The Walking Dead: The Return (2024) Movie Script

Lincoln:
Rick and Michonne are perfect
partners in an imperfect world.
Gurira: They first met
as reluctant allies,
but over time,
their bond grew.
Through so many hardships,
so much loss and sacrifice,
they found each other.
Until one day
when it all got taken away.
Michonne was fearful that
she may have lost Rick forever.
And Rick never stopped
thinking about his family
and never stopped trying
to get back to them.
But when Michonne made
a fateful discovery,
she knew
she had to find him.
She had to
make her family whole.

So how weird is this...
after all this time?
Yes,
and finishing telling the story
of Rick and Michonne, to be here
where it all started.

The only thing
to really do
is to start
at the very beginning,
'cause it's a very good place
to start.
[Herd growling]


This is approximately where
Rick and Michonne first met.
Yeah.
How did you feel
that day?
What do you mean,
how do I feel?
How did you?
What?
Meeting you, or...
Yeah.
Do you remember it?
I think... I do remember.
Of course I remember it.
'Cause I think
he was going through
quite a defensive phase
where he was very distrustful,
and seeing somebody
with a katana
and two zombies with their...
Okay, you don't--
you don't remember.
Oh.
I have no idea.
I'm leaving, guys.
Yeah.
[Laughter]
Going down memory lane
with someone with no memories.
W-- but...
How do I do this?
Did I...
Come on.
Okay, so to help
my colleague out here.
Listen,
don't tell them the st--
How I came
to the gate was--
I didn't have-- I didn't
have the two zombies.
I was covered in zombie gunk.
Okay, so you didn't have the two
people on the chains?
No.
They were long gone.
I got rid of them long
before I met you.
Oh, my God.
There were a lot of walkers
clinging onto this fence.
Yeah.
And you're
standing there and--
And Carl's there as well.
Should we help her?
[Herd growling]
'Cause he was the one that
convinced me to go and get you.
And that's when Carl says,
"We have to--"
Says, "We got to--"
Yeah, that's right.
And pushes for her
to be saved.
No, I do remember that.
Guys, everybody calm down.
[Gunshots]
Carl.
That was a memorable way
for the characters to meet.
It was a great way, yeah.
And also because they're
so similar in temperament
and personality,
there's a kind of--
they're alpha, they're
independent, they're stubborn.
It wasn't easy for them
when they started.
Yeah.
It was such
a counter experience
for Michonne
from the Governor.
Yeah.
'Cause the Governor,
he was trying to charm her
and sort of woo her
into his little--
Yeah, and she was like,
"Mnh-mnh."
And she does have respect
for Rick
even before she meets him,
because of Andrea.
And so she knows it's time
to not be a loner anymore.
But the Governor was trying
to treat her all good
and she's, like,
flipping swords in them
and killing
his zombie daughter.
[Growls]
But when she comes here,
Rick is hostile,
but Michonne trusts that.
She trusts that, considering
the world they're in,
considering the man
she knows he is,
considering
who he's protecting.
Yeah.
And she has a lot of grace
for Rick from the jump.
Yeah, yeah.
So when you joined, Danai,
we were in season three.
What did you feel
joining this cast?
Were we
a welcoming cast?
Yeah,
everyone was amazing.
I remember I became immediately
very close to Lauren
and of course to
the awesome Steven Yeun
and of course
to Laurie Holden.
You did
a lot of stuff--
And you were okay.
You were all right.
You were nice--
you were nice enough.
You know?
It was like, "Okay."
Yeah.
No, I'm kidding.
You were very sweet.
Apart from
when I dropped you.
Well, yeah.
I mean, that was a funny day.
You want to tell it?
No, you tell it 'cause it's
always gonna end up going there.
If you tell it, then, you know,
it'll-- it'll lighten it up.
Okay, so we had a policy.
In the sense that
you lighten up for you.
We had a policy
when we were filming
that we didn't
throw marks down.
The crew were absolutely
the heart and soul
of "The Walking Dead."
And we had this environment
where everybody kept acting
at all times,
and we didn't call "cut."
What does this have to do...
I'm getting there.
[Laughs]
This is-- This is basically
protecting myself.
The scene goes where--
I see you drop.
I'm like, "I don't think
she should come in here.
She's got a katana.
She's dangerous. We need to--"
And Carl's going, "Get out.
We have to save her."
So eventually I do.
I concede we're gonna do that.
And it was supposed to cut
when I pull you onto my back.
And I didn't do that.
And so I picked you up,
got about three steps,
dropped you...
And fell.
...and then decided
to fall on top of you as well,
which wasn't
the ideal welcome.
I'm like,
"What is this dude doing?
You're not supposed to
do this."
I'm just lying there. I'm dead.
I'm like, "I'm out. I can't..."
[Laughs]
I remember Lennie James.
We were on the porch
in Alexandria at one time
and we watched you, and you had
your dreads and your katana,
and you were just sort of
walking down the main street.
And he went, "Look at that."
And I went, "I know."
And he went,
"That's the coolest character."
We'd never seen anything
quite like it.
It's so deeply, profoundly,
apocalyptically cool.
You know what I mean?
Mm-hmm.
[Walkers growling]

