Watch ‘The Walking Dead’ Fans React to Michonne Killing Kids

The Walking Dead pushed the boundaries of cable television on Sunday night when Michonne was forced to kill a small army of children. The shocking moment came as a last resort for Danai Gurira’s character, with much of the actual violence taking place off screen as she used her katana to slice through young post-apocalyptic children who were trying to kill her. Now, the fan reactions which were caught on video are available for viewing.

Spoilers for The Walking Dead Episode 9×14 follow. Major spoilers!

Episode 9×14 (titled “Scars” and directed by Millicent Shelton) explored the six years which passed in the time since Rick’s exit. In the earlier months of that time, Michonne had a pre-apocalyptic friend by the name of Jocelyn show up at Alexandria’s gates asking for help and seeking refuge. As it turned out, Jocelyn was not to be trusted and her group of kids would kidnap Judith and steal Alexandria’s supplies.

In searching for Judith and the other children of Alexandria, Michonne and Daryl found themselves captured by Jocelyn and the children who believed that they had to assert their strength as a means to survive. The children had been stripped of all any moral compasses in favor of barbaric survival tactics. Some of the group’s youngest members were forced to brand Michonne and Daryl with “X” marks by burning it into their backs via a hot stake.

The painful sequence in which the kids tortured Daryl and Michonne was shown in full in Sunday night’s episode, offering up quite a shocking explanation for the mysterious “X” scars.

While Daryl and Michonne survived the encounter, the scars have a deeper meaning than simply being hardened tissue on their skins. As a result of the encounter with Jocelyn and her group, Michonne had closed off the gates to Alexandria from every outsider who might come through. This explains her standoffish attitude with Magna’s group earlier in the season when Judith brought them back to Alexandria. It seems to be a large factor in why Michonne is hoping to rid the community of Lydia and steer clear of getting involved with the Fair or other communities.

The entire story is unique to The Walking Dead TV series and did not happen in Robert Kirkman’s comic book series. What did you thinking of the shocking “X” scar background story? Share your thoughts in the comment section!

The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9 pm ET. Fear the Walking Dead will return for its fifth season in 2019. For complete coverage and insider info all year long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter and watch ComicBook.com’s After The Dead each Sunday night following new episodes on Facebook.com/ComicBookNOW.

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