The Walking Dead: Michonne

Michonne. Just Michonne. Like Cher.

At the risk of losing what walker cred I might have, I didn’t watch The Walking Dead from the first day it aired, as many can boast. I don’t read the comics, neither pre- nor post- show discovery. I started watching on the begging of an internet pal from my Fibromyalgia Facebook group. He told me he guaranteed I would love it, even though I assured him I did not really even know what a zombie was, and I hated gore and horror movies. He told me if I promised to watch the full first episode, he wouldn’t mention it again. Well, I’m here writing about it so you can probably guess the direction of the rest of my story. I binge watched until I caught up to the live shows in February of season 3 with Suicide King.

What does all of this have to do with Michonne? Well, I remember frantically texting my friend about each of the episodes as I watched, and at the end of season 2, with the farm fire when Andrea was separated from the group, he mentioned, “Michonne”. He said it in such a mysterious and simple way, just like that–“That’s Michonne!” It was as if she were some superhuman thing that was going to be introduced that next season. I thought I was in for paranormal Walking Dead.

And that hooded silhouette was just as mysterious and paranormal as I expected. Triangles of coolness everywhere. An El Greco painting of the Zombie Apocalypse. Her hood a triangle. The three-beings-in-one a triangle. The missing limbs an invisible triangle. Her serious demeanor and sword as pointy and sharp as the lines and tips of the triangles. No soft curves, all edges.

I’ve loved Michonne since I wondered about her and feared her. She never seemed angry to me- always just serious, guarded and protected. Clear is considered a Morgan episode, but it is truly a Michonne episode as well. I loved when Rick asked her if she had a problem with his plan and she released a breath and said, “No, Rick, I don’t have a problem with that.” To me it was her unique way of shaking him and saying, Quit it! Quit fighting me! I’m on your side. I’m a good person. I’m guarded, too, but let’s open up a little. Then of course, she relaxed and had her humor moment about the welcome mat and her connection with Carl and the photo.

Although it was irrelevant and mean to point out, Sasha was right, Michonne did make it through her grief and apocalyptic walking coma. Michonne’s PTSD was experienced more off-screen than Sasha’s and hopefully, Sasha will get through hers. But as Michonne admitted to Carl, she did it with the help of Andrea and Rick and Carl and the others.

Michonne is strong enough to face and address things and people, good and bad, like The Governor, Rick, Tyreese, Sasha and Father Gabriel, and soft enough to have hope and see good, change and even forgiveness.

Michonne has had more profound discussions and interactions than most characters get to have in survival situations. She even got to see into Merle’s soul more than Merle would have ever expected. Alexandria has given Michonne even more time to grow.

I wrote about her embracing her Katana in the Season Five Finale. She had gone from being alone with it during her bad days to losing it in Terminus, reuniting with it, and thinking she needed to abandon it in order to embrace hope.

We left her most recently embracing it for new reasons. She’s good with it now and can use it to protect her family. She’s seen what it does in the wrong hands. In her hands it can be used for good.

My girl is balanced now. Her triangles are gone. She’s a Picasso now. She has all angles covered. No more triangles all by themselves. There are side views, front views, circles and squares. She has a past and a future. Friends, not pets. Family, not a hood.

Next: Walking Dead 50 most shocking moments and deaths

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