There’s not a whole lot of cuddling on The Walking Dead. Cuddling with fresh corpses has happened, and there’s definitely been some cuddling with zombies for camouflage, but post-coital cuddling hasn’t exactly been a weekly occurrence. Now that Rick and Michonne have officially hooked up, however, it looks like we’ll be getting some more post-apocalyptic affection on our Sundays. Check out the zombie apocalypse version of pillow talk in the sneak peek for next week’s episode:
It’s strangely unsettling to watch more than a minute of people being happy on The Walking Dead without something terrible happening, especially considering the downer that was the final act of the latest episode. Good for Rick and Michonne for not letting death and destruction ruin their "honeymoon" period, although it’ll likely take more than each taking half an apple per day to keep the need for a doctor away. Not that there’s a doctor in Alexandria left, anyway. The death of Denise undoubtedly means that Maggie is anxious for medical expertise, so no wonder Michonne is anxious to help her out.
We haven’t seen too much of Rick and Michonne together since their big hookup, so getting an early clue that Richonne is still going strong is a nice fix while we wait for the next episode. Showrunner Scott Gimple had promised that there would be more to the show’s latest big romance than just a makeout session and then epic nude scene, and it seems that “East” next week will deliver.
The Rick/Michonne romance foundation had been built slowly and steadily over three seasons, so it’s only fair to fans of Richonne as well as Rick’s and Michonne’s characters that their relationship be explored for at least a few episodes. There’s no saying for sure if both halves will be alive to carry their romance forward into Season 7, but it can be a bright spot in an increasingly terrifyingly dark run of episodes.
Of course, from the preview for “East,” we can probably bet that Rick and Michonne won’t be basking in their afterglow for very long. Carol’s unexpected departure at the end of the most recent episode, coupled with what is likely to be a very desperate and driven Daryl, means that Rick and Michonne will almost certainly have their hands full trying to keep two of their most valuable fighters alive and local. With only two episodes left in Season 6, fortunes will be going downhill a lot faster than you can say "D."
A sneak peek into the zombie-fighting action of next week might have been more exciting, but the first look at Rick and Michonne in bed together is a nice palate cleanser after everything fell apart during the last episode. Hopefully, they can at least get dressed before anybody intrudes this time around.
To see what else happens to Rick and Michonne in Season 6, be sure to tune in to The Walking Dead on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on AMC.
