The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live had stronger episodes than the season/series finale, The Last Time. Ironically, both Michonne and Rick’s solo episodes had more thrilling and intense moments. The Michonne/Rick bottle episode was satisfying just having two pillars of TWD Universe work through their differences.

Still, The Last Time felt like a rarity in The Walking Dead. A complete story and even better — one with a happy ending. At times that felt a little too easy, but for the sake of effectively wrapping two character arcs this “cheap” win was just fine.

Rick and Michonne have certainly been making up for some quality hook up time. They better get it in now before they get back to the kids. This was the last time before their big mission — getting Jadis’ notes on Alexandria and explaining why Rick and Michonne are so dangerous.

Getting back to the CRM was relatively easy for Rick since he could whip up a quick story about escaping the helicopter crash. Thorne was relieved and happy to see her right-hand man back. She needed her right-hand man back. Gold star if you get that play/movie reference.

Michonne has to get back in with a little more effort. Granted wearing a uniform and casually entering from a back wall isn’t exactly Solid Snake level of infiltration. Michonne gets into Jadis’ room and finds her notes on Rick, her and Alexandria. Just as I’m about to rip her for just ripping the notes and walking off, she gathers the scraps to take with her. Can’t ignore the possibility of a CRM intern patiently taping the notes back together.

Side note: Jadis putting the notes in her coil spiral dog sculpture requires way too much work for anyone casually checking her place. And this didn’t mean anything in the grand scheme of the story, but it seemed like Michonne should have reacted seeing Jadis’ portraits of Gabriel.

Before she can meet Rick, Michonne gets curious about a CRM briefing where they discuss grabbing the kids from Portland. Clearly, the CRM believes Randy Watson that the children are the future. Adding them to the community is a good way to ensure life goes on. Of course, until they hit their teen years and start eating the CRM out of house and home.

Rick gets a meeting with Maj. General Beale. It’s time for Rick to get the Echelon briefing. Like the devil (did you get lost with that reference?), Beale calmly explains the CRM is planning to bomb Portland — just like they did Omaha — to be the last community standing. Then they’ll casually march through the country and destroy any competition.

This plan is insane on all levels. Sure, some resources would be depleting, but farmers are planting crops and there’s still livestock providing food too. Plus, some communities are even making ice cream. Also, Beale doesn’t look like he’s got more than 20 years left anyway. Why would he care about depleting resources?

Beale pitches that Rick could potentially be the next CRM leader. While this spiel is going on, Rick is flashing back to some of his greatest hits/major kills. He couldn’t linger long on them since that would be two hours. Rick settles on the time he ripped the dude’s throat out as being his most heinous kill.

While going over his pitch, Beale mentions that the CRM has spies in communities. He’s referring to Omaha and Portland, but man this seemed like the basis for a heck of a full Walking Dead season. Take a few elements from Maggie and Negan’s New York road trip and The Ones Who Live and that’s a great foundation for another season with the entire cast.

Beale realizes too late he’s making this pitch to a dude who’s already decided he’s not gonna be here tomorrow. Rick kills Beale and places his body in a bin. He also probably should have made sure Beale’s blood wasn’t going to leak out of the bin. This forces Rick to kill another CRM member — a far too observant for his own good guard in the elevator.

Rick and Michonne meet up in an elevator. Michonne says they’ve got to stop the CRM before they add kidnappers to their list of crimes. I’d figure killing our boy Nat was enough of a reason to execute Order 66, but do you, Michonne.

Thorne realizes Rick lied to her about Beale gathering his thoughts at the gate. In a very weird gaffe, Thorne sees Rick’s prosthetic hand, but he clearly used it to kill the guard. And at what point would Rick think leaving that was a good idea? Thorne cuts off Rick and Michonne as they’re making their way out. She’s a bit too late as they’d rigged grenades to explode the chlorine gas missiles courtesy of walker Beale and the guard.

There’s some sweet poetic justice here in wiping out the CRM with the gas they intended to use on Portland and stole a year of Michonne’s life in recovery. Michonne uses Beale’s sword that Rick gave her to slash some water tanks t0 further keep them safe from the harmful gas. They have some protection, but they need to get out of there ASAP.

Thorne has a gas mask so she’s focused on taking them out. It’s hard to be mad at her. This would be like becoming VP of a company just as your subordinate leaks documents that shutters the business. Of course, the CRM business was mass murder so it’s probably for the best…

Rick gets carried off by walkers. This would be a stupid way for Rick to die, but there is a decent explanation why he doesn’t get bit and otherwise infected. Most of the CRM walkers are wearing helmets and gloves. They can paw away at him, but they can’t really do much harm. And also, Rick has a grenade.

Thorne makes the fatal decision to go after Michonne. This seemed like the makings of a good fight, but Michonne + a sword = death in just about any circumstance.

Rick and Michonne are in a CRM helicopter as a TV broadcast explains sweeping changes to the CRM now that the military branch’s rogue actions have been discovered. Convenient. Their copter drops them off in a clearing where Judith and RJ run out to meet them. Getting the entire cast would have been impossible, but it would have been nice to get at the very least Gabriel with the kids to see his friend is still alive.

Regardless, it’s a very nice, emotional moment. The kind The Walking Dead’s format rarely allows before the next gut punch tragedy. There’s more Maggie & Negan to come while Daryl Dixon: The Book of Carol is imminent. Is there a need for another season of The Ones Who Live after The Last One or does that just get parlayed into one big, massive Walking Dead finale? Stay tuned.