Bye – As the third episode of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live begins, Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) looks at the windmills in the city years ago. Jadis Stokes (Pollyanna McIntosh) spots him and tells him that her people were approached by one of them. They offered a resourced exchange. If they found lost souls who needed saving, they would hold onto them and give them to the CRM. They’d also give threats to the CRM. In exchange, Jadis’s people got supplies. They keep asking Jadis what they should ask Rick but she doesn’t know. She thinks they wanted him to say he was looking for someone to follow. Jadis reminds him she could’ve let him die on the riverbed or told them he was a threat.

She took a chance on him because she owes him. Jadis believes in the CRM because they have a plan to create a world better than it was. Rick is adamant that he is going home. Hours ago, Rich approaches Pearl to see if she heard. He asks Pearl (Lesley-Ann Brandt) to make sure Michonne stays for Okafor. Rick claims he understands now and told Okafor that she was right. Pearl can bring her along like she brought Rick along. Now, Jadis thinks Rick is thinking about killing her. Rick says he will but not today. He argues she got into the middle of something she had nothing to do with. Jadis suggests otherwise since their fates are bound. Rick blames Jadis for this mess. Jadis put a file among her possessions in the event of her untimely demise. The file will tell them everything about Rick and the people he loves.

Rick says Michonne doesn’t belong there. Jadis reminds him it was Michonne’s choice. She asks Rick if he will try to leave again. If he tries with her, everyone back home dies. Rick asks if a deal can be made. Jadis says no. She goes on to say Michonne is lucky they let her in. Thorne stepped up. Jadis realizes Rick pulled that off so she recommends having their life there. She didn’t threaten him before because she knew he couldn’t get away. Since they’re together now, things could be different. After the intro, Michonne (Danai Gurira) tries to get in touch with Shoto to let them know she found Rick. She doesn’t know how they’ve managed to keep Rick who has been trying to come home all this time. Michonne insists they can’t stop them together.

Cleo speaks to Michonne while they work. Cleo believes this place is paradise for everyone because she was eating crickets and sleeping in a tree before she arrived. Michonne has to save Cleo when they encounter non-kills. Rick sees her moments later, but they don’t say anything to each other. Beale speaks to a group about Donald Okafor. He claims Okafor showed them their enemies can be their salvation if they look at them differently. Beale tells them about a sword he found at the Battle of Fitler Square. The sword, which saved his life, belonged to Revolutionary War General Hugh Mercer. Pearl tells Rick about the time Okafor found her. After she tried to kill Okafor, he still didn’t shoot her. Beale approaches them to say they meant a lot to Okafor.

Beale admits he isn’t sure about Rick. He gives Rick a book about martial arts and explains he gave it to Okafor too. Pearl leaves with Beale. Later, Pearl approaches Rick to say she is a Command Sergeant Major now. Beale told her everything and gave her the full Echelon Briefing. She wants Rick to take over logistics at Cascadia Forward Operating Base. They’re accelerating the schedule so a lot needs to be done before the commanders arrive for the opening summit. Beale asked Pearl about Consignee Bethune so she reflects on Pearl now. Pearl says she is moving up and she can’t have her pulling her down. She tells Rick he didn’t see what she did but he will. Once Rick is alone, he begins looking at maps and coming up with a plan to escape.

When he passes Michonne the next day, he discreetly gives her something. It explains that they need to move out tonight. Michonne is instructed to go to Consignee Fitness after the post-task health check and retrieve something from locker 678. She’ll get a key that will get her out of the building. Then, she’ll find a red canoe in the brush. Rick gives her sword back as well. Rick and Michonne try to make it to the canoe. Michonne makes it only to find a note from Rick who says he isn’t coming. Rick approaches Jadis to say Michonne is gone and she is going to help her stay gone. He explains he made it look like she died trying. Jadis doesn’t believe Michonne left without him. Rick found a body and put it in a consignment uniform to make it look like Michonne died.

