1.01 Walker Pilot

Title	Pilot
Episode #	Season 1, Episode 1
First aired	January 21, 2021
Directed by	Jessica Yu
Written by	Anna Fricke
On IMDB	Pilot
Outline	Following his wife's death, Texas Ranger Cordell Walker return home after two years undercover, and struggles to reconnect with his children, while also dealing with balancing his job, with a new boss and a new partner.
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Synopsis

11 months ago
Cordell Walker is driving and meets up with his wife, Emily Walker. She is going to meet up with Geri to get supplies. Walker seems concerned, making sure she stays to the approved route. Emily is more worried about Cordell spending time with his children and family. They kiss and part ways.

At Cordell’s parents’ house, his dad, Bonham Walker; mom, Abeline; daughter, Stella; son, August; and Cordell are playing a game that Cordell doesn’t know the rules to, and he is losing badly.

Walker gets a text from Emily. So he walks away to take her call. On the call she is running saying something’s not right. Then Cordell hears gunshots and screams. The line goes dead.

He lies to not alarm his family and goes outside to call Emily. She doesn’t pick up. Instead, she’s laying shot, struggling for breath. Cordell screams and collapses in grief by his truck.

Present Day
The Walker family have gathered to celebrate Cordell's return from ten months on an undercover operation. His old partner, Larry James, has been promoted to Captain but tells Cordell’s brother, Liam, he hasn’t told Cordell yet. Stella is sure her dad isn’t going to show. August wants to believe. Vehicle lights come up the drive but it’s just Stan Morrison, local string puller and friend.

Capt. James offers to send a patrol after Cordell. Liam tells him to try the lookout on Lady Bird Lake.

At the lookout, Cordell is getting drunk and remembering Emily. When Officer Micki Ramirez comes and picks him up, telling him she will take him home.

At his house, he says he’ll thank her in the morning and offers her respect when she talks about a promotion. He goes inside, sadly looks around, and falls asleep on the couch.

The next morning he runs back to his truck. He then drives to his parents’ ranch, meeting with his dad first. His dad’s greeting is tinged with anger over Cordell not appearing last night. He tells Cordell to go see his mama.

He greets and hugs his mom, son, and brother, finding out his brother stayed to help and is estranged from his boyfriend because of it. Stella is at school.

Walker meets with Captain James at a case involving an assaulted officer, and congratulates him. He then is introduced to Micki, the officer from last night as his new partner.

They go eat, size each other up, then Walker gives her the tedious casework because she’s new.

Cordell has an uneasy dinner with his family minus Stella, when he gets a call from the police who have Stella.

He goes to pick her up and meets Isabel, and her parents. They’re nervous that he’s a Ranger.

Stella and Cordell fight in the truck and she storms off when they get to the ranch.

Liam then takes Cordell to their favorite bar. Geri, Emily’s friend she was going to meet, is the bartender. She’s worried about Cordell, and feels guilt. When Liam goes off to call his boyfriend Bret, Cordell convinces Geri to dance with him.

The dance is cut short when Micki texts about meeting early for work.

At Micki’s, we meet Trey, her boyfriend, home from deployment.

The next morning, Micki has found the vehicle and the company it belongs to. They go to talk to the people. One of the suspects brings up Walker’s wife, swings at Walker, and Walker goes overboard fighting back.

Walker has hurt himself, so Micki takes him to her place where Trey, a medic, patches his wound while Micki berates Walker.

Walker then gets a call from Stella’s school. She’s missing. He goes to the school and sees Liam. They devise a plan to find her. Walker goes to Bel’s parents to find she’s not there, but they’re now in danger of being deported.

Back at the station, Walker explains the situation and gets more of Micki’s family backstory. How her mom sees law enforcement as the enemy while Micki is trying to improve from within.

They talk about the case which leads them to believe it’s drug related. They wash a figurine and find heroine.

Micki tells Walker to go find his daughter while she gathers back up to arrest the owner of the company.

Walker finds Stella at the lookout and they argue about his duty between family and work.

He then meets back up with Micki and they discover it was the owner’s sister Cheryl, who was actually behind the drugs and ties to a cartel. Working together, they take her down.

Capt. James congratulates. But Walker defers credit. Capt James then offers Walker a place on the task force to help take down the cartel they uncovered. But admonishes him on how he treated the suspect earlier.

At the ranch, when Cordell arrives, Bonham says something offhand, but Abeline silences him.

Cordell talks to his mom about his kids. How Stella is like him and August is trying way too hard. She tells him that he needs to be with them, on the ranch. There is a farmhouse on the property. Cordell quickly surmises she has arranged everything, but tells her about the task force offer. Stella overhears. August appears and offers to take him to the farmhouse.

At the farmhouse, he sees a vision of Emily as though she’s offering her blessing. Inside, he talks to August about how he never meant for August to grow up so fast. August asks to sleep there that night.

August is asleep on the couch with Cordell beside him, when Stella comes in with a quilt sent by Mawline, her grandmother. She refuses to sit on the couch, but does sit on the floor by his feet.

Stella and Cordell talk, she’s certain he is going to leave, and he promises he won’t. He’s decided that he wants to be there with them and that now is all they got. They fall into silence staring at the fire.

Characters

• Cordell Walker
• Micki Ramirez
• Emily Walker
• Stella Walker
• August Walker
• Liam Walker
• Bonham Walker
• Abeline Walker
• Captain Larry James
• Geraldine Broussard
• Trey Barnett

Quotes

"Doomed for a certain term to walk the night." (quote for William Shakespeare's Hamlet) Walker recites this in back of Micki Ramirez's cop car as she is taking him home.

"Your getting stronger but I am still the older brother."- Walker saying this to Liam after reuniting with him.

"If we can't be alright, lets be crazy" Walker asking Geraldine to take a break and dance.

"This is my idiot partner, Cordell Walker. Micki introducing to boyfriend Trey.

"See? Who does the law protect, not us." Micki expressing what her mother said to her in regarding the law. Micki is explaining to Walker why she became a Texas ranger to make a difference.

"Apologies wont cut it, Do Better." Captain James ripping into Walker on how he went about with the suspects from the case

"Helps me think", "Helps you worry"- Walker and Liam having a conversation regarding the poker chip that was left on Emily's body and Walker having so many unanswered questions and Liam explaining that he needs to move on.

"Now's all we got." Walker speaking with Stella in the farm house in regards to him not taking the assignment with task force as he knows he needs to be there for her and August and that they all need to stop living in the past and focus on present.

Promotion

• You can watch the official trailer here. Gen tweeted that Jared did most his own horse riding in the show!
• Promo photos
• Promo trailer #1
• Promo trailer #2
• Jared Takes On A New Role As Executive Producer Of The Reimagined Walker, Texas Ranger in Angeleno
• Jared Padalecki Talks Transitioning From ‘Supernatural’s’ Sam Winchester Into ‘Walker’ from Variety
• Jared Padalecki on the Defining Deaths of ‘Supernatural’ and ‘Walker from Variety
• ‘Walker’: How Detention Of Children At U.S.-Mexico Border Served As Jumping-Off Point For CW Reboot from Deadline
• Jared on the cover of TV Guide magazine
• How 'Walker' Changed Jared Padalecki's Mind About Retiring After 'Supernatural' (Video) by TVInsider
• Walker panel at the TCA press tour.