Walker Review: Fine is a Four Letter Word (Season 1 Episode 8)
Micki’s relationships with the two main men in her life take center stage on Walker Season 1 Episode 8, “Fine is a Four Letter Word.” Even though her union with Trey is tied up quite neatly by the end of the episode, it will never not be true that Walker is the one that she trusts by default.
The conflict at the heart of “Fine is a Four Letter Word,” is a delicious one: whether and how to tell the truth to the ones you care about most when the truth leaves you vulnerable to pain.
Lindsey Morgan absolutely stuns as leading character Micki Ramirez.
Jared Padalecki as Walker is what you would expect. He plays the tender and emotional moments with a sweet sincerity. The script is strong in that it allows the officer to have a panoply of feelings and roles in his life; he is not just a fighter.
At the same time, his performance is the expected tried-and-true emotionality that we’ve come to expect from the Supernatural vet.
Morgan manages to bust out of her Raven style (go watch The 100) and expresses a nuanced and somewhat messy emotion that is not necessarily favored by The CW. She tears up while she is revealing her truth in a rear-view mirror and it comes off as enigmatic.
Don’t get me wrong, the trappings of CW Hot are still to be found. Her glossy ponytail in no way fits the catastrophic natural disaster that is unfolding.
But, Morgan reaches for something deeper on the episode, something beyond the, a bit trite, “fine is a four letter word,” concept that is presented in the script. She uses her facial expression and delivery of dialogue to make things more complex.
What we see is how she longs to be known. What we see is her realization that Walker is something special to her. What we see is a reticent vulnerability that isn’t going to be eased in a single episode.
The episode is absolutely centered on the Walker family, but it belongs squarely to Micki.
THE Wiki (Walker and Micki) moment for me is when Micki is in the midst of a flashback and the thing that she allows to soothe her is Walker. Yes, he uses a valid grounding exercise, but it matters that it is him that is leading her out of the panic.
It is still not clear what exactly this show is intending for the partners. But, it is clear that they are intending something!
Any show that plops two characters into the high-emotion mayhem of a tornado means something by it!
The Walker family subplots fall flat on the “Fine is a Four Letter Word.” Walker hasn’t established why we should care about the marriage between Abby and Bonham, or Liam in general. They seem to exist only to clarify or complicate the Walker mystery. So, why should we get invested in their elevator confessions?
Stella and Trevor’s situation has become relevant to the larger arch of the show. Their Rome and Juliette thing is nice, but also not necessary. The show has, once again, defaulted to the supremacy of the white characters instead of leaning into the very interesting stories of the Mexican Americans.
The special effects on the episode manage to be both spooky and hokey, and that’s not at all a bad thing.
Now that Walker is in its groove, we can expect to enjoy the episodes even if they don’t provide the cultural balance that would be preferable.
Target Practice
- The gym mat maze isn’t the cute flex this show thinks it is. Those things smell.
- Stella and Isabella have the most chemistry of all the teen characters. Fact.
- Speaking of which, the show should lean way harder in queerness.
- Emily being present with Walker is neither ethereal or grounded enough to work. It was sweet for a second. Now let it go.
- The detail that Emily was delivering supplies to border crossers in the pilot is bound to resurface.
- What adult plays operation on game night? Cards Against Humanity Anyone?
What did you think of this episode of Walker? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Walker airs Thursday at 8/7c on The CW.
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Janelle Ureta
Janelle Ureta is equal parts Veronica Mars, Raven Reyes, and Rebecca Bunch, but she aspires to add some Tammy Taylor to the mix. An attorney turned teacher, Janelle believes in the power of a well-told story. She is currently exploring how to tell short stories, 140 characters or less, on twitter. She loves to talk about TV, and right now she can't shut up about Timeless, Dear White People, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, The 100, or Younger.