Let’s Discuss Walker: Should Cordri Be Endgame?

As early as the Pilot, Walker has been teasing its audience with the relationship between Geri and Cordell. These two childhood friends have been on quite the wild ride over the course of the show, from shocking kisses to misunderstandings to breakups and more. While some fans dislike the idea of them being a couple, the writers currently seem determined to make them the endgame ship of the series. Anna Fricke herself said during an interview (link here) that she “really believe[s] in Walker and Geri”. I’d like to spend a little time discussing the pros and cons of their relationship and see if I can come to a conclusion on whether that would be a good idea or not and why.

Before we begin, I must confess that I’ve never been the biggest fan of this ship and it did irritate me that the writers seemed to be pushing it on us. However, I understand that there are some fans who do like it so I wanted to make this article a little more balanced to represent both sides of the issue. I reached out to my followers on Tumblr to get some secondary opinions and I’ll be using some of their ideas here (with credit to the users of course).

First, let’s look at some of the positives present in their relationship and the ways that they do work (mostly provided by Tumblr user @mygallimaufry).

They have a deep understanding of each other. This perk comes from their long history with each other, going back to when they were 12-13 years old and going to school together. Childhood friends make a great love story for a reason: there’s safety and security in being with someone that knows your past and your flaws and your darkest moments and still chooses to love you.
Geri, unlike the rest of Cordell’s family, is understanding of the demands of being a ranger. Regardless of the circumstances, she’s okay with him running off to handle a case or a work emergency. This is probably one of my favorite things about their relationship as this is a courtesy he gets granted so rarely by the people close to him.
Cordell is always sympathetic to when she needs time and space to work out her personal issues. While he wants to be there for her, he won’t force his presence on her if she isn’t ready for it, or try to push her to talk it out with him.
They have each other’s backs in times of need. Whether it’s losing a spouse or learning earth-shattering information about their heritage, Cordell and Geri know they have each other to fall back on.

Regardless of my own feelings on the characters and the somewhat boring predictability of their relationship, I can admit that there is a strong base for a good relationship here. Cordell needs someone in his life who is understanding of his job and emotional needs, someone he feels connected to and knows that he can rely on in times of need. Conversely, Geri needs someone she can trust and who understands her need for space. They have all of that with each other.

That being said, we’ve seen more than once over the course of Walker that loving each other and being “right” for each other isn’t a guaranteed recipe for a happy, successful relationship. Let’s take a look at the cons to their relationship:

Cordell and Geri are both peacemakers. While this seems good on the surface, this does cause problems for them in canon as they both seem more interested in smoothing over their problems than actually solving the root issue. (credit to @laf-outloud)
Cordell and Geri are also very similar in personality. This isn’t a terrible thing on the surface but there’s a reason they were both attracted to such bombastic partners before. Both Emily and Hoyt were wilder and more spirited; Cordell and Geri need more than just complacency in their lives. (also credit to @laf-outloud)
Geri comes across as noncommittal at times. She tends to run and turn inward when there’s a problem for her, which causes the wrong kind of distance between her and Cordell at times. He needs someone more stable, especially during times when they’re both affected by something big.
They still have so much between them regarding Hoyt and Emily. Hoyt’s death was in part caused by their kiss in “Rule Number 17”. Geri had romantic feelings for Cordell for many years, even while he was married to her best friend. There’s a lot to unpack there that hasn’t been resolved yet.
Their long-friendship works against them in some ways by giving them the ideal of a great relationship that can’t happen until they’ve both worked through some issues. As Geri said, they skipped over a lot of steps they really shouldn’t have because they thought they could use the fast lane. They need to slow down and take it from the beginning if this is going to work.
Part of their emotional closeness comes from how hard they leaned on each other following the loss of Emily and Hoyt. They need to find a balance in their relationship that isn’t entirely serious and emotional, or entirely fluffy and fun.
They’re still grieving. This one comes from showrunner Fricke herself. In the previously mentioned interview, she reminds us that his “origin story…is as a widow.” She goes on to say that it will take time before he can really take on another serious relationship like he and Geri seem to want with each other. I think it’s fair to say that Geri is in a similar situation after losing Hoyt.

All of this is not to say that Cordri couldn’t work. I really do think they have the potential to be something beautiful. But they have a long way to go before they get there.

I’ve suspected since the pilot that the writers were going to pair these two. I personally wasn’t a huge fan of the idea but I did appreciate it from a distance. However, Geri’s actions toward Cordell following the revelation that she was the missing Davidson child put a sour taste in my mouth and there are many other fans who felt the same. Again, that’s not to say that Cordell and Geri couldn’t reconcile and work things out, but they have a long way to go before they’ll be ready for something serious. From the perspective of a fandom member, Cordri was already a somewhat controversial ship well before the whole mess with the Davidsons came about. There’s a lot of making up to do on Geri’s end, in my opinion, if things are going to go over well with the audience.

What do y’all think? Do you like Cordri? Do you ship it yourself? Or do you hate the idea and wish the writers had gone in another direction? Do you agree with Fricke they just need more time or are they doomed to fail because of their past mistakes? I’m curious to hear your thoughts.

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