Episode 5 of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, titled "Become," opens with Father Gabriel Stokes dispatching a walker as a CRM helicopter soars overhead. Meanwhile, Rick and Michonne are enjoying a leisurely forage, their spirits lifted as they make their way back to Alexandria. They stumble upon a cabin and decide to take a break, engaging in lighthearted chatter about Thorne's unexpected cessation of combat.
On their journey, they encounter a trio of survivors, but their leader, Red, attempts a treacherous betrayal. Rick and Michonne quickly dispatch him, reclaiming the noodles they had offered in goodwill.
A flashback to three years ago reveals Jadis, under the alias Anne, seeking solace with Gabriel. Unable to reveal her ulterior motives, she confesses her internal conflict, forced to perform cruel acts for the sake of her new community. Gabriel offers comfort in her struggle.
In the present, Jadis tracks Rick and Michonne as they leave a trail. She confesses that there are unresolved matters between her and an important figure from her past, explaining her rationale for targeting them. To safeguard the secrecy of her connection to Rick and Alexandria, she must eliminate him. However, as she opens fire, the duo fight back, wounding Jadis. Rick intervenes, preventing Michonne from finishing her off.
Another flashback, this time two years ago, shows Jadis agreeing to meet Gabriel once a year. She inquiries about Rick's "wife," and Gabriel shows her the ring intended for Michonne. Jadis expresses gratitude for their conversations, admitting that they help her retain a sense of self amidst the cruelty she must endure at CRM. When he asks for her assistance in protecting Alexandria, she reluctantly declines, citing her own constraints. The helplessness she feels prompts Gabriel to offer her the ring as a symbol of faith.
Currently, Rick and Michonne are in hot pursuit of Jadis, who has fled into the trio they encountered earlier. After a brief exchange, they decide to lend a helping hand in exchange for shelter. However, Michonne is bent on avenging a past grievance and is determined to eliminate Jadis, while Rick opts for a more diplomatic approach, hoping to negotiate a peaceful resolution.
Unfortunately, the trio they have allied with is quickly overwhelmed by a group of walkers, leaving them vulnerable and exposed.
As they struggle to survive, Rick's mind drifts back to a year ago, when Jadis and Gabriel shared a tender moment, confessing their mutual attraction and sharing a passionate kiss. But Jadis' actions have become increasingly erratic and dangerous each passing year, prompting Gabriel to try and persuade her to return to Alexandria. When she stubbornly refuses, he lashes out, accusing CRM of selfishly hoarding resources. In turn, Jadis sees Gabriel as a potential liability, fearing he could endanger CRM, and she trains her gun on him as a walker emerges from the shadows.
Returning to the present, Jadis reveals that Beale is prepared to provide Rick with crucial information in the Echelon Briefing, offering him a chance to salvage what remains of humanity. She presses him to make a choice, and after a tense negotiation, the two sides agree to a temporary truce, allowing Michonne to return home alone.
However, trust is a fragile commodity in this world, and both parties soon betray each other. In the confusion and chaos that follows, Jadis is bitten by a walker, leaving her fate hanging in the balance.
In the haunting flashback, Gabriel taunts her, yet she swiftly dispatches the walker without hesitation. Deep down, he holds a belief that she still retains a spark of her former humanity, a quality that should suffice to sustain her in this bleak world.
As the present unfolds, a waning Jadis confesses her allegiance to CRM, citing her weariness from the constant loss of loved ones and her belief that CRM stands as a beacon of hope. She discloses that the dossier containing vital information on Alexandria is secreted away at the Cascadia Base, urging them to retrieve it and depart. However, Michonne swears to bring CRM to justice for their atrocities against innocent lives, and Jadis accepts her inevitable fate with resignation.
Before her final breath, she entrusts Gabriel's ring to Rick, expressing a wistful wish that she could have perished as the artist she once was, the person she truly identified with before the apocalypse devastated their world. Rick, overcome with sorrow, reluctantly pulls the trigger, granting her a merciful end.
As the pair turns to leave, Rick seizes the moment, proposing to Michonne, who accepts with a nod and a tender smile. Meanwhile, Gabriel stands alone, waiting for Jadis, his heart heavy with loss. At the conclusion of "The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live" Episode 5, he digs a grave for her, a silent tribute to their shared past, as a CRM helicopter soars overhead, a constant reminder of the dangers that still await in this unforgiving world.
