The Walking Dead Why Rick And Michonne S Relationship Is So Important

To those unfamiliar with its comic book, AMC’s The Walking Dead (TWD) may have surprised its audience by delivering more than an apocalyptic horror/drama. The hit television series isn’t solely about man-eating zombies, also known as “walkers.” Centered around the walkers are brawny examples of honor, trust, family, faith, resilience, and love. TWD gives its viewers a stunning look at modern love, including different hues, hair textures, and races. While there are a few interracial couples on the show, Rick and Michonnes’s relationship is important to watch for many reasons.

Hollywood’s History with Controversy

Hollywood is no stranger to confronting hot-button issues such as race, politics, religion, and relationships. The writers of these film and television scripts force viewers to face their anxiety about topics that haunt them and those some never cogitated about in detail. NBC’s sitcom Will and Grace can’t be given enough credit for its in-depth look into gay life, showcasing two antithetical gay male personas, one flamboyant and the other conservative. From 1998 to 2006, heterosexuals were privy to the drama, pain, and awkward circumstances in gay relationships that mirror their own. And then, in 2015 came the legalization of gay marriage in America.

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     Via NBC  

Like gay lovers, interracial dating has lost much of its shock value, but couples not of the same hue are relatively new on television. Rick and Michonne’s relationship is so important in TWD because Danai Gurira, who portrays Michonne, is not a light-skinned African-American woman. She is a very dark-skinned Black woman, with Afro-textured hair in locks, in the arms of a White man, and her complexion and hair loudly announce the arrival of her and Rick’s relationship and progress on television.

How Rick and Michonne Meet

From their first encounter in TWD’s season 3, Rick reacts to seeing an injured samurai-sword-swinging Michonne with an instant curiosity. But Michonne appears to be immediately attracted to the fierce leader. As Rick peers through the fence of the abandoned prison he and his group overtook as their living quarters, it is still unclear to TWD comic book readers and fans of the show that a relationship between the two is brewing.

     AMC  

Rick decides to use Michonne as a bargaining chip with his nemesis to save the group’s lives and keep their living arrangement intact, but he changes his mind and brings her back. This establishes loyalty to his future love interest. The makeshift housing is also where a friendship forms between Michonne and Rick’s son Carl. As she goes on daily scavenger hunts, she brings Carl his favorite comics to read. Eventually, Michonne reciprocates her loyalty to Rick, saving his life in a violent battle for the territory. An escape after the prison becomes engulfed in flames separates them, leaving Rick and Carl to emotionally rely on themselves without Michonne’s presence which once added normalcy to Carl’s life.

Michonne as a Surrogate Mother for Carl

In Season 4, Michonne tracks Rick and Carl to an abandoned home they are using for shelter. She knocks on the door. When Rick looks through the peephole, he smiles and says to Carl, “It’s for you.” Rick tells Michonne that he’s glad she’s there with them. He says, “I can’t be his father and his best friend, so if you ever need a break…” Michonne responds, “I’m done taking breaks.” The audience sees this Black woman as a respected, important part of a family unit that is desperately needed. Here, the surrogate-mother relationship between her and Carl is established.

     Via AMC  

Fans witness Rick rely on Michonne’s opinion more in each episode. It is Michonne who encourages Rick to give Carl and his infant daughter Judith stability in the new community of Alexandria. It’s Michonne who’s the only person that can knock out Rick with the bud of a gun to save him from himself and not suffer any consequences, leading to a romance.

Rick and Michonne Becoming Official Was a Big Deal

The first kiss occurs in season 6. Rick and Michonne sit on the couch and discuss their hard day with each other. They hold hands, and after a long stare, they caress. The bedroom scene captures a beautiful positioning of Michonne’s dark-skinned, toned physique next to Rick’s White, equally toned stature as he lies on his back with Michonne’s arm on his chest in bed. This visually stunning scene marks a milestone in Rick and Michonne’s relationship and television.

The actors Andrew Lincoln, who plays Rick Grimes, and Gurira have called season 7, episode 12 the “honeymoon episode.” They are scavenging for supplies to hand over to Negan’s group, the Saviors. The couple discovers an abandoned carnival taken over by walkers. They scavenge and make love the entire time. As they fight off walkers, Rick beams as he watches Michonne chop off the heads of zombies without him, for he is confident that she doesn’t need his help, which is part of the attraction.

TWD is aware that African-American women watch the show, too. They understand that Rick is a heartthrob to many, not just because of his Adonis status but being a great father and a man of honor. His character is a man among men, and through Rick and Michonne’s partnership, TWD gives Black women a glimpse at what they would look like lying next to him. Often, audiences see the lighter-skinned Black woman with White men in film and television. It seems to be “acceptable.” But TWD used an interracial relationship to show its audience that a White man trusted this dark-skinned Black woman with his children, his life, and his heart. Rick and Michonne’s relationship is important because two people of different races chose each other to rebuild a civilization torn apart by a hateful virus. Since viruses come in all forms, a love led by respect and dignity instead of color may be the only antidote needed in a world with or without walkers.