rick telling carl "it's for you" when michonne finds them and knocks on the door in season 4 vs carl saying "you're my best friend, michonne" as he's dying in season 8 😭😭😭

For Carl’s letter I had actually written what I believed he would have written me, so I was reading his words. That I wrote. I wrote myself a Carl letter. It was a lot of, it feels personal to share, but some of the things you hear him saying to her in those final moments, being the strength, remembering moments he had with her that can keep him alive with her. Like moments up to Terminus together and re-finding each other and the things she’s done for his dad. – Danai Gurira

Angela Kang: “In the comics, there’s a moment where the characters talk about how the birds are making a comeback, which totally makes sense given the state of the world. It’s your typical brilliant, almost-throwaway Kirkman-ian line that sticks in the imagination and we wanted to pay tribute to that idea. For our characters at various points this season, nature is both a wonder to behold and an obstacle to overcome. In this moment, we see Rick, Michonne and Judith as a happy family, unafraid to be outside the walls of Alexandria, which is a hint about the state of the world… but we also know that crows can be a nuisance (as well as creepy harbingers of death!)(…) And it’s hard to see here, but if you look closely at Michonne’s hair this season, you’ll see she has a small plaid wrap around one of her dreads. That’s a piece of Carl’s shirt, which she’s now wearing to keep his memory close.”

For Carl’s letter I had actually written what I believed he would have written me, so I was reading his words. That I wrote. I wrote myself a Carl letter. It was a lot of, it feels personal to share, but some of the things you hear him saying to her in those final moments, being the strength, remembering moments he had with her that can keep him alive with her. Like moments up to Terminus together and re-finding each other and the things she’s done for his dad. – Danai Gurira

Reveling in Richonne

#108: The Best Friend (8x09)

Y’all…

I have to collect myself lol, because this moment right here was my absolute favorite.

Before the relationship between Rick and Michonne captured my heart, there was another bond that I adored right from the jump. And that’s the precious friendship between Carl and Michonne.

And for Carl and Michonne to have this whole personal moment for themselves in his final episode is every last thing. And it sounds like we owe a lot of that to Danai after seeing this…

She is a wise woman, y’all.👏🏽👏🏽👏

So when we cut back it’s officially just Rick, Michonne, and Carl in the tunnel. And I’m glad they gave the three of them the rest of this episode to have just with each other, as Rick and Michonne are the two who were closest to and who invested the most in Carl.

Plus focusing on these three over the years have given us some of the best episodes and scenes of the entire series, so they deserved to have these final moments together.

We see R&M taking care of Carl and being the loving parents they’ve always been to him. It’s clear they want this whole experience to be as comfortable for Carl as possible.

It’s cool cuz in season 3, Carl told Rick that Michonne could be one of them and here in this tunnel it’s just crystal clear how true that is cuz there’s no doubt that the three of them (+ Judith) are the Grimes family. 😊

Michonne notices Carl looking up at her, which I notice he does a lot in this episode. I appreciate that cuz you can tell he finds comfort in having Michonne right there with him.

She asks him if he’s okay and he tells her, “I don’t want you to be sad after this.” It’s heartbreaking to see how aware Carl is of his passing and the impact it’ll have on his family. And it’s hard hearing him address the fact that there’s going to be an “after this” without him.

Michonne responds saying Carl’s name in a way that implies she doesn’t want Carl to have to worry about her right now, and yet Michonne and Rick and how they move forward are the main things on Carl’s mind, which I love cuz his sole concern is for others at the end of his life.

He goes on to say, “Or angry. You’re gonna have to be strong for my dad. For Judith.”

