Rick Tears A Throat Out
Season 4 Episode 16 – “A”
After losing both Shane and Lori as well as the group’s moral guiding light, Hershel, Rick continues to struggle with the demands of leadership in a cutthroat post-apocalyptic world. Flashing back on Hershel’s warnings that his ruthless approach is costing him the love of his remaining family, we see Rick as both the doting father and the fearsome protector in this episode. In the present day, he, Daryl, Michonne, and Carl are captured by the Claimers, who threaten to torture and kill them. Rick responds to this by ripping out the throat of the Claimers’ leader, Joe, ultimately getting them to the next crisis as they are trapped in the township of Terminus with some of the lost members of their crew. Undeterred, Rick rallies the troops by growling, “They’re screwing with the wrong people.”
Constable Rick
Season 5 Episode 12 – “Remember”
Rick and the group enter the Alexandria Safe-Zone, at first refusing to surrender their weapons but ultimately conceding when it becomes clear that the township will offer desperately needed respite from the constant onslaught of walkers. The residents prove to be low on survival skills, however, with Rick silently plotting to take over the town if the going gets tough. Despite that, his relationship with Carl is at its strongest, with Carl confiding in his dad and the two teaming up to take down walkers in the woods. Rick and Michonne are appointed constables of the town, with its leader Deanna noting that Rick is already trying to protect the Safe-Zone when he warns her against taking in strangers.
Michonne Clocks Rick (And It’s Fine)
Season 5 Episode 15 – “Try”
Rick runs the gamut here, at first admirable but out of control by the episode’s end. Knowing Jessie’s husband Pete is an abusive hothead, Rick addresses the issue with Deanna, only to be brushed off due to Pete’s value to the community as a surgeon. Disgusted, Rick goes straight to the source, talking to Jessie, who tells him she will be able to manage her husband. Instead, Pete returns home, and Rick confronts him, leading to a rowdy fight between the two men that eventually spills out onto the street. While Rick wins, he flies into an increasingly unhinged rant, ultimately silenced when Michonne cold cocks him. That in itself is a great Rick moment, showing that Michonne is the one person who can always talk him down, even if it requires a quick uppercut to get her point across.
