The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live Review - 6 Ups & 4 Downs From "Gone"
6. Up: The Way Michonne's Story Poignantly Contrasts Rick's
For all its pacing foibles and ludicrous twists, "Gone" does one thing particularly well, and that's allow Michonne to take centre stage and allow her episode to both brutally and beautifully contrast Rick's from the previous episode.
Like Rick, Michonne spends her time searching for a way back into his arms making new friends, learning their stories and losing them. She comes dangerously close to death, much like her husband, and is forced into a higher survival mode than ever before in order to escape it. She even ends up alongside him, determined but trapped.
It's a powerful symmetry, bringing great emotion to the connection they share and the love they have for each other: Despite all they go through - Rick's depression and losing his hand; Michonne's harrowing near-death experience and lost friends - they keep moving to find each other.
That they end up together by episode's end, stuck in place with uncertain futures, only helps hammer this home more. The show may be about to repeat itself, but the emotional core of Rick and Michonne's relationship is as endearing as ever.