Walker Roundup: Season 2 Episode 13, “One Good Thing”

What happens when people are at their lowest? A favorite theme of Walker, is that no matter how bad it gets, there are those that love and support you. But to highlight this theme, the characters have to go through rough patches. And, of course, a character that goes through many hard times in this episode is …

Cordell

Walker probably wished he could take Geri’s advice and go back to bed and pull the covers up. Plagued with self doubt over turning back to help Dan, he feels like he let the family down. This causes him to lash out at his mom over her keeping the fact the Davidsons have a child out there somewhere secret. Later, he lashes out at Nate Smith’s smiling face, potentially blowing a lead. He feels immediately bad about this, and explains his feelings to Cassie. Denise also labels his questioning as witness tampering and accuses him of taking Perez down with him, causing him to feel toxic. And, the good person he is, he immediately calls Cassie warning her. Luckily, or unluckily depending on one’s viewpoint, his earlier accusations put Nate on the defensive, which leads to the final bad part of his day. Jared’s facial expressions let you know how hard this is hitting Cordell as he, seeking proof of father’s innocence, unwittingly gets it at the same expense of ….

Geri

She spent most of the episode trying to help the Walkers on their bad day. Being there for Cordell, then August. Then her world came crashing down when she found out her father, her port in the storm, killed her biological father… Marv Davidson. The combination of shocks left Geri reeling. She shrugs Cordell’s touch with an apology, needing air. And yet, her first thought is this is good for the Walkers, it will get Bonham released. She even strives to be gentle when Cordell’s words of encouragement make it worse. But she’s still shaken and lost. Odette’s powerful performance makes you feel her pain. How she feels like everything has changed. And when she accepts the Davidson’s invitation looking for answers, you see how hard this for her. Her pain was even witnessed by …

Cassie

The newest addition to the Walker family had her allegiances tested hard, and not just by Captain James. But, Walker’s actions during the race cemented her pride in being his partner. So she works hard to exonerate Bonham, whose innocence she firmly believes in. Even when Denise threatens her through Walker, she doesn’t flinch. Ashley is the perfect blend of concerned and cute, and makes Cassie lovable. Just as Cassie loves …

Bonham & Abeline

The senior Walkers exemplify strength under pressure. Bonham is more worried about Cordell, Abeline, Liam, and his family, and their belief in his innocence than being in jail. Mitch is perfection in this role, the stoic yet caring patriarch. Even when faced with her husband being incarcerated, her son’s upset at her keeping secrets, and losing her home, she stays strong and focused on what needs to be done. Even though she’s sad at leaving the ranch, she makes sure to be alone. Molly Hagan broke hearts as Abeline kissed the ranch goodbye and remembered the wall that had been colored by …

Liam

Though Liam has had worse days recently, being the person responsible for getting his father out of jail had to be hard. Though he had questions about why his dad buried what turned out to be a murder weapon, he didn’t let that affect his performance or cause his belief in his father’s innocence to waver. Keegan is masterful as the professional lawyer staying cool under pressure.He also sees that Cordell is feeling guilt for losing because he went back, and offers support to his sibling. Two siblings that aren’t doing this at the moment are…

Stella & August

The youngest Walkers are struggling. They lives are being upended. Stella ends up lashing out, blaming August for finding the lantern and bringing it home. This hits August hard and he feels like he destroyed his family, until Geri helps him understand that Stella was just upset. Violet and Kale always portray Stella and August authentically, as teenagers that struggle. At the end, though. The siblings are back, with August buying Stella her favorite breakfast tacos. On the other hand …

Davidsons

The Davidsons were not having a bad day, yet they achieved lows anyway. Denise is going around behind Walker’s back, trying to turn the Rangers against him. She basically threatens to ruin Cassie’s career if Walker doesn’t do what she wants, which is to get Bonham to accept a plea deal. And Gale, she just found out the child she supposedly believed died is alive, and she wastes no time in blaming Abeline for their separation. Both Amara and Paula add a humanity to their characters that soften their actions, while still retaining that manipulative air.

This episode incited powerful emotions and worries, anxiety, and curiosity about what happens next. Will Geri become more Davidson like? There were already people angry with her, will this continue? Or will she stay a Walker? If so, how? Cordell’s & Geri’s romantic relationship is new, can it withstand this? Will Geri being a Davidson help the Walkers get their ranch back? The storyline is definitely intriguing.

Now, for the more negative part of the review… the discussion of lack of continuity. The “child support” payment started in 1986, indicating that Geri was born that year. However, in 1.09 “Rule No. 17” her birthday is listed as 3/24/84 on paperwork from the Travis County Department of Public Safety. What accounts for the 2yr difference? It was stated that Marv gave his child away due to the fear of the financial burden. Yet he paid child support? And Frank, Geri’s adopted father killing Marv doesn’t make sense either. He had just escaped the burning barn with the money. Why would he go back in? And how was he able to beat Marv to death with the lantern that started the blaze? Why is a DA allowed to go around trading favors for support? Perhaps these discrepancies will be answered. But the last big continuity issue, the land ownership, was actually quadrupled down on to the point of the Walkers lost their ranch. So, hopes aren’t high these errors will be explained. If Walker has one flaw, it’s that often previous canon and sometimes logic is overlooked for the sake of drama.