The Walking Dead S9E14: Scars

In one of the more heart-wrenching episodes of the season (which is saying a lot for a season in which Rick “sacrifices” himself) we finally learn how Michonne and Daryl received their scars, and the reason for Michonne’s about-face on Alexandria’s policy of helping outsiders and the other communities. “Scars” may go down as one of the more memorable episodes of the season as well because of what Michonne was forced to do. And at the risk of piling on, “Scars” also has one of the best scenes of dialogue in show history. Better than anything Rick and Carl ever achieved, and strong enough to draw Michonne out of her isolationist mentality.

Loyal viewers will recall that after Rick’s shot heard round…Virginia…risking his own life to blow up the bridge, the show used a huge jump in time to get us past that traumatic event. For the most part this worked because it created a lot of intrigue in the changes we saw in each character. Some changes were trivial, some were paramount. Michonne’s change fell into the latter category: I remember trying to theorize what could’ve happened to instill such an isolationist mentality in her. Surely it wasn’t Rick’s death, as she would want to carry on his and Carl’s legacy of reaching out to help others. There was a lot of distance between her and the other communities, but no animosity that might suggest a fight between them. This had to be the effect of interactions with another group, or groups. “Scars” reveals exactly what happened.

The layout of “Scars” pits current struggles against those immediately following Rick’s apparent death through short flashbacks. Michonne and Daryl search for Rick’s body in the days and weeks following the explosion as they both drag themselves on in what they feel is a lonely endeavor. I realized that this and the events that follow may have been one of the last times Daryl and Michonne saw each other before Daryl brought Henry, Lydia, and Connie to the walls of Alexandria in the following current scene. Just the sight of Daryl bringing in a new person would trigger some very tragic memories for Michonne.

Flashback Scenes

A small group comes to Alexandria in search of help, and Michonne immediately recognizes the only woman among them: Jocelyn, a friend from “before all this,” and someone she hasn’t seen for 15 years. Jocelyn explains the peculiar circumstance of having only children with her by simply saying the adults “went crazy and didn’t survive,” and that the kids “…adapted. They keep me safe.” Michonne’s reunion with Jocelyn is short-lived, however, when Jocelyn and her kids steal Alexandria’s food supply and kidnap some of the Alexandrian children. Including Judith.

What Michonne and Daryl encounter on their search for the children disturbs and startles them: child soldiers, trained by Jocelyn to ruthlessly and callously eliminate whomever they are targeting. After Daryl takes an arrow to the shoulder, he and Michonne are strung up and branded with an ‘X’ on their backs, explaining the teaser shots of ‘X’ scars on both of them in “Stradivarius”. Daryl manages to free himself and Michonne, and they both give chase to the children standing between them and Judith’s rescue. Michonne is forced to kill each child, one by one, to get to Judith. The scene is disturbing, but is laid out artfully against scenes of killing walkers in current day. It reveals how she had to suspend reality for a moment and view these children as though they were already dead, so she could bring herself to do the unthinkable.

To my memory this is only the second time we’ve seen children purposefully killed on The Walking Dead, and the other time was Carol telling Lizzie to look at the flowers. Children are largely spared from the brutality of this world, and rightfully so. The choice to involve them in violence is disturbing enough, and it’s easy to see that needing to kill children to save your own would cause a dramatic shift in Michonne’s approach to ever helping people again.

Current Day Scenes

I mentioned that Michonne killing Jocelyn’s child army was juxtaposed against her killing walkers in the current day. That’s because Judith has run away, and Michonne has to get through a small herd of walkers to get her back. But this isn’t some tantrum-throwing child deciding she doesn’t like it at home. Judith runs away trying to protect her friends, just like her mother and father would have (should have) done. Panicked that Judith has run away, Michonne goes to one of Judith’s closest confidants, Negan. The conversation is largely forgettable, except that Negan enlightens Michonne to the fact that Judith is just like her (at least like how she used to be). Michonne then discovers that Judith took her father’s gun, and left a note describing where she went.

Once Michonne rescues Judith, they have a heart to heart, each of them hearkening back to the memory of the day Judith was almost killed by Jocelyn’s kids. Michonne had thought she was too young at the time to remember, but Judith remembers it all. Their conversation is an excellent one, and it shows Judith’s maturity in reminding her mother of a very simple truth: we help the ones we love.

Michonne: “What I did at home… I thought you didn’t understand because you didn’t remember. But you do.”

Judith: “Our friends need our help.”

Michonne: “It’s not that simple.”

Judith: “Yes, it is… loving someone means doing whatever it takes to keep them safe, but when did we stop loving Daryl and Maggie and Carol and the King?”

Michonne: “We didn’t.”

Judith: “Then why does it feel that way?”

“Out of the mouths of babes…” that’s a paraphrase of Psalm 8:2, a passage which Jesus later cites in Matthew 21:16 to highlight the truth in what the children in that context were shouting and singing. It’s often used today to point out how the simplest of truths can be lost to adults but remain clear in the minds of children. With her words of truth, Judith pierces Michonne to the heart, and convicts her of the error of her ways. We don’t isolate ourselves from our loved ones. We don’t protect ourselves and value our own safety more than theirs. We do whatever it takes. Michonne did, and had to kill a handful of children attacking her to protect Judith. So when Judith sees Michonne withdraw into Alexandria time and time again, she interprets that as a lost love for Daryl, Maggie, and others.

Love, scripture tells us, does not seek its own. It endures all things, it is not provoked, and it does not rejoice in unrighteousness (1 Corinthians 13). Love isn’t just a feeling we have for others; it drives us to action on their behalf and for their benefit. Michonne needed to be reminded of that, the same way Rick needed to be reminded that every life is worth something. Good thing they each have kids to remind them of the simple truths.

My Rating: A

It’s weird to speak of a television show I didn’t make as though I’m proud of it, but I really feel that way. In this genre, it’s so easy to stick with surface level sentiments and go overboard on the gross-out effects. This show has found its way back to saying meaningful things in dramatic ways. It’s actually revealing truths that can be found in scripture and exploring how such revelations impact people constantly surround by death and distrust of their fellow man.