WARNING: THE FOLLOWING POST CONTAINS SPOILERS TO TWD'S 7.12 "SAY YES"..... AND IT'S ALSO YVETTE NICOLE BROWN'S NOTEBOOK LONG!
I'm the queen of the world! Woo-hoo! I feel like I'm flying at the front of the most magnificent ship on television. Rick and Michonne Grimes are honestly one of the strongest, healthiest, and inspiring couples I've ever seen in any media form. I know it sounds cliche, and they are anything but cliche, but they complete each other. It's remarkable really because independently they are already capable warriors who don't NEED anyone but that's essentially what makes this pair so amazing. Rick and Michonne on their own are survivors, but together they are an unstoppable force. This episode really was a beautiful tribute to each character but a undeniable display of their impressive teamwork. I loved this episode so much I can hardly express why. It was the little things that made me the happiest. I truly appreciate the hardwork that goes into The Walking Dead. The whole cast, crew, writers, and producers are in a caliber quite different from any other tv show out there. It's such a gift to be able to pick up on new things each time you see an episode. As some fans might have noticed. There was a lot more to the episode than just what was at the surface, as often there is in any episode. Okay, so let's dive in. There were parts of the episode that I was swooning over as a fangirl but other parts that I found I was completely fascinated by as a regular viewer. I found there was a lot of symbolism and signs going on especially regarding callbacks to other episodes and possible foreshadowing to the future. Let's first discuss all the callbacks. As a whole, I feel like this episode sort of embodied their journey so far, individually and together. If you look enough into it (as a fangirl), you might even say this was like going down an AISLE of memory lane. ;)
There were Claimed references like Michonne's past, staying put in one safe place for awhile, scavenging, and Michonne's love of cheese. Sitting around a campfire and "You okay?" was an A reference. Even saying "Clear" very distinctly during their dinner felt like a throwback moment. Going after the deer didn't actually make me think of a few episodes prior like they talk about, but rather Carl. He went after the deer just before being shot. Obviously we've now learned that Grimes boys and deers aren't a safe combination. However, I've now heard people talk about a deer being a symbol of fertility... and Rick owes Michonne a deer? Hmm. Time will tell on that one. The roof caving has happened before in Season 4 when Michonne comes back from going after a past villain, the Governor. It's also in that episode that Rick wants her "to stay awhile" just like in this episode. I could go into a lot more detail about the parallels between "Say Yes" and "30 Days Without an Accident" but it might have to be another post. Let's just keep it at: characters struggling with inner demons, establishing a new life for Carl, fighting for a chance, etc. While I'm on the subject of the prison though, I felt like the whole carnival setting was reminiscent of that with the walkers roaming inside gated areas and taking down barriers. I'm sure if you look deep enough you will find all sorts of little things, but the final callback I want to acknowledge is the car from this episode and the tank from the pilot. Rick was once again stuck in a car, surrounded by walkers. Only this time, he didn't have Glenn to navigate him out. :( By the way, I love that Richonne even have chemistry while separated by an entire car backseat.
Speaking of Glenn, I think that Rick's grief over Glenn's death is also a big reason why he doesn't want to lead anymore. Even though Michonne has been encouraging to him with her confidence in his ability to lead, I think he's scared. She has told him before that it's not his fault when people die but I think that every loss is going to weigh on him for a very long time. He can't forgive himself for some things which is why I think it terrifies him to be responsible for anyone. This brings me to the most official unofficial proposal/marriage on tv. It seems that Rick only truly believes in himself because of Michonne's faith in him. He says later "You led me here." That's why he will only consider leading with her beside him. These are the facts as far as I'm concerned: Rick asked her if she would be willing to lead a life with him. She said yeah. They sealed it with a kiss. They are married, folks. They are Chilli and Mac&Cheese together.
Shoutout to @siancore for noticing something I noticed too. I wondered if I was reaching a bit far with it but I guess I'm not totally fangirl crazy because someone else hears it too. They sound different when talking to each other. I'm so in love with this acting decision! I assume that Andy and Danai do this purposely, that is. They have a soft, playfulness in their voices that they really only use with Carl and that's about it. It's like you can hear them letting their emotional guard down. I heard it A LOT in this episode. Whether it was during their comedic relief, their lovey-dovey giddiness, or even in their vulnerable heart-to-hearts. The only time I heard Rick sound like the Rick we're used to was when he was talking about the upcoming war. It was the natural and serious protector coming out in him. I could talk about their subtle voice changes throughout the episode in an entire post like their old-married couple tones, their smitten teenager tones, and their warrior lover tones but I'll leave it at that for now. You get what I'm saying though. The flirting... the love... the softness... it was all on point!!
