The Walking Dead season 9 has been teasing the mystery of the matching “X” scars sported by Michonne and Daryl for a while now, and we knew going in that episode 14, “Scars,” would explain the origins of the strange brand. We never expected the story behind them to be this dark, though, as the outing turned out to be one of the most shocking and devastating hours that the AMC series has ever delivered.
Via flashbacks, we learned that an old friend of Michonne’s, Jocelyn, was the one responsible. During the 6-year time skip, Michonne invited Jocelyn and her young charges to Alexandria, but the group of brainwashed, murderous children repaid her with bloodshed, leading Michonne to reluctantly kill them to protect Judith, her unborn son and her people. Now it makes sense why Michonne has become so withdrawn and taken an isolationist stance in the present.
The reveal of the truth of the scars hit fans hard, with TWD lovers flocking to Twitter in their droves to share their thoughts on the episode. So much so that The Walking Dead became the worldwide number one trending topic last night. Senior Vice President and Co-Head of Corporate Communications for AMC Networks Inc., Jim Maiella, posted a screenshot of the impressive feat, celebrating with a simple “Boom.” You can also see that related topics, such as Michonne and Judith, were trending, too.
Boom. #TWD pic.twitter.com/u1Jnsketog
— Jim Maiella (@jimmaiella) March 18, 2019
Most of the tweets discussing the episode were from viewers firmly on Michonne’s side, sympathizing with her over the terrible things she had to do in order to protect her own.
I WANNA HUG MICHONNE SO BAD THIS POOR GIRL#thewalkingdead#twd
— taiga (@wuvshinya) March 18, 2019
Damn. That was a lot. I totally understand why Michonne wouldn't let newcomers stay in Alexandria anymore. After that? I wouldn't either #TheWalkingDead
— Sara 🎬💖👑 (@writtenbysara) March 18, 2019
Michonne pleading for the kids to stop really broke my heart. She didn’t want to do it but to protect her children she did what she had to and she made it out alive, rescued Judith and eventually had a HEALTHY baby boy. 💘💖💖
— sugar 🦸🏾♀️ | THE ONES WHO LIVE 🍕💍 (@GrimesXGurira) March 18, 2019
Though, this being the internet, some couldn’t resist the opportunity for a bit of black humor.
https://twitter.com/MOVIEidol/status/1107460151609622528
https://twitter.com/midnightnick21/status/1107461101871083521
The Walking Dead season 9 has just two weeks left to go, but will the final pair of episodes be as dark and shocking as this one? Tune into AMC next Sunday to find out.