First of all; 😭😭  Michonne is the matriarch and Carl knows it, y’all. 😌

(Side note: I notice how there oddly tends to be an erasure of Michonne in most audience discussions of this show. Like some really just completely overlook her character or only see and admire her as the marketable sword-wielding warrior which is so strange to me because she has a much larger role than that. (Although I low key have a feeling I know exactly why the dismissal of this character happens)

But, again not even from a Michonne fan perspective, but just in a general and contextual sense, Michonne is literally the character who’s closest to both the protagonist and his son, (even before Richonne became a thing). And yet she’s not always seen or talked about that way.

But what I love is that even if others don’t see her immense importance beyond “cool warrior woman”, Rick and Carl sure do.

And they express the closeness in which they see and value her often. It’s lines like this one from Carl, that really showcase how much he sees Michonne’s significance and influence on his whole family and how, to them, she is absolutely an instrumental part of their family unit.)

Carl has seen firsthand how his dad can get when a super personal loss occurs and I’m sure he knows if there’s one person who can get him through it’s Michonne. 😊

Of course it’s important that the show not forget that Michonne could need someone to be strong for her too and acknowledge that she’s going to be in the type of pain where she also will need a shoulder to lean on, but that being said, I really do appreciate Carl’s awareness of how much Rick is going to need her.

Again, this is Carl emphasizing both the mother/daughter relationship Michonne has developed with Judith as well as how much he understands it’s crucial for Rick and Michonne to go through this together and stick together after this.

To sum it up, I really appreciate that Carl’s aware of what an important role Michonne has in their lives and will continue to have in his dad and sister’s life.

He also says, “And for yourself.” I love that he includes that last part because it’s Carl acknowledging that he understands it’s not just Rick and Judith who will be affected after this, Michonne will be too.

And since season three Carl has had countless times to see the strength and resilience Michonne has, and so I think that’s why he really wants to stress this with her cuz he knows that she’s the one most capable of rising above the pain to keep fighting for this family and holding them together. It’s deep to see Carl entrust this to Michonne.

And another reason this moment is super deep is because when Lori died she expressed a similar wish for Carl to look after Rick and Judith.

And now Carl is passing that same wish on to Michonne because he sees her as family and as key to their family making it through. 👌🏽

Michonne looks over at Rick and seeing Rick look directly at Michonne you can see how much Rick co-signs Carl’s words. Like again, you just see how human Rick is and how much he too is aware of his need for her.

I love that Rick’s already looking at her when she looks over to him. This has to be pretty moving for Rick to watch on as his son expresses how important Michonne is to him and his family, and it just reiterates why Rick’s got the best one, y’all.

And in this whole exchange it’s like Rick is the third wheel almost, but that’s nothing new. 😋 I think it’s a happy norm for him at this point.

So then she looks back at Carl and says with conviction “I will.”

I love that she gives him that promise that she will continue to be a rock for their family. And I also am glad that Michonne receives this verbal confirmation of her influence and value in this family.

Carl then tells her, “Don’t carry this. Not this part.”

And y’all this feels so significant cuz just like he’s seen Michonne’s strength and resilience, he was also one of the first to really get to see her humanity and vulnerability.

And I appreciate this line cuz I feel like it’s him acknowledging one of the more personal moments Carl and Michonne shared which is in the season 4 finale when she told him about the way she became after losing Andre.

She carried that guilt over losing her first son and allowed it to make her shut down. So Carl is thinking of her and her well-being and letting her know he doesn’t want her to feel guilty about this.

It illustrates how well he’s come to know her but even more so it shows that he knows that their relationship has become so close that she could have a similar reaction to the way she became over Andre. They’re a mom and son, y’all.

But they’re also something else, which gets preciously confirmed in this next part. 🙌🏾

Cuz next, Carl smiles as he looks at Michonne, and I feel like in that moment you can just see every happy memory he’s had with her flash through his mind.

I feel like that’s why he had said “not this part” cuz there’s so many good memories between them to hold on to. But as he smiles you also see him be emotional cuz he’s aware that he’s about to be separated from the person he became closest to in this apocalypse.