I think we were just always
a bit jealous.
That's probably
why I dropped you.
Ha ha ha ha ha.
Speaking of jealous
of great, cool characters,
your son,
Chandler Riggs.
Yeah.
Extraordinary young man.
Yeah. We just struck gold
with that kid.
It's an extraordinary bond
to see somebody grow up
in front of your eyes
on screen
and spend so much time
with this incredibly impressive
young man.
It's not the truth, but I spent
more time with Chandler Riggs
than my own son
for a lot of that decade.
That's not the truth,
but it felt like that some days.
And you never know what you're
gonna get with young actors
and what they're
gonna turn into.
But I think he's
a brilliant young man, you know,
and a very,
very impressive actor.
And I always sign off "DTVS"--
"Deceased TV Son"--
is my sign-off
with Chandler Riggs.
You know what I mean?
It's a bit weird, but...
Yeah, a little.
...that's the way
we roll here.
I couldn't speak
more highly of him.
He's so incredible and really
was that warm, welcoming heart
that was at the heart
of this show.
It was exactly what he did
for Michonne
was kind of
what I felt he was towards me.
We just really clicked
and got along.
I loved my scenes
with him so much.
I-I just thought
Judith should--
should know what her mom
looked like.
It was really with Carl
and the idea of this young man
growing up in this world
that really warmed her heart
and of course
aligned her with you
very deeply
to want to keep--
preserve him and save his life.
Well, we sort of
had this family, didn't we?
It sort of established--
before we even fell in love.
What are you doing?
Winning a bet.
In your dreams.
I'm still on.
[Grunts]
[Laughs]
You spoke too soon,
wise guy.
This might go on a while.
Maybe we can speed this up.
Yeah, you're right.
Shouldn't be fooling around.
We should probably--
Carl!


Lincoln:
This is the one.
'Cause I know
from all the scars.
Yeah.
It's so cool.

