What We Become

"What We Become" is the sixth episode, and mid-season premier, of the first season of HBO's Grimes. It was released in September 2028 and was written by Matt Negrette and Daniel Stephen, with Daniel Stephen directing it.

"What We Become" is generally considered to be one of the best episodes within The Walking Dead Televised Universe. Upon its release it gained critical acclaim, several critics cite it as being the finest TV episode ever to focus on mental health. Furthermore, it was nominated for an Emmy at the 81st Primetime Emmy Awards, however; it lost out to "Morning Star", which is the season final of the first season of Grimes. Calum Kelmer received a nomination for the Award of 'Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series' which he won for his performance in this episode.

Plot
Following the loss of the battle, and half the kids, Reece struggle to keep a grip on reality. He is forced to make a decision which will affect not only him; but, those around him forever. Only the faces of his past can stop him in his darkest hour, as he re-learns who he truly is.

Synopsis
Reece lies in the middle of the courtyard, reflecting on what has just happened. He screams in anguish before remembering a park during a winters day from his childhood, he sees a woman walking towards him, although, he is not sure who she is. Back in the present day, Reece lies slumped on the floor of his room. He murmurs to himself before holding a knife to his wrist.

Reece awakens at the prison, shortly after Judith was born, although he looks like his current self, no one else realises this. He watches as Rick breaks down on the ground, everyone around him is also in hysterics. Reece looks at Judith before she grows to her current age. He is shocked, she asks him how he felt at this moment, Reece tells her that, despite the tragedy, he felt hopeful that she would be the first of many new survivors born so that the human race may adapt and overcome what has happened to them. She reminds him this was the first day he was her guardian, as he helped guide her into this world. She tells him he has guided her everyday since.

She tells him that he is her beacon of hope in this world. He suddenly falls again and hits the floor, Megan stands in front of him, he is back in the line up, the morning Negan took him. He blinks and then he is sitting in the room where he found out Negan was his father, he remembers how this broke him. Negan stops and asks him why these moments were important to him, Reece tells him that this was the moment Negan destroyed him, Negan pushes him for more, Reece then appears in Alexandria, standing hugging everyone on the day they celebrated their victory over the Saviours. Reece and Rosita embrace before smiling at each other. He turns to Negan and tells him this was the night that he fells in love with Rosita which, eventually, led to Taron joining his life. Negan laughs, before nodding, once again, everything fades.

Reece finds himself standing at the ledge watching as Rick is about to shoot the dynamite. Instead of shooting, Rick turns to him, suddenly, he is on the bridge with his dad. Rick asks Reece what he is doing, Reece tells him he can't fight anymore and he wants to be with him again. Rick tells him that standing with those around him will make him strong, and that surviving in this world is so much more than how many walkers you can kill. Reece questions why he gave up his life, Rick told him he died for the greater good, but, Reece killing himself would result only in pain for others. Reece angrily tells him that his death caused him pain and suffering that he's never recovered from. Rick replies and tells him that many others would have died if he had not blown up the bridge. Reece accepts this and finally forgives Rick for blowing up the bridge. He is back on the ledge as Rick blows up the bridge and instead of walking away alone, Reece, stands tall with his fellow survivors and gives Michonne a hand up. He hugs her before everything once again melts away.

At the Hilltop, Reece sees Henry sneak out to go after Lydia, before he leaves, Henry turns and asks Reece why he is coming after him. Reece tells him that Carol trusted him to look after Henry and guide him in the next chapter of his life. Henry asks if Rosita would have wanted Reece to do the same for Taron. This punches Reece in the gut, Reece nods before Henry asks why he is running away from the responsibility of saving Taron. Reece tells Henry that it's not as black and white as that, Henry tells Reece it is exactly that and that Reece is doubting himself right now out of fear of letting his late wife down. Reece nods once again. When he looks up he and Henry are side by side at the bridge, they watch Carol fight Beta. Suddenly Reece stands beside the fight and manages to use his sword to kill Beta, he helps Carol up before telling her he cannot believe what she was about to do. Carol looks at him and asks him if there was another way in reality. Reece ponders this, she tells him her sacrifice was necessary and that even though it caused her son pain, it had to be done so he could live on. She tells Reece that his suicide would only cause pain with no solutions. This stops Reece.

