In a world like The Walking Dead [1], there is no end to tragedy and strife. But somehow, amid all the death and destruction they experience, Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira) manage to find each other. Though the couple only become official in the sixth season [2], they've had an intense connection from the start. Michonne enters the picture after Rick's group moves into the prison and are blissfully unaware of the threat of the Governor that looms in the background. When she stands outside the fence surrounding the prison [3] and the two engage in a tense stare-down, there's no doubt something significant is happening. And thus begins the journey that takes us to . . . Richonne.
Some fans were definitely shocked by the start of their relationship [4] in "The Next World," but Richonne had actually been building since season three! Business Insider details [5] a conversation during Comic-Con where creator Robert Kirkman explained that discussions of the relationship actually began with showrunner Scott Gimple's episode "Clear."
"When you feel the chemistry in a moment, that is one of the intangibles in planning," Gimple said. "I believe in planning probably way too much, but you've got to wait for chemistry, and there was between those characters."
Gurira has since spoke about how they empower each other [6] and Lincoln noted how they're constantly [7] expressing their love for one another, which makes the end of Rick's time on the show all the more gut-wrenching [8]. In honor of the couple's final episode together, sit back and relax, because I'm about to show you the many times Rick and Michonne were obviously destined to become #Richonne.
When Rick Can't Stop Staring at Her
And They Act Like No One Else Is in the Room
When They Get to Know Each Other by Flirting
This might have been Rick's first attempt to make a joke, and it was about him seeing his dead wife. Dark, but appropriate.
When He Tries to Shame Her For Eating Morgan's Food
But She Doesn't GAF
When He Ends Up Liking Her So Much, He Wants Her to Stay
When Michonne Gets Caught by a Madman
And Rick Is Visibly Shook
Even though he definitely tries to trade her before . . .
When She Tells Him She's Done Taking Breaks
And Joins the Grimes Men on a Journey
When the Three of Them Are Lethally in Sync
Squad goals, obviously.
When They Get to Really Talk to Each Other
And She Shows How Much She Cares About His Kids
When They Become a Family Unit of Their Own
When She Makes Sure He's Ready to Move On
When He Looks For Her Opinion Before Acting
And They Have a Whole Conversation With Their Eyes
Then he punches Aaron, which was NOT what she was saying, but OK . . .
When He Lets Her Know That If She's Hurt, He'll Kick Major Ass
When She Teases Him About His Beard With a Smile
When He Catches Sight of Her in Her New Uniform
When She Has to Knock Him Out For His Own Good
But Lets Him Know She'll Always Be on His Side
When They're Adorably Domestic
And Act Like Proud Parents Over a Sleeping Judith
When He Brings Her Mints After Losing Her Toothpaste
They're practically the official food for the ship.
Which Leads to This . . .
. . . And Then a Kiss
A Lot of Kissing, Actually 💋
When They Look Really Comfortable in Bed Together
And Then Like True Badasses When Their Morning Is Interrupted
When He Lets Her Know He's There
When She's Quick to Put Down the Woman Who Punches Him 😳
When They Cuddle in Bed
When She Doesn't Let Him Go Off Angry
And Lets Him Know She Still Cares
When They Just DO the Damn Thing
When She Tells Him It's OK to Smile
When He Opens Up About Judith's True Paternity With Her
When They Hold Hands in Uncertain Times
And After Hearing Good News
When They Celebrate a Victory
And He Replaces the Cat Sculpture She Lost at the Prison
When They Go on an Epic Road Trip
And Have a Bit of Fun on the Way . . .
When They Talk Zombie Strategy
And Have Some Fun Together at the Same Time
When He Makes Them a Romantic Dinner
When He Basically Proposes to Her . . .
. . . And She Says YES!
So Then They Seal It With a Kiss 😍
Make That Two Kisses
When She Jumps in His Arms Because She Thought She'd Lost Him
And Can't Let Go
When He Tells Her She'd Have to Lead If Something Happens to Him
When She Gives the Pep Talk of All Pep Talks to Carl
And Rick Can't Help but Love Her Even More
Check out this deleted scene from season seven [10], where Michonne encourages Carl to put everything to win against Negan and the Saviors. You can basically see Rick giving her heart eyes.
When Carl and Rick Find Michonne After Thinking She'd Been Killed
And Rick Is There by Her Side While She Recovers
When They Walk Into Battle Holding Hands
When They Say "I Love You" For the First Time
When They Are the Perfect Family of Three (RIP Carl)
When They Look Adorably Domestic . . .
. . . and Cuddle Together in Bed
When Andrew Lincoln Confesses This Is Rick's Greatest Love Story
And Danai Gurira Agrees! ❤️
