Walker Review: Pilot (Season 1 Episode 1)

Nostalgia abounds from watching Walker Season 1 Episode 1, “Pilot,” a reboot of the Chuck Norris tough-guy procedural Walker, Texas Ranger. 

It isn’t the quippy man with the martial arts moves that we miss, though. 

The lead actors on the show are familiar to us because of their other work on the small screen. Seeing them in a new, twangy space feels downright cozy.

Lindsey Morgan is accustomed to saving the world week after week on The 100. On Walker, as newly promoted Texas Ranger Micki Ramirez, that history of bad-assery is put to good use.

The pilot episode indeed showcases Morgan’s physical talents. We will be mimicking that kick-the-gun-out-of-her-hands move all week! 

Walker is also a vehicle for Morgan to represent her Mexican American identity.

The Texas Rangers have a long and sordid history of violence against Tejanos. Rather than pretend that someone like Micki Ramirez would join their ranks without consequence or without tribulation, “Pilot,” directly calls out that it is hard for some to accept Ramirez’s choice to be a ranger. 

They also question her choice to be with a man in the military. 

It is a wonderful opportunity to deeply explore, as deeply as a show on The CW can, joining a policing force as a person from a group that has been oppressed by that force. 

It is also an opportunity to educate people on Texas’s history with lynching and criminalizing Mexican American people. But, in a way that doesn’t get the audience to stuck in the mire. 

Morgan is the perfect actor for the task. She delivers a wise-crack line with aplomb, and she has chemistry with nearly everyone who shares the screen with her. 

Still, the first episode of the series doesn’t quite get there emotionally. 

Even with the show starting off with Jared Padalecki as Walker finding out his wife Emily Walker, played by real life wife Genevieve Padalecki has been shot to death, my eyes are desert dry. 

It is still a pleasure to see the two on screen. Jared Padalecki just finished Supernatural, though my personal fondness comes from his turn as Dean on Gilmore Girls. 

Genevieve Padalecki is back in the saddle, too. We haven’t forgotten Wildfire and how amazing she is in a ranch setting.

The familiarity and knowledge of the actors’ histories helps to engage our attention on otherwise flat material.

It’s a muscle memory thing.

The most tender and powerful moments on the episode are actually the ones about parenting. Walker missed months of being with his children very shortly after her death. He now has the responsibility and privilege of becoming their father again. 

It is sweet and sad. And, for a few moments at least, we can actually hear what the characters are saying to each other. 

Y’all, the sound is a problem. 

The score is often louder than the dialogue and it drowns out the characterization right along with the lines.  

The music is also awkward and doesn’t enhance the scenes. 

The sound issue is an understandable one considering this is the first episode of the entire series. It does need to be ironed out and quick. 

The “case of the week,” and season-long mystery of Emily’s death elements both need work. 

The first case Ramirez and Walker do together is rushed and confusing. The best part is hands-down the connection that builds between the new partners. 

That’s most important, but for a show that is going to include a weekly whodunit, the plotting and narrative delivery of the cases should be tighter and flow easily. 

The pilot doesn’t include any juicy reveal or clue about Emily’s death. We certainly know that Walker is obsessed with her case, but there isn’t any information provided that makes us feel invested or curious about what happened. 

Even though there are areas that need work, Walker‘s debut is a strong one.

A show like this lives or dies by its ability to deliver intriguing characters we connect with. Walker hits the bullseye there. 

Target Practice 

• The double belt thing is so cool! Is one a holster?
• The intergenerational living that’s happening is really nice to see. 
• Molly Hagan is a goddess. 
• The lines about needing to pay attention to the kids who makes it their mission to not need your attention hit hard. Oof.
• Micki Ramirez looking in the review mirror at her new partner is the strongest single shot of the episode. Masterful acting. 
• Austin is not a small-town, but the show gives small-town vibes. Another thing worth tweaking.
• Medic boyfriend Trey is uncomfortably good looking. Swoon. 
• Those sketches in Micki’s apartment are amazing. We get a multi-faceted woman of color with rich backstory episode one! I waited all the seasons of The 100 for this. 
• More two-stepping, please! More Odette Annable, please!

What did you think of this episode of Walker? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Walker airs Thursdays at 8/7c on The CW.

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