Spoilers for previously aired episodes of Walking Dead, mild spoilers if you’ve read the comics
A lot of people are still talking about the incredible and some say unexpected hookup between Michonne and Rick on Sunday night’s Walking Dead. Michonne and Rick do not have this kind of relationship in the comics. In the comics, Rick is with Andrea, who was killed off in the television show in the third season. Showrunner Scott Gimple told EW that “The Andrea story from the comics has been broken up and given to several different characters.” EW has more from Gimple, who explained that the new character Jesus “Is very much the character from the comics.” I will avoid posting more because of spoilers but you can read it on EW.

As mentioned in yesterday’s story, Danai Gurira (Michonne) explained on The Talking Dead that it took some time for Rick and Michonne to reach this point in their relationship, and how it felt like a natural progression. Gimple said something similar to EW, that Rick and Michonne became romantic after they had time to step back and appreciate each other. “These are two people who have found kindred spirits in each other… For all they’ve been through, when the world stopped screaming and clawing for them, they realized what they had.”

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Andrew Lincoln (Rick) and Gurira discuss their characters’ new relationship in similar terms, and say that while reading the script was a surprise to them that it did feel right.

Lincoln on how he wanted to play that scene: I was preoccupied shooting the episode before [the midseason premiere] and Danai wasn’t on set for a couple days. When she came on set, she was weird — she wasn’t making eye contact and was a bit strange. I asked what was wrong and she asked if I’d read [this episode] yet. I said, “What do you mean? I was trying to save the world from the zombie apocalypse, what do you mean? I haven’t had a chance to read it!” She said read the script. I sat there and screamed when I read it. I ran to her trailer, banged on her door and screamed, “Why didn’t you tell me?!” It’s insane and I loved it! It is a strange experience because their relationship for so long — as friends and as actors — we’ve been playing a certain complicated, difficult, respectful and loving almost familial relationship. And to step through the portal into this new place was really trippy. Danai was brilliant and so funny on set and said, “Let’s just go for this; I don’t want to talk about it too much. Let’s just go for it.” We wanted it to be these two grownups and warriors who love and respect each other. That’s a given. And then they get completely surprised in this moment. And then they look at each other and say, “Of course.” That was the transition that we wanted: for it to be sexy, committed and key. We wanted it to be different and grown up and very relaxed and natural. That’s what we were fighting for. It’s that kiss it’s the kiss and to capture that was key.

Lincoln on how he thinks comic fans will react to Richonne A lot of people are probably going to have the same reaction that you and I did. It feels absolutely normal, it feels right. It does mean massive repercussions for everybody else. And there is a small matter of Carl in all this and how he’s going to react. You’ll see that play out quickly. Comic fans, I hope, will love it just as much as I did when I read it because it is one of the great and important things we have to do with our show: separate ourselves from the comic book.

Gurira on how the relationship will unfold We’ll have to see. It wasn’t a casual thing for them to connect this way; it was a realization, a discovery. They’ve had so much intimacy with their friendship but now they realize that there’s even more to their intimacy so that wasn’t a casual hookup moment. The reason why there are these expressions of joy when they’re kissing is because there’s something bursting out of them that’s new and they realize, “Oh my God, this is a really special friend of mine that I actually want to be intimate with in a whole other way and it makes total sense.” It doesn’t feel like a casual encounter.

[From The Hollywood Reporter]

This is why I enjoy The Walking Dead so much. You can tell the thought and care that everyone puts into the characters and the plotlines, from the writers to the actors. Sometimes it doesn’t always work, but they’re always working at it and that makes it an incredible show.

Another scene in Sunday’s episode had Carl refusing to kill zombie Deanna and kind of saving her for her son, Spencer, whom he saw wandering around the woods with a shovel. Carl knew why Spencer was out there, and that scene mirrored Carl’s own sad past when he had to kill his mother after she gave birth to Judith. I thought of this as the episode aired and the actor who plays Spencer, Austin Nichols (I know him from Ray Donovan), also brought it up on Talking Dead.

Oh and for those of you worried that Michonne’s time is limited now that she’s Rick’s romantic interest, both interviews brought it up. Gimple was questioned by the EW reporter if this was a setup for something terrible to happen to Michonne and he asked “Can’t we enjoy this?” Gurira was asked if Rick was a black widow and her response was “I hope he’s not!” Note to showrunners: do not kill off Michonne, ok? Also Daryl and Carol would make a hot couple but I think the show would really jump the shark if that happened.

There’s more in The Hollywood Reporter, including Lincoln’s promise that there’s a ton more coming in the next six episodes.