Carol is life. Michonne is everything. Rick Grimes for President in 2020. Mid-season ratings may have tanked, but there’s a new human race on the way, and that’s why life is still worth living in The Walking Dead.
Spoiler Alert: Contains spoilers for The Walking Dead season seven.
Carol Is Life
In the beginning, Carol was quiet. She was a subjugated woman with an abusive husband. Nevertheless, she persisted, and the zombie apocalypse set her free. A few kills later, she emerged as an apocalyptic warrior.
At New York Comic-Con during fan questions, Melissa McBride, the actress who plays Carol, was asked about Carol’s motivations. McBride paused, answering a fan’s question with a question of her own.
“What is it about this world that makes us want to survive in it? I LOVE trying to answer that question.” ~Melissa McBride
Through a dramatic character arc, McBride turned Carol into a role model for victims of abuse. Life is worth living on The Walking Dead because Carol brings life to those who feel dead.
Michonne Is Everything
For the first few episodes of season seven, Michonne was angry. Negan killed Glenn and Abraham and took Daryl. But in the mid-season finale, she realizes how to transform her anger. She was once a loner, but her chosen family gave her a reason to fight. She gets a soft revenge by freeing one of Negan’s women from his abusive grip, and regains the will to survive. Michonne is ready to fight for her family again, without anger.
For Michonne, life is still worth living during the zombie apocalypse because she is a survivor. The will to survive is everything, and so is Michonne.
Rick Grimes Is a Great Leader
In The Walking Dead universe, Rick Grimes has a lot on his mind. His son, Carl, is growing up in a world without Snapchat, pizza, or his mom. Rick offers hope to Carl by setting the example of great leadership.
Leadership is an art-form that comes naturally to Rick. All he has to do is be Rick. Unfortunately, by the second episode of season seven, it looks as if Negan broke him. With Negan in charge, Rick stopped listening to his friends. Broken and without a will to survive, he lost his ability to lead. In the mid-season finale, Michonne reminds Rick “we’re the ones who live,” and he has every reason to listen to her. Not only are they in love, but they share a family. Because of Michonne’s strong will, his son Carl will always be safer.
“We’re the ones who live. That’s why we have to fight. Not for us, but for Judith. For Carl. For Alexandria. For the Hilltop. For all of us.” – Michonne
Rick was broken, but Michonne knew exactly how to put him back together. He is a leader in love, and that love gives him strength. Just in time for the mid-season premiere, Rick is ready to lead again. Life is worth living in The Walking Dead because Rick Grimes is in charge. Sorry not sorry, Negan.
Superbabies Are Coming
There’s a super-human race coming, and Maggie is patient zero. Glenn may be gone (RIP), but he continues to survive through Maggie. Without him, Maggie fights the enemy with knives, guns, and tractors. And she’s preggers.
Glenn & Maggie’s unborn child was created during the trauma of a zombie apocalypse, and is already built to survive and fight walkers. If Glenn & Maggie’s baby is born, life will always be worth living because The Walking Dead universe will be the only world it knows. Look out, Judith. There’s about to be a new baby in town.
The Walking Dead season seven mid-season premiere airs Sunday, February 12. While the writers are rumored to have toned down the violence, it’s sure to slay.