‘Walker’ 1×01 Review: “Pilot”

The time has finally come! Jared Padalecki is back on our screen! But this time, the show is very different from what we’ve seen him do for the last 15 years! We had a lot of hopes for what this Walker, Texas Ranger reimagining would look like. And we’ve got to be honest. Not only did this pilot episode show us that this new series is exactly what we were hoping for. But it also blew our expectations out of the water and left us so excited for more! So keep reading for our Walker 1×01 review!

Utter Devastation

Even though we knew Emily Walker was going to die before the show premiered, that didn’t make watching it hurt any less. It actually made it hurt more. But even worse was watching the family go through the loss. Cord was naturally in pain and having trouble dealing with his wife being killed. And while we don’t want to take away from that, we were upset that he stayed away from the rest of his family, his children included, since it happened. They are grieving too and he should have been there for them. So that was kind of a butthole move, but we’re sure we will forgive him. Also, side note, can Jared Padalecki just get the opportunity to play a character who doesn’t have to lose his significant other?! The poor guy!

Image via The CW

But we were right about forgiving Cord about being away from his family for so long. He obviously had a valid reason and did well in closing a difficult case. Though there is clearly going to be some work involved for Cord to get close to his family members or in their good graces again. Abeline gave some great advice and seemed to be the one the least annoyed with Cord and his absence. We can completely understand where Stella is coming from and she made a great point when she said all she and August needed was their dad. She’s definitely going to need some time to forgive him. Even Cord’s father couldn’t resist giving Cord a little bit of hell for being away so long.

Friends and Partners

While we didn’t get to see the partnership between Larry and Cord, we do already love their friendship. There is a clear line of respect between the two of them and their camaraderie was incredible! Geraldine is a bit of a wild card. Cord is nowhere near ready to move on from the loss of his wife. But he did seem extremely comfortable with the bartender. And we must say he did seem the most at ease with her. Though we don’t know enough about her yet to decide where we stand on her. Of course, we also have Liam to consider. We didn’t see nearly enough of him in this episode and are anxious to learn more about him.

We’re so excited to see the new partnership between Cord and Micki! Cord said it best when he called her a badass. But we know we haven’t even scratched the surface of what we’re going to see from her. She has busted her ass to get where she is and she has made a point to be knowledgeable in every area. And we love that she has made it clear she won’t be tolerating any bullshit from Cord. Micki calling him out was quite impressive. But she also made it clear that while she doesn’t agree with his decisions, she will do her best to have his back as much as she can. Yeah, Micki and Cord have some seriously amazing partnership potential and we can’t wait to see more.

Mysterious Circumstances

Losing your spouse is something we can’t even fathom. But the fact that Emily was killed and her murderer hasn’t been found yet? We can understand Cord’s wide range of emotions. Just like we can understand Stella’s anger. With her father gone, Stella probably felt as if she had lost both of her parents. August clearly stepped up and did his best to handle whatever was being thrown at him. But that’s a lot for anyone to take on. Add in the fact that none of them have gotten a shred of closure after losing Emily, and the tension they’re all clearly feeling is more than understandable. We can’t wait until Cord tracks down those responsible for Emily’s murder and we have no doubt that’s exactly what he’s going to do.

Image via The CW

What did you think of Walker 1×01? Are you excited to watch the next episode? Was the pilot episode everything you hoped it would be? What was your favorite moment? Or one moment you could have done without? Were you glad to see certain actors back on your screen for this new show? What are some things you want to see happen as the season goes on? Do you have a favorite character yet? What about a character you already don’t trust? Find and follow us on Twitter @capeandcastle to share all of your Walker 1×01 thoughts! Be sure to check out our site for more articles, quizzes, and more on all things Disney and beyond!