Michonne is now officially gone from The Walking Dead. Her final episode aired on Sunday, March 22, and it was a doozy. Focused entirely on her character, the episode followed Michonne as she joined Virgil on a journey back to his home. The deal was that she would help him get home in exchange for weapons. Of course, things didn't exactly go as planned.

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The episode was full of action, emotion, reminiscing, and discovery. And there was a lot to love about this fitting send-off for the character. Note that this might not be a forever goodbye. Michonne will probably appear in The Walking Dead spin-off movies. But what did we love the most about her final episode of the show?

She Kicked Total Butt

For a while, Michonne has been more of a behind-the-scenes leader. In this episode, we saw her go back to her roots, swinging her Katana like an expert, obliterating anything in her path.

It was a reminder that Michonne isn't only a great leader but she is also one of the best fighters there is. The fight scene with Virgil cowardly hiding behind a folding chair as she single-handedly took down dozens of walkers is one of the most impressive of the season thus far.

We Saw Her Vulnerable

The Walking Dead Michonne

Actor Danai Gurira did a wonderful job of portraying a vulnerable side of Michonne, which we don't often get to see. Sure, it was because she was in a drug-induced haze after Virgil gave her some special hallucinogenic tea.

She was sweating, crying, pleading on the floor for it to stop. She was seeing visions and fighting demons and walkers that weren't there. She also saw a version of her life that she described as hell. Yet still she managed to escape showing just how fierce Michonne is.

She Realized Rick Might Be Alive

walking dead rick michonne

One of the most important parts of the episodes, and one that might be setting Michonne up for appearing in the upcoming movies, was when she found Rick's cowboy boots. Not far from them, she found an old phone with an image of her and Carl etched on the front along with the name Rick and Asian lettering that reportedly translates to "believe a little bit longer."

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She knew deep down this was Rick and that he might be alive. And that drove her to make one of the biggest decisions to leave her children behind and try to find him.

Judith's Difficult Decision

Cailey Fleming as Judith in The Walking Dead

After discovering that Rick might actually be alive, Michonne mentions this to Judith as they chat on the two-way radios. Very maturely, and as we predicted, the young Judith insists that Michonne continue on a journey to find "the Brave Man" as she has come to know Rick.

For Judith, this means losing her mother and having to explain this to her younger brother R.J. But even at such a young age, she understands the magnitude of the situation and wouldn't be able to bear to live with the knowledge that her dad might be out there somewhere, alive. "Bring him home," she tells Michonne.

She Showed How Much She's Changed

The episode showed how much Michonne has changed over the years. While she was once a fierce warrior who kept two walkers with their jaws slashed off chained up like pets, she eventually softened to become more compassionate of others.

And while she still has that raw, animalistic instinct now, she has clearly become more like Rick in trusting people and wanting to help. We saw this in the end when she decided to put all reservations aside and help two injured people who needed to get back to their group.

Flashbacks

Negan Whisperers Walking Dead

The flashback scenes were not only a great reminder of how far the series has come, but also some of the terrible things that have happened.

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We're reminded of how brazenly the group snuck into the Saviors camp in the middle of the night and cold-bloodedly killed defensive members in their sleep. We saw how Negan retaliated with his bat. And we got a look at characters like Sasha, Glenn, Andrea, and Abraham again, which was a sweet tribute to characters of the past.

The 'Evil' Michonne

We got to see a bizarre fictional world where Michonne took a very different path. Instead of saving Andrea from the walkers like she did in real life, she walked away and left her for dead.

This set off a new series of events where Michonne runs into Negan and joins the Saviors as his right-hand. She is the one who delivers the bat to the skull, she fights with the Saviors against Rick, and is eventually killed by Rick and Daryl. It was a trip to see but also demonstrated how easily anyone could have had a very different journey than they did.

She Saved Virgil

Even though Virgil had kept three of his friends in captivity, captured and drugged Michonne, lied to her about weapons, and set the boat on fire, she still decided to spare his life. Not only that, but Michonne also convinced his captors to let him live and even to offer to get him off the island on the boat with them.

Virgil ended up staying in the end to fulfill the promise to his dead wife that he would deliver flowers to her every day. Nonetheless, Michonne showed tremendous growth, character, and mercy.

The Living Horde Discovery

In the end, Michonne comes across two people trying to get to a massive group of others standing in a field. They plead with Michonne for help to get them there in time because the group "won't wait for them."

Who are these people? Why are they all dressed the same? And were those helicopter propellers we heard in the distance? This might be what leads Michonne to Rick, or at least to the people who know where he is. And it adds an interesting new element to the story that might not be discussed in the show, but rather in the movies.

The Message Of Hope

Virgil tells Michonne that he gave her the tea believing she would see a good place as he does whenever he takes it. Instead, she tells him she saw her own personal hell. But his intentions seemed to be genuine in that he found hope in the hallucinogens.

While Michonne preferred to take another route, she also clearly found that hope was alive and well. This is why she let Virgil live, and why she decided that she would search for Rick, because the boots and phone reignited her hope that he might still be alive.

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