“I found something.” With those words, Michonne (Danai Gurira) revealed to her daughter Judith that she had a clue about the whereabouts of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), her long-lost husband. Driven by the belief that Rick was alive despite being missing for six years, Michonne set out on a journey to find him, leaving The Walking Dead only to return in The Ones Who Live. There, at the wreckage of a downed CRM helicopter, the couple was reunited. A stunned Michonne exclaimed, “I found you.”
Years after her journey began in “What We Become” (The Walking Dead, season 10, episode 1), Michonne encountered Aiden (Breeda Wool) and Bailey (Andrew Bachelor) in New Jersey. As stragglers left behind by their survivor caravans, they sought Michonne’s aid. Her act of kindness would ultimately reunite her with Rick.
In the “Gone” episode of “The Ones Who Live,” Michonne, Aiden, and Bailey rejoined Elle’s nomadic convoy. Elle reiterated their policy of not stopping for individuals, even family members, explaining that prioritizing a few could endanger the entire mobile community.
Nat (Matthew August Jeffers), the pyromaniac tinkerer, formed a breakaway group with Aiden, Bailey, and other survivors in defiance of Elle’s abandonment policy. Faced with a massive walker herd blocking their northern path, Nat devised a plan to split the horde using chemical fires. He equipped Michonne with weapons and armor and accompanied her to the Delaware border to assist in her search for Rick. Michonne invited the trio to join her at Alexandria.
During a mission to Bridgers Terminal, the last known location where Michonne discovered Rick’s boots and a cell phone with drawings of herself and Judith, a Civic Republic Military helicopter launched an airstrike using chlorine gas, killing Michonne’s group. (The Walking Dead: World Beyond established that the green liquid chlorine gas is a CRM bioweapon that binds to body moisture, inducing severe bronchial spasms and fluid accumulation in the lungs, causing suffocation from within.)
Amidst the chaos, Michonne discovered oxygen masks at a medical plaza. With a heavy heart, she ended the reanimated lives of Aiden and Bailey with her sword. Together with Nat, Michonne sought refuge in an abandoned shopping mall, spending over a year recovering from the CRM’s assault.
Upon reaching Bridgers Terminal, Michonne and Nat discovered a wrecked ship, surrounded by piles of burned bodies. Unable to identify Rick’s body among the unrecognizable corpses, Nat revealed the meaning behind the Japanese lettering on Rick’s phone: “Believe a little longer.”
In the present, Michonne and Nat downed a CRM helicopter, killing its pilot. Michonne dispatched the remaining soldiers and nearly killed a helmeted one she unmasked as Rick. Reunited after eight years, Rick affirmed that he was not with the CRM.
Their reunion was cut short by a dying CRM soldier who killed Nat, reminding Michonne that it was still possible to believe and know when to go. A second helicopter arrived, and Rick instructed Michonne to lie about her identity and past, while he covered up the crash.
During her interrogation by the CRM council, Michonne claimed to be “Dana” from a community in Georgia that had fallen months ago. Accepted as a consignee, she was assigned walker-clearing duty, the same task Rick had performed during his six-year consignment.
Despite Rick’s promise to Michonne, the episode concluded with CRM capturing both. Warrant Officer Jadis Stokes, Rick’s superior, threatened to harm Rick and Michonne’s loved ones in Alexandria if they attempted to escape.
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