Walker : Defend the Ranch Round Table Review
A new episode of Walker ,called “Defend The Ranch”, has arrived and this one is pretty damn emotional. Would have been one hell of a series finale. Are you ready for another roller coaster ride? Joining me (Rike) on this round table review is Kassi. Let’s do this!
Walker: Defend The Ranch Synopsis
Walker’s (Jared Padalecki) past comes back with a vengeance and it threatens the very thing he loves the most – his family.
Your opinion about this episode in general?
K: I absolutely loved this episode. It was an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish. I couldn’t stop staring at my screen, wondering if Liam (Keegan Allen) was going to survive or not. Also, I had a bad feeling about Hoyt (Matt Barr) during this episode because to me it felt like a farewell to his character – and I was right. I also loved the short Micki (Lindsey Morgan) and Cordell interaction because it showed us how far their partnership has come and how much they already trust each other. I also really have to mention Liam’s entrance at the end because that was such a badass scene. Lastly, what I loved about the end is that Cordell immediately switched into his role as a big brother and a father. You could see that he wanted to break down but in that moment comforting his brother and his kids came first. To be fair, he might have gotten comfort from them too. I think it’s needless to say that I was a mess after watching this episode and that I couldn’t stop crying during and afterwards. Kudos to all the actors and actresses but especially to Keegan, Matt & Jared.
R: This was a really special episode in terms of all the emotions, the phenomenal acting and the whole plot in general. Definitely would have been one hell of a series final, gotta tell you that. Trust me, this episode was something else. The way I was scared and worried the whole time watching it. Always being prepared for someone to get hurt. At least I thought I would be prepared, but turns out I wasn’t after all. One big emotional mess right now. Shout-out to Liam for this badass scene. You did what we all wanted to do to be honest. Also a special shout-out to the whole cast in general: Your acting was on a whole other level. Pretty damn good job and truly mind-blowing.
Walker quitting his job. What do you think is gonna happen next? Do you think it was the right thing to do? Will he be able to be truly happy again now that he can focus on his family?
R: Definitely the right thing to do in my opinion. There are more important things in life, especially now. He can fully focus on his family and friends now and be there for them. Or let’s say they can be there for each other. The only pretty good thing about his job was Micki and they can still see each other now. Maybe become even closer and better friends if that’s possible. About him being truly happy again: Like I already said, it’s good that he’ll get some more time with his family but that doesn’t mean that he’s okay or even close to be okay. There’s a lot of work to do for him to maybe getting a tiny bit of happiness. But this won’t happen tomorrow and also not in a few weeks. Question is, does time really heal all wounds? Is that even possible? We shall see about that.
K: I actually do think that this was the right thing to do. What I personally love about this scene is that Cordell finally saw how flawed & broken the system really is and didn’t ignore it like some other people would have done. Instead he turned in his badge. In terms of being happy, I do think that it will take a very long time for him to heal and feel better. What I think needs to happen so that he can start to move on, is Stella admitting to her father that he in fact was not the one causing the car crash and that it was her idea of a “wake up call” – because everything that has happened so far is a result of that.
Trevor (Gavin Casalegno) helps Stella (Violet Brinson) and August (Kale Culley) to save Liam and is not listening to his dad’s words. In the end it seems like he lost him as well. First his mother and now his dad. Do you think he’ll go mad now? Do you think Stella will still trust him after everything that happened?
K: He might, but I mean in a way he has already gone mad way before that. What he really needs is therapy. And maybe a jail cell. But mostly therapy. I also really hope that Stella will never forgive Trevor nor trust him in any way. He is still part of the reason her uncle almost died and the reason why her “uncle Hoyt” in fact did die.
R: If Stella keeps trusting Trevor now I’ll question humanity to be honest. There’s no way that she should stay in touch with Trevor. Please cut him loose and move on. I’m begging you. But that’s what I’m saying every single time and she’s not listening. Damnit. Please. And you’re right Kassi, he has already gone mad couple times now and I do think it’s getting worse after these events. Maybe we’ll get to see a pretty evil Trevor now who’s regardless of the consequences.
Bonham (Mitch Pileggi) didn’t tell Abeline (Molly Hagan) that he has cancer. She got the news from Clint (Austin Nichols) after all. Do you think she’ll be mad about it at first, or do you think she doesn’t care about who told her the news?
R: I truly doubt that she will be mad at him. It’s all about Hoyt now and later on I’m sure she’ll be there for Bonham. The whole family will be there for him. They’ve got his back no matter what. Abeline won’t make such a big deal out of it, I’m sure about that. It’s more about supporting Bonham in this situation.
K: I don’t think that she’ll be mad at him due to the fact that she already lost so much. It might sadden her though that Bonham felt like he couldn’t tell her. But even though he wasn’t upfront about his cancer, there is no doubt in my mind that Abeline will support him through every single step. Who knows, maybe this will even make them work out their issues and it also might bring them closer together. One can only hope.
