Welcome to another edition of Great Episodes. Today, I'm gonna put the focus on another one of my favorite TV Shows - Walker, Texas Ranger, starring the late great Chuck Norris.
As with My Hercules and Xena post, I will be listing my favorite episodes by the season. Anyway, let's get to it.
Season 1 (1993)
One Riot, One Ranger - A 2-Part Series Premier. Cordell Walker (Chuck Norris) is a contemporary Texas Ranger who believes in dealing with criminals the old-fashioned way: by beating them up and/or gunning them down. During a bank robbery in Fort Worth, Walker's partner Bob Mobley is killed. It doesn't help that Walker's new partner, Ranger James Trivette (Clarence Gilyard), has a history with one of the robbery suspects.
Ultimately, Walker discovers that the heist was a practice run for the simultaneous robbing of four banks...which all happen to be next door to each other. After a bank across town receives a valuable shipment, that bank is bombed but not robbed. Walker alone sees through the diversion and is pitted against the heist's mastermind: former Central Intelligence Agent Orson Wade.
When not on said case, Walker helps three circus performers - an acrobat and two Russian jugglers - against a trio of goons who raped the acrobat, and who now want to run them all out of town to avoid charges
Not a bad start to a Legendary Series. Could've used more action, though. And this is the first time we learn about what happened to Walker's parents. Also, CD Parker was played by a different actor in this 1st Season. Noble Willingham would take over the roll in Season 2 and beyond.
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Boarderline - While Tarrant County Assistant D.A. Alex Cahill is prosecuting cop killer Benny Carl Devlin, she gets a veiled threat from former Cuervo County sheriff Dewey Baker – the first person she ever put away, because of his excessive police brutality against suspects; he also terrorized anyone who complained about it. But Alex has no proof that Baker is the man who now stalks her, since Baker is having his former cellmate Duane Hopkins stalk Alex for him.
Walker urges Alex to go into hiding until the smoke settled, but Alex refused, knowing her absence would lead to Devlin being exonerated. Baker even kills Alex's horse, Amber. Then Baker kills Hopkins, whom he doesn't need anymore. Walker and Trivette spring into action when Baker abducts Alex and takes her to a remote cabin (not content with simply killing her outright).
Baker is a creep and played by a Dude who would play 2 other, completely different, Bad Guys later in the Series. This episode becomes the Genesis of Walker and Alex' relationship.
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A Shadow In The Night - Season Finale. In Tokyo, powerful Yakuza director Mitsua Usagi is murdered by Karl Jaeker - the personal assistant of Congressman Leo Cabe .The Yakuza pursue Cabe, whom Walker and Trivette are sent to protect; the Rangers soon wonder, however, if there's something Cabe isn't telling them.
Meanwhile, Walker is reunited with his old friend Yoshihito "Yoshi" Sakai, whose father was a master of Sakai-Ryu karate; Walker was one of the elder Sakai's students. Walker discovers that Yoshi has joined the Yakuza...from whom Cabe and Karl have stolen some priceless Japanese artwork, in addition to slaying Usagi-san. Jaeker is captured and tortured by the Yakuza, then killed by Yoshi.
Mr, Usagi is played by the dude who played Mr. Sato in The Karate Kid Part II. But that's not All We also have Andrew Robinson, aka Garak from Star Trek Deep Space 9, as Leo Cabe. And as a Bonus, the Dude who played Tatsu in The 90's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Movies plays the Sensei of a Dojo that Walker Visits.
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Season 2 (1993 - 1994)
In The Name of God - Alex tries to rescue a friend's daughter from a religious cult, but instead becomes another prisoner of the cult's charismatic leader.
Religious Cult Storylines were everywhere in 80's and 90's TV.
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Night of the Gladiator - Diane, an old flame of Trivette's asks him to help her brother Randy who is involved with an illegal street fighting ring. Walker and Trivette join the gang by posing as street fighters, and Randy learns from them that the opponent he thought he had accidentally killed, actually died from an overdose of morphine.
