And Another Thing About Last Night's Walking Dead. . .

Remember when I mentioned that the tight deadlines and limited word count for my BuddyTV reviews means I sometimes neglect to discuss important plot points?

Last time, I even found a way to leave out a pretty significant and emotional scene.

Well, I did that again.

There was a subtle moment in The Walking Dead (apparently, they have those once every other season) that I had caught, and once again made a note to mention for my review.  I then got all jazzed about Michonne impaling eyes and Dixon brothers having to fight angry mobs, so I once again forgot to mention something pretty significant.

Michonne showed emotion last night.  She has been this tough and hard to read zombie slayer for the entire season.  Sure, it was obvious she cared about Andrea.  We knew that because she looked after Andrea when she was sick, but there was never any real emotion shown that made it obvious they were good friends.

Now, I want to make it clear it is the character of Michonne not showing emotion.  Danai Gurira does an excellent job portraying Michonne, and is one of the more talented actors on the show.  Actually, last night proved it, since she did this great job of trying to be a tough character who was trying to suppress her emotion.

After Michonne did her handiwork on the Governor, she returned to the crew, but it didn't appear Rick was anxious about having her around anymore.  Michonne then told him that he needed her, and she could help them get Daryl back.

Here is the thing about that scene that was revealing about Michonne.  Her facials and the tone of her voice were saying something a little different.  She was willing to help the crew, and they probably do need her.  Woodbury has far more firepower, and part of their group is now crippled.  Michonne is an asset for the short term.

But Michonne wasn't just talking about helping find Daryl.  What her face and tone was actually saying, was that she needed them.  She didn't want to be alone anymore.  She wanted to join the group.  She wanted to be a part of the family.

She'll still likely have her lone wolf personality.  She will likely still be very independent.  I'm sure she isn't ready for biscuits and tea, and talking about her life story.  But she does want to be around the group.  She realizes she can't survive in this world on her own.

It wold have been against character for Michonne to straight up ask to stay with them.  This was going to be as vulnerable was Michonne would have allowed herself to get.  It was the first sign of her feeling something and being willing to open up a very small bit.

The episode before, you noticed Michonne's face change a little when Carol hugged Rick.  I think this was the moment she decided this was a good group of people.  She wanted to be with them and to help them survive. 

Of course, you still see Michonne's independence too.  She left the group to attempt to kill the Governor.  She realized it was the only way to truly stop Woodbury and end any chance of a war.  She was still helping the group.  Even though I am also sure it was for her own retribution against him.

The Michonne's character development needs to be slow and subtle.  I thought it was incredibly effective last night.  It proved that actor Danai Gurira is a great performer and perfect for the role.

Now, if you want to know more of my thoughts on last night's episode then don't forget to check out my review for BuddyTV.  The Walking Dead will be hibernating for two months, and to avoid withdrawal, you may want to check out my slideshow detailing the major highlights of Season 3, which is also for BuddyTV.