Let's talk about Michonne's post-traumatic stress. First of all, I wonder if this abandoned school reminded Michonne of the camp she lost Andre to. The way she immediately identified the place as somewhere something serious has happened. It seem to not settle well with her. I also found it interesting how fast she went back to that dark place that Rick and Carl pulled her out of. When she thought Rick was lost to walkers, like Andre, she emptied right before our eyes. She became the shadowy creature she once was because her whole world collapsed in that moment. Yes, she's a strong woman, but Rick gives her life meaning. Without him, she would be lost. She later says, "I can't lose you." We've seen how Rick and Michonne react to extreme grief and trauma, but they both have survived it. Of course, I think that they helped each other find joy and hope again in each other, but they have others who were part of that too. When Rick told her "You can lose me. I can lose you," it surprised me at first. Right away I thought he meant that they were capable of bearing that loss because they've done it before. I thought that he should at least say it more gently like, "Yeah, it would be difficult but we can survive. We're the ones that live." Then I realized, no he's not talking about the ability to lose each other, rather the possibility. He's telling her that it's entirely likely that he can lose her in this war they're about to start and vice versa. He's telling her that there's a chance that they might not come out of this alive but it's still a battle worth fighting because the future is worth fighting for. He wants a life that's worth having for the kids but also for each other. I think it was really important for them to have this talk. I think something that really crushed Rick when it came to Negan was how far he fell. He was basically getting cocky over the world being theirs. This new mentality will probably be a lot more useful to them though. They know what they are fighting for, who they're fighting for, and what they're willing to sacrifice to win. They are both putting the greater good above themselves.
While I'm on the topic of future, let's talk about something a little happier. There seems to be a lot of signs of a potential future pregnancy for Richonne. The baby blanket they found in a drawer, kissing Michonne's belly, and then that whole deer thing that I talked about earlier. Based on Michonne's mood swings from devastation to joy and her growing hunger for those ready-to-eat meals, I might even guess she's already expecting. In all seriousness, I think it's a very real possibility that we'll see a little Richonne baby one day.
That leads me to my fangirl list of episode highlights:
- I loved that in a series where the characters rarely get to smile, this episode was nothing but smiles and laughs! Their joy brought me joy. I had a big smile on my face the whole night.
- Their epic embrace when Michonne knew Rick was alive and ok. It was emotional and so real. They held each other so tight like they were literally each other's whole world.
- Rick's negotiation to keep the cat. I'm thinking that this was the line that Nicotero had in mind as the funniest line of the season. It's hard to figure out because there were a lot of good ones but the idea that Ricky-Dicky Grimes (who has ripped out throats, dissected walkers, survived herds, murdered Terminites and Negan's crew in cold-blood, and has beast-mode against anything to live) is negotiating with a dumpster diva for a cat statue is hilarious.
- All their physical contact: kissing, hand-holding, hugging, other stuff ;)
- All their non-physical contact: watching/staring at each other
- Favorite lines: (also contenders for funniest line)
"We found the only way in, so..."
"It's Chilli and Mac & Cheese... Together. C'mon."
"This is about doing it quiet, with the sword... You can handle 8."
"You got your 8 walkers. I can push."
"Or we could just go." "You wanna go?" "Nah, we can do this." "Yeah, I know we can."
One more thing I want to touch on before wrapping up. Did you guys notice them kissing each other's hands/wrists? Personally I've got a thing for character's holding hands. I sometimes think it's even more sexy than kissing. So them kissing each other like that already had me fangirling but then I thought about the symbolism. Had it been their left hands, I would've freaked out and said that it was a metaphor for them exchanging rings. It would've furthered my argument that they are married now. However it was their right, dominant hands. These are their stronger hands that they rely on to do everything and to survive by. They are each other's right-hand people. "And having one of those is important." Without them you would be left, to an extent, helpless in this world. They are each other's strength. Think about that for a minute...
[Update: Upon further review, I noticed it is actually Michonne’s left hand. Therefore both metaphors apply. Carry on.]
Even though I think I could discuss this episode until the season ends, I've already gone on for awhile. As a proud Richonner, I give this episode a 5 star rating and highly recommend it for constant rewatch. I really enjoyed the Talking Dead episode too! I loved YNB and Denise Huth’s commentary! Congrats to Jill & Brandan on winning the Ultimate Fan Search! I'll post again some day about how I met Brandan and his mom at the S7 premiere in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Until then, that's all I have for you.
Sidenote: I really enjoyed Tara and Judith's scene. I'm a fan of both characters so this scene was really cute to me.
A while back a friend introduced me to the only animatronic band I currently care about, Captain Andy's Rivertowne and now I have held in my interest with this stupid dog and his show for too long. It also doesn't help that there is basically nothing about him online other than information about the show and like 3 Tumblr posts. Here's some (pretty old) fanart of capt. andy and images of the band below the cut!
Jaclyn Glenn, What Exactly Do You Want Moderate Muslims To Do?
Sharing this for those of you who are/were involved with the atheist community. This youtuber is an atheist and a feminist who I think criticizes the white male straight cis dominated atheist community pretty well.