So he warms my heart and breaks it too when he tells her with such sincerity “You’re my best friend, Michonne.” 😭🙌🏾😭🙌🏾😭

Y’all can I break down all the reasons I adore this? There’s a lot of reasons lol.

One; Like many of you, I had been saying for the longest that Carl and Michonne have the best friendship on this show. So to see them verbally acknowledge that they became best friends is awesome. 👏🏽👏🏽

It is such a fitting thing for him to say because, when you think about all the precious moments Carl and Michonne have had, we really did get to watch their journey of becoming best friends.

Two; I love that Carl got to tell her this in person, because I’d bet money that he told her in his letter to her but knowing he got to look at her and let her know with so much sincerity that she’s so special to him and his closest friend is wonderful. 😊

Three; Again, like many of you, I had hopes before this episode that Carl would address the way in which Michonne became a mom to him. And, don’t get me wrong, I def would’ve loved that and just been over the moon about it…But I honestly feel like Carl telling Michonne she’s his best friend is even better because a best friend is like the family that you choose. 👌🏽

And Carl is a teen and, at that age especially, the best friend role is pretty coveted. Like for most, that role isn’t taken lightly. So for him to feel as though his relationship with Michonne wasn’t just that of a maternal figure or older authority figure, but one of his best friend is deep. Carl and Michonne absolutely developed a mom and son dynamic, but what made their bond so special is that they were best friends too.

Four; It could have been easy for Michonne and Carl’s relationship to change when Michonne’s romantic relationship with Rick became official. And yet, clearly Carl still felt like he never lost his best friend in all this, if anything Carl was all for R&M’s union lol, which I appreciate.

Five; Another huge reason why I love this is because it took me right back to that moment between Rick and Michonne in season 4. It’s the moment where Rick and Michonne are in the kitchen after Rick hears how happy Carl is since Michonne reunited with them.

And Rick tells Michonne “I can’t be his father and his best friend. He needs you.”

And y’all, four seasons later here Carl is acknowledging how Michonne truly stepped up to the plate and became Carl’s best friend. 😭

Six; Them having this exchange, and just how sincere and heartfelt it was, really made me reflect on how much Carl and Michonne brought out the best in each other and how they gave each other joy in a world where that was supposed to be impossible.

Michonne didn’t treat Carl like he was just some kid, and Carl began to treat Michonne like she was more than just a lone wolf fighter. They saw each other for more than the surface and like Michonne said in season 4 they brought each other back. It doesn’t get more best friends than that.

And then Michonne’s initial reaction to hearing Carl say this, is so heartbreakingly beautiful.

After Carl lets Michonne know she’s his best friend, you can tell that means the world to Michonne. It’s emotional as she smiles and tells him “You’re mine too.” Perfection. 😊

And then what I really love is she says, “You’re mine” a second time and that second reiteration feels even deeper than just repeating he’s her best friend.

That second “You’re mine” completely felt like her telling him she’s embraced him as her own child. He’s her son. He’s hers. It’s everything. 😭

And then she kisses his hand and I adore the closeness as well as the lightheartedness of this. It totally encapsulates their relationship.

This whole best friends scene was the moment that got me, y’all. Like everything prior was making me internally emotional but when they said those lines, that just opened the floodgates and I was legit like…

They completely hit my heart with this scene and I’m not even mad at it tho, because Carl and Michonne deserved a beautiful and heartfelt moment like this even if it broke me to know it would all be coming to an end.

So then the remaining light in the sewer goes off and Rick reaches for Michonne and I love that, even in a wordless gesture like that, they’re still able to display the loving relationship they have.

He tells her, “I need your help.” Which will always and forever be the gospel truth. Here for it lol.

Michonne asks with what and Rick says “Getting him out of here” which I’m glad they were going to move him so Carl wouldn’t have to spend his last moments in a sewer.

