Are we to believe there really aren’t any long-standing arcs on this show?
There’s barely been time for the news to circulate through the family that Emily’s killer is free and the convicted man innocent.
But, by the end of Walker Season 1 Episode 9, Walker thought he’d caught the killer again.
The bad news is that Walker didn’t get to kill Emily’s murderer, which was the episode’s whole point. Unless, of course, that blonde wasn’t the killer, after all.
Geri returned, and Walker bought her explanation about taking a bad loan so easily that I couldn’t believe it. Sure, they were old friends, but this isn’t passing the sniff test.
Why?
Because while Walker and Capt. James had the blonde on the edge, with James urging Walker to let her live so they could find out what else she knew, she pulled a gun, and a lurking Geri killed her.
Am I the only one who thinks there is more to this story? Am I the only one who hopes, for the first time, that it wasn’t that easy to put the pin into the mystery of Emily’s death?
If that is all there is to the story, then this seals the deal. I’m moving to Austin, this magical place where murders are solved, then unsolved, and resolved again in less time than it takes for your hair to dry.
It’s silly.
Maybe, the next time there is a close call, Walker should just stay quiet. He put the family, especially his kids, back into the thick of it again.
Stella had just started feeling normal again, and August wanted Walker to kill whoever killed Emily, so they never had to go through this again. Neither of those responses is healthy for the kids.
Mickey was there to lend them a hand and take their minds off of their troubles, and it was refreshing to see kids involved with shooting responsibly. There are many reasons that families have guns, and using them responsibly is imperative.
After seeing Stella’s sharpshooter skills, I think she’ll be just fine in this world, and if things do go bad for them, she’ll be able to protect August, who doesn’t have the same penchant for the sport.
Stella is also still raw from Trevor ghosting her, and it was her choice not to share with Abeline why they had a falling out.
After seeing the previews for Walker Season 1 Episode 9, that will likely come back to haunt her.
It seems unlikely this will be a secret she can keep for long, and she shouldn’t keep it for the same reasons she was upset thinking that she wished her life was normal instead of caring that Emily’s killer wasn’t caught.
Keeping the secret of Trevor’s dad just makes her life abnormal, and it’s normality that she craves.
We’ve wondered what Walker and James were like as partners, and solving Emily’s murder again offered them an opportunity to revisit that partnership organically.
James was eager to connect with Walker again, and who could blame him? He fouled things up by not listing to Walker’s concerns about Carlos Mendoza’s conviction.
Even worse, he seemed to hold Walker’s own convictions about it against him long after he became captain.
When we met Captain James on Walker Season 1 Episode 1, he had a huge chip on his shoulder about his ex-partner. It was offputting.
But, like other things on this show, the chip is gone, and all is well with just one reimagining of their partnership.
If only life were as simple as Walker makes it out to be.
On the lighter side of the episode, Liam was busily distracting himself at the ranch, smashing furniture and installing a Google Nest without asking if anyone wanted it.
Abeline finally thought it was time they discuss his scruff and all the rest of it, but he wasn’t quick to share how badly he had mucked things up with his fiance.
And the unfortunate part is that if he’d just let it ride for a little while longer, the fire would have been out and his relationship relatively unscathed.
Acting that fast and with such severity has to be the result of stress from the trauma of being under attack and seeing their car explode, so hopefully, he’ll be forgiven when he explains it.
Seeing the Walker for Governor sign gave Liam the idea he was ready to fun for office, though. Will he want to be nursing a relationship through a political campaign?
If the campaign for DA goes as smoothly as the multiple times they’ve solved Emily’s murder, he might as well plan his wedding mid-campaign.
It will likely go off without a hitch.
But let’s take one last look at Geri’s place in all of this and whether we should breathe a sigh of relief that Emily’s been avenged.
That kiss. Really? So soon?
Nope. That doesn’t work. The package is far too neatly tied. I don’t buy it.
What about you?
Do you think Emily’s murder should be used as a case-of-the-week style storyline over and over again?
Are you open to Walker dating Geri?
How long can Stella hide Trevor’s identity from her family?
If you’re still hanging around, drop below and share your thoughts after you watch Walker online.
We want to hear what you have to say!
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She’s a member of the Critic’s Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on Twitter and email her here at TV Fanatic.