Why Michonne Doesn’t Tell Rick About His Son In The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live

Warning: This article contains spoilers for episodes 1 and 2 of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live.

Michonne finally reunited with Rick after so many years apart, but she made the huge decision not to tell Rick about his son in The Ones Who Live episode 2. Rick and Michonne’s quick reunion in their Walking Dead spinoff was a welcome surprise, but despite finally being together after all these years, there is still some heavy baggage. After almost a decade, both characters have sustained significant changes, and while they clearly still love each other, their relationship has been altered. With the CRM’s presence further complicating things, Michonne decides not to tell Rick about his son, RJ Grimes.

Although Michonne has dedicated years of her life to finding Rick, their reunion didn’t happen in the best circumstances. With the CRM killing those they see as strong leaders, Rick asks Michonne to hide who she truly is to avoid being executed. This leads to them trying to rekindle their relationship and forge an escape in secret, indicating they already have a lot on their minds. Escaping the CRM and Major General Beale becomes their ultimate focus, but also leaves little time for the two to catch up, with Michonne deciding to keep Rick in the dark about their son.

Michonne Realizes Telling Rick About RJ Is A Bad Idea In The Ones Who Live

Michonne Decides Not To Tell Rick About His Son

Despite Michonne wanting to tell Rick about his son, she decides it would be a bad idea. Rick’s time with the CRM already denied him the chance to watch Judith grow up, so finding out he also has a son would be tough to process. Although Rick’s disappearance has been just as hard on Michonne, she is strong enough to withhold this information until the time is right. She almost mentions RJ when they talk in secret but brushes it off and tells Rick “when we get away“, indicating she plans on informing him after they escape.

With Rick having to keep up his pretense for the CRM, concealing this information allows him to think more clearly while avoiding any distractions. Losing out on watching Judith and RJ growing up could hurt him badly, causing Rick to be overly emotional and the CRM to suspect something isn’t right. The death of Rick’s first son, Carl, will also make finding out he has another child more impactful. With Michonne finally back in his life, emotions are already running high, and the reveal of another son could lead to complications and Rick making crucial mistakes.

Michonne’s Secret Suggests She Isn’t Sure The CRM Can Be Defeated

Michonne Is Aware Of How Difficult It Will Be To Take Down The CRM

Keeping RJ a secret suggests that Michonne is unsure whether the CRM can be defeated. The CRM are The Walking Dead‘s most powerful group and this is emphasized by Michonne’s secret. Rick’s fear of the military group was probably a clear sign, but seeing them first-hand would have convinced Michonne about how difficult it will be to take them down. Michonne also experiences the CRM’s gas weapon in The Walking Dead spinoff, making it clear to her how dangerous they are. Seeing how advanced the group’s technology is probably put doubt into Michonne’s mind about defeating them.

This may be a big factor in Michonne keeping RJ a secret from Rick. She may be worried about their chances of escaping and feels telling Rick about his son would be cruel as he may never get to meet him. Given all the menacing foes Rick and Michonne have taken down in the past, she wouldn’t be reluctant to tell him about RJ if she didn’t feel the CRM was a massive threat. Rick being overly emotional would only be a big problem if the CRM were an unbeatable enemy, and Michonne may very well believe they are.

Related

7 Clues Rick Grimes Will Take Over The CRM In His Walking Dead Spinoff

Even in its premiere episode, “Years,” The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live hints at Rick Grimes’s future as a CRM leader in several key ways.

Does Michonne Actually Trust Rick In The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live?

Michonne’s Hesitation Could Be A Sign That She Doesn’t Fully Trust Rick

While Michonne has dedicated years of her life to finding Rick, keeping RJ a secret may suggest she doesn’t fully trust him. After their initial embrace, Rick immediately flipped into CRM mode, making sure Michonne didn’t have any ties to him or their allies before making her follow protocol. This was obviously to try and protect her, but Michonne may feel like the man she once loved has changed. Rick seemed to have accepted his CRM role in The Ones Who Live‘s first episode, partly because he felt trapped, but he did tell Okafor that he was all in.

Even though they spent such a long time apart, Rick’s overly cautious nature may have pushed Michonne away. She may recognize that it’s an attempt to keep her safe, but the changes to Rick’s personality are clear for someone like Michonne to see. It seems unlikely that Michonne will give up on him in The Ones Who Live, but this secret indicates their relationship still needs to be repaired. Rick and Michonne have the same goal of escaping the CRM, but their different mindsets may cause some conflict, with the RJ secret potentially adding more drama to their story.

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live

Created by Scott M. Gimple and Danai Gurira, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live is a sequel spin-off series in The Walking Dead television franchise. The series picks up some time after Michonne departs from the original series, as she searches to be reunited with her lover, Rick Grimes. Meanwhile, Rick finds himself amid another war between the living and the dead.

Cast

Andrew Lincoln , Danai Gurira , Pollyanna McIntosh , Lesley-Ann Brandt , Terry O’Quinn

Release Date

February 25, 2024

Seasons

1

Streaming Service(s)

AMC+

Franchise(s)

The Walking Dead

Writers

Scott M. Gimple , Danai Gurira

Showrunner

Scott M. Gimple