The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live - Season one, episode 5 - "Become"
Father Gabriel walks through the forest, and after killing a Walker, then seeing a helicopter fly over, he says a prayer (SEE NOTES).
Rick and Michonne I: On the road, the couple happily head home, along the way, they discover a van spilling over with boxes of ramen noodles, which they happily consume, thinking nothing of tossing the packaging (a mistake). Finding a campsite convenience store, Michonne notes that she was never fond of the mini vanity plates because--as Rick adds--her name was not one to be found on the souvenir. While Michonne looks around, Rick spots a necklace bearing the name "Michelle". Rick decides it will make a nice gift for Michonne...after he breaks off every letter except "M".
Finding the key to a cabin they'll use for the evening, the couple head to the location on foot, coming across
Michonne: "Thorne was so...uptight..just trying so hard for this army. Too hard."
Rick: "She was trying' to get home to South Africa to someone she loves, but Okafor found her, and she stopped trying. You know, I never let go. I denied it. I pushed you away, but I never let go."
Michonne: "I didn't know. "
Michonne notices a curious statement made on a National Park sign:
"PROTECT THE PARK FROM THE PEOPLE.
THE PEOPLE FROM THE PARK
AND THE PEOPLE FROM THE PEOPLE"
Before she can interpret its meaning, they run in the direction of screaming people, rescuing a trio from Walkers. Michonne offers the obviusly hungry people packs of noodles, only to have their kindness rewarded with the leader pulling a gun on the couple, demanding all of their provisions. Michonne and Rick quickly disarm the would-be robbers, trying to get them to promise not to pull that sort of ungrateful crap on anyone else. Michonne takes the noodles back, while tossing one of their emptied guns away.
That evening at the cabin, after Rick and Michonne contemplate why they did not hesitate in helping the trio, Rick gives Michonne the "M" necklace--the thoughtful modification leading to their rekindled passion. That evening, as the two sleep, a shadowy figure dismantles Rick's Walker trip wire, and carefully approaches the cabin...
THREE YEARS AGO
Father Gabriel prays for his canteen of water to be blessed as Holy Water, when he's approached by Jadis. Gabriel is cautious, unsure of her motivations, but he hugs her in any case. Jadis longed to see him again, but insists he keep her presence to himself. Gabriel observes she left Alexandria feeling she was still being judged for her past actions, but adds Rick brought her in, thinking people can change, and died holding to that belief. Jadis does not flinch, pretending she does not know the obvious, but is a bit too cool about this ordinarily tragic revelation.
Father Gabriel: "My mistake wasn't trusting you. It was losing my faith in you. Can you forgive me for that?"
Jadis: "What about...the people who can't forgive you? What about the one that you make 'gone'? How do you live with that?"
Father Gabriel: "Prayer. Amends? ...talk."
Jadis (her reaction clearly indicating she's not going to go the prayer route): "I can't talk about the things i've been a part of, things I will be a part of."
Father Gabriel: "Not even to your people?"
Jadis: "No. Not without telling them about all of you."
Father Gabriel: "You can talk to me. clergy confidentiality. You weren't even here, Anne."
Jadis (amused): "I forgive you."
In the present, an armed Jadis breaks in on Rick and Michonne, ordering the pair to tie each other up. She explains that after hearing about the helicopter crash, she joined the reclamation team to search the wreckage, spotting the yellow truck, yet on a second inspection of the rubble, the truck had been stolen. That, and a trail of discarded noodle packages led her right to the pair.
Operating as an analyst tag-team, Rick and Michonne speak at and around Jadis, irritating the woman, as expected, but Jadis has her own choice words for the pair--
Jadis: "You see, I've been thinking about someone else I killed. A confidant. Someone monumental in my development as...me. As a person who will help turn the world. I left things unsaid between us. I don't want to do that before I kill both of you."
Rick: "You just play games Anne, you don't give a shit about that army or that city!"
Jadis: "I--do! You think i'm still her. I'm not. I'm not that woman from the heaps, either. 'We take. We don't bother'. Didn't work. I am decorated Warrant Officer Jadis Stokes of the Civic Republic Military. Defender of the Republic--"
Rick: "You're doing this for you...Anne."
Jadis: "NO--for the Republic! If I were to let you go home, and somehow, so other enterprising warrant officer were to find you, my connection with Alexandria would be discovered, and that important work would end. I saved your life."
Michonne: "You took it! You took it from him! You took it from me! You took it from our children! All those years they grew up without their father?!? All those years I didn't know whether he was alive or dead!?"
Rick: "You stole our family, Anne!"
Jadis: "I didn't kill you in your sleep because I wanted--I needed to thank you. By dying here today, Alexandria will remain safe and your children will have a better world! You could have made other choices. But you didn't lose here. You went a different way, so its the end of your story. Let that be your peace."
