Last week’s episode of “Walker” was downright ominous. It’s close to mid season, and that means the stakes are getting raised for the ongoing plotlines that Season 4 has been following. You can feel the tension ratcheting up as it does.
And the cast really brought their A game to make us FEEL it.
The Return of Hoyt – and The Mysterious Mehar
One of the pleasures of this episode was the return of Hoyt (Matt Barr). In a flashback, he steals the necklace Stella and Augie have been looking for. For some reason he steals it in broad daylight in the middle of a social event, and then pulls his bandana right off his face to grin as soon as he does, but still manages to escape and get away with his friend Mehar and his lucky jacket and the car that’s now Stella’s.
They both enjoy the theft and the getaway far too much, but it’s hard to fault them for it when they’re kinda adorable.
In the present, Stella decides that Mehar was in on the theft with Hoyt, so they decide to try to find him. Which seems like a horrible idea. And undoubtedly will be.
Stella steals/borrows Geri’s phone to contact Mehar. Augie actually questions if they should go to an adult about this instead of contacting a known felon, but Stella doesn’t want their dad to know she “sorta” lied to the police – and insists that SHE is the adult they go to. Which, nope.
Stella sets it up that Mehar will a) steal her wallet and b) use the information she gave him to pull off another jewelry theft. Which, what are you thinking, Stella??? They “help” him pull off the theft and not get caught so he’ll owe them, entirely forgetting that they’re now accomplices to grand larceny! Stella, you have not learned your lesson after all the times you tried to handle something like this on your own?
Mehar attempts the theft (once again in the midst of a big social gathering) and Stella and Augie blow off dinner with their poor dad, who is so craving some family time, to give him an assist so he’ll owe them. Stella also gives him back the lucky jacket, and asks for the necklace or the truth in return. Oh, Stella. Don’t look so pleased like you pulled something off that’s wonderful!
Kids.
Mehar says he doesn’t have the necklace, that Hoyt played him all those years ago. They stopped at a bar for Hoyt to see “an old friend,” he says, and we get a flashback – of Hoyt meeting up with Duke when Cordell was undercover.
Cordell had some letters he’d written for his kids that he gave to Hoyt to keep safe, apparently not knowing if he’d ever come out from undercover alive.
Cordi was under for three months at the time, clearly struggling, and they both agree not to ask questions.
Hoyt reminds him that they’re both survivors.
You get the feeling that Hoyt’s visit buoyed him a little and maybe helped keep him alive – and eventually, let him get back to his family.
Cordell: Hoyt, thank you, brother.
Hoyt: Always, bud.
Hoyt then ditches Mehar and drives to the little cemetery plot where Emily is buried – with the necklace. He misses her – they all do.
Geri meets him there. He tells her he saw Cordi, that he’s not good.
He tries to give her the necklace but she says no, she doesn’t want to be any part of whatever is keeping him from staying around.
Geri kisses him.
Geri: Call me when you’re back. But only if you’re staying.
Hoyt and Geri were such a tragic couple. You can tell they really cared about each other, but their lives eventually became incompatible. They weren’t unhappy, as she admits, but unsettled. And that, ultimately, isn’t what Geri needs.
It’s a nice parallel to what’s happening with Cordell and Geri now, as they contemplate settling down.
Evolving Families – And a Few Happy Moments!
Poor Cordell is so happy to have his kids at home and waking up there, that he’s made a huge breakfast that looks amazing. I mean, there’s bacon!
He wants to make it their “family makeup day” before Stella goes back to college and Augie starts his senior year and Geri goes to open a new Sidestep. He’s got a whole list of things he wanted to do with the kids that didn’t happen over their break, and he looks so hopeful and excited and I so relate.
But the kids instead say they’ve got other plans. The look on Cordell’s face is heartbreaking as he asks them to be home for dinner at least, to spend time all four of them together and “do one nice thing”.
Uh oh.
Liam is doing rehab trying to recuperate from the accident, with Ben’s support.
Awww.
