♥️ Ranking Richonne
#16: It's For You (S4E09)
This blog has always been a place to focus on whatever is beautiful about Richonne and truly the best word to describe this moment here is beautiful. And masterfully done. I adore this scene and, while we don’t even see Richonne interact, we do get to see the telling and joyous way they both react to each other. It’s a precious visual of how much they already mean to each other at this point. Their connection is one of a kind, and I love how Rick and Michonne's pre-canon moments are still so romantic, like in this ep here where TWD really gets the storytelling of it all exactly right...
After a really well-done episode getting to see where Michonne, Carl, and Rick are at after the fall of the prison, I adore that "After" ends with magnets finding their way back to each other.
I’ll forever be glad that when splitting up team family, it’s Rick, Carl, and Michonne who got to spend this time traveling and bonding together as the show’s golden trio. I’m telling you, the universe knew Rick and Michonne were not meant to be split up for long.
So first, I’m already just feeling so proud of Michonne that after reflecting on the tragedy from her past she decided she’s not going to return to that numbing lone wolf state and instead, she’s going to follow the footsteps that lead her to her family.
And then she finds them because sis always finds what she’s looking for, be it a prison, a savior outpost, or Rick when she eventually finds him in TOWL. 👏🏽
And without words, Danai so stunningly conveys how elated Michonne is to look through that window and see Rick and Carl eating side by side.
Her boys are so cute in that living room, and after their spats throughout the episode, it’s nice to see Rick and Carl finally having a peaceful moment together.
The choreography of this whole thing is great with Michonne reaching for her sword and then releasing it when she sees them. It's symbolic to her knowing that she’s found the ones she can most let her guard down with. She found her family. 🥰
The way Michonne sheds tears and smiles and has that emotional little laugh just upon seeing them. Beautiful. 🥹 She even looks up to the sky - cuz she knows the universe was on her side with this one.
Rick and Carl mean so much to her, and at this moment you know she knows it. Finding Rick and Carl specifically has to be so rewarding because, as we saw at the prison, they were who she was starting to get closest to.
It’s also really cute and even playful almost that she knocks as this way to sorta surprise them. She could’ve just said it’s her or whatever but this way is so much better. I know deep down she knows they’re about to be stoked to see her, cuz those Grimes boys always light up when she’s around. 😊
So then just like we got to see Michonne’s beautiful raw reaction to Rick and Carl, we also get to see Rick’s unfiltered elated reaction to seeing Michonne and it is such a heartwarming thing.
Let me tell you, Michonne breathes life into that man so effortlessly. Just the sight of her on the other side of that door seemed to have Rick feeling a bit less tore up from the floor up.
And I will always love that Rick can be a little extra when it comes to Michonne so he looks out the peephole and sees her and can’t help but make it a whole moment as he takes a breath, slides down to the couch, and starts laughing with that smile only Michonne can bring out of him. It’s the absolute best. 😊♥️
Like homeboy can barely breathe, but he’s still gonna have a tickled pink reaction to knowing his crush and his son's bestie found them lol. Who else is making Rick Grimes giddy like this? No one but Michonne, honey.
And Carl is like, alright my dad is being extra so what is this about. I low-key thought Rick was about to tell Carl...
lol. But Rick instead says something even better as the scene ends with one of my favorite endings to an episode of TWD.
Because Rick looks up at Carl with a smile and then perfectly says, “It’s for you.”
I will forever love this line. 😍 Like it’s so good and Andy’s delivery is flawless. I love that Rick knows the bond Carl and Michonne have, and he knows how excited Carl will be to open that door and see her.
And while the line indicates it's for Carl, Rick's pleased reaction says this is absolutely for him too. And truly it feels like Michonne’s return to their life is deliberately for them and for her because they all need each other so much. Seeing her is a certifiable W, and Rick knows it.
Watching Rick and Michonne’s separate reactions to each other just made it so clear they have something special between them. And I know these reactions were specifically because of the three of them, more so than it being about finding just anyone in tf.
Rick, Michonne, and Carl were always meant to be family, and moments like this confirm it.
This whole moment was screaming romantic, y'all. Like how lucky are we that Richonne’s story features so many heartfelt and swoon-worthy moments, both pre and post-canon.
Also, I was thinking about something...Back when season 4 was airing, Richonne fans who were far keener than I at the time knew moments like this "it's for you" one were planting the seeds of a Richonne romance. This then prompted other TWD fans to mock and grumble that Richonners think the show is a love story.
And no The Walking Dead is not a romance, but best believe once Rick met Michonne, a powerful and significant love story began to unfold and became central to why Rick Grimes, TWD's main character, fought to keep going. After all, what are any of these characters fighting to live for, if not the love they have in that world?
This is why I'll always stand by the fact that Rick and Michonne's love is important to the plot. And hey, look how far we've come from dealing with grumblings about us thinking TWD is a love story to now Rick and Michonne's final TWD chapter being officially (and repeatedly 🙌🏽) declared an "epic love story " with TOWL. Looks like those early Richonners were onto something huh 😋
And it's precious moments like this "it's for you" one that add such a heartfelt element to Rick and Michonne's slow burn and love story. It is just such a special scene and I get why Andy said it's one of his favorite endings to a TWD episode.
I love the quietness of this scene, the emotion of it, the kismet aspect of Rick and Michonne finding each other and being joyous when they do. What a beautiful ending to an excellent episode and a refreshing step forward in the making of Richonne. 😌
I Wanna Know - Where Would This Scene Land On Your Top 30 Richonne List?
Higher On My List ⬆
Lower On My List ⬇
#16 Is About Right 👌🏽
Not On My List 🙅🏽♀️