The day of Hoyt’s death, Cordell told him that he’s sorry about getting him into the robbery situation. How much will knowing that Hoyt died protecting the Walker family affect Cordell? Do you think he will ever be able to truly forgive himself?
K: It will affect him a lot. Hoyt was his best friend since they were kids and even Cordell himself said to Hoyt: “Brother, I always needed you”. So I think he will have a very hard time navigating life without him. I also don’t think that he’ll be able to forgive himself – at least not for a very long time. Even while he was apologizing to Hoyt in the car, he mentioned that the only reason Hoyt even got into this situation was to confront Cordell about his kiss with Geri (Odette Annable). So in his mind, he’s the reason why his best friend is dead – and I mean how does someone ever come back from something like this?
A thought that also crossed my mind was that Abeline once mentioned that Hoyt saved Cordell’s life and while we don’t know how yet, it might make Cordell feel even worse because he couldn’t return the favor – he wasn’t able to save Hoyt’s life.
R: Cordell really carries a whole damn lot on his shoulders now. First his wife and now Hoyt. He still hasn’t fully processed the loss of his wife and now he has to deal with another loss again. It’s like the cycle is starting all over again and I don’t know how he’s going to handle everything now. It’s even worse now dealing with both things in kind of a short period of time. Not sure if he’ll ever be able to forgive himself. I guess he’s always going to blame himself for everything that happened. A whole new level of suffering.
In the short time that we got to know Hoyt, we learned so much new information about him. What did you think about his character and his development? What was your favorite/least favorite thing about him?
R: I have to admit that I didn’t like his character at all in the beginning but this changed. Especially in this episode and also the last couple ones. He’s still not like my favorite character after all, but still owns a place in my heart now after everything that happened. Already makes me emotional again thinking about it. The way he was supporting the Walker family in this threatening situation and was doing everything he could to protect them. This whole behavior got me to be honest and I guess I’m not the only one. When Clint told them to rob a bank he joined Walker without batting an eyelid. Always being there for him. That’s what I call a true friendship if you ask me. Still can’t believe he’s gone for good now that I started to really like him, but sadly it’s always like that.
K: I’ll be honest, I wasn’t his biggest fan in the first episode that we saw him in. I thought exactly what Bonham thought – that he’d only make trouble & didn’t care about anything but himself – and boy was I wrong. Each time he came back on screen, we learned so much more about him – so much that he quickly turned into one of my favorite characters. There are so many things I love about him so let me name two. First off, his caring nature. Hoyt cared about others more than he did about himself. Back when he was in jail and was asked to get information from Carlos Mendoza (Joe Perez)- the man they thought killed Emily Walker (Genevieve Padalecki)- he told Captain James (Coby Bell)& Liam that if he found out that Carlos actually did murder Emily, then they would have to give him a longer sentence. In that moment he only thought about getting revenge for his best friend – not caring about what would happen to himself.
Another thing that makes me care about him so much, is the way he never saw his own worth. He had such a pure heart and soul but he only ever saw the worst in himself. It saddens me that he will never get a chance to see how worthy and loved he truly is.
August and Stella had to brand Liam in order to save his life. Do you think this will affect their mental health for a longer period of time? Do you think they will ever get over this?
K: It will absolutely affect their mental health. They had to see their uncle get shot, had to see him slowly dying away and even saying his goodbyes to them. When they finally knew what they had to do, they had no time to think about what they were actually doing. They just had to act very fast, knowing that if they didn’t, Liam would die and it would be their fault. So I don’t think that they’ve even processed this situation yet. I also don’t think that anyone could go through something this traumatic and come out unscathed – especially at such a young age. Personally I don’t think that they will ever get better on their own, which is why they will have to see a professional. Honestly the whole family could use some therapy.
R: Like Kassi already said, this won’t be easy for both of them. Dealing with a life or death situation is going to haunt them for a longer period of time for sure. It actually doesn’t matter if you are close to the person or not. Seeing them being this close to die is a whole damn lot to handle. And the fact that it was Liam is like the cherry on top but in a really bad way. They might be able to get over this in some way, but this will take a really long time. Not an easy one for either August and Stella nor Liam. Just hoping they’ll be alright in some kind of way soon. Family is everything. Always.
Your final score:
R: This would have been a perfect series finale no doubt – definitely a big 9.
K: I agree with Rike, I really don’t know how they’ll ever be able to top this but for me this has to be a 9.5.
We would like to hear your opinion on the latest Walker episode “Defend The Ranch”. Let us know in the comments or via social media, and don’t forget to join us when we are back with a preview and another round table review for the next episodes.
Follow Walker Online:
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | #Walker
