WARNING: The following article includes spoilers for The Walking Dead Season 10, Episode 4, "Silence the Whisperers," which aired Sunday on AMC.
The fourth episode of The Walking Dead’s 10th season starts with quiet, followed by a groaning bang. A tree brings down a building at Hilltop, trapping multiple people inside. Ezekiel, who wasn’t able to sleep anyway, runs outside to see the destruction. Yet, as other residents spring into action to help, Ezekiel freezes.
Later, as Michonne, Judith, Eugene, and several others make their way to Hilltop to help, Michonne notices Ezekiel in the distance riding a horse on his own. Something seems off, so she breaks from the group and goes after him. Things get even stranger when Ezekiel’s horse, minus Ezekiel, comes running straight at her. Michonne continues looking for the former King on foot and finally finds him. He’s standing on the edge of a wooden platform high above the valley below.
When Michonne calls to him, Ezekiel tells her to go. She encourages him to step away from the edge, but when Ezekiel refuses, she joins him where he stands. Ezekiel turns his haunted eyes to her and after a few tattered breaths hugs her and lets her comfort him.
Then in a moment of desperation, he kisses her. As soon as he draws away, he can see by her expression that the kiss wasn’t exactly expected or desired. He immediately apologizes. A surprised and slightly confused Michonne, still wanting to be there for Ezekiel, nods her acceptance.
Later, the pair sit on the platform talking. Ezekiel is still apologetic about the kiss but Michonne informs him that they never would have worked out anyway – they’re “both too damn stubborn.” They smile at each other knowingly.
Then, Ezekiel confides in her about what led him out there. He feels like he failed his Kingdom plus he's lost so many loved ones, including Benjamin, Henry, and Shiva. On top of that, he’s still mourning the end of his relationship with Carol who he can barely talk to now. Then, Hilltop suffered a terrible blow with the building collapse the prior night. It was all just too much for him to take.
Michonne confesses she knows how he’s feeling. And they bond over the masks they’ve worn that have saved their lives. Ezekiel acknowledges that he couldn’t have worn his mask as the King forever though. Michonne understands what a loss that is. And how much harder it is the second time around, especially after you’ve been in a relationship that allowed you to share some of the emotional burden. Soon, Michonne is weeping and Ezekiel is comforting her.
Eventually the pair walk back to their horses and Michonne teases him about the kiss. She tells him it wasn’t half bad, but Ezekiel confesses he was a mess and wasn’t at his best when it happened. Michonne jokes that her bar is low since she hasn’t kissed an adult in the last six years. Michonne, serious again, then asks him to promise her he won’t ever ride off by himself again. Ezekiel thanks her.
That evening, Michonne and Ezekiel, along with the other Alexandrians, charge into Hilltop just in the nick of time as a herd of walkers bring down one of the walls weakened by the fallen tree. Ezekiel is back in the fight and looking reenergized. Meanwhile, Michonne fights alongside Judith who's already as good with a samurai sword as her mother. Go Judith!
So it seems that Michonne/Ezekiel romance that was teased in one of the Season 10 trailers was nothing more than the single kiss we saw in this episode. The kiss certainly wasn’t romantic and both characters don’t seem inclined to be anything more than friends.
Besides, the next day, Michonne leaves for Oceanside to help with a potential Whisperer problem there. So even if there was a spark between her and Ezekiel, Michonne isn't sticking around long enough for them to explore it.
The Walking Dead stars Norman Reedus, Danai Gurira, Melissa McBride, Josh McDermitt, Christian Serratos, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Seth Gilliam, Ross Marquand, Khary Payton, Cooper Andrews, Avi Nash, and Samantha Morton. It airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on AMC.