Though he realizes that his boss was responsible, Randy is forced to continue fighting when his boss kidnaps Diane to keep him in line, and Trivette must hold off Randy so Walker can use the opportunity to save Diane and put an end to the fights for good.
Lotsa Action in This Episode.
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Legend of the Running Bear - Walker's cousin, David "Little Eagle" Jackson, returns to the reservation after studying medicine to find that many do not like him, including his girlfriend's father (a member of the reservation's tribal council), whose murder he soon witnesses. Walker must clear his cousins' name when he is arrested for the murder by two corrupt FBI agents who framed him for murder of the tribal leader who they killed after he uncovers they conspired with a mining tycoon to steal land belonging to the reservation.
The 1st of many Native American focused episodes. Walker is part Native-American on his father's side.
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Something In The Shadows - A 2-Parter. Kurt Nypo, a powerful drug dealer, is attempting to get rid of Walker when he starts to get close. Nypo also has Tony Kingston, one of Walker's karate students (and whose mom he is dating), deliver the drugs. Meanwhile, the Rangers are working on locating a rapist at a college that Alex teaches at.
Tony is busted for delivering the drugs, but refuses to come forward to protect his mother. After Nypo puts her in the hospital, Tony attempts to take matters into his own hands, and Walker, who is being held captive must escape and bust Nypo and his drug lord boss. Meanwhile, the Rangers continue their investigation on the college rapist and suspect that a professor that Alex knows might be the rapist.
An enjoyable episode.
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Right Man, Wrong Time - Country singer Merrilee Summers needs Walker's protection from her estranged music producer ex-husband Waylon Hampton, who is stalking and threatening her.
Another Stalker episode. Anime Voice Actress Maty-Elizabeth McGlynn plays Merrilee Summers.
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The Committee - Walker is asked by Alex and an old Justice Department colleague of hers to go undercover and infiltrate the committee: a secret group of dirty law officials (cops, lawyers, and a judge) who use vigilante style tactics to kill criminals released due to legal procedures. To get in, he is forced to display a harsher attitude and put his career and life on the line to bust them. To top it off, one of their members, a public defender who Walker befriends, is marked as a target when she has second thoughts about the committee's actions, which puts them at risk of being exposed.
Sometimes Vigilante Justice is needed. The Committee made some good points, despite being Extremists.
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Deadly Vision - Using a psychic to help locate a kidnapped 8-year-old girl earns Trivette ridicule from his fellow Rangers, except from Walker and C.D. who support his decision, but will it pay off? It does.
Using a Psychic to help solve crimes was a unique idea for TV at the time. Nowadays, it's used more often, The Show Psych comes to mind.
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Stolen Lullaby - Season Finale. Walker investigates the claim of a woman Laurie Maston whose baby has been kidnapped, that the baby has been seen in the possession of a politician. The investigation leads to a baby broker agency who has been stealing babies and conducting illegal adoptions for profit.
Baby kidnapping is pure evil.
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Season 3 (1994 - 1995)
Badge of Honor - Season Premier. Trivette meets Beau Langley, an old acquaintance of Walker, who is a sheriff in a small town and runs it with an iron fist and promotes racism among his deputies. When he gets too close to exposing Langley, Trivette is captured, and learns that with a young teenage boy who threatened to expose the sheriff after being racially mistreated, he is to be put to death in a secret location where the remains of other captured prisoners are.
With time running out, Walker must find a way to get someone to reveal what is going on, rescue Trivette and the boy, and put an end to the sheriff's racial tyranny.
Racism is Also pure evil. It's also pure stupidity. On a cooler note, The Shows Iconic Theme Song "Eyes of a Ranger", sung by Chuck Norris Himself, debuted in this season.
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Til Death Do Us Part - Walker winds up in a coma after trying to save a child from a car that teetered off a bridge following a hit-and-run crash. As Trivette and C.D. search for the culprits responsible, they and Alex reminisce about their individual histories with Walker as they pray for his recovery.
