This week’s episode of Walker saw the search for the Jackal heat up (along with Cassie and Luna), while James, on the other hand, refuses to warm up to Cordell at all after their falling out. It’s an episode all about how our past impacts our present, for better or worse. And underneath, it’s a quiet exploration of some of the ways in which masculinity is defined, toxic and otherwise, and how that impacts our ability to help others – and accept that help for ourselves.
This show is often so much deeper than it seems at first watch, and this episode was no exception.
Down the Rabbit Hole (Again)
Picking up where last week left off, Walker reluctantly fills James in on their new leads on the Jackal, taking him to their wall of Supernatural-looking case notes.
They announce it to the news and all put their heads together to try to stop this guy before he keeps going on another killing spree.
Det. Luna pulls his hair back. Yes, this is an important note.
Cordell is still worried about James, who’s noticeably cool to him. (What a great shot showing this dynamic!)
In fact, lots of people are kinda hard on him recently. Geri has to do all the exposition of what happened to lead up to Walker and James’ rift, which makes it sound like she’s critical of him trying to protect Larry. She also tells him to focus more on being a Ranger and not a co-owner of the Side Step, going to meet with an influencer about opening another bar without him. She’s not wrong that he can’t be in three places at once, but he looks a little sad to be left out.
Then Kelly comes over wanting to make a plan to keep James grounded, and tells him that Larry’s more or less forgiven her, when it’s clear he hasn’t forgiven Cordell.
Poor guy is trying to keep everyone happy and it really isn’t working. Kelly wants him to make sure James doesn’t drown, but how is he supposed to do that?? I feel like he’s being set up to be blamed when things go off the rails again. And his guilt from what happened before is making him just shoulder all that responsibility anyway.
In spite of the exposition scene, Geri and Cordell are in a good place, though. There’s a tender little scene where she helps him button his shirt sleeve cuffs later in the episode.
Helping – the ethics and value of giving help, as well as the sometimes underestimated value of being able to receive help – is the underlying theme of this episode, along with how many messages we take from our past in trying to make those decisions. Sometimes it’s such a simple thing, like letting someone help you button your shirt, that deepen a relationship. Relationships can’t prosper if no vulnerability is allowed, and I’m really happy to see that Cordell and Geri are letting that happen, toxic masculinity be damned.
Some shows talk about these little things more obviously, which can be powerful; Walker does it quietly, the way these little things that are nevertheless important play out in our everyday lives. And that too is powerful.
The episode pulls the viewer in on the mystery that is trying to figure out who the Jackal is. Interestingly, the motel room had zero DNA, which makes me instantly worried that’s because Det. Luna was of course there already. I do not want him to be the bad guy!! Poor Cassie doesn’t need another Kevin experience (and isn’t it ominous that the title of the episode is We’ve Been Here Before… I hope that doesn’t apply to Cassie here too!)