I remember doing an interview
with a magazine
and they challenged me
to a firing range,
and it's actually really
well balanced, this thing.
And I did quite-- I don't want
to big myself up or anything,
but I got quite a lot.
But you will.
But I will right now
big myself up.
I got quite a lot of bull's-eyes
with-- with real things
in Atlanta.
We went to
a shooting alley.
Well...
He's the only one
who remembers this, so...
Bit more coordinated than--
than you were...
Just take his word for it.
...hitting me on the head.
Just...
Why is there a rock here
that says "Andy's rock"?
That's because I had a limp
for a while
and I liked that rock
in my boot.
And I get a little bit OCD
about things.
No!
And this was the one
that I had to have.
So...
You?
Yeah, and so I would
put that in my boot
because we didn't
want to fake it.
I mean, it's absurd,
but, yeah, that's what we did.
So that's why I was
hobbling around
with that rock
in my boot.
Wow.
And we got it from
outside the prison, actually.
Wow.
Yeah.
I have to say, I am very moved
by good prop making and design.
It really helps,
doesn't it?
Yeah. It does.
And we were so fortunate
in the show
to have such an incredible
design team in all areas.
And also, of course,
Greg and KNB.
And it's just-- I mean,
we were so fortunate.
We would walk into environments.
They weren't, sort of, sets.
No.
It was an environment.
So, Danai, apart from you
stealing your katana...
Does that make sense?
Me stealing my katana.
Just break down that sentence
for a second, everybody.
Just...
Apart from stealing
your katana...
Does that make sense?
...was that the one that--
wasn't in the Smithsonian
but it found its way
into your apartment in New York.
Don't tell people
where it is!
[Laughs]
Apart from the katana...
It's, um...
Apart from the katana
that you decided to pilfer...
I took it to...
...are there any other props
that you would have liked
to have held on to?
Listen...
[Laughs]
Don't be mad
'cause you don't have a katana.
Yeah, I am jealous.
I know.
It's like Norman used to end
each season on a motorbike.
Norman took--
he took every crossbow.
He took one home
at the end of every season.
Every season.
In full costume.
Yeah.
With a crossbow.
Driving home.
Just going, "Thank you
for another good season."
Yeah.
On a bike that was
probably designed by him.
I had to wait nine years
to get my katana.
[Laughs]
Um, so, yeah.
Is there another prop or thing
I would like to have kept?
Maybe the Governor's
eyeball.
Ohh!
That's cool.
[Grunting]
[Screaming]
I don't know
if we really got it.
She just put it in,
but I don't think
she yanked it out,
you know?
But I think we should have
a thing of the eyeball
with that piece of glass
stuck in it.
That would be amazing.
Yeah, I want that.
Speaking of that, I'll never
forget Dave Morrissey,
who played the Governor...
Yes.
...attacking in such
a badass way
out on that field.
Go ahead!
Screaming, all the rest of it,
and shooting at us
when the war
was kicking off.
And then
he got into his car
and he had, obviously,
the patch on
and he started driving, and he
just lifted his patch up...
[Both laugh]
...'cause he couldn't--
'cause he couldn't drive
with one eye.
He was terrified.
I just remember going,
"Um...
That's not that bada--"
They can cut around it.
They can cut around it.
All right, okay.
Why you calling him out?
We love you, David.
You're amazing.
Love you, David.
Incredible, incredible actor.
Amazing.
What is that?
Judith and Carl.
Mm.
But where was that?
What is that?
Is it the w--
The porch.
Oh, the porch of the house.
Did you just cut it
out of the porch
and leave a hole
in the porch?
Are you sure about that?
Sure you didn't
just leave a hole in the--
I'm gonna check later on
when we go.


Look at that.
There we go.
Had my arse out,
as they say in Scotland
for the whole of
the first episode right there.
Gurira:
Okay, moving on.
Right.
Right.
Now we're talking.
This was my first outfit
that the fantastic Eulyn Hufkie,
who was our costume designer
for many years,
and did
a fantastic job.
Amazing job.
Yeah.
I think she really
enjoyed kind of stepping away
from certain things
that the show had had,
like duller colours.
So Michonne kind of got
more color...
That felt like a dig.
I don't know about you.
...in her palette.
Duller color?
[Laughs]
You brightened up
the show.
No, I didn't say that.
[Laughs]
I said Eulyn decided
to give me colour
And then we covered you
in blood.
[Growling]
[Grunting]

[Groaning]
Oh, God.
The boots.
I can't-- I can't even believe
all the stuff I did this.
But there came a time
I had to graduate these
and put on some shoes
with a bit more--
more heel support.
But, like, listen,
sturdy as hell.
Like, nothing's gonna get past
them or around them.
So you were being appropriate
to the environment
is what
you're saying.
We were-- you know, we were
down and out in the dirt,
eating dogs.
Yeah, that was
a low point.
It was low.
I have to admit.
And I think,
at the end of it,
we meet Aaron after we--
and we're in the barn
and you look at me,
and I'm like-- nod.
And then you punch him.
Yeah.

