Review

The Walking Dead: Michonne Episode 3: What We Deserve

We’ve made it to the end of Michonne’s journey. It was an interesting romp filled with zombies, hallucinations, and the occasional misunderstanding that leads to someone getting shot. Fun times…

“What We Deserve” starts where the previous episode left off: Michonne’s group is in dire straits after Randall’s sudden attack. After he’s subdued, in brutal fashion, his sister Norma radio’s in. Pleasantries are exchanged before a deal is struck. Norma is bringing hostages to trade for her brother. The question on everyone’s mind is how will she react when she sees Randall bruised and battered? Though she is the saner of the two, it’s a good chance that things won’t go as planned.

You’d think that, with this being the final episode that the mini-series would end with a bang. Not so much on the action side of things, which won’t disappoint those hoping for a fight; calmer minds didn’t prevail, resulting in a bloody mess. That said, there aren’t any noteworthy events or twist endings to ponder. There aren’t even any meaningful exchanges outside of a brief flashback and a certain character’s need to save Michonne. Basically, this episode suffered in the same fashion as the others. It’s rather dull. Unfortunately, this extends to revelations about Michonne’s past. Anyone who’s played the last episode should know what caused her current condition. There isn’t much presented here other than a confirmation of what we already know.

What makes this worse is that we still don’t really know why she left Rick’s group. Sure, reading the comic could add some context – although as an avid reader, I’m still a little puzzled – but it would have been nice to have a more concrete answer. Her past dealings happened long before meeting Rick. So much so that one would question why didn’t she leave the group sooner (if what happened was so traumatizing), given what she’s seen prior to this point.

For those of us who read the issues that deal with this conundrum, we know the reason she gives for leaving after rejoining her friends. It doesn’t make sense, at least not totally. Her overwhelming regret should have been present when she tried to make things work in other times of peace. The funny thing is that it works for the comic. Because of the mystery surrounding her disappearance (like, what she was doing this whole time), it’s easier to go along with her reason. That and Rick’s response is super appropriate. After playing this miniseries though, her absence just makes her look foolish.

Beyond being a little disappointed at the how her past is summed up and how the conflict is resolved, this episode isn’t bad. Fundamentally, it works just like many other Telltale games have worked. The problem is, we’ve been down this road a couple of times. Fans of the comic and TV show will enjoy it. As will those who’ve never played one of Telltale’s games. The rest of us won’t hate the experience. That’s…the best thing I can say about it!