As it turns out, mass child murder is a solid reason for becoming a paranoid isolationist.
BY: JACOB POLITTE
Staff Writer
The Walking Dead: “Scars”
Season 9, Episode 14
Airdate: 3/17/2019
***SPOILERS INCOMING***
The Walking Dead is a horror show, above all else. It has elements of other genres mixed in, but it is first-and-foremost a show about the horrors of the apocalypse. There are many classic episodes of the show that highlight the relentless brutality of the human race in this new world; “No Sanctuary” from season 5, and half of the episodes in season 6 come to mind specifically.
The darkest episode of The Walking Dead, however, is arguably the fourteenth episode of season 4, titled “The Grove.” In that episode, we find Carol struggling with the inevitable: killing a child who had become too dangerous to have around. In a way, it was a mercy killing. It’s one of the more controversial episodes of the show strictly because of its subject matter.
Exactly five years later, “Scars” takes that act by Carol and makes it look almost like child’s play. I don’t want to say it was a better episode than “The Grove” was, but it’s final act is arguably even more haunting. In a series of flashbacks, we finally learn why Michonne turned into an isolationist and basically turned Alexandria into a police state: she had to slaughter a bunch of kids to save Judith and the other children of Alexandria. For those who have soured on Michonne this season, I hope you are satisfied with her reasoning.
It does make sense. Child murder is absolutely traumatic, and even Carol, already a stone-cold killer by that point, was affected by what she had to do. The kids originally came to Alexandria with a woman named Jocelyn, who turns out to be an old friend of Michonne from her college years. Feeling lonely after losing Rick, a pregnant Michonne let’s her guard down, allowing Jocelyn and her group to stay at Alexandria for an extended period of time. That turns out to be a mistake, as the group kills an Alexandrian resident, steals everything in the pantry, and runs off with all of the children in the community, including Judith.
Daryl and Michonne track the group down to an abandoned school, where they are captured and branded. Desperate to get the children back, they break free of their restraints, and we follow Michonne as she battles her way outside for a final confrontation.
Michonne is attacked by Jocelyn, but quickly and violently dispatches of her old friend. Jocelyn’s kids, however, refuse to back down. Despite pleas to stop from Michonne, they all charge at her.
And while we don’t see the actual acts of murder, we do see the aftermath. Michonne had to kill all of those kids. Except for one. Winnie, the sole survivor, runs away crying.
Judith and the other children were safe and were reunited with their families. But the incident changed Michonne. We don’t technically see the aftermath of the incident with the other communities, but we can infer that Michonne cut them off and refused to help them when they needed it. If someone she considered her best friend could betray her, how could she really trust anyone when the chips were down?
And now we fast-forward five years. Judith is much older now, but she knows all of the stories that we have seen on the show over the years, primarily thanks to Negan. She also vividly remembers the incident with Jocelyn’s group, and it’s Judith herself that finally gets Michonne to drop her isolationism. It was very corny, but her monologue to Michonne about protecting the people you love near the end of the episode was a touching one that worked perfectly.
Michonne realizes the error of her ways and after making a stop at Carl’s grave, she and Judith head off to the Kingdom to take part in The Fair, picking up Daryl, Connie, Lydia, and Henry along the way. Her change of heart may be short-lived though, as it’s revealed that two Whisperers have discovered the group and The Fair. Something tells me that they’re looking to crash the party.
I can’t speak highly enough of this episode, or this season as a whole. It’s been nothing short of astonishing.
SCATTERED THOUGHTS:
– Danai Gurira is a fantastic actress and she doesn’t ever get enough credit for that. Her performance absolutely carried this episode.
– It’s also worth noting that Cailey Fleming is doing a fantastic job as Judith this season.
– RJ Grimes is so adorable.
– It’s important to note that Daryl killed some kids too. There is blood on that knife of his.
– Some viewers derided the choice to not directly show the killing of the children on screen, but I thought the way they chose to edit the scene was just as effective. Let’s not be total savages, people.
– It’s nice to see Aaron’s adopted daughter Gracie be given a purpose other than “Savior baby that Rick and his group abducted.”
– Winnie the Kid is probably a Whisperer now.
– Henry is still the worst kid in the zombie apocalypse. He didn’t do anything offensive in this episode, but it’s still the truth and it always will be.
– Arguably worse than Henry though? The late Lori Grimes. Michonne searched for signs of Rick for months following his sacrifice at the bridge, but Lori hooked up with his best friend only days after she thought he was dead. She really was the worst.
