The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live season 1, episode 3 recap “Bye"

Now that Rick and Michonne are reunited they have to keep their relationship hidden from the CRM, however, this may be easier said than done. In The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live season 1 episode 3, as Jadis' threat looms over Rick, Michonne stays headstrong about planning an escape for herself and Rick.

But will her intentions cause more harm than good? Will her relationship with Rick stay strong?

Let's find out!

Rick and Jadis

We learn through a flashback sequence about how Jadis saved Rick's life by bringing him to the CRM. While Rick disagrees, as this is a place he can't ever leave (even if it looks rather nice), Jadis reminds him (several times throughout the episode) how much he owes her for saving his life.

When Rick was rescued Jadis was a mere nobody, but she quickly (suspiciously) climbed the ranks to the position she has now. She asks Rick to not even attempt to escape with Michonne otherwise, she will be forced to murder everyone he knows and loves back home.

Her priority remains the secrecy and safety of the CRM. Clearly, the CRM has brought out her power-hungry and vindictive nature. (I'd like to add that the city where people seem to live and thrive is also where Rick got the images of Michonne and Judith on the cellphone from a very talented artist. Carl is also mentioned, it's a very emotional bit, moving on.)

Everything changes

But if Jadis wasn't enough of an issue, Rick's only friend Pearl Thorne gets moved up after the funeral of Okafor. She now has more power and position, but she worries about Michonne, who is still going by the name Dana.

Pearl worries that her story doesn't add up as we all know Michonne is incredibly strong and independent. She is a leader like Rick and the CRM will view that as a threat.

Even when she's doing the simple task of killing walkers from behind a wall (a job Rick once had), Cleo and others around her can tell she can handle herself. Due to this Rick sets up a plan to help Michonne escape, by paying attention to when the CRM drops bombs to separate the growing walker hordes.

By the passing of a note, Michonne gets her katana back and follows Rick's directions which leads her outside to the water with a canoe. The problem is Rick isn't going with her.

Refusing to leave Rick behind, regardless of his instructions, Michonne returns just as Rick explains to Jadis how he helped Michonne leave with an almost perfect cover-up story. Angered that Rick was going to stay behind, Michonne hardly speaks to him.

This rift grows with Pearl's interference. She sees more in Michonne but constantly reminds Rick she is not Okafor.

When Okafor found and rescued Pearl, he could have killed her but didn't. Even when she tried to kill him.

Pearl's methods of questioning Michonne, as a form of test, comes off questionable as Rick was ready to kill Pearl if she even attempted to harm Michonne. Michonne does pass and together with Rick, Pearl, and a small team they are sent to deal with walkers in a location where pretty much every important figurehead of the CRM will be attending an event in the coming days.

It also doesn't help that Michonne sees Jadis for the first time, livid that Rick didn't tell her and even angrier that he won't explain anything to her.

Breakup and breakout

Pearl gives very specific orders to the team that if they are unsuccessful in removing the walker threat to the area, the event cannot be held. It doesn't take long for the plan to start falling apart with Pearl unable to push the heavy bomb towards the walkers.

Ignoring orders Michonne and then with Rick's help, successfully completes the mission. After the two share a romantic moment they go about killing walkers as Pearl watches Michonne, seemingly about to kill her.

Thankfully Rick notices and moves into Pearl's line of fire to prevent her from killing Michonne. With the mission complete Pearl flips out at Rick over Michonne disobeying orders, terrified this will cause others to do the same.

Worried for Michonne Rick essentially breaks up with her. As the two ride back on the helicopter in the middle of a vicious storm, Michonne makes the crazy decision to grab Rick and together they depart the helicopter.

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live season 1 episode 3 review

The frustrating aspect of the show so far is the lack of communication. If Rick and Michonne could thoroughly communicate, a lot of issues wouldn't come to pass or would be resolved rather quickly.

However, our heroes cannot communicate as there is no possibility for them to. They are forced to have to trust each other without realizing they are not even in the same book, let alone the same page.

What's worse I find myself agreeing with both Rick and Michonne's actions. Rick is terrified of losing Michonne, his family, and everyone he knows, to the point he will do anything and everything to protect them.

(This is very much Negan-level fear coming back but amplified.) Which included Rick's rash decision to break up with Michonne and which will probably include Pearl's eventual death.

Michonne doesn't want to leave without Rick, as she has spent so long trying to find him and can't allow the CRM to win. However, she does lose a point for not remotely trying to pretend to be this helpless woman she claimed to have been.

Rick's heart eyes towards Michonne every time they pass doesn't help either. I am extremely curious about Jadis, as her actions in The Walking Dead: World Beyond tell me she wants complete power at the CRM.

She believes in the mission so much she'll probably justify her takeover of the organization as the only option, as no one else is capable of such a responsibility. As for Beale...he hasn't been around much, but I really don't trust him.

He's absolutely up to something and I feel like no one is keeping an eye on him. Long story short, this is a far better episode with an equally interesting and opportunistic setup for the remainder of the season.

What did you think of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live season 1, episode 3? Let us know in the comments below!

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live season 1 episode 4 airs on March 17 on AMC.