Summary: So the night before in "The Distance," Rick has himself, Glenn, Michonne and Aaron leading the way to Alexandria, and that goes awry. Rick ends up separated from Carl and Judith, and has to abandon the vehicle.
Cut to the next morning.
Rick has Carl and Judith, with Michonne riding shotgun, trailing behind the trailer with everyone else. Now it's obvious that's his intermediate family, so of course they'd be together. But think of the positioning; think of the why.
Rick was..."paranoid" is an understatement. It was to the point where it would have been detrimental to the group had it not been for Michonne's intervention. But Rick teamed them off that way because, should something go wrong, he would have his family with him. They were trailing back in case they needed to make a quick getaway. Having Michonne and his kids, even if he lost everyone else...that's the one thing-the glue-to keeping Rick Grimes together. It's why Michonne has that seeming non-sequitur of "You've got to let it go." She knows he was preparing for the worst; she knows he was keeping them close in case the worst happened. He's behind the whele [and thus, in control of the situation], he has his family with him, and he's ready to flee if necessary. Michonne sees that, and [later] let's him know it'll be okay.
Anyway, I'm mad we didn't have scenes of them inside the car on the drive over...
"Abraham, you're used to big rigs. You drive the trailer. Michonne and I will take the other car, trail behind you." Rick looked over his shoulder, placed his hand firmly on Carl's shoulder, and said just for his ears only, "Take your sister and get in the backseat, okay?" Carl nodded, heading off. Rick turned to Michonne. "You ready?"
Michonne stared at him for a moment, then finally gave an imperceptible nod, heading to the car as well, Rick close behind.
"Wouldn't it be safer to have Carl and Judith in the trailer?" she asked him quietly.
He took her by the arm, escorting her to the passenger side door. "I'll drive," he said simply.
...
"This was the safest play," he said, once they were in the confines if the car. "If something happens, my priority is to keep them safe. We have to keep them safe." He glanced over at her before looking back at the road.
"I know," she replied. "And we will. But that doesn't mean that you have to-"
"Every one in that trailer is my family. But everyone in this car...I have to keep you safe," he said fiercely. "If there's a fight, I'm ready. If we have to run, I'm ready. I know you're optimistic-you all are. But we don't know what we're getting ourselves into. If we need to abruptly turn around, I have to be able to do that, and I couldn't just..." Rick hit the steering wheel, frustrated.
Michonne looked at him, noticing the tenseness of his body, the steel in his gaze. It was flattering in one way, his including her in his family in such a way, albeit not unexpected. She was, and had been part of his core family. Rick chose the groups with purpose. And yet...her heart broke a bit for him. Things could change-would change. Life wasn't a constant fight. Still, she knew this was his way of coping with the situation. Change was hard, especially after all he'd been through. Remaining silent, she grasped his hand as he continued to drive, hoping to convey things she couldn't say just then. He was still tense, but he gave her hand a squeeze in kind before letting go, continuing the drive onward.
