Wrangling Walker Season Three Episode Eighteen “It’s A Nice Day for a Ranger Wedding”

What a great season finale! Thankfully, Walker’s been renewed so we don’t have to hang from the edge of the cliff too long.

As usual, I’ll leave the recap to others and talk about what I liked (most of it) and what gave me pause (a few things).

What I Liked

I love how the whole Walker tribe comes together to pull off the wedding, despite last-minute bumps like bad weather requiring an indoor location. It was great to see them working together.

I know some folks questioned why Cordell of all people was in charge of the seating chart. I suspect there were two reasons. First, he knows Larry and Kelly best and so might be privy to more of the family drama that could drive seating decisions. And second, the writers needed a reason to keep Cordell involved in the hands-on planning. Of all the things that have made me go ‘hmmm’ throughout the show, this isn’t a biggie by comparison.

There’s a new case on the horizon that might pull Cassie and Cordell away for two months over the summer. Cassie is torn but sees the opportunity, and Trey encourages her but asks her to come back. (Poor Trey—losing out on someone else with whom he has chemistry.) Cordell has reservations. Things are finally going well at home. Everything with the family is on an even keel. I’m hoping that his decision to ask Geri to stay with him over the summer bodes in favor of him not leaving voluntarily for the new gig. (But he’ll probably get pulled in anyhow.)

Auggie tells Cordell that he’s thinking about going into the Army—and leaving early. Cordell has grown as a father, dealing with the situation calmly without ultimatums or trying to tell Auggie what to do. His request for Auggie to enjoy the summer and finish high school before making a commitment seems reasonable, since there’s no pressing urgency. Way to go, Cordell!

Stella has decided to go to college but stay closer to home, so she can also help with the horse rescue. That’s a very mature compromise, and I’m glad that the family supports her.

I really loved seeing Justin Johnson Cortez—aka Calian from Walker: Independence—as the detective who contacts Cordell about an old case. A serial killer might be coming after the victims who got away and given Larry’s reaction when Cordell shares the news, whatever happened before must have been really bad. Kudos to Cordell for pressing the detective to check for evidence that could link the recent death to the old case.

Someone has ransacked the house Stella was sharing with Colton. Stella attacks the thief and they struggle. Brave but not wise, especially when the thief—who turns out to be Witt, the guy from the party—has a gun. Kudos to Stella for wanting to do the right thing and call 911.

What Gave Me Pause

The whole ‘leaving to find myself’ trope for women has been done to death in Walker. Micki, Geri, Stella, and now maybe Cassie. Newsflash—you don’t have to run away from home to learn about yourself. Once with a trope is okay. Twice is iffy. But when it’s nearly every woman with a recurring role in the show, it’s overdone. Let’s hope Abeline and Kelly don’t suddenly decide to run away together on a journey of self-discovery!

Geri is the one who broke things off with Cordell. Other than her helping him when he was injured, we don’t have any sense that they’ve been in touch with each other, slowly rebuilding. Cordell’s invitation seems overly optimistic. Geri hasn’t proved herself yet to me. I don’t completely trust her.

Stella invited Sadie to the wedding. I feel like Sadie is being forced on us by the writers too much, too fast. I also don’t trust her at all. I think we’ll find out she’s got a lot of secrets that cause plenty of trouble. And I question why the Walkers are quite so trusting given their history. 

What’s Geri’s relationship with Jesse, Sadie’s mom’s boyfriend? Something’s not right here. Most women don’t try quite so hard to get to know their ex-almost-fiancé’s girlfriend’s boyfriend, especially after the girlfriend is dead. Is Jesse working a scam with Sadie?

Sadie is willing to risk the thief’s life and avoid calling 911 because she doesn’t want to get in trouble. Stella goes to Liam for help instead of Cordell—was it a matter of trust, or was she avoiding Cordell’s Ranger responsibilities? It worries me that Stella is allowing Sadie to sway her decision-making. Sadie is the one who led Stella to cross paths with Witt. That makes me extra suspicious of Sadie. Of course, the big question is—where’s the body?

I heard some themes that I hope get follow-up—Geri said that weddings dredge things up, and that seems to be the case with the past rearing its head with the serial killer. Cordell talks about being transparent, and we see Cordell, Auggie, Stella and Larry all making an effort to be open and honest. Cordell’s comment to Auggie about his choice being not right, right now could apply to many other characters’ big decisions. At the same time, Larry says that after his shooting, he doesn’t want to waste time. The clock is ticking on several decisions. How do you know whether it’s the right time, not quite time, or whether making up your mind is wasting time?

Guess we’ll have to wait to see what happens next after hiatus and the impact of the writers’ strike, leaving us without a firm calendar for the show to return despite its renewal. We’ve definitely got reasons to tune in for Season 4! As always, Jared and the cast turned in great performances.

Find more of Gail’s commentaries on her Writer’s Page.

Bookmark The WFB‘s Walker and Walker: Independence Pages for reviews, character profiles, and news on the cast and show! 

Images courtesy of The CW.