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

It has been almost a month since the Walker Season 3 finale, giving time to reflect on the perfect culmination of one season and the set up for what is to come in the next episode. All this season of Walker, the Walker extended family was recovering from the past to start a better future. In “It’s a Nice Day for a Ranger Wedding,” 3.18, they began to do just that – only for more of the past to come back to haunt them. At least before that happened, they had a wonderful celebration of life and love that was great to watch.

Cordell

This season has been hard on Cordell, well, life has been hard on Cordell, but this season he was kidnapped, tortured, betrayed and framed. He also realized a weight he carried for decades wasn’t real. This episode, he was finally able to shake off the last of it and go after his own happiness. As usual, Jared nailed ever emotional, and comedic, beat. Ever since Geri was there for him at his lowest, literally picking him up, helping him get back to his family and get his life back, he realizes more and more how much he needs her. He even drove all the way to her house under the guise of helping with wedding preparations, only for her to realize what he really needed – someone who understood, and she does. This enabled him to more fully enjoy the wedding, until he feared he was too late and she had found someone else. But he, learning from the past, had the courage to fight for her. It turned out he had nothing to fear there and she fully returns his feelings. However, in typical drama fashion, happiness lasts only so long. A person from the past called with dire news: a serial killer Cordell and Larry never caught may have started killing again. This news devastated Cordell. Luckily for him, he had someone by his side to support and comfort him…

Geri

Odette Annable once said in an interview that Geri is the kind to suffer in silence, to grieve internally because others around her need her help. Last season, she was dealt multiple blows, and her grief was finally seen. This season, though, she stopped her own healing once again to be the rock for everyone, even when she seemingly disappeared. And when she saved Cordell when he had been betrayed, framed, and was at his lowest, she put aside what was happening in her life because he needed her. She only shares her feelings when doing so will help others, as she did this episode with Cordell and the feelings weddings bring. So, it’s no surprise that most of her healing to become ready for happiness happened off screen. With helping Hoyt’s daughter, Sadie, after her mom died, and accepting that the grief will come in waves, Geri adorably returns Cordell’s affections. Odette was so sweet in this scene – only for tragedy to strike soon after. Cordell will now need her by his side as he again faces demons from the past, something she’s more than willing to do. However, unbeknownst to her, another tragedy struck at her house involving …

Stella

It has been amazing to watch Stella grow from a scared teenager who lied to her dad for months and didn’t know where life would take her, to helping run the Walker Horse Rescue. It feels as if Violet Brinson has also grown and changed with Stella. No longer the party girl of previous seasons, Stella now is the respectable good influence who kept Sadie out of trouble … or at least tried. Then trouble found her in the form of Sadie’s old friend breaking into Geri’s house and attacking Stella when they caught him in the act. She was finally feeling confident in the direction she wanted her life to go, even enrolling in a local college. But her confidence wavered when Sadie questioned who she would call about a bleeding Witt. Her decision to go get Liam gave Witt the chance to escape, shocking the audience and leaving Sadie’s involvement in question. But before everything fell apart for Stella she was able to be there for …

Auggie

August also underwent an amazing transformation this year. Kale Culley did an impressive job portraying Auggie’s changes, from the guy who threw an underage party at the family bar and lost their liquor license, to fearing he caused his grandmother’s stroke, to a helpful member of the family. He wants to join the military early like his father did, and finally worked up the nerve to ask his dad – but only after he talked to his grandfather first, which stung Cordell. In the end, his dad said Auggie needed to wait, that he’s too young. That line was repeated this episode, which surely must have chafed because Auggie has feelings for Sadie, something that everyone seemed to know, unlike …

Trey

Joining the Texas Rangers, though fulfilling, has been a series of struggles this season, with Jeff Pierre hotly handling everything thrown at Trey. His low point was when he got made on his undercover operation, and people died. Though their deaths weren’t his fault, and he saved a lot of people, he felt guilty. His falling out with Cassie made it worse, but luckily they quickly overcame that. However, when Abeline said he deserved someone to make him happy, he immediately thought of Cassie. In fitting with the theme, though, due to a possible high profile assignment out of town, he may lose …

Cassie

Another person who had a hard year. It’s thoroughly appreciated that she never asked the question, “How much of it was real?” about Kevin dating her, but she still reeled at being so fooled. Her trust was also tested by the deception involved with Trey going undercover. However, all that was behind her as she joined the boys in their traditional run. Ashley Reyes was delightful as Cassie wins the cherished hat, but she was forced to face a conundrum: should she stay in a place that feels like home, or go and advance her career? There was no answer by the end of the episode, but she has the support either way from…

Cap & Kelly

Ever since Kelly appeared on the show, people have wanted her and Larry to get back together. Watching them get married was a gloriously fun celebration of exactly that happening. The wedding scenes were absolute joy. The trope that weddings are interrupted by tragedy was brilliantly avoided. However, tragedy still occurred elsewhere and the past is preparing to strike at the happy couple’s joy.

In dramas, the people are only allowed to be happy a short amount of time, but at least there was an amazingly entertaining episode to enjoy, from the singing, to the dancing, to the people just enjoying each other and sharing how they feel.

The writers did an amazing job of creating tension, with the beginning scene of someone bleeding on the floor of Geri’s house lingering on everyone’s mind as they watched the joyous occasion. Flowers and ribbon constantly reminded the audience that all won’t be well.

The wait is long for the next season. But the set up for it has been glorious.