10.13: The Walking Dead - What We Become

[ctg]

Michonne takes Virgil back to his island to find his family. In exchange, Virgil offers weapons.

 

[Eway]

Just started the episode and wondering why Michonne's walkers aren't trying to bite her. I know she cut off their arms and teeth but would that make them not attempt to bit her? Doesn't make sense to me.

 

[tegeus-Cromis]

Just started the episode and wondering why Michonne's walkers aren't trying to bite her. I know she cut off their arms and teeth but would that make them not attempt to bit her? Doesn't make sense to me.

That was explained some seasons ago. Supposedly without their teeth/jaws they lose the desire to bite.

 

[REBerg]

Following a mind-blowing end last week, I would normally complain about an episode which follows an entirely different story dwelling on drugged imprisonment. If this episode marked Michonne's departure from the series (although possibly heading to a film reunion with Rick), it was a well-deserved tribute to her contribution.
I suppose we'll be left to speculate about what appeared to be an army marching off toward the horizon. "Helicopter People"?

 

[Eway]

That was explained some seasons ago. Supposedly without their teeth/jaws they lose the desire to bite.

Hmm...I guess that's that! Maybe I wasn't watching that intently. Thanks for the info!!

 

[ctg]

Hmm...I guess that's that! Maybe I wasn't watching that intently. Thanks for the info!!

You have to go back to second season for that information. The fact is Michonne told Rick that is the way how she does it. None of us really knew that she was also participant to Andrea's death. Shame on her. She should have acted, but when she Ricktator questioned about her, she told, "If you remove their jaw and arms, they become pacified."

In a way it was a prototype Whisperer, except she never whispered or acted like them. Instead she was always, and will always be a human. Life comes first. But we all know that her true love after the fall became Rick.

I suppose we'll be left to speculate about what appeared to be an army marching off toward the horizon. "Helicopter People"?

That's what I thought as well. You look at the above screenshot of the map, and you'll see that the whole place was a Naval Research Facility, and they were doing animal experiments in there. None of the scientists said that they were studying the dead. They said that they came there and it was like that, abandoned and in a state of ruins. Except the one place, the research facility where Virgil locked his family.

The whole place smelled like a place that the helicopter people would have used and then abandoned to do something else. We cannot know if the squadrons of men, and horses at the end are their people. In terms they are like Henrik's people at the Exopolis in trilogy. They went hiding and they used government stored items to be the Authorities destined to rebuild the world, when the time comes.

We still don't know what A and B classification means, but I can suspect it has something to do with the people and their skills. Ricktator was a survivor. He was a lawman, a leader and a builder. He was also an Alpha male. So, if that makes him the A list candidate, the B people must mean special skills. Something that the Helicopter people couldn't accept losing, because the value of those skills/knowledge.

It's just at the end of the world, skills and knowledge doesn't come easily. You have to be somewhat extraordinary to survive in the Kirkman's world. The normal just doesn't cut it in the long run. The average gets buried or turned. The weak has no chance. But as Mother Nature is a bitch, it's kind of funny that the weaknesses are balanced other ways. Think about for example Hawkins.

He was weak but also super smart. In the Kirkman's world he could not have survived.

In reality when Michonne lost her kids, she kind of lost her will to live as it happened to many others. It was Rick's group that gave her the will to live and a reason to see another day.

I think it was a brilliant move from the writers to show the audience another way of how things could have gone down through Michonne's trip. It was the boots that finally broke her down and then she didn't care about anything other than finding Rick alive.

Who knows maybe they'll bring Rick back one day. Maybe we'll even get to see the research station again in the movies. It's just I suspect Rick also might appear in the series again.

 

[nixie]

Well that was different. I'd normally be annoyed like @REBerg that they didn't carry on from last week's episode, Beta is still out there and a massive danger to the survivors, I wanted to see how the others would react to Negan's return to the fold.

I'm surprised Virgil has survived so long, I know he was on the island but they still encountered walkers, not as much as others but still he has zero fighting skills.