Like,
I wasn't saying, "Punch him."
I thought-- I thought
that was the nod.
I was saying, "I believe
what he's saying."
So we're clear, that look wasn't
a "let's attack that man" look.
It was a "he seems
like an okay guy to me" look.
She's like, "We've got
to give this guy a shot,"
because her instincts are saying
this could be a place,
as she says to you
in that episode,
where Judith
could grow up.
We can't just toss him aside
and say he's lying.
Yeah. Yeah.
We don't need
to find out.
We do.
You know what you know,
and you're sure of it.
But I'm not.
Maggie: Me neither.

Your way's dangerous.
Mine isn't.
Passing up
someplace where we can live?
Where Judith can live?
That's pretty dangerous.

We need to find out
what this is.

I'd call dibs
on that one.
It's got more...
curb appeal.

Lincoln: Because this hasn't
changed that much
I feel this is like
more shocking to my system,
seeing this now.
I mean, we've shot
every single part of this place.
So, what did you feel like
when you came here?
Were you just relieved
to get a hot shower?
Gurira: It was about the idea
of moving
into something structured
and real that was safe and good
and the belief that
that had still exist,
that Michonne was holding on to.
And she was the one who said,
"Let's go towards D.C."
She was the one who said,
"We've got to give
Aaron a chance."
Yeah, yeah.
And she's the one
who persuaded you to come here
and you didn't know
whether or not you were gonna
be able to do it,
and we have that conversation
that was about what you
would hear when we got there.
And when we got to the doors,
we hear children laughing.
[Children shouting indistinctly
in distance]

I loved coming here
because it was-- it was--
it was about
coming together
in a place that was,
yes, clean and beautiful
and we could not shoot
on the side of a ditch road.
I hated it, actually.
I really--
I know, that's perfect
for our characters.
I hated it
'cause it was, like, clean.
I didn't feel real.
It just didn't feel
like the show,
and I was
really uncomfortable.
And also then I had
to shave my beard off
and I was furious
about that.
Which we all thought
was great.
Yeah, it was--
well, I'm glad you did.
He had this
wretchedly massive beard.
It was like you could not see
his face at all.
But I thought
I was really rocking it,
and then my son,
who likes to humiliate me,
showed me a photo of the beard,
and I was like,
"Oh, man, that was like
about four months too big.
Why didn't anybody tell me?"
It was a lot.
It was a lot.
It was a bad look.
And then it was like--
It was a real shock, like,
'cause all the men on set,
in solidarity,
shaved their beards
when he shaved his.
It was a really shocking day
to come to work.
And all the girls were like,
"Did you see Andy?! Oh, my God!"
So he was a little hottie
on set for a few days.
And then it was like,
"Eh, it's just Andy."
We did double takes.
It was weird.
Like, "Oh, my God.
That was under there?"
And then we had to wear
that uniform,
which made me feel
a bit weird as well.
What was your reaction to Deanna
appointing us constables?
Well, I mean,
the good thing about it
was that it allowed us
to have authority.
There was a nervousness about,
are they gonna try to eat us
like Terminus did
or try to kill us?
Like, what is
about to happen here?
And so I think the cool thing
was the idea
that she was
entrusting us.
It was really her
reaching out and saying,
"I entrust you with
the authority over this place."
I'd like you
to be our constable.

That's what you were.
That's what you are.

And you too.

I sort of took the law
into my own hands a little bit.
Exactly.
He became the biggest outlaw
in the whole doggone place.
He was a dick.
He was, but, I mean,
I rewatched that
and I was like,
"Oh, my God."
That was really some crazy
vigilante stuff you went after,
and it was really just because
you had a crush on his wife.
A little bit.
Would you care if you didn't
have a crush on his wife?
Yes, I was-- I was entrusted
as being a constable.
I was making--
I was keeping the peace.
That's not how a constable
functions. Give me a break.
I was keeping the peace
by breaking a few--
I kept the peace,
and I knocked your ass out.
That was
keeping the peace.
But it made
for great drama.
If you don't fight,
you die.
I'm not gonna stand by--
[Grunts]
Was it a conscious decision
to actually hit me?
Uh, it was a conscious decision
to make it work
and trust that you could
take it, whatever it took.
Wow.
But no, I did not consciously
want to actually make contact.
Okay.
It just-- Andy, come on.
I probably deserved it.
I had it coming.
Probably.
But it was just a little clip.
It was a tap.
Yeah.
And I think it helped you...
Hit the deck.
...enact your action.
Yeah, true.
Yeah.
Which you did pretty well.
Thank you.
Yeah, you looked
pretty messed up.
I loved how it came out,
quite honestly.
I thought
it looked great.
Ha ha ha ha!
The punch did lead
to a very tender moment
between Rick and Michonne,
which I think was definitely
a hint at what was to come,
which was the scene where
he's sort of admitting
that he lied to her...
Yeah.
...and was scared
to tell the truth,
'cause she could talk him out
of things,
and hands her his gun.
Yeah.
And her response
is to trust him
and to make him
keep his gun...
Yeah.
...and to trust him
to make the right move
and to let him know
that she's still with him
even if things
don't work out here.
I think that was
a very telling moment
between them
as future partners.
Yeah.