Jadis says she’ll make sure she is on point when Dana goes gone. If anything goes wrong, it wasn’t her doing. Jadis wonders if there is something else keeping Rick there. Rick isn’t happy to see that Michonne is still there. Pearl tells Rick that Michonne doesn’t look like someone who needs others for safety. Rick tries to speak to Michonne in private. He explains he was saved by one man over and over. The only way she’ll get away is if someone is there making sure. It has taken years for Rick to realize he can’t go. Michonne says nothing before walking away. She tells Shoto she had a chance to go home but couldn’t without the brave man. Michonne wonders if she should’ve gone without him.

She found Benjiro’s Portraiture and Art. Benjiro admits he always drew her. Rick would come every few months and ask for a new one. There was a boy Rick asked him to draw, but he could never get it right. Benjiro knows about Michonne and Judith. Michonne thanks him for what he told Rick because it helped. Now, she is looking for him. Benjiro tells her to believe a little bit longer. Later, Pearl speaks to Michonne about her first trip to the city. Pearl shows her what the city would’ve become if it wasn’t for one man. She explains that Rick is her family now. Pearl asks who she is. Michonne says she is Dana and she’s a survivor. She explains she saved him because it didn’t seem right. Rick was on the ground helpless.

Michonne insists she doesn’t want to see anyone get killed, especially someone who seems helpless. Pearl reveals she is there because of her. As she continues talking, she begins pulling out her weapon. Rick pulls out his gun. Pearl talks about the possibility of Michonne getting the answers. Michonne would say yes. Pearl puts her knife up. She tells Rick that Michonne will be joining them for clearing operations at Cascadia Base. In private, Pearl tells Rick she is not going to be responsible for a vulnerability. She isn’t Okafor. Later, Pearl and the others fly to the Cascadia Base. Once they land, Pearl says they have a significant sink breach on the perimeter bars with scatters already incurring. The objective is 200 plus incoming delts moving towards the breach.

They’re going to move the delts out of existence. If the delts make it through the breach, the project goes back to zero. Michonne is told to stay off the line on cleanup to deal with no-kills. In private, Pearl tells Rick she doesn’t agree with Okafor on everything although he led from the ground up. She wants to do that. They begin killing the walkers. Michonne sits back and watches as Pearl and Rick handle it. When Michonne gets the machine unstuck, Pearl yells for her to stand down. Rick helps her push it through the walkers. They turn it on and flee. The alarm sounds causing the walkers to approach it. It explodes moments later. Rick and Michonne kiss. She urges him to flee with her, but Rick is worried they’ll find them. Pearl watches them kill more walkers.

She contemplates shooting Michonne until Rick stops her. Once they finish, Pearl complains to Rick that Michonne broke protocol and he did the same. Rick says they can send her back and give her more time at the Harvest Point. Pearl argues they need to take care of this. She tells him to take the consignee back because she doesn’t want to see her again. Rick is tasked with all the crap work and Beale wants to brief him. Rick is moving up. Jadis runs into Rick and says she is headquartered there now. Michonne is surprised to see Jadis. Rick tells Michonne he is getting her out of there even if he has to knock her out. She will never change that he belongs there and she doesn’t. Rick claims everything they had is broken.

On the helicopter, we hear Michonne telling Shoto she doesn’t know if they’ll be back. She pulls Rick out of the helicopter.

 

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live Review

The third episode of The Ones Who Live was the middle point of the season, yet very little happened until the very end. The pacing of the season has been tedious with action coming in short spurts. The rest is dialogue that doesn’t always hit the target partly because the performances are stiff.

The walkers have become props at this point and there is no more survival for the characters. Rick has become a shell of his former self with no desire to fight and he eagerly takes a backseat to those around him. In its current state, the series would need stronger characters and better dialogue to thrive. After all, three-quarters or more of every episode has been blabbering.

The dialogue just isn’t that interesting and could easily put one to sleep if they don’t have an energy drink on hand. As a result, it’s easy to see why the series is struggling to draw in a million viewers. This episode was no different despite a few brainless zombie-killing scenes. It scores a 4 out of 10. Recaps of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live can be found on Reel Mockery here.

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