The Walking Dead recap: Give Danai her Emmy already

Danai Gurira’s powerhouse performance in The Walking Dead episode ‘Scars’ can’t be ignored. Can the series finally win an acting Emmy? Also, the TWD franchise starts to gear up for that Richonne movie we all crave.

Danai Gurira is destined to be a Hollywood superstar. Her breakout performance as Wakandan warrior Okoye in both Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War allowed her room to flex her considerable comedic and dramatic chops, showing Marvel fans around the globe what a true and radiant talent she is.

But we Walking Dead viewers got to experience that lovely radiance first.

Since Gurira arrived on the post-apocalyptic scene in Season 3 of The Walking Dead, she has been portraying Michonne with a huge dose of heart. She became so beloved so quickly that for years, fans clamored for her to get together with Rick Grimes, and when she finally did, they only had a short period of time together before they were tragically ripped apart.

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Michonne has had a lifetime of trauma since the end of the world, and yet she soldiers on. In Danai Gurira’s hands, Michonne is a ball of contradictions that somehow gels and makes total sense. She bends but she doesn’t break. She’s strong yet vulnerable. She’s hard yet soft. Gurira achieves this balance by playing Michonne as a woman who tries to maintain a strict balance between her head and her heart. Gurira uses her kind and expressive face to invite the audience in, skillfully telegraphing carefully considered micro emotions, letting us feel what Michonne feels and consider what she considers. It’s a crazy talent, to be sure, and The Walking Dead is about to lose it.

Now, as Gurira begins to skyrocket to fame, she’s preparing to leave the show and head for different projects. She’s destined to leave her dazzling mark on the entertainment industry, but can her elevated profile finally make the Emmys sit up and notice?

Honestly, even with the tour de force performance Gurira delivered in the pitch dark Season 9 episode “Scars”, probably not. Even in its heyday, The Walking Dead was historically shut out of most of the larger categories at the Emmys, celebrated for tech categories such as Outstanding Sound Editing and Outstanding Prosthetic Make-Up instead of being recognized for acting awards. This is a shame because there’s some terrific acting on this show, but Ms. Gurira will certainly get her chance in the sun sooner or later.

But first, she must wrap up Michonne’s story on The Walking Dead TV series. “Scars” is likely going to be the final Michonne-centric episode on the series as Gurira’s contract expires in Season 10 of the show. She’s signed on for a few episodes next year, but chances are she won’t get material as juicy as she does here for the remainder of her time on the show. But there are always the movies….

This episode sure does set the stage for future Walking Dead films. From the foreshadowing of Michonne never giving up on searching for Rick, to the relatively self-contained storyline, it seemed as if the show was testing the waters when it comes to standalone narratives. Forbes noted that even fans who had quit the show for several seasons could tune in to this episode and still feel electrified by the story and the performances, and they’re right. If “Scars” is any indication of how the world of the Dead will fare when it comes to feature-length entertainment, I’d say the future is bright. And who doesn’t want a Richonne movie? Spoiler: We all do.

Like The Walking Dead is often wont to do, this episode played with time, flipping back and forth like someone constantly referring back to a chapter they missed in the Book of Michonne. And, to borrow a phrase from another popular fantasy series, the chapter is dark and full of terrors.

In the present, Judith (Cailey Fleming) chafes against Michonne’s decision to keep Alexandria locked down to others. When Daryl (Norman Reedus) stops in for some help with Connie (Lauren Ridloff), Henry (Matt Lintz), and Lydia (Cassady McClincy) in tow, Michonne allows them in temporarily, but then sends them back out into the wilds of the unwalled world.

Of course Judith takes after her bio bro Carl, and she just can’t seem to stay in the house. She grabs Rick’s gun and heads out beyond the walls so she can help. Michonne follows.

In flashbacks interspersed throughout the episode, we find out exactly why Michonne has become such a protective momma bear to both Judith and the community as a whole. And the story is a doozy.