This is exactly
where it happened.
Mm-hmm.
When did Scott actually--
Scott Gimple--
when did he tell you?
He told me
at the beginning of the season.
Ah.
He told me in a way
that was very like
he was almost too afraid
to mention it in full sentences.
But he basically told me.
You know,
we had had conversations
about why
I was grouped with you so much.
And one of the writers said
to me one time, they're like,
"Well, we just keep
writing to Rick and Michonne
because those scenes
just work so well.
We just
keep writing them."
And so he'd been talking
about things like that to me,
and then he just said, "That
thing that keeps happening
over this year, it'll..."
And he couldn't bring his--
he couldn't bring the words
out of his mouth.
Like he was scared.
That's so Gimple.
Like the walls were listening,
you know?
And I was like, "You mean
Rick and Michonne get together?"
He's like, "Well, we don't
want to say out loud! But yeah."
So he-- he had always--
but it really did freak me out
to see it on the page.
Oh, God, yeah.
I was freaked out.
I was like,
"Holy shit."
But then it made absolute sense
as soon as we did the scene.
Yeah,
I will give Rick this--
It looked like
he was making the move
and she was responding in shock
to the realisation
that this is exactly
what she's wanted,
but not dared to truly bring
to full consciousness.
And now it was
just dead clear.
Well, and I think it was also,
for the group dynamic,
it was already established
that there was a sort of
father and mother of the rest
of the group.
Certainly the biggest baby
in the group, Daryl Dixon,
you know,
felt that much earlier on.
[Laughs]
He had very mixed feelings
about our coupling.
He was so-- oh, my God,
he still does.
He was like, "I'm mad.
Don't touch me. I'm mad."
Yeah.
I was like,
"What are you mad about?"
He's like, "Michonne's supposed
to be with Daryl."
Yeah.
But then at the same time,
he was like,
"Rick's supposed to be
with Daryl."
Yeah.
So he was just in
a bit of a conundrum.
Yeah, he just didn't know
where to turn.
He was very confused.
[Laughs]
It was a very difficult season
for Normski, bless him.
Bless him.

Son...
What?
[Whistling]

[Whistling continues]

Go! Go!
[Whistling continues]


Lincoln: So, Danai, this spot in
particular, does it haunt you?
Yeah, this was
the Negan lineup place
where it felt like we spent
about 200 days
shooting on our knees.
It was-- It was awful.
And it was-- like,
the saddest part was to see,
like,
how defenceless we were.
Like, we had no way
out of that situation.
Eeny...

