Walker Review: Bad Apples (Season 1 Episode 16)

Cordell’s time away from the Rangers has done Walker a lot of good!

After a two week hiatus, and a roughly two month break from the badge, Walker is back with one of its strongest episode of the season. 

The focus of Walker Season 1 Episode 16, “Bad Apples,” is evenly spread among many of the ensemble leads. This is unusual because, typically, it is the Walker family that takes up all the narrative space. 

The episode benefits greatly from this spread. Micki and Captain James get a chance to develop as characters, without rushing or jamming that development into two minutes of screen time.  

“Bad Apples” is book-ended by the partnership between Captain James and Micki. Coby Bell, who plays Captain Larry James, gives a grounded and confident performance.

You can tell that he has been doing this for awhile. In fact, Bell’s imdb page reveals that he played “Young Man” on Buffy the Vampire Slayer in the 90s. Bell’s veteran abilities help to make the material, which certainly has the potential to be cliche and overwrought, sincere

The mentorship Captain James provides Micki feels real. Even the fist-bumps and dad talks between the Captain and his son feel authentic.

Jared Padalecki plays Walker in an almost opposite fashion, with soap opera like dramatization.

While the melodramatic performances given by all the actors playing the Walker family do fit the nature of the show and The CW network, the more mature and subtle way Bell and Lindsey Morgan play their roles elevates the show as a whole. Importantly, it also allows the audience to form a deeper connection to the characters, rather than only be drawn in by the plot. 

The episode makes the really smart choice to not have Walker involved substantively in the corrupt cop story line. He actually stays on the sidelines for this one!

As a result, we actually start to believe that Walker is a family-man at heart. He makes the choice to rejoin the force, sure. But, it is really meaningful that he doesn’t need the job to be who he is. 

Being a Ranger is what Walker wants and what he is meant for. But, being a Texas Ranger doesn’t make him who he is. 

It is a really nice distinction that the show makes, mostly through Walker’s dialogue with August and the parallel story for Trey and his choice to not go to medical school. 

Walker should keep on providing these conflicts and discussions about the role of a job in someone’s identity. Unlike many of the other topics covered on the show, this one isn’t over done. 

On that note, though, it is time to revisit Micki’s love for art and comics. That has gotten lost in the shuffle and now would be an excellent time to bring it back into focus. 

Micki is more than her ambition to be a Ranger.

She may be sure about what she wants to do with her life, but that doesn’t mean she understands herself completely. We deserve more digging into who she is. 

Also, Walker will commit a dereliction of duty if they don’t explore how Micki’s traumatization by her pyschologist mom/aunt impacts her relationship with a person going into that field!

Overall, “Bad Apples,” is a very strong episode; it is the best of the latter half of the season. Hopefully, the freshman season will keep riding along in this direction. 

Target Practice

• Two men riding on horses together will never get old.
• Walker can work some wood! Truly, I want to sit in one of those chairs.
• Why would Micki do the recognizance with her Ranger uniform on?! Get in plain clothes, girl!
• The Texas Ranger fam meeting at the bar is becoming a really nice way to close out episodes. 
• It was about time for Bret to come back! Fingers crossed we get to see the wedding. 

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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