Once upon a time, not too long after Rick’s disappearance, an Alexandrian scouting party came upon a scared-looking woman and a small band of children. When they’re brought to the gates, a very pregnant Michonne is there to greet them. Shocker, Michonne knows the woman. Her name is Jocelyn (Rutina Wesley), and the two were besties back before the world ended.

But oh the times they are a changin’ because once Jocelyn and her street rats get access to Alexandria, we can tell she’s no good. Obviously, given the lead up to this episode, we know that the presence of these newbies – even a group full of literal children – leads to pain and suffering for our poor, sweet Michonne.

A dense fog of pending horror lingers over every scene with these eerie kiddos. When the Alexandrians go on a recon mission to save the rest of the deranged day care, things start to turn. They travel to a musty old building, head down a creepfest of a hallway festooned with instructions on how to slaughter animals, and then find the kids in a dark room at the end of the hall. The kids emerge from the shadows, Children of the Corn stylez, and we know the show means business. We also know that these kids are probably doomed to die, but how?

Things quickly fall apart in Alexandria. Michonne and Alexandria trusted Jocelyn with too much, too fast, even allowing their kids to go on overnights with the greasy gang. Turns out that it was the scariest sleepover of all time as the street rats raided the infirmary, the pantry, and then stole the children, including Judith. It’s the worst case scenario for Michonne.

The episode works to firmly establish the extent of the trauma that Michonne and Daryl endured at the hands of this feral kiddos, framing the experience as a horrific nightmare that would irreparably change anyone’s survival DNA. The two friends track the group to an abandoned building, but they don’t get far before the evil step kids corner them and take them hostage.

The long-awaited scene in which Michonne and Daryl get branded with X-marks-the-spot doesn’t really make a whole ton of sense here. Why would they brand them if they could just kill them? Why is this an exercise that Jocelyn demands the kids do? Where did they get that awful branding tool? Why an X? So many unanswered questions.

But ultimately the answers to those questions are irrelevant because Michonne channels her momma bear rage and gets the job done. After one of the kids slashes her hugely pregnant belly, she goes into attack mode. But she does valiantly attempt to keep the children alive in her quest to get Judith. She pleads with them, she disarms them without injuring them, she even offers them a home at Alexandria, but they just keep coming.

And then it happens.

Confronted with a group of murderous animal children, Michonne has to choose. She has to cut through this barrier in order to ensure the safety of both her little girl and the new life gestating inside of her. So she does. And since AMC obviously can’t show full-on child murder, they smartly intercut the scene with present day footage of Michonne taking down some walkers in the woods around Alexandria. It’s a dark twist, to be sure, but the show frames it as a necessary response. We can always count on Michonne to do what must be done, no matter how impossible the odds.

Michonne ends up finding Judith in both the past and present, and their relationship marks one of the most enduring and unexpected pairs on the show. And their love for one another is an eternal bond that emphasizes why life is even worth living. If we can’t protect our friends, and can’t love freely, then what’s the point?

Judith is a wise old soul stuck in the body of a tiny girl. She convinces her mother to help their friends to the fair, and they head to Kingdom. And, of course, when everything seems to be happiness and light, the unthinkable happens. Two Whisperers peek out of the trees, delighted to have intel for the ever-sadistic Alpha.

Until next week…

Random Thoughts Before I Go:

• Loved how Judith referred to King Ezekiel just as “the King”. It conjured up images of Ezekiel doing Elvis karaoke, and it was delightful.
• Daryl clearly wants to be respectful of Michonne’s strengths, but his subtle nudge to her to relax and rest is so sweet. He says, “I know you wanna be out here, but you have a baby… you know?”
• Speaking of being pregnant, if Michonne had been earlier on in her pregnancy during her altercation with the feral kids, she may have lost the baby. Good thing she was almost fully to term because RJ is perfect and adorbs.
• The fair. The fair. I’m terrified of the fair, guys. Only two more episodes to go.

The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9/8c on AMC.