Are you wondering why that kiss between Michonne and Ezekiel unfolded the way that it did on The Walking Dead? Well, series showrunner Angela Kang has offered some insight into the kiss that went down in the October 27 episode of Season 10, entitled “Silence the Whisperers.”
The scene’s genesis was a way for The Walking Dead to touch on Ezekiel’s depression. The usually upbeat character has been struggling in the face of recent events. How did that lead to him kissing Michonne? Angela Kang explained by telling EW:
I was having a conversation with Danai and she said, ‘You know, it’d be interesting if somebody tried to kiss Michonne and she responded.’ Because Michonne’s got all of her own things that she’s dealing with and there has been no exploration of her romantic or sexual side with her since Rick’s supposed death or disappearance. And so we bounced that around and were like, ‘Ah, I don’t think we’re going to do that.’ And then this other pitch came around, which is because we were working on this Ezekiel story, the room kind of came up with this idea of. what if Ezekiel in his depression wants to connect? He just feels so alone, and he feels so sad. He just gets some signals crossed for a second, and then immediately realizes that he kind of screwed that up and pulls back.
As fans know, Michonne has been single ever since Rick’s supposed death. While he is currently missing, Rick Grimes is actually alive (and getting ready for his own movie). Discussing The Walking Dead with actress Danai Gurira was the beginning of what ultimately resulted in the Ezekiel/Michonne kiss.
The kiss between Michonne and Ezekiel allowed The Walking Dead to explore Michonne's romantic life (or lack thereof) and address Ezekiel’s headspace. The aftermath of the kiss has certainly caused no hindrance to their friendship. As The Walking Dead’s showrunner points out, the kiss led to an in-depth conversation between the fan-favorite characters. Angela Kang continued, saying:
It becomes the start of a deeper conversation between the two of them. So we liked the idea of giving a nod to the comic book relationship between Ezekiel and Michonne. And there’s even that little nod to maybe in a parallel universe or something. So a lot of different factors went into it, but it felt like the kind of thing that sometimes happens between friends, and we thought it was an interesting thing to explore. You see Michonne being so gentle with him, knowing that it did not come out of a bad place. He’s just in so much pain and confused.
How will the kiss and the conversation affect Michonne and Ezekiel moving forward? Well, the window of time to explore its repercussions is narrowing. As fans know, Season 10 will be Danai Gurira’s last as Michonne. The actress confirmed her departure from The Walking Dead a few months ago.
The Walking Dead’s showrunner previously revealed how the drama plans to lead up to Danai Gurira’s exit as Michonne. What will happen to Judith with Michonne leaving is one of the many mysteries as her final season continues to unravel. Angela Kang's reference to Michonne and Ezekiel's relationship in the comics is certainly interesting.
As one of the many differences between AMC’s The Walking Dead and the original comic, Michonne and Ezekiel were lovers on the page but definitely not on the screen. On the TV show, they have remained good friends without any romantic relationship developing.
While Ezekiel and Michonne’s relationship has ended up not taking a romantic turn on the show, they did have a moment together. Will what they shared during their conversation help Ezekiel through his pain and confusion? The Walking Dead still has a lot of story left to tell.
New episodes of The Walking Dead will air this fall on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on AMC. You can currently stream Michonne and Ezekiel's previous episodes on Netflix, among new content.
