‘Walking Dead’ Preview: Hey, What’s With Michonne’s Zombie Pets?

Tonight’s episode of The Walking Dead will primarily take place away from the prison and feature the quiet hamlet of Woodbury, ruled with an iron fist by David Morrissey’s “The Governor.” This is great news, especially for those of us who have been dying for more than a second with the mysterious new Michonne.

The character of Michonne (played in all her 30-second-thus-far glory by Danai Gurira) is one of the most highly-anticipated elements of season three of The Walking Dead. When I talk Walking Dead with friends and fans, they all say the same thing: “I’m so happy they’re finally putting Michonne into the show.” Imagine my surprise when I find that many of these people haven’t a clue who Michonne is and have never picked up a Walking Dead comic book in their life.

MILD SPOILER WARNING: Quick! Click here.

Almost everything you need to know about Michonne, you’ve already seen in her two 15-second appearances in the series thus far. She’s an awesome zombie-pocalypse survivor who fights the undead with a katana sword. Still, many are puzzled by her two “zombie pets,” the Walker-sidekicks she pulls around by a leash.

If you really want to know what’s up there, I will tell you.

The reason it two-fold. You may have noticed that Michonne’s zombie pets don’t have arms or jaws. I’m here to tell you they don’t even have teeth. They represent a whopping zero threat, which is probably why Andrea seems so chill about them being around. The zombie pets actually serve a purpose. Michonne keeps them because they mask her human scent, keeping Walkers off her trail. The second reason is actually kind of sweet. In their former lives, one of her zombie pets was Michonne’s boyfriend. The other was a good friend of hers (likely the friend zone-bound bestie she cried about her boyfriend to).

Don’t expect Michonne’s zombie pets to be series staples, however. In the books, one foul glance from Rick causes Michonne to decapitate them both, just to prove her loyalty (and that she’s not nuts, but more on that later).

Exciting, right? If you’re aching for more Walking Dead related stuff, head on over to EW. They’re hosting a podcast interview with David Morrissey (who plays the villainous “Governor”) and exec-producer Gale Anne Hurd in just a few hours.

Also, here’s a sneak preview of tonight’s Walking Dead episode, “Walk With Me.”

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