'The Walking Dead' News: Danai Gurira Says Michonne's Love for Rick and Carl 'Is So Strong'
With Rick's (Andrew Lincoln) former flame, Jessie (Alexandra Breckenridge), having been eaten by walkers in the Valentine's Day midseason premiere of AMC's popular zombie apocalypse series "The Walking Dead," will the survivor group's leader now turn to Michonne (Danai Gurira) for comfort?
As viewers of the shocking season 6 midseason debut saw, Michonne saved both Rick and his son Carl (Chandler Riggs) by using her katana on Jessie's son Ron (Austin Abrams), who had pulled a gun on the two after seeing Rick chop off his mother's hand to free Carl.
While Michonne has been in the series since season 2 and has been a major player since season 3, when she helped both Rick and Carl overcome the loss of Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies), the events in the recent midseason premiere may have made Michonne an even more important member of the Grimes family. Moreover, as fans of the Richonne romantic pairing hope, it may have propelled her from an aunt/sister role to more of a maternal figure for Carl and, perhaps, a romantic partner for Rick.
Gurira recently opened up to Entertainment Weekly about the midseason premiere and said, perhaps tellingly, "A huge part of why Michonne lives and breathes is to be a part of keeping that young man safe."
When asked about the scene in which Michonne had to sit and wait as Rick rushed to attack the zombies, Gurira said, "It was a different angle of Michonne than I've ever experienced go through her, which was just sheer panic. She likes to be there and do what must be done. And in this moment, what can she do? And also realizing how much she loves both of these people. The love of them is so strong, there's no way I'm losing both of them tonight."
With Jessie out of the way, could this "love" of the Grimes men translate into something more in the upcoming season 6 episodes?
The sixth season of "The Walking Dead" airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on AMC.