The evolution of Walker and Alex' relationship continues. This also marks the 1st time where Walker is in mortal danger.
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Rainbow Warrior - While attending the funeral of Chief Six Feathers, Walker learns that his death was not an accident, as he refused to turn over Cherokee land to a land developing company and his son and Walker's blood brother Billy Gray Wolf is launching an act of vengeance against the man within the company who is responsible, and Walker must stop him before Billy goes too far, while Trivette looks into finding evidence to prove that Chief Six Feathers was murdered.
I kinda love these Native-American episodes. Why? Because they get decent representation in them.
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The Road to Black Bayou - A 2-Parter. Work-related stress builds so Walker, under doctor's advice, takes Trivette and C.D. to Cajun country for a fishing trip. But the vacation turns sour when local ruffians grow tired of the Rangers' presence and take desperate measures to conceal their drug trade.
The Dude who played the Grandpa from Blossom plays the Drug Ring Leader in this episode.
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Mean Streets - A masked group consisting of spoiled rich boys have chosen to clean up the streets their way by beating up the homeless and filming their attacks. But when one of their attacks results in a homicide, Walker goes undercover as a homeless man to catch them before they can destroy a homeless shelter and kill a witness to the crime.
Rich Kids are evil. just like in real life.
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Cowboy - Alex gets caught at the scene of an oil tycoon's abduction by career criminal Victor LaRue and is rounded up as a hostage herself. Walker and Trivette set out to track down LaRue and save her and the other hostages before LaRue kills them all.
The Debut of the most famous reoccurring Bad Guy in the Franchise, Victor Larue. He get's more psychotic with each appearance.
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On Sacred Ground - Walker investigates when Cherokee youths led by Tommy Bright Hawk, the son of Billy Gray Wolf steals artifacts from a museum, claiming they were illegally taken from their ancestral burial grounds. As Billy joins Walker to save Tommy, the two uncover a secret operation of smugglers stealing artifacts from Native American burial grounds that are being sold to museums for profit.
Stealing is Wrong, especially when it comes to Native-American Artifacts.
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Flashback - A 2-Parter.Walker and Trivette pursue a group of robbery suspects/killers seeking the lost treasures of Hayes Cooper, a 19th Century Wild West Texas Ranger. During the pursuit, Walker is attacked by a rattlesnake but survives with minimal injuries.
The Bad Guy of the Week is played by Martin Kove, The Karate Kid's John Kreese himself.
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Season 4 (1995 - 1996)
Blown Apart - An escaped psychopathic prisoner named Max Kale goes on a bombing spree, eager to kill people who helped put him away in prison—a list of people including Walker, Alex, a doctor named Jane Pine, a judge named Hollister, Max's ex-wife Angela, and the neighbors from the street where Max was raised. Now Walker must do whatever it takes to protect the people and put an end to Kale's explosive rampage.
Another Explosive Episode. lol. Seriously, Max Kale is a Total Psycho.
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Collision Course - C.D.'s niece is kidnapped by her crazed ex-boyfriend, Billy Kramer, who forces her into a string of bank robberies. Walker and C.D.'s pursuit of the pair becomes further complicated when a radio show host "Tumbleweed Tom" (guest star Paul Williams), unaware of what's really going on, offers a bounty on their Bonnie and Clyde-style bank robberies, attracting the attention of people who want to collect this reward, even if it means killing them.
Paul Williams makes a hell of a DJ, don'cha think? Also, always cool to see CD in Action.
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Evil in the Night - Running Wolf, a malevolent medicine man resurrects after the desecration of his burial ground, and Walker must confront his past demons if he hopes to stop the spirit before he gets revenge.
Running Wolf was a unique opponent for Walker. Not many Ghost Villains in this Franchise, in fact, I think he's the Only one.
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Final Justice - After learning from an aging inmate that one of his parents' killers was never brought to justice and had faked his death years earlier, Walker finds a witness and goes undercover to locate the culprit.
