Wrangling Walker Season Three Episode Eleven “Past Is Prologue”
Another strong episode! Nice teamwork, good relationship expansion, and confirmation of one of my theories! There was a lot going on!
Back at the Ranch
Bonham is angry and struggling with his place on the ranch since Liam and Stella surprised him with the horse rescue. (I could never figure out what the ranch did with its horses to bring in income since it was never specified.) Bonham talks about Liam going ‘behind his back’ and being ‘put out to pasture.’ Clearly, he’s hurting and he’s not good at using his words to mediate, only to lash out.
I love seeing the way Abeline handles Bonham—old married couple, indeed! She knows exactly how to gentle him like a spooked horse.
Bonham is also angry that the new website uses a stylized logo and not the Walker brand. He says he is the last of the ‘true Walker ranchers’ and he tells them that finding out about the rescue after it was done hurt. Liam agrees that he overstepped but that he hoped the rescue and ranch could be a family thing. Liam tries to point out that the new logo is based on their grandfather’s signature and the design indicates past/present/future. He reiterates that they want Bonham involved. We’ll have to see if Bonham can get over the hurt and the shift of direction to seize the opportunity and not drive Liam and Stella away.
Trey and Captain James
My bet that Trey’s abrupt and irrational termination was setting him up to be approached by Gray Flag turned out to be right (it’s been done on other shows). I’m glad, because otherwise it would mean James is working for the wrong folks.
Trey is savvy about meeting up with Andrew and accepting a test that could lead to being recruited as a ‘security consultant’. The interview was shady, and Andrew’s attempt to manipulate by insinuating that Trey should be happy for the opportunity because his recent termination might make other jobs scarce raised red flags. So did his ‘puzzle’—looking at floorplans and finding an abandoned tunnel to a financial institution. Nothing good ever comes from that! Trey played his part well, convincing both Cassie and Andrew that he was ready to move on after the Rangers.
James and Kelly are definitely making progress with their relationship, and her decision to move to Austin raises the stakes. I’m happy to see them getting back together, and I hope James doesn’t fall back into old behaviors and mess things up.
Cordell and Cassie
Cassie is a good partner. She worries about Cordell and won’t let him hide from her. That pulls her in to what Cordell and Julia had figured out about Gray Flag targeting his old unit. Something about what he learned from Tommy and Gray Flag isn’t adding up for Cordell, and Cassie encourages him to look deeper. Kudos to Cordell for trusting Cassie with the truth and letting her help.
Cordell gets triggered by old memories and admits that digging up the past is painful. Cassie reinforces the need for answers. Together they find holes in the accident report about Turner’s car wreck and Cordell questions Ortiz’s heart attack. Cordell struggles with survivor guilt, being honored for coming back when his military brothers didn’t. Their visit to Ortiz’s widow raises more red flags.
When Tommy won’t answer the phone, they find him shot and dying. (The timing seemed very convenient, but that’s TV.) Phrases like ‘stay with me’ and ‘I’m here, brother, not going anywhere’ made me tear up with flashbacks to the Supernatural finale.
The shooter is still in the house and Cassie goes after him him by car while Cordell stays with Tommy. It’s a wild chase scene and the shooter’s vehicle flips, killing him. When Cordell catches up, he doesn’t recognize the driver but they find a file that makes it clear someone is targeting Cordell’s old team. Tommy is dead—leaving Cordell as the next target. Cordell agrees to bring James in on what’s going on. (Kudos for not going rogue again!)
I’m intrigued by all the loose ends that are dangling, and looking forward to filling in the blanks. I thought that the characterizations were logical and consistent, and even the family drama didn’t seem contrived because Bonham’s concerns were realistic. We don’t have many episodes left this season and no idea whether there will be a renewal, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens next! As always, Jared and the cast gave a great performance!
What do you think?
Find more of Gail’s commentaries on her Writer’s Page.
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Images courtesy of The CW.
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