Cordell asks Ben and Liam if it seems like his kids have been acting a little weird – he thinks they’re reacting to Geri and him getting more serious, which of course is not what is happening at all. Cordell wants to ask Geri to move in (and tell the kids about it) but hasn’t managed to actually do either. Liam questions whether he’s serious about Geri moving in – as in, is it more about avoiding “the quiet” and the empty house. It’s not a ridiculous concern, but Cordi is a bit affronted.
After, Cordi and Geri have an awkward conversation, with Geri finally saying “Just tell me what’s going on – it’s fine, it’s me.”
He finally tells her that he talked to Liam about them moving in together, which is the first she’s heard of it. In his awkward endearing way, he asks her if she’ll move in with him – and she says yes. The surprise and happiness on her face makes it clear this is something she very much wants.
They have a moment of happiness and aww.
Liam and Ben also have some moments of happiness and aww. They wake up and get to snuggle in bed together and say “morning, babe” and be generally adorable. This show has always been matter of fact about Liam’s sexuality, and it is that matter-of-factness that can be powerful in its representation. Liam and Ben’s easy affection, both physically and emotionally expressive, is simple but important. Their little affectionate touches as they talk make it clear how much they care about each other.
Ben says he wants to quit his job so he can be around more, something that became clearer to him after Liam’s accident. He says that this is where he wants to be, working full-time at the ranch with Abby. Liam points out that his parents might actually go through with their casual talk of retiring soon, and Ben could get stuck running a ranch with Liam…and a law firm…and a horse rescue.
Ben smiles.
Ben: I think I could be persuaded to embrace that future.
Liam smiles too, a little loopy still as Geri noted.
Liam: I like that future.
They share a kiss and a moment of happiness too.
We All Fall Down
James, unfortunately, doesn’t get any of those moments of happiness in this episode – but that makes this episode a tour de force for the talented Coby Bell!
Trey checks in on how Cassie and Luna are doing (fine yay) but both say they’re worried about James. James shows up looking hung over with a coffee cup of…. something?
He and Cassie meet with a group of the Jackal’s survivors, who are still pretty upset and blaming it on James that the Jackal was never caught because they probably don’t have anyone else to blame for their shattered lives. James takes it all in, clearly going down a dark road.
Cassie picks a terrible time to try to convince James she should get the lieutenant position, asking why would he ask her to come back and turn down Quantico if not to give her that promotion? Trey also puts in his bid, asking how many rookies have personally saved the mayor’s life? (For some reason the promotion has a very short lead time and Walker’s out (because he apparently said that path wasn’t for him). Hmm.
I like Trey, but his meteoric rise to Ranger hasn’t made a lot of sense to me – so him getting this promotion instead of Cassie wouldn’t either.
Cordi isn’t having any moments of happiness either. When the kids don’t come home for dinner after all, he’s understandably upset. I love the framing of this scene, Cordell and Geri inside the house, waiting, wanting to keep it warm.
And then James shows up instead, drunk, with a bottle of liquor in a brown bag. He brings what looks disturbingly like John Winchester’s journal with him, all his personal notes on the Jackal case.
Cordell: What’s this?
James: That is a book I can’t seem to finish.
Kelly found the book, along with a fifth of vodka, so she knows he’s drinking again. Their son was home, and watched his father get kicked out of the house, much to his father’s humiliation. James is distraught, desperately wanting to fix it. Like many who’ve experienced addiction, he says he thought he could keep it discreet like he did before, keep lying to everyone and himself, but is now recognizing once you give yourself rules for drinking, it’s way over the line.
Cordell is a supportive friend as James says that he was right, keeping the Jackal’s return from him.
James: It takes me straight to the worst version of myself.
Phew, shades of John Winchester again. I can’t not notice the parallel. But James realizes this isn’t the way he wants to live his life or what he wants to impose on his family. He asks Cordell to take point on the case moving forward and Cordi agrees.
Cordell: Hey. At one point, you beat this. You’ll beat it again. Let’s find our way back.
Damn, Coby Bell and Jared Padalecki knocked it out of the park with this scene. Many fans, myself included, tweeted that they couldn’t stop from tearing up while watching – it was that real. Some amazing acting from both men.