Seeing Walker finally get justice for his Parent's murder was so satisfying.
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Flashpoint - The IRA targets one of their own - Adam McGuire, who now pleads for peace in Northern Ireland - for assassination. Instead the militants' leader, Gavin Malloy, is captured, and his son, Derek Malloy, plots to free him.
This was a fun episode, though it ended on a heartbreaking note, where the 2 of the Bads, lovers, committed suicide.
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Break In - Walker and Trivette go undercover in a prison as a convict and a guard respectively to gather evidence on a convicted racketeer that had a key witness and two rangers murdered, but are unaware that the assistant warden and some of the guards are working for the felon. On top of all that, Trivette gets exposed, forcing Walker to work alone and bust the warden before his own cover is blown and the felon walks free.
This the first time, Walker goes undercover in a Prison, though it won't be the last.
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The Lynching - In a small town, a well-liked ranch owner by the name of Wilma Casey is murdered and a young mentally disabled man who was living with her is accused of murdering her by a lynch mob (who is led by a vengeful father whose son was accidentally killed by the man several years earlier) which demands to settle it with vigilante-style justice. Walker and Trivette must prove his innocence before the mob extracts vengeance.
Lesson: Never judge until you have all of the facts. Also, lynching is evil..Very Evil.
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The Return of LaRue - Paroled on a technicality, Victor LaRue pretends to have changed as he takes revenge on Walker and Alex.
LaRue's obsession over Alex grows even stronger, while his mental stability shrinks.
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Behind The Badge - Action surrounding Walker stymies Trivette's attempts to impress the female reporter of a "Behind the Badge" documentary show.
Another, mostly, Trivette focused episode. It's always cool when Walkers Buddy and Partner gets the spotlight every now and then. He's such a great character.
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Deadline - A senator proposes to save money by disbanding the Texas Rangers. But when his daughter is kidnapped by a gang of jewelry store robbers, he refuses the Rangers' help, choosing to rely on the F.B.I., although Walker and Trivette have a better chance of locating the kidnappers in time.
Guest Star Robert "Freddy Krueger" Englund as the Bad Guy of the Week. Also, disbanding any type Law Enforcement is a Really Retarded Idea. Period!
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Hall of Fame - Season Finale. Adam Quinn, a serial killer from C.D.'s past taunts him as he prepares for induction to the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame and Walker and Trivette set out to help C.D. bring him to justice.
Another CD focused episode. He Earned that Hall of Fame spot.
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Season 5 (1996 - 1997)
Higher Power - Season Premier. Walker and Alex save a Buddhist monk by the name of Master Rin, a scientist named Susan Lee, and her son Davey from some local thugs. They learn that Master Rin is searching for the reincarnation of his former master, Lama Dolgin, whom Rin believes to be Davey (he is later proven correct).
When Master Rin is injured while protecting Davey, when they are attacked during Tai Chi practice by a man who believes himself to be the reincarnation of a man named Chang, who Lama Dolgin disgraced when he defeated Chang after the man had challenged him and who Dolgin stopped from committing ritual suicide (he later swore to take revenge on the Lama).
The current Chang intends to capture and imprison Dolgin's reincarnation so he may corrupt him (because killing Davey would only result in the young Lama's reincarnation). Walker must fight Chang in order to protect young Davey
The Dude who played Chozen Taguchi from The Karate Kid Franchise, plays Bad Guy of the Week, Chang, in this episode.
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Patriot - After the leader of a white-supremacist group is arrested for the murder of Trivette's cousin, a United States Army lieutenant (who had discovered that the leader, and his subordinate officer, were stealing weapons from their Army base), the group retaliates by taking over a minority-owned television station and threatens the lives of the hostages if their leader is not released.
Kind-hearted reporter Shelly Preston confronts the leader Sergeant Major Bart Hawkins in the studio, but Hawkins punches her and knocks her out cold. As she helplessly lies there, defeated, everyone looks on, waiting for Walker, who is now their last hope, but may have to fight Hawkins to the death, as Hawkins attempts to air a hate message to indoctrinate more people to his cause.