...meeny...
miny...
moe.
And we lost two spectacularly
brilliant actors.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It was just here, wasn't it?
I mean, it was...
And they had that horrible
whistle, didn't they?
With that...
That [Whistles]
Yeah.
That.
And he was such a saunterer,
you know?
Mr. JDM.
[Laughs]
We had to just spent hours
and hours just watching him
just masquerade,
you know?
Yeah.
Well, bless him.
I mean,
he did have to come and...
Oh, no, no, no.
He was brilliant,
I mean.
...and do
14 pages of dialogue.
I know, taking that role, like,
just dropping in
and just blanching us,
that's no small task.
It took a titan like JDM
to do what he did.
Yeah, he was brilliant.
It was, I mean,
from an audience perspective,
he was
extremely entertaining
but utterly horrifying, diabolical.
I still think that that--
the reconciliation was,
you know, so difficult with
with the Saviours, wasn't it?
It was such a-- an amazing
sort of ambitious idea
for the writers
to try and rehabilitate him.
Yeah.
And they did it.
They kind of did it.
Yeah.
I mean, I think by the time
I leave the show,
he's still
locked up in a cage.
Yeah. Good.
Oh, but also, you know,
losing Steven,
I fought so hard
to try and save Stephen.
Did you?
Yeah, because, you know,
he was such a great friend
and he'd been there.
He was a pillar
of the show.
Yeah.
Big-time, big-time.
But the death dinner
was a tradition
that kind of
kicked in very early.
I think it was
Sarah Wayne Callies
that just went,
"Well, let's do
a death dinner."
Great.
It was a great idea.
And what it did is that it made
sort of more sense
for the person leaving,
hopefully, but also helped
everybody recover
from the change in the dynamic.
Yeah.
You know, which I thought
was really inspired.
And everyone could
express love to the person.
Yeah, it was great.
It was just--
Yeah, it was. It was like having
your funeral and being alive.
Yeah.
With Steven's,
I had this idea.
I was like, Steven was
such, like, a performer.
He could dance, he could sing
like none of us could.
And he would just be always
just singing
like a lot
of Justin Timberlake
and like, you know,
the boy-band stuff.
So we did "I Want
It That Way" as a lip sync.
We were all in white pants, and
we were all being like the guy.
Oh, I do you remember that?
Yeah, yeah.
And then Cudlitz as well.
Lovely Michael Cudlitz.
Yes, who then came and directed
and directed some...
Brilliant.
...astounding moments I've been
able to do with him as an actor.
I know there's a moment
in there you don't like
and I won't talk about it,
but...
Yeah, let's talk about it.
Why--
'Cause why would you just bring
it up and then just move on?
It was just a moment
where Ezekiel was about to
possibly take his own life,
and Michonne stops him,
and in his gratitude...
With your lips.
No. No.
You stopped him
with your lips.
In his gratitude,
he then-- we hug.
And then, surprisingly
to Michonne, he does kiss her.
Oh, he kisses her.
Yeah, of course
he kisses her!
She didn't kiss him.
Was it reciprocated?
How long was it?
No, not really.

It couldn't have been
more than three...
Okay, that's reciprocated.
...two, three seconds.
Anything past a second...
That is not reciprocated.
How? How is that
reciprocation?
...is reciprocated.
She pulls back like this.
If someone kisses,
you move away.
But you're never gonna watch it,
so this isn't a problem.
That's not even a second.
It's like half a second.
It's weird. It's weird.
Oh, my God.
And then she proceeds to only
talk about Rick, like, so...
That's even weirder.
You might not know about this,
but in my final episode, I--
it was like
a "Sliding Doors" thing.
You kiss someone else?
I didn't kiss anybody.
Okay, good.
Well, I mean, if we're gonna
do it, let's do it now.
No, no.
While we're recapping.
Nobody--
[Exhales sharply]
It was just a moment where--
you're so silly.
You kind of go through a journey
with her
of how it could have gone
if she hadn't made the choice,
through her humanity,
to save her.
And so you see this
really gruesome sequence
where she just leaves
Andrea to get killed.
Wow.
So that's like
her other reality
and she becomes
a Saviour.
What?
So this is all
a "Sliding Door"
sort of thing
that's going on in her mind.
She's hallucinating
because she's been made high
by some tea
that causes hallucinations.
Long story. It's how she finds
your boots, though. Long story.
So then she's walking down the
line, and it's really freaky.
I have an incident with you guys
where I'm the person saying,
"Help me," and then you guys
drive past me in the car
when I have the orange backpack
from episode 12...
Oh, wow, wild.
...but I'm that person.
How wild.
So then I have beef
with you guys.
Something else happens
and I-- oh, yeah,
you go and shoot all the people
in the thing that we do.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And so I have personal beef
with you guys
'cause I'm in one of the beds
and I shoot a couple people
and get away.
This is-- who wrote this?
It's crazy.
This is a great episode.
He comes down the line--
I kind of wish
I watched the show now.
I kind of wish
you did too sometimes.
It sounds like
a really good episode.
He comes down the line,
he sees everybody.
Then he says,
"Now I'm gonna let my girl
who's been doing such great work
make her decision."
Oh, and you kill the person
in the lineup?
Yeah, but it ends up
being I kill myself.
What happens next...

