This Sunday marks the day we’ve all known was coming for an extremely long time now: the final appearance from Danai Gurira as Michonne on The Walking Dead. With series regulars dropping like flies in recent years, Gurira was one of the longest-running characters left, but the Black Panther actress has decided to call it a day on the show.
Fans will remember that Michonne was first glimpsed at the end of season 2 before being properly unveiled in season 3. And it seems her last episode will hark back to where her story began.
AMC has released the opening minutes – well, minute and a bit – of season 10’s episode 13, titled “What We Become,” and they take a surprising turn from what you might expect. The clip begins by dipping back into the past and reminding us of how Michonne was introduced – a lone warrior flanked by her walker “pets.” What’s more, thanks to archival footage, it brings back a long-dead character in the form of Andrea.
The footage used tells us this takes place during the season 2 finale. Andrea got cut off from the rest of the group when they were leaving the Greene farm and found herself being pursued by walkers. She was rescued by Michonne, however, leading the character to join up with Rick Grimes’ merry band. Yet, in a curious play on established events, this clip sees Michonne coldly ignore the woman in need and walk away, as we hear poor Andrea being torn to shreds.
It’s not entirely clear what we’re witnessing here. Is this a dream sequence or hallucination, or will the episode take an unexpected dip into an alternative timeline? Thematically, at least, this tells us that Michonne’s final hour will reflect on the heroine’s TWD tenure and acknowledge the impact she’s had on the show and the lives of the other characters. It’s sure to be another bittersweet farewell episode in a franchise that’s had a whole heap of those already.
The good news is that Gurira is believed to be coming back for Andrew Lincoln’s TWD movies. But this is definitely her swansong on the series itself. So don’t miss The Walking Dead when it returns this Sunday on AMC.