It’s fitting for Rick to ask Michonne for help in regards to wanting something better for Carl, cuz that’s how it’s been for the longest. And she nods, agreeing that it’s important Carl spend his last moments somewhere else. 👌🏽😌

This show has always been at it’s best when it focuses on the relationships, and as much as we see the characters grow as survivors and fighters, it’s great when we see them also grow as people and friends.

Carl and Michonne went from being two strangers who met at a really low point in both their lives. Carl just lost his mom and his dad was losing it, and Michonne lost her family and then was let down by Andrea, her one friend, in Woodbury.

But in finding each other, Carl and Michonne really did find themselves and it was great to watch their friendship start as this little seed and then really grow and blossom into such an authentic friendship.

I’m glad that the bond they formed was really emphasized in this epiosde because, in my eyes, Carl and Michonne truly did have the best friendship in the series. ☺️👌🏽

Can we talk about how Michonne was allowed to be the fun parent? How so often women are portrayed as the serious, overprotective ones and fathers are the goofy, best-friend ones, but Michonne was the goofy one, the one that made Carl laugh when Rick wasn’t sure how to, the one that was both his mother and his best friend?

Can we talk about how Carl was the first one in the group to accept Michonne as one of their own, that he respected her as well as loved her? Carl was the first one that Michonne talked to about Andre, and Carl, in the course of one day, went from distrusting Michonne to telling Rick that “she’s one of us”.

Can we talk about how Carl and Judith are so important to Michonne in so many ways, how they were the people she first showed her softer side to, how they helped her to open up and learn how to be a part of a family again after the loss of her own son?

The Letter and The Mother

We know that Carl’s letter was about Negan and his redemption. But for me, this scene was mostly one last proof of the deep bond between Carl and Michonne.

Michonne goes alone, potentially endangering herself in wartime to read this letter.

I saw in her action a last symbol of their relationship, of what they were for each other, of what he saw in her. It was a lot easier to give Enid her letter or to convince Rick to read his, but Negan is their enemy, the man killed a part of their family and destroyed their house. Yet she did it and this is an act of love. A mother who fights against her own will, her own anger to respect the last wishes of her son.

A mother… Some do not see this connection. But this letter was there to remind us, to repeat that Michonne has always acted as a mother figure for him, putting his needs before hers.

It’s not for nothing that she is the one who pronounces his name in every episode since his death. She is the one who pays homage to who he was and what he wanted. And that’s why this letter is important not only for its content or for Negan but because it is Michonne who reads it. She does what a mother would do. And this scene reminds us that from the beginning they found in each other what this new world had taken away from them because Michonne knew Carl perfectly, sometimes even better than Rick.

She knew how to reprimand him when he went beyond the bounds

She knew how to make him smile even when their situation was critical 

She knew how to help him deal with his grief by revealing a part of her past

She knew how to comfort him when he needed by words, by a kiss or by a hug.

She knew how to remind him that he was a teenager without belittling him

She thought of his safety before thinking of hers

She knew how to value him and encourage him

 She knew how to reassure him when he doubted

She loved him as much as he loved her

She always knew how to be a mother to him when he was alive, and she knows how to be his mother even after his death. And for me that was what the letter was about: one last time, she put his needs before hers by going to read this letter in spite of the risks.

Michonne in every episode - Still Gotta Mean Something

Danai Gurira as Michonne in The Walking Dead 8x14

-Michonne (season 8, episode 12)

4.11 – Claimed | 8.09 Honor

‘Carl and his Moms’ Panel – Walker Stalker Con London 2018

amctalkingdead: *carves into a tree* Michonne + Carl BFF 4 Ever 

“you should’ve left her or killed her. no, that’s stupid. what’s stupid is you being out there when you don’t have to. you did the same thing. you didn’t- you and spencer didn’t have to go out there, but you did. that’s different. it’s not. i wasn’t gonna leave her out there like that. you wouldn’t. you wouldn’t. i know it. i couldn’t kill her.”

                                                                                                                      6.10 / 8.09