The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live
Ep. 6: “The Last Time”
Directed by Michael E. Satrazemis
Written by Scott M. Gimple & Channing Powell

* For a recap & review of the penultimate episode, click here.
Rick and Michonne make love, as he puts their wedding ring on her finger. We hear the voices of a lot of folks who aren’t around anymore, then some who are still alive. Rick and Michonne are plotting their last big hurrah against the CRM. Although they recognise no plan every goes exactly as plotted. They head for the Cascadia Base, and Rick goes up to the gates. He goes back to see Pearl, explaining that Michone saved his life by dumping them out of the helicopter. They reconnect about the idea of “giving up.” Sometimes giving up is a good thing when it comes to sacrifice. But sometimes a sacrifice can be too much, or there can be too many of them. Pearl’s convinced that the fact she and Rick have survived everything is a sign they’re meant to be with the CRM. Of course Rick will go along to get along if it serves his purpose of receiving the echelon briefing. All the while, Michonne’s doing a sneaky sneaky into the base where she heads for Jadis’s room, which is a mess of art and art supplies all over the place.

Somewhere along the perimeter, Pearl takes Rick to see Major General Beale. The MG talks about never really becoming a citizen himself, so he never had to do what the consignees do, all the gritty killing on the ground. He goes on to say he’s humbled by Rick’s survival. He says that a day before a big operation he’s purposefully left alone, which he orders, but today he’s choosing to share his time with Rick. Obviously it’s a big deal. This is what Rick’s been waiting for—he’s proved himself and now he’ll get to climb the CRM hierarchy.
In Jadis’s room, Michonne tracks down the dossier left behind by Jadis, hidden in a sculpture. There’s a nasty note in there about destroying Alexandria, so it’s probably cathartic for Michonne to be ripping it up. Either way, the proof about Rick, Michonne, Alexandria, and all the people in Alexandria, it’s gone. Michonne’s about to go when a soldier turns up slipping something beneath Jadis’s door. She winds up having to kill the soldier to keep things quiet.
MG Beale and Rick have some time together. Beale advises Rick to reflect on his life up until now because after this everything’s going to change. He asks Rick about “the worst thing” Rick did to ensure survival. Rick replies about killing somebody with his teeth, which brings me back to one of my favourite scenes in The Walking Dead when he went back to his animalistic self to protect his people, and particularly Carl, from a hideous fate. Beale wants to discuss the future with Rick. First, he talks a little about the past and his military upbringing. He enlisted at 18 and went to Vietnam for two tours of duty. Later he became part of the National Guard. Jump ahead to the post-zombie apocalypse. Beale had to make a huge sacrifice for survival himself. He sacrificed a lot of lives and cities to ensure survival for the most people possible. He openly admits it could be all for nothing in the end: “Most likely outcome is that we‘re all gonna die.” What a comfort!
Beale then tells Rick about many “dead masses” that are “millions strong.” He says the research shows human beings have somewhere around “14 or so years left on this planet” due to starvation, disease, the dead, and more. Beale says this is the reason the CRM does what it does: “We‘re trying to beat the odds.” He reveals that the CRM “destroys communities for resources, for strategic superiority” and to preserve the city’s secrecy. Michonne gets an upfront view of how such operations are conducted, including how the children are evacuated from communities marked for destruction. A horrifying glimpse of reality. Eventually, the CRM intends to take over the Civic Republic’s city before marching across the country to force every single community under their thumb.
Not if Rick and Michonne have anything to say about it.

MG Beale suggests Rick brings his remaining family and friends to the CRM, so they can be spared. He acts like this great mercy is something to cherish. Beale talks about how “the next world will begin.” He’s sure that burning things down to bring it all back up is the way forward. Sure, that works for crops, like dear ole Rick’s father tried to do many years ago. That doesn’t necessarily work for the entirety of human civilisation, or even just a single country. Rick makes his move, attacking Beale. He gets his fancy artificial hand back while Beale grabs the sword. Rick manages to get one up on Beale, sinking a sword into the latter’s hand. He tells the Major General: “We‘re not dead. You are.” Then he puts Beale down.
Rick has to stash Beale’s body and finds a proper case to use. But blood starts to leak out while he’s in the elevator with another soldier; not good.  Rick sees the blood and the soldier attacks, so they fight until Rick’s able to use his prosthetic hand to punch through the guy’s helmet. He and Michonne meet up when the elevator stops. They realise they can’t go home yet until they stop the CRM.
Pearl goes to where Rick told her the MG returned to be alone before the operation, but she sees Beale’s nowhere to be seen. She knows something fishy is going on. Rick’s busy contemplating all the time he missed with his children, not watching them grow up. He wishes there was a way to go back. But there isn’t, and they can only keep their eye on the future, especially right now. Michonne tells him: “We are back.” Rick replies: “And this is the shit we do.” Now they’ve got to do whatever they can to stop the CRM from marching across the country and destroying everything in their path. They’ve got explosives lined up and set to explode, which will detonate all the chlorine gas missiles. Rick gives Michonne a new sword for her to use. Then they haul out zombie Beale and the other soldier zombie with his face smashed, using them as cord-pullers for the grenades.

Rick and Michonne make a run for it but run right into Pearl with a rifle. Pearl forces them to disarm. She tells Rick and Michonne to undo whatever they’ve done. The couple walk slowly back towards the missile tent. Inside, the zombies pull the strings, as zombie Beale merges, giving Pearl pause. Rick and Michonne race for cover under wet tarps. Unfortunately, Pearl’s equipped with a mask and keeps stalking them through the gassy mist. Rick and Michonne cover their faces and try to make it out. Rick immediately bumps into Pearl and they fight. She yells at him: “You destroyed the whole world.” Rick and Pearl keep battling, as zombies start to surround them. Rick’s distracted by the undead when Pearl and Michonne get into some hand-to-hand combat. Naturally, even Pearl’s training isn’t enough to defeat Michonne, who’s not only powered by her own strength, she’s powered by love.

“In a dead world, love is dead.”

“Love doesn’t die.”

Michonne runs her sword through Pearl and, against all odds, Rick makes it out of a small horde that nearly swallowed him whole. The two lovers go on again, now equipped with gas masks themselves, and they fight together through the dead masses. They make it out. Later they hear radio transmissions about changes in the CRM, now that the top level of the military’s been exposed. Eventually, Rick and Michonne return to Judith and RJ. Michonne rushes to the children, hugging them tightly. Then Rick, after so many years, is reunited with his daughter and the son he’s never once met. Judith never lost hope her father was still alive. Rick admits he lost hope but found it again.