There are very few television series that I would call art. Ron Moore's Battlestar Galactica and The Walking Dead are art. With this medium the writing, directing, acting all have to be the tip of the top. I look at each episode, season then series over all. It has to be a thought provoking and emotionally impacting story, the delivery has to be amazing. Not an easy thing to do on the small screen.
I think its awesome they open w Michonne. You see her transition in the ep from someone willing to blend in w the dead to someone who wants to live w people. Her flashback dream sequence was wicked, her first pets, her child, the beginning of the reasons she traveled alone for so long.Flashbacks and conversations are the only way we're going to get back story. She was so different before the zombie plague. We now know she cried holding Judith because she is mourning her own child. Seeing her walker double made her realize that even if being with the living can be painful its better then being dead emotionally. After slaughtering the herd she goes right back to Rick's tracks and follows them to Carl who she has bonded with. She is so frigin happy to see the kid alive (and I bet she has his shoe)
I imagine Rick saw Michonne w the shoe through the peek hole. When he turns and flops on the couch with that genuine happy amused smile!!! OMG haven't seen that since he found Laurie and Carl...
When Carl yells at his unconscious father... its all shit I woulda said to Rick myself. He had become useless and was dragging others down with him. If he had killed the gov at the start Hershel Andrea Milton Judith (?) could still be alive. He was weak when it came to dealing with external threats. He was a fucking asshole when it came to issues inside the prison. He was a douchenado to Michonne when they first met, she has saved him and his kid repeatedly. She's the only one that went looking for the gov after the shit went down at the prison. And then there is Carol. He was intimidated by her ability to adapt, teach, lead the group and do the hard things alone if necessary (from getting water to burning infected bodies). She found her bravery and Rick lost his so he took his crap out on her. Sending her away was a rape/death sentence, an utterly malicious move he tried to write off as protecting her from Tyreese. The ultimate bullshit was inviting the gov in after kicking Carol out. Rick is broken and has been since he killed Shane.