Michonne hears the story of what happened to Virgil and his family from the other survivors. These people have kept locked up for YEARS. While she’s in the room, Virgil brings her food which is laced with Jimsonweed. Michonne hallucinates, and when she does, she sees what her life could have been like had she not saved Andrea.
First of all, this is rude to all of us who had to endure season three and Andrea being ridiculously annoying. Second, the path she follows after allowing Andrea to be killed by walkers is really random. Who’s to say she wouldn’t have seen the helicopter go down and be found by Merle? Why couldn’t she have still seen Glenn and Maggie be taken and be moved by the formula to intervene and find the prison?
Thinking that Michonne would let Andrea die and that would push her down a series of events that led to her being Negan’s right hand woman. YES, we see Michonne as a Savior. A Savior who kills Glenn at the satellite outpost. A Savior who kills someone in the line-up instead of Negan doing it. A Savior who is killed by Daryl and Rick. They were really trying to do something in this episode, but it ends up being something that doesn’t make much sense.
When Michonne does get out of the room and the other captives escape, they chase down Virgil. Michonne uses Rick’s motto of “My mercy prevails over my wrath” to get them to spare Virgil.
Later, Virgil takes Michonne through some buildings to look for weapons, and she finds Rick’s boots. She freaks out and demands to know where they came from. Virgil shows her an abandoned ship that washed into the bay a while ago. They go on board, and Michonne looks around for evidence that Rick was there. What she finds is an old iPhone with a drawing of her and Judith, along with Japanese script with their call-names and Rick scratched into the surface as well.
There’s a log of where the ship has been, and Virgil says that the people he held captive can probably get the ship running again.
In the end, they get the ship going and Virgil decides to stay back on the island.
Once they’re on their way, Michonne makes contact with Judith. They call each other Diato and Shoto, which means long sword and short sword in Japanese, and RJ calls himself “Little Brave Man”. Michonne explains that she found something that belonged to the “Brave Man”, and Judith tells her she needs to go look for him. They defeated Alpha, everyone is safe there, and if she can bring the “Brave Man” back, she has to go look.
Michonne agrees and tells Judith that she’ll call her on the radio for as long as she can, and she’ll be headed north.
The people from the island drop Michonne off on the coast, and she creates two more walker protectors before running into survivors. They’re dressed in tanned leather and one of them is hurt. They beg her to help them get to their large group or they’ll be left behind.
Michonne kills the walkers she made and holds out her hand to help them up.
We see the large group of survivors with wagons and horses in formation in a valley below, and can only assume that is where Michonne is going.
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I wasn’t satisfied with “What We Become” at all. The writers were trying to do way too much, and it came across as confusing and extra. The writers went for a “What’s Happening and What’s Going On” vibe but they didn’t stop think that it worked for Tyreese because of all the events that led Tyreese there. We haven’t seen Michonne in several episodes, and her characterization this season has been OOC as hell.
It was such a disappointment. There’s no clarity for viewers who’ve been watching the show for years. Just damn.
I don’t believe that Michonne made it out of the locked room, either.
The iPhone she finds has a drawing of her and an older Judith. It also has their call signs. This would either mean that someone saw them recently and is listening in on their conversations, or Michonne is hallucinating. Also, why would their be no mention of RJ? If the drawing is of an older Judith, this means that RJ is alive, too.
Earlier, Virgil made the comment that the herb he gave Michonne made him see good things with his family, that’s why he took it. Michonne said it made her see Hell. Maybe she finally got past the Hell stuff with Rick killing her, and she’s focused on good things now?
Another hard no for me is the communication. You mean to tell me that Michonne didn’t relay her plans to any adults? She’s leaving this with Judith? I find it very, very hard to believe that no matter how safe Michonne thought the kids were, she wouldn’t have talked to Daryl to share this news with him. She wouldn’t have reached out and solidified her plans with her full family.
The Walking Dead had plenty of time to put Michonne’s story at a good end, and they fumbled it. Again. “What We Become” is forgettable and confusing, and it was a damn shame to see a character like Michonne go out like a footnote. The Walking Dead stans will sing its praises, though, like it was the best episode ever made.
The Walking Dead airs Sundays on AMC at 9/8c.
