Walking Dead Suggests Carol Will Discover Michonne’s Secret First

The Walking Dead season 11, episode 6, “On the Inside”, subtly hinted at Carol (Melissa McBride) being the first character to uncover Michonne (Danai Gurira) and Judith’s secret. So far, they’re the only two main characters who know that Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) isn’t really dead. However, the show is inching closer to dropping the big reveal at some point in season 11.

Through Cailey Fleming’s Judith, The Walking Dead has had opportunities to let the people of Alexandria know that their former leader is still alive, but the show has avoided going in that direction. Judith intentionally hid the truth from Daryl (Norman Reedus) to keep him from leaving, and had another chance to bring it up in episode 5 when he was talking to Rosita (Christian Serratos) about Michonne’s absence. Since Judith is apparently keeping her lips sealed, it may take another character – specifically, Virgil (Kevin Carroll) – for the truth to finally come out. The Walking Dead danced around the big secret in “On the Inside” through Connie’s journal, which mentioned Virgil said Michonne left to look for “someone”.

A scene in the episode may have provided a clue about how the characters will learn about Rick’s survival and who will be the first to put the pieces together. In the scene where Magna (Nadia Hiker) was reading the journal, Carol could be seen quietly reading over her shoulder. This detail could hold special meaning, given Carol’s long history with both Rick and Michonne. For understandable reasons, Magna wouldn’t be able to understand the significance of what Connie (Lauren Ridloff) wrote, but Carol might. Since Carol knows Michonne so well, she should know that this “someone” she’s looking for must be incredibly important, otherwise she never would have left Alexandria. It’s for this reason that Carol could potentially arrive at the right conclusion, especially since there may be more in Connie’s notes about this that wasn’t shown on-screen.

Even if the details Connie wrote in The Walking Dead aren’t enough for Carol to make the connection, it could at least push her in the right direction. All it has to do is raise some suspicions, and that alone could lead to Carol pursuing this possibility. If Virgil doesn’t die of his wounds, she may able to ask him some questions about it. She could also try to get answers from Judith, since she was the last to speak with Michonne. Judith didn’t want to tell Daryl because she was afraid he’d leave, so she could share the same concerns about Carol, which is why getting her to open up may not be easy.

If Carol finding out about Rick is really what the story is building toward, it could use this idea to deliver an interesting side-story for Carol, who needs something new to do in The Walking Dead season 11. While Daryl would of course make a great fit for this arc, he’s currently busy deceiving the Reapers. Instead, The Walking Dead can let Carol – a person who has known Rick since season 1 – be the one who investigates Michonne’s departure.

About The Author