Jadis fires at the pair, but they--anticipating the attempt--roll off of the bed in unison, Rick sliding under the bed, Michonne behind a door. Rick flips the bed over on Jadis, giving Michonne enough time to retrieve her hatchet, which she uses to hack into Jadis's rib cage.Michonne almost shoots Jadis, but rick slaps her arms down, wanting to catch her.
TWO YEARS AGO
Jadis travels to the forest for her annual meeting with Father Gabriel; they discuss Rick and Michonne, with Jadis learning they were never officially married. Father Gabriel recalls Rick once asking him to perform the marriage ceremony, but Father Gabriel had doubts about the meaning of it all, until he--sitting alone--spotted a ring that he believed would perfect for the occasion, but the bridge happened.
Jadis has come to look forward to her meetings with Father Gabriel, as it gives her a feeling of the woman she used to be, as opposed to the life she currently lives, which is centered on responsibility instead of personal connections...doing things that are--as she describes it--cruel.
Father Gabriel challenges her--asking if she's confessing--expressing doubts, he wonders if that cruel person is not who she is. Jadis rejects this, stating that the negative part of her who commits cruel acts--is the one that kept her alive, and can help keep the rest of the world alive. Father Gabriel reveals some of the struggles his people have had to face (referring to the Whisperers), and the dire consequences of those struggles, including but not limited to food insecurity for the children. He asks Jadis for help, but she flatly refuses, yet claims to feel remorse for her refusal. Father Gabriel gives her the ring (as a symbol of faith and love), with the hope that it will give her something she needs.
Jadis asks to meet Gabriel again next year, which he agrees to....if he's alive.
In the present, Rick and Michonne (arguing about why Jadis should not be killed) speed after Jadis, eventually running her off of the road. The pair find her car abandoned. Jadis has stumbled across the trio of vagabonds, promising shelter in exchange for protection.
Elsewhere, Rick explains that Jadis' dossier could be at any number of bases scattered across America, but they need to try talking to her to get that information, as Rick believes she could be reached by appealing to her discomfort in being addressed as "Anne" (reminded of the life she lived in that role).
The couple track Jadis to a converted shelter, searching every makeshift room, until they spot someone race by wearing Jadis' coat. It turns out to be the female member of the vagabonds, who is shaken to learn Rick and Michonne were the "bad people" Jadis enlisted them to lure into her trap. Michonne and Rick disarm the vagabonds (again) leaving it up to Jadis to fire wildly, only alerting Walkers to their location, and within seconds, the woman is taken down by Walkers. Her less-than-formidable companions race to help--and join her to become an easy meal.
ONE YEAR AGO
Father Gabriel and Jadis meet again; Jadis is thoughtful, regretting how each time she sees him, she has more blood on her hands. Father Gabriel asks why she comes back every year, where he could have her--to himself. He feels her coming back proves--contrary to her oft-stated claim--she is still here, as Anne. She kisses Father Gabriel, prompting him to ask her to return to Alexandria to be with him, which she brusquely rejects, while defending the purpose of her group, which Father Gabriel sees as cruel. Feeling vulnerable, Jadis now sees Gabriel as a loose end she needs to kill, which she prepares to do...
The present: Jadis, now alone, faces Rick & Michonne, but warns them if anything happens to her, their children will die. Michonne is quite hot-headed at this point (understandable), and is Hell-bent on killing Jadis, no matter what Rick says. Playing her biggest card--her life--Jadis stands with her arms out, testing Michonne as Walkers shuffle toward their next meal. Michonne draws her gun--considers allowing the Walkers to consume Jadis--until she accepts the bitter pill that the woman cannot be killed, and picks off the creatures...emptying her gun. Treachery abounds, with Jadis--taking advantage of the situation--fires at Michonne. Jadis attempts to play with Rick's mind, telling him he was on the ascent with the CRM, with Beale set to give him the Echelon Briefing.
Jadis: "Your eyes would have been opened to the true size and scope of what the CRM's gonna do to bring this world back. You could have insured Alexandria's security. But you didn't. You let Michonne pull you away from that. (to Michonne) All you had to do is leave! Rick arranged for your escape.But you didn't, and now, here we are. The fate of you friends--your children are sealed, because you are just like her--you look out for you."
Rick: "You don't really want to kill everyone back home, Anne. I know you don't!"
Jadis: "It's not about want. It's about keeping your humanity...or saving humanity! And it is a choice! I've chosen MY community--I've chosen MY life! So whose gonna die today?? The two of you? Or me? And everyone back home!"
Through the conversation, Michonne studies Rick, believing he is--once again--leaning in the direction of the CRM's propaganda. However, as the couple look into each other's eyes, it is clear they have concocted a scheme against Jadis:
Michonne: "She's right. Rick...I didn't want to see it, I wanted her dead, so I didn't have to see it. But Rick, there has to be a sacrifice.Since i found you, all that i've done has been for us. But now I see this can't end with us going home."
