That was really beautifully expressed and heartfelt. I haven't watched the episode yet (in Australia) but your post shows me that the writers did an excellent job because you are doing what everyone does when someone important dies....pondering on what might have been and the missed opportunities and what's most important in life - just loving each other. I haven't even watched the episode yet and I'm already feeling like crying.

 

I think Michonne figured out more about Merle than even Daryl knew. That talk about how Merle felt he could carry the weight of what he has done, but evil people are "light as a feather"..... To me THAT was the moment when she understood and reached him.

 

Well nothing was stopping Merle from apologizing either.

 

I agree

 

I don't think that Maggie was ever broken down by what Merle did. I think it is all Glenn (hence why Maggie was pissed). Even if Maggie and Merle made up and were bff's, Glenn would still never get past it.

 

I don't think Michonne realized Merle could be mindfvcked and persuaded into changing his mind. I simply read the scene as Michonne being the type who is unafraid of dying as long as her moral is intact.

 

They killed him off in the episode they made me like him -__-

 

She may not have talked him into anything but she was smart enough to not to talk him out of it. Had she put up a big fight he would have responded with fight and hauled her in. Maybe.

He also must have known that hauling her in there would have meant a total sacrifice of himself. He hands over Michonne one second and is executed the next. They would never in a million years let Merle go and he knew it.

Michonne got away from him twice.

 

When Merle teared up after his brother talked to him in the boiler room...."All I want is my brother back"! Merle knew what he had to try and do.....give him his brother back, and he did!

 

Bingo.

 

Precisely. She did everything right (psychologically by the book) in order to rattle her captor into freeing her (and in this case, liberating the other to exercise his free will). It's was tactically perfect... the obedience, the defiance, the silence, the questioning, appealing to their weakness and strengths at the right time, and making them change their course of action. Well written and perfectly acted by Danai and Michael.

I was actually surprised the Merle/Michonne psychology and interaction wasn't specifically a thread made for this, especially since the dynamic between these two was clearly the focus of the episode's writing. And really good writing, which is hit or miss with this show.

Another observation no one talks about is the historically tense, but rather natural chemistry of Merle and Michonne. If you re-watch these two, Michonne and Merle were rather simpatico pretty quickly after Merle got back to the prison, and she'd began studying him (and vise versa) since then, figuring out each other.

This is proven to be true in a number of examples, including when Merle asked Michonne to accompany him and ambush the governor because of their likeness in offensive strategy, and how she's receptive and contemplative before completely disregarding the plan. She knows he has some valid knowledge and they do have a similar outlook in certain ways that they both seemed to convey non-verbally before ever talking.

Another example was also when Michonne shook her head behind Andrea at the exact moment when Andrea was grandstanding at the prison, pointing at Merle and saying the blame should be on him, not Philip. Michonne was completely relaxed in that shot and had already accepted Merle being Merle, which was very shortly after he confirmed he was "just following orders" like "the Gestapo?"... "Exactly." I think right then she had him mostly figured out, and saw his weakness right there of feeling beholden to some authority out of fear/dependence (much like his abusive father). So she specifically used this knowledge later on in her psychological escape, by promoting his self-worth and individualism if he does B but not if he does A, like (the Gestapo) he was turned into by the Governor/frightening father.

This is also probably why Michonne expressed visual distress and a hint of sadness when she gets out of the car knowing Merle's going on a suicide mission to try and kill the man who made him "evil" to himself. Even though she freed him from dying "evil" and hurting himself, her, and his brother, etc., she still seemed to pity his soul. As in, she saw that he felt the only way he could mean anything to his brother, or save himself was to go it alone after a man she also wanted to kill. So it was a complex series of emotions Michonne was rightfully showing for Merle, and I thought this entire subject was a gold mine for discussion. But oh well, this is the best I can do for now in a dead thread. RIP Merle. Micherle for life.

 

It is a great topic of discussion and underlooked! I thought the scene and the episode was great, but your post shows how good the writing in the episode was.

It's too bad they cannot stay to this same level consistently. S6 illustrates the "hit or miss", starting with 3 of my favorite episodes and then steadily going into stupid writing starting with the Morgan bottle episode. I do hope that they pick it back up with the addition of Negan and that story line, as it was great in the comics.

I have nothing to add to this discussion because you've already nailed it.

 

I feel like Merle's apology was the (attempted) killing of the Governor. If Merle could stop him from doing all the evil that he did, Merle would, in some way, redeem himself. Not just for redemption though - because he really is a good person, deep down.

 

Merle one of the best "gray characters". Which we currently don't have many of, if at all.

A troubled person, does a lot of bad, but when it comes to the most important of events, sides with the altruistic decision.