Reece then finds himself in the Sanctuary, Negan lets him out of his cell and he takes him to his office. Reece sits down and awaits Negan's abuse, but, instead Negan just sits with him and looks at him. Negan thanks Reece for forgiving him, Reece tells him that he proved himself to Reece and that Reece will always love him the way he loved Rick, his mother, the Chambler Family and all his other family members. Negan tells him he couldn't have asked for a better son, and, that he couldn't have been more proud of who he has become. Reece hugs him, Negan hugs him back before pulling away again, Negan then condemns what Reece is about to do though, he tells Reece that he is grateful for the opportunity that Reece gave him to prove himself to be worthy of forgiveness, but, if Reece goes through with his suicide. Then he wouldn't blame Taron for for never forgiving Reece. He then tells Reece he may not be the perfect dad, but, what Reece is about to do, is not something a dad should be doing to his family.

Reece then finds himself at the pikes, he looks at them before realising that instead of people he love being on them, there is people he hates on them. He smiles before seeing Michonne, Carol and Yumiko still upset. He asks them why they are upset as the people they hate are there. Michonne tells Reece to wake up, that this is a dream and even he knows it. This moment will always be one that broke them, whether he wants to pretend or not. She tells him he cannot change the past, but, he can still build the future and that he will always be his own enemy if he follows through with what he is about to do. The three of them disappear, Reece then approaches Tara's pike and sees himself on it, he realises he is his own enemy, but, he questions whether or not he is an enemy that he needs to kill.

Reece finds himself in the park from his childhood, the woman walks towards him. He then realises who she is, he stands face-to-face with his mother. She smiles at him, suddenly, he is a child again. He runs to her and she picks him up. She tells him that she is proud of who he is, he tells her he cannot do this anymore and that he just wants to be with her again. She tells him he is strong and that she will always be waiting for him, so, he doesn't need to rush to her. She tells him a story of a little boy who was taken away from his home at a young age by people he didn't know, he then explains that he waited everyday for his mother to come and get him, but, she never came, leading him to believe he had done something wrong. Years down the line he finally understood that she had passed and that she was taken from him by something out of their control, and, that she did always love him. He then looks at her, knowing what she truly means. She then reminds him that Taron is waiting for him like he waited for her, but, if Reece does this, then Taron will never know why his dad never came for him. He tells her he is scared that he doesn't have the strength to do it.

Negan, Rick, Carl, Michonne, Tara and Rosita appear around them. Negan tells Reece that he has always had the strength. Rick then tells Reece to remember that he saved all of them numerous times, Reece says it only took him one time to fail them before losing them. Tara tells Reece that what happened to them will never be his fault, and the only thing he gets to take credit for is all the times he saved them. Reece then reflects upon the time he met Rick, when he killed the person at the prison who was about to kill Carl, when he saved them at Terminus, when he carried Tara to safety after she had broke her ankle while running from walkers, and the time he and Michonne took out a whole horde themselves. Finally, he recalls falling in love with Rosita, and then a time when they visited a garden with Taron and Coco.

This last memory breaks Reece as he falls to the floor, back into the position he was in before remembering his past. He holds the knife to his wrist and prepares to do it, however, he cannot. He drops the knife and prepares to fall to the floor. His mother catches him and tells him that there is a little boy out there who is waiting for his dad to come and save him, and that Reece has some planning to do. She kisses him on his forehead before telling she will always be waiting for him, and that, he can take as long as he needs. She then says "the world needs Reece Grimes" before disappearing, the knife hits the floor and Reece looks outside before muttering, "Just wait Taron, I'm coming for you".

