Sunday’s episode of “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live” may have been the most intimate hour in the franchise’s history with a lot more tears than zombies.
It made sense to have Danai Gurira write the script. The Macalester College grad not only portrays the drama’s Michonne, the survivalist who wields a katana sword with the same authority that Dirty Harry had with a .44 Magnum. She’s also the accomplished playwright behind the Tony-nominated “Eclipsed” and ”Familiar,” which was staged at the Guthrie Theater in spring 2018.
In the pivotal episode, Michonne and her lover, Rick (Andrew Lincoln), come to a crossroads in their relationship, exchanging harsh words and passionate kisses as the building they are hiding in begins to crumble. Michonne must determine whether she can convince Rick to desert the army that has recruited him or if he is too brainwashed to defect.
Gurira, who co-created this sixth “Dead” spinoff that airs at 8 p.m. Sundays on AMC, analyzed the action last week in a phone call from Los Angeles.
Q: Why was this episode the one you wanted to write?
A: That’s easy. It was a two-hander in which they really had to face each other. As a playwright, you always want that juicy interaction with two people who have to grapple with something.
Q: Did you take the same approach you would to a play?
A: I’ve been writing teleplays off and on for years now, so I know how to step into it. But there was very much a clear journey we had to take that we arced out back when Andy, myself and Scott [Gimple, the third co-creator] sat down in a hotel conference room. It was always clear what had to be accomplished.