Michonne's drug trip showed us what she could have been if Rick and the others hadn't took her in.

I'm still trying to get my head round her choosing to go look for Rick, leaving her children behind. I don't care Judith told her too but still.

Wonder how Daryl will cope as a father, he's not letting anyone look after Rick's kids.

I think both Michonne and Rick will eventually return.

 

[ctg]

I'm still trying to get my head round her choosing to go look for Rick, leaving her children behind. I don't care Judith told her too but still.

All I can say is, if it would be Viv, I might do the same thing. She knows that Judith is getting accelerated path towards adulthood, and it might be her only chance on getting the truth on Rick. She also knows that Judith is looked after by the community as is her and Rick's son. It's just I'm not sure if her mother instincts could override her mind. I get that it might happen to some ladies, while others could say "Ef it, let's go to see what he's up to..."

So what is it? Ef it, curiosity or something else?

 

[Judderman]

The trailer for this episode looked exciting. It turned out to be a mixed episode. Definitely some good parts in there. It started well though turned into more of a farewell episode. We had some quite scary Walker action early on, more like the spooks from an earlier season, plus the surprise related to Andrea, and then Virgil's actions. But Michonne's guilty visions dragged a bit and the second half of the episode fell a bit short.
Rick's stuff being on the boat was odd. A massive group of people standing together outside seems like a risk. Surely attracting walkers.

Looks like the fight with Beta will be taking us to the finish of the season.

 

[svalbard]

Maybe the Michonne story arc of the hallucinations would have made a better story. It does throw up some of the themes we have debated over the years. Who are the good guys? It raises problematic questions in the midst of our own, very real Pandemic.

 

[svalbard]

My last post has given me some thoughts. The regular posters here have followed this series for the last 10 years and we have built one of those odd internet relationship. I wish you all well over the next few months and keep safe.

 

[ctg]

Who are the good guys? It raises problematic questions in the midst of our own, very real Pandemic.

It all depends on the perspective. To me the Whisperers are the enemy. No doubt about it.

 

[Judderman]

My last post has given me some thoughts. The regular posters here have followed this series for the last 10 years and we have built one of those odd internet relationship. I wish you all well over the next few months and keep safe.

You too "Svalbard"!

 

[Judderman]

Oh I just looked back at Andrea's death episode at the end of season 3... so it was nothing like what was shown at the start of this episode. I thought the point of showing it at the start of the episode was to show what Michonne had done with none of us knowing.. In fact it was just part of her being drugged and what could have happened if she had made cruel decisions. A bit disappointing as I thought something interesting had been revealed. Actually very little was.

 

[Dave]

TV shows used to do shows like this when they ran out of money mid-season and wanted to save what they had for the end-of-season cliffhanger, and they called them "bottle episodes." I thought that was what we had here, but then it took a completely different direction half-way through. "Ah ha!" I thought, "Michonne's leaving!"

If this episode marked Michonne's departure from the series (although possibly heading to a film reunion with Rick), it was a well-deserved tribute to her contribution.

I think so too, but it was also a good way to introduce three replacement characters, and gave us plenty to think about the helicopter people. In all, it was quite a different episode to what I thought at the start. However I agree, I felt finding out that all the flashbacks were drug induced "dreams" rather than real memories was a let down.

Virgil - I find it hard to believe such a very odd person showed no signs of "oddness" when he was in Alexandria.

 

[Judderman]

Has he been in Alexandria?

 

[Dave]

You have me there. I actually have no memory of him. I thought he was a character I had forgotten about. (This wouldn't be unusual as my memory on some things has become quite poor.) However, he apparently went to Alexandria and enlisted Michonne's help for his "family." I'm thinking that she wouldn't follow him on such a foolhardy quest if she didn't know him quite well already.

 

[ctg]

However, he apparently went to Alexandria and enlisted Michonne's help for his "family."

I thought they went to that library and then to Oceanside to get a boat.

 

[nixie]

It was Oceanside.

 

[Dave]

That explains it then. They are all odd in Oceanside.