...it's your fault.

Welcome to the new world.
Hagh!
[Thuds]

I wonder how many scenes
we've done on this porch.
You know what I mean?
It's so bizarre.
Mm-hmm.
This isn't the right porch,
but it's just brought to mind,
you know, Scott Wilson
and his porch scene,
which is after Carl's been shot
and we go to the farm.
And I just want to shout out
Scott Wilson just because...
Yes,
the great Scott Wilson.
...just because
it was such a privilege.
He was just one of those
extraordinary mentors,
wasn't he,
that we all loved.
Your exit from the show...
Yeah.
I thought they did
such a beautiful job.
Particularly,
I loved our scene on the bridge.
You're my family.

I found you.
You did.
Lincoln: We were able to say
so much in that episode
because of bringing
extraordinary actors back,
like Jon Bernthal
and-- and Scott.
And I think that that was
the brilliance of the writing
was really, really
proper genre writing
that you could sort of
break apart the form
and try different things
and fail sometimes,
but sometimes it works.
I thought they did a
magnificent job with that exit.
I found them.



[Helicopter blades whirring]


I have a B.
Not an A.
I never had an A.
He's hurt, but he's strong.
Can you help him?
I'm trying to save a friend.
A friend who saved me.
I have something for you now.
We have a deal?

You're still here.
You're gonna be okay.
They're gonna save you.
It was hard leaving the show.
It was really hard.
I knew what I was doing.
I knew what I was-- the hole
that I was leaving.
And there was that draw
of wanting to stay
and be with my family here,
but knowing that my real family
was needing me back home,
you know?
And it-- And it was--
and, you know, the truth was,
I could have gone a year
earlier, and I wasn't ready to.
I remember we were at Comic-Con
and I went, "I can't do it."
And I said-- I saw everybody,
and I was just like,
"I'm gonna have
to stay a bit longer.
I said to Scott, I said, "Scott,
I don't think I can do it yet.
I haven't made peace
with it."
You know,
it was a big deal.
This is gonna
sound wrong, but...
You preferred your experience
after I'd left the show.
No.
No, I don't mean it like that.
I don't, I swear.
I don't.
"But..."
But there was
an interesting--
There was a "but" coming.
There was a navigation
she had to make.
You can't...
Okay, that's it.
You have to go your...
It was like we had to jump
six years forward.
And then she has a son now.
She has a five-year-old
that looks just like him.
And then she has this very
precocious 12-year-old daughter
who walks around with her
little katana on her back.
It was just so riveting
and amazing to work with her.
Incredible.
It was just
new beginnings so quick.
It was super smart.
This little katana on her back,
which I just loved.
Yeah.
I already mentioned it.
I loved that little thing
on her back.
Now she's kind of outgrown it,
hasn't she?
Did you steal that
as well?
Who exactly is supposed
to have that katana except me?
Who, Andy? Who?
Was it difficult for you?
Because you went
the following year.
Well, when you said
you were leaving,
I think I knew
it was my time as well coming.
And I didn't know
exactly how or when,
but I knew I had
to start thinking like that.
And when you left, you said,
"Now go lead."
And I was like, "What?"
Oh, yeah.
I was like, "That's scary."
Yeah.
And I was like, "How?"
And you were like, "Just do what
you-- Do you. Be you."
And I was like,
"What the F does that mean?"
And I was like-- you walked
away like fucking Yoda.
And I'm just left like...
"What?"
I think I might have meant that
for Norman, that...
No, you didn't.
[Laughs]
No, I'm joking.
Though, yeah,
I mean, I was surprised
that you said it to me,
but you did.
You-- You asked me the
question, you know, earlier--
What has it been like
to return to him?
And I said, well, it's--
it's so easy and so effortless
but also deeply important
to do it as well.
And I'm thankful for you because
you were the one that said,
"We have to.
We should.
You know, there's a story
to be told
and we need
to finish this thing."
And-- And I thank you
for that.
And, you know, it's been
such a special experience.
You can't-- no matter
how many of these we do
and how much information we give
you on film or-- or in books
or whatever, or at Comic-Cons,
you know, we lived it.
It's like, I was thinking
as I was driving here, going,
I used to drive back
listening to Johnny Cash
when we'd done a day
that was great,
like when
you knocked me out
and we had
one of those big days,
and there was nothing better
than seeing
a sort of Georgia sunset,
listening to a bit
of Johnny Cash and going,
"We had a good day
at the office."
And only we
sort of shared that.
And it was-- and it's a very,
very special,
you know, thing
that we'll always have.
Yeah.