Starring

 * Calum Kelmer as Reece Grimes
 * Cailey Fleming as Judith Grimes
 * Christian Serattos as Rosita Espinosa
 * Alanna Masterson as Tara Chambler
 * Chandler Riggs as Carl Grimes
 * with Danai Gurira as Michonne Grimes
 * with Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes
 * and Jeffery Dean-Morgan as Neil Aegan

Also Starring

 * Lucas Till as Sebastian Milton
 * Andrew Oran as Taron Grimes

Special Guest Stars

 * Emilia Clarke as Reece's Mother
 * Martin Kelmer as Young Reece
 * Samantha Morton as Alpha
 * Ryan Hurst as Beta
 * David Morrisay as Philip Blake

Co-Stars

 * Josh McDermot as Eugene Porter
 * Nadia Hilker as Magna
 * Eleanor Matsuura as Yumiko Matayoshi
 * Matt Lintz as Henry Peltier
 * Macsen Lintz as Henry Peltier (Young)
 * Khary Payton as Ezekiel
 * Austin Nicols as Spencer Munroe
 * Cassidy McLincey as Lydia
 * Lauren Cohen as Maggie Rhee
 * Steven Yeun as Glenn Rhee
 * Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon
 * Melissa McBride as Carol Peltier
 * Sarah Wayne-Callis as Lori Grimes

Deaths

 * None

Trivia

 * First Appearance of Magna. (Hallucination)
 * First (and Last) Appearance of Reece's Mother. (Hallucination)
 * First (and Last) Appearance of Carl Grimes. (Hallucination)
 * First (and Last) Appearance of Henry Peltier. (Hallucination)
 * First (and Last) Appearance of Lydia. (Hallucination)
 * First (and Last) Appearance of Maggie Rhee. (Hallucination)
 * First (and Last) Appearance of Yumiko Matayoshi. (Hallucination)
 * First (and Last) Appearance of Tara Chambler. (Hallucination)
 * First (and Last) Appearance of Carol Peltier. (Hallucination)
 * First (and Last) Appearance of Lori Grimes. (Hallucination)
 * First (and Last) Appearance of Glenn Rhee. (Hallucination)
 * First (and Last) Appearance of Alpha. (Hallucination)
 * First (and Last) Appearance of Beta. (Hallucination)
 * First (and Last) Appearance of Philip Blake. (Hallucination)
 * First (and Last) Appearance of Eugene Porter. (Hallucination)
 * First (and Last) Appearance of Ezekiel. (Hallucination)
 * First (and Last) Appearance of Deanna Munroe. (Hallucination)
 * First (and Last) Appearance of Spencer Munroe. (Hallucination)
 * Last Appearance of Michonne Grimes. (Hallucination)
 * Last Appearance of Rick Grimes. (Hallucination)
 * Last Appearance of Neil Aegan. (Hallucination)
 * Last Appearance of Rosita Espinosa. (Hallucination)
 * This episode and "Morning Star" were both nominated for the Best Television Episode Oscar at the 101st Academy Award, it was beaten by "Morning Star", although Calum Kelmer was nominated for an Award due to his performance in this episode.
 * This episode features Emilia Clarke, Calum Kelmer's wife, as Reece's biological mother. Reece's mother was first mentioned in 2018 during The Walking Dead episode "Welcome to the Tombs" which means Reece's Mother is longest running character mentioned before making an appearance in the show, with there being 10 years and 101 episodes in-between.
 * Furthermore, this is the first time Reece appears as a child, he is portrayed by one of his sons, Martin Kelmer.
 * This Episodes title is based on the comic of the same name, although like most other episodes in this series the plot is not shared.
 * This episode is unique as unlike the other episodes in this season, it is the only one with an original plot not adapted from another media.
 * Due to this episode focusing solely on Reece and his memories, this episode has several changes made to the cast, they are listed below.
 * Dove Cameron (Grace), Leon Thomas III (Louis), Felix Drake (Scott), Zendaya (Clementine) and Stephanie Beatriz (Lillian) have been removed from the opening credits, despite still being series regulars.
 * Adam Thomas (Adrian) has been removed from the opening credits following his characters death in the previous episode.
 * Lucy Tate (Broady), Maria DeCantor (Katy), Yvonne Marsh (Ruby) and (Cameron Olsen) Willie have also temporarily been removed from the also starring credits.
 * Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes), Christian Serattos (Rosita Espinosa), Chandler Riggs (Carl Grimes), Danai Gurira (Michonne Grimes), Jeffery Dean-Morgan (Neil Aegan), Alanna Masterson (Tara Chambler) have all been added to the opening credits despite not being series regulars.
 * Each has been added due to their significant importance to Reece and this episode.
 * Lucas Till (Sebastian Milton) has been added to the also starring credits due to the significance of his role in the episode.