No, it was a drug-induced trip that the weak faced one sent her on after the "you're no angel" suggestion. So pissed. I thought it would be an upbeat episode after the big kill, like killing Beta would be. Totally disinterested in their feelings.

 

I said in another thread I think the concept was great, the execution was on the weak side.

I think too much time was wasted on Virgil and his story, that time should have been dedicated to fleshing out her "what if" moments and her finding out about Rick.

 

To answer your question, yes, I think it was a distinct possibility that there could have been a “dark Michonne”. She was in a bad place when we first were introduced to her. There was a spark in her that was kindled which made her go to Andrea’s aid but through her drug induced haze we saw how easy it might have been to snuff the spark.

I thought the alternate time line was plausable.
Negan would have taken her in easily because he respected strong women, like we saw with Sasha, and would have wanted her on his team. She would have eventually assimilated into the group, became Negan, and would/could have bashed in the head of anyone of Rick’s group.

It’s hard to see the Michonne we grew to know and love act like she had lost her integrity, but like Negan told Alpha last week, maybe she might have become numb to human feelings in light of all she lost.

Each group we’ve encountered has believed that what they were doing was the right thing. As you said, when you look at the big picture that wasn’t necessarily the case. The Saviors, as a group, were still trash.

 

I think it could be seen that way for a member of Negan's group. The scenario we saw play out was that Negan showed her some kindness after she'd been on the road alone, and turned away by people. So, she was in that outpost and had her friends slaughtered while sleeping (in her view). So yeah, she's going to be angry and vengeful.

I don't think it changes the perspective of the audience though. We still know the whole picture of what was going on. For the Saviors though, it's no different than a citizen of a country that takes their nation's side, simply because they are seeing everything through the lens of their own society. Many are less likely to see the moral ambiguity that's present.

But yeah, those scenes were well done.

 

I suppose the title of the episode should be ''what I become'' as it seems that the only character that fits is Michonne. The episode basically shows us what Michonne has become in our reality and what she would become in an alternate reality.

This alternate reality shows a Michonne now showing mercy to Andrea and how this little thing would have a 'butterfly effect' that ripples down her life in an opposite way. For one, her not helping Andrea more or less led to Daryl not stopping and driving by.

One event leading to the next suggests ''you reap what you sowed''. If you did not show mercy, you will not be shown mercy. Another example is: Rick and gang got into the satellite compound and killed those saviours, leading to their kneeling down before Negan. So, once again, sowing violence brings violence back.

Interestingly, they specifically showed Glenn driving a knife into that woman saviour, perhaps to tell us that act of Glenn's violence would lead to his own head bashing later?

Maybe, 'Reap what you sowed' is a better episode title?

 

What We Become was an ok title, because it also showed what Virgil had become. He went nuts because of his wife and kids deaths.

 

What We Become was the title for volume 10 of TWD. That was issue 55-60.

 

I think this was a clever title because it tied to what Judith said to Mary a couple of episodes ago: “If you had met my mum and dad first, you wouldn’t be in this cell.”

This is a big theme this season. The paths we take, when we are at our most downtrodden/vulnerable. Whose influence we fall under. How easily we could be swept up in questionable ideologies that we might choose not to question because they keep us protected and rewarded.

I think Michonne’s visions of an alternate path she could have taken (that has ultimately made her Negan’s right hand gal), is not necessarily about a sure possibility, it’s rather the fear of that possibility. Because she was indeed no angel through this. She did consider not to go to Andrea. She didn’t protest when Rick drove past the Orange Backpack Guy. She didn’t oppose the plan of attacking the saviours in their sleep. Michonne acknowledges the darkness in herself. Her hallucinations showed her what if her dark side had won over, and led her to "murdering" the overall very good, morally sound version of her, the Michonne we have seen her become. The Michonne who chose to lean onto her good side by helping Andrea, then helping Glenn and Maggie. The Michonne who's walked the path these acts of kindness have led her on.

It was fascinating and brilliantly done. Almost makes me up my average score for the episode. (If only the rest wasn’t so dull and stupid.)

 

The alternate reality didn't work for me. In it of itself it was a good alternate path, I just didn't like it "plugged" into her exit story like this, it seems forced. It made me wonder if they had a bigger story to tell about Michonne, then for whatever reason they abandoned that half way through and edited different pieces together to form this exit episode. I did not connect her being drugged, hallucinated and her alternate reality went through her mind.