White Supremacy is evil too. Hawkins and his fellow stupid asses got what they deserved.
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Ghost Rider - The spirit of a dead Apache teenage boy assists Walker to discover who murdered him eight years prior.
Walker deals with another Native American Ghost, this time it's a good one.
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The Brotherhood - A group of vigilante cops form the Brookdale Police Department have been targeting and murdering criminals who get off due to technicalities. Meanwhile, Walker helps Ernesto Lopez (who had joined the Marine Corps after recovering from being shot in "The Covenant"), who has been accused of rape and Alex is able to help him uncover DNA evidence that would prove his innocence.
Along with the DNA evidence, Ernesto provides an alibi to Walker and Alex that he fell in love with a Congressman's daughter who was recently accepted to Harvard Law School and was seeing her the night of the rape, but didn't come forward about this before to avoid upsetting her father, who wanted her to focus on school.
However, before any of this becomes public knowledge, the rogue cops murder Ernesto because they neglected to check that he really was innocent, and it becomes a personal issue for Walker, especially when they attempt to kill Walker before he exposes them after figuring out who they are.
Not all Cops are Bad, only a small percentage and the Cops in this Episode represent that small percentage.
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Plague - An agricultural feed is tested on the Cherokee reservation by a company that is more interested with containing the information from research rather than to contain the virus. But when Walker learns that the company had murdered an informant who tried to inform Alex about the company's motives, he soon finds that the company intends to massacre the Cherokee inhabitants to keep their research a secret. Now, Walker is on a race against time before the research kills the natives and destroys the reservation.
Not All Corporations are evil, though most are. And the one featured in this episode represents the majority.
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Redemption - Alex's attorney father, Gordon Cahill, who walked out on his family years ago because of his problem with alcoholism, is defending Karl Mayes , the crime boss that she is prosecuting. But when Mayes's lieutenant, Hendricks disguises himself as a cop and kills a witness that Walker has in custody, Gordon quits the case out of disgust. However, this makes him a key witness and both he and Alex are next on Mayes' hit list.
It was nice to see Alex reunite with her deadbeat dad.
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A Rangers Christmas - Walker tells the story of the Old West's Hayes Cooper, a Scrooge-like Bounty Hunter turned Texas Ranger who finally learned to have Christmas spirit. This episode aired just four days before Christmas in 1996.
The Debut of the Hayes Cooper stories. Chuck Norris plays Cooper himself. The only X-Mas episode on this lisr.
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99th Ranger - While looking into recruiting a replacement for Texas Ranger Walt Cobb, who was killed in a shootout during a sting operation on a chop shop, two applicants for the vacant position-- Brookdale police officer Roberta "Bobbie" Hunt and DPS Trooper Sgt. Santiago Perez, respectively-- shadow Walker and Trivette for their respective field evaluations to determine who gets the job.
While shadowing Walker during her field evaluation, Bobbie has long been haunted by her violent ex-husband Russell Stafford. The harassment by him eventually becomes so bad, that she almost gives up her dream of becoming a Texas Ranger until Walker convinces her otherwise. But when Stafford ignores the restraining order Walker had Alex issue and attacks her in her home, Bobbie must fight him off on her own.
If there's one thing this Show lacked, it's female Rangers. Good to see them rectify this issue. Though Bobbie doesn't stick around too long.
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The Trial of LaRue - Walker's old nemesis, Victor LaRue, disarms bailiffs during his competency hearing and takes the entire courtroom hostage... killing his own defense attorney, another criminal Trivette apprehended and the judge, taunting Alex, and waiting for Walker to show up. Walker is away, tracking down other criminals (and apprehending them with his usual violent ease).
"Judge LaRue" proceeds to terrorize and/or kill jurors and litigants at random...including a divorced couple who were there for a custody hearing. After rounding up the other criminals, Walker finally discovers what's going