There are a few tropes that I absolutely adore in a romantic storyline and The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live have nailed two of them. In episode 2 titled “Gone,” we got to see more of our favorite couple reconnecting and doing so in the best way possible.
Heading into The Ones Who Live, one of the major concerns was how long the show was going to keep us from having Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) back with Michonne (Danai Gurira). Would we have to spend every single episode hoping? Well, in episode 1, “Years,” we got to see our favorite couple back in action.
At the end of the episode, Rick is almost taken out by a masked fighter but she takes off his CRM helmet to find her husband beneath it. That’s how the first episode ended. So we shouldn’t have been surprised that the second episode continued the moment. First, we just had to get through Michonne’s backstory to see how she ended up finding Rick again. While, for a moment, I thought it would be more of the same with “Gone” ending just as “Years” did, we did get a bit more of Rick and Michonne back together in episode 2.
And it led to one of my favorite romantic tropes coming to life. The first episode also had one of my favorite tropes (lost lovers finding each other) so it was perfect that the second episode followed suit. But then again, who doesn’t love a hidden romance mixed in with their zombies? A romance mixed into the world of The Walking Dead is what keeps these characters human and makes us care about them. A little forbidden kiss? Just that much better.
Romance is alive in The Walking Dead
While there is plenty of romance in Rick and Michonne’s story, there was one particular moment in “Gone” that really had me squealing. Once they get back to the CRM base, Rick pulls their new “captive” into a garage as everyone is filing out. There, he quickly pulls her into the shadows between two cars and kisses her.
I don’t know why I am a sucker for a forbidden kiss but the minute I saw Rick pull Michonne away, I was reminded of another favorite “forbidden” moment of mine. In Moulin Rouge, Christian (Ewan McGregor) pulls Satine (Nicole Kidman) away and they’re both caught by Harold Zidler (Jim Broadbent). While neither Rick nor Michonne are caught, there really isn’t anything better than the emotional wallop of the desire to run and hide away with someone you love.
Things are not perfect for Rick and Michonne; they’re stuck with the CRM and they don’t quite know when they’re going to get out. (Not to mention Rick not knowing about Rick Jr.) But to see these two just happy to be reunited, to find love again and to have a renewed sense of hope? That has been a long time coming and I can’t wait to see more of them in love.
(featured image: Gene Page/AMC)