When Augie and Stella come home later that night and try to explain and apologize, Cordell cuts them off. He accuses them of disrespecting Geri, which confuses the kids and Geri herself.
Cordell is angry, saying he gave them space to be independent, but now they’re out of control and he feels taken advantage of.
Geri tries to calm things down, and Cordell manages to spring it on the kids that they were moving in together in the worst way possible. The kids didn’t know and Geri didn’t know they didn’t know, and everyone is upset.
Cordell insists the kids will be home more often so he can make sure they’re not getting into trouble.
Cordell: Am I clear?
Augie: Yes sir.
Stella: Yes.
He sends them off, so he still doesn’t know what they’ve gotten themselves into with the necklace, or what they now know about his time undercover as Duke. Geri is also upset.
Geri: I assumed they knew…
Jared Padalecki live tweeted the episode with lots of us, and had this to say about this difficult and emotional scene:
Jared: Last scene of “Walker” with Odette Annable, Violet Brinson and Kale Culley was the second time in my career that my brain wouldn’t allow me to remember my lines
He added a facepalm emoji, but honestly? The first time that happened was in the final season of “Supernatural,” and it resulted in a scene that was so full of raw emotion that it is one of fans’ favorite scenes of the entire 15 season series. That one hit a little too close to home as Sam tried to convince his brother not to sacrifice himself, frustrated and hurt and exasperated – and underneath sad and terrified – as the ending of the show in real life and no longer working with his onscreen brother loomed. No wonder the emotionality of the scene was in overdrive!
Similarly, this scene was full of raw emotion – and probably something that real life dad Padalecki could relate to. His kids are not nearly as old as Stella and Augie, but they are growing up, and every parent knows that separation is coming sooner rather than later. I wonder if that, and the fact that nobody knows if Walker will be renewed (and thus his relationship with his onscreen kids) once again put the emotionality into overdrive.
Whatever the cause, once again it resulted in a scene that was raw and real and very powerful. Similar to that “Supernatural” scene, Cordell is frustrated and hurt and exasperated, and underneath already starting to grieve his kids growing up and leaving, and terrified about that too.
I’m sure it’s not a fun experience for an actor to have, but someone Padalecki pulls it off and makes the scene itself a memorable one.
Getting Back Up
The next day, Trey asks if James is okay. He gives an obscure but honest answer.
James: I fell down. But today I got back up, so…
Trey: We all fall down, Cap.
Wise words. And true.
Cassie apologizes too. And the competition for lieutenant is on between them, which they both seem to relish.
Also, that morning, Geri tells Cordell that she doesn’t think he’s ready for her to move in. Although he protests, I can understand her feelings. As Liam also worried, Cordell is going through a big transition right now, and she doesn’t want those fears to be why he asks her to move in with him.
Geri: When I do move in, I don’t ever wanna move out. And I want it to be about me, not about you trying to fill a nest, which is kinda how it feels right now.
She assures him she loves him, that “we are fine.”
I’m not sure he believes her.
She leaves for her trip, and he’s left alone in the house, looking around at how empty it feels. I really feel for Cordell, as a parent who’s gone through the struggle of letting your kids grow up and figuring out new ways of relating to them while also loving them and wanting to keep them safe somehow. He needs to let them grow up, but they are also making some really bad decisions and blowing their father off even when he let them know how important something is to him.
Cordell isn’t the best communicator, but he’s sincerely trying to be a good dad and to be there for his kids through these transitions. I think they know that, but they also do take him for granted sometimes. (A mark of a healthy attachment, on the plus side, but also something that they’ll need to stop doing as they become not-kids-anymore).
The ending of this episode is one of my favorite scenes of the series. Cordell sits down, picks up the John Winchester-esque journal.
Ominous music plays as he opens the book, references to hunting in it.
The camera pulls out seeing him framed in front of the fire.
This does not bode well at all!
Brilliant ending shot, brilliant music accompanying it.
I both dread and can’t wait to see what happens next with “Walker” 4.07 Hold Me Now!