Rick promises to return to the CRM with Jadis, as long as she agrees to allow Michonne to go home, and not inform the CRM about Alexandria. On the condition everyone drop their weapons (and Michonne leave to find a med-kit), Rick emerges from hiding empty-handed, but Jadis--ever the liar--pulls one the vagabond's guns on Rick...
ONE YEAR AGO II
Jadis aims her gun at Father Gabriel, but he presses the notion that she--Anne--never left, and if he's wrong, she can shoot him...
The present: Michonne comes out of hiding, aiming a CRM rifle at Jadis; before she can issue yet another ultimatum, Walkers grab Jadis, biting into her throat. Rick dispatches the creatures, but it is obviously too late to save Jadis. Between her loss of blood from the hatchet wound and the bite, Jadis shakes and gasps incoherently--her energy rapidly fading.
Jadis (flashback to her interactions with the Heap people, Father Gabriel, et al.): "Everything I ever had...lost. My people...my friends. Everyone--was tired of losing. I-I was finally part of something that could've lasted...I couldn't lose another community. My old one...my new one...and I knew...if I didn't kill you all, somehow, some way you'd come to CRM, so I drew up the dossier, to protect myself and make sure you couldn't....I thought my death was worth it. I'd chosen a side, right? I thought I had..back and forth. Jadis...Anne..Alexandrians...CRM...
ONE YEAR AGO III
Father Gabriel stiffly waits for Jadis to shoot him. Instead, she shoots an approaching Walker, which Gabriel sees as the answer Jadis was seeking about who she is.
The present:
Jadis (thinking of Father Gabriel): "He already showed me. I found my answer. The dossier...its in my room..at the Cascadia base. J-just destroy it and go home. The CRM will bring the world back...tell me you won't come after them?"
Michonne: "No. Because we are coming after them. We're gonna get the dossier...and then, the CRM...we're gonna stop them. He's gonna get the Echelon Briefing, and find out everything they do that the city doesn't know about. the city I saw won't stand for what they are, and we're gonna help the city stop them, because....Anne...the CRM is not the answer. And they must...end. (to Rick) "we're gonna do that."
Rick's mind processes all Jadis has said, and reaches a startling conclusion:
Rick: "You kept us alive for a reason."
Jadis (now honest with herself--nothing to lose): "I wish I died an artist. It was never about survival. That life was just about truth. This is mine...the end of my story. My peace."
Jadis removes a necklace running through the ring Father Gabriel gave her, handing it to Rick while recalling how he wanted to marry Michonne. With her life coming to an end, Jadis asks Rick to marry Michonne. Rick takes it all in--then magnanimously shoots Jadis in the head, putting her out of her misery.
Rick and Michonne II: Backtracking through the woods, Rick acknowledges the full meaning of her "surrender" speech to Jadis--that it was meant for him. Michonne believes that together, they can change the world. Rick pauses...to propose to the love of his life:
Rick: "Michonne--wait. I've been wanting to say something. This broken world...Michonne...you're the only thing that puts it back together. 'till my last breath, I am yours."
Rick lowers himself to his knees, presenting the ring.
Michonne: "I could never have imagined this. But it could only have been you. I am yours."
Michonne also bends to her knees, the pair kissing, with their love for one another never stronger.
NOW
Father Gabriel returns to the forest, as its now another year, and time for a reunion with Jadis. Eventually, as time passes, the forlorn Father almost senses he will never see her again, his facial expression indicating he's guessed her likely fate.
NOTES:
As much as some viewers are praising the arc of Jadis, this episode's standout was the return of Father Gabriel, and his patient dealings with Jadis. For Gabriel to be satisfied with a single visit every year shows not only how connected he was to Jadis, but it raises the question of the timeline of the meetings--whether they all occurred after the events of TWD's series finale.
Jadis initially began as a recurring antagonist, then a semi-trustworthy ally. Her eventual turn to full-on villain in the spin-offs did not always work, as her story did not seem to have much behind it. This one episode changed all of that, with Father Gabriel patiently working on what he viewed as her true self. While she was certainly conflicted--right up to her end--its clear the level of love and dedication Rick and Michonne have for each other did serve as the inspiration for her final, genuine confession about changing the world, and wanting Rick to marry Michonne.
Jadis' death was sort of reminiscent of Andrea's from The Walking Dead's season 3 finale, "Welcome to the Tombs" (E16), where Andrea--like Jadis--was bitten in the neck, and gives a few parting words about her intent with partial regret, before a bullet (self-inflicted in Andrea's case) ended their lives.
Once again, a series in the survival horror genre soars above most current and recent fantasy series, and its accomplishing that with some amazingly frank, mature exchanges between the leads.
Next: "The Last Time" - the season one finale; Rick and Michonne risk it all to destroy Jadis' dossier, and begin to strike a blow at the CRM...but being a season finale (instead of a series wrap-up), will it end with a cliffhanger? Will that "last breath" declaration come back to haunt Rick or Michonne?
GRADE: A++.