Hey, Rick.
Come here.
Look at this.

[Bird chirping]
This place.
[Sighs]
It's beautiful.
Man on P.A.: Consignee Grimes,
you've been located
and are instructed
to surrender.
Remain in place
with your hands up.
[Hooves clopping]

[Helicopter blades whirring]
[Rick grunts]
Come on, Rick.
It's like he told you.
There's no escape
from the living.
Michonne:
Remember what I said.
It's what he said.
Hold it to your heart.
It's true.
Forever.

We are the ones who live.

Rick:
We're the ones who live.

What was it like, Danai,
to reprise the role of Michonne
in the six-part miniseries
for AMC?
It was incredible.
I mean, it was very intense.
I mean, we started off,
it was the three of us,
you know,
creating this thing,
and we got a lot done
in a short amount of time
in terms of figuring out
what this was supposed to be.
It was an epic love story
is kind of the heart of it,
wasn't it?
These two incredibly
similar types of people
that love one another
have disappeared
from the mother ship,
and we just wanted
to sort of fill in the blanks,
really, didn't we?
Well, yeah, it was it was
definitely a story
that needed
to be completed.
And I do think that these
characters are so beloved,
you know, by us as well.
You know, we were-- so to be
part of that creative process
and to have a bit more input
from the sort of the genesis
was really exciting
because, you know--
and I think a lot of it was,
"What would I want to see?"
Mm-hmm.
You know, you wrote
an episode
and starred in it
and produced an episode
as you were filming...
Yeah.
...as well,
and I was so impressed.
I was so kind of shocked
at your capacity
to be able to wear all of
these hats at the same time.
I don't think I would be able
to do that,
you know what I mean?
Were you able
to kind of navigate that?
Yeah, I mean, it was--
it was intense.
It was intense,
but it was just like
once I'd started
to write it
and I was getting more and more
invested in getting it as rich
as it needed to be for the
characters and for the journey,
there was just no
letting go of it.
It was like, it's your kid.
Now it's just your kid.
You just
take care of your kid.
But anyway,
the long and short of it was
it was extremely intense
and extremely hard
and also
extremely rewarding.
Yeah.
Everybody was just incredible
with enacting the vision I had.
As were you.
As were you, Andy.
Bless you.
No, but we were--
Sometimes I was a little...
bossy.
No, no, but...
You-- no.
"Bossy" is not the right word.
Is it not the right word?
No.
Good! What was it?
I think "specific."
Okay! I love that word!
Yay.
But I think.
the fact that we're trying
to explore a new world,
we're sort of
world-building.
We're not "sort of."
We are world building.
And what I've always loved
in the show
is when we meet people
or strangers
and you hear their story.
So what I want to hear
is the bigger story
of what's been happening
in the--
you know, in America,
in the continent,
while we've been
scrabbling around in the dirt.
But also, for me, it was always
about the reason that we do this
is to get these two lovers
together, to tell a love story.
Because after all,
when you're on your deathbed,
what else is worth
talking about?
You know what I mean?
Right, right.
It's love, man.
Right.
And I think that the story
began with a man
looking for his family,
and it finishes, potentially,
with these two lovers,
hopefully finding one another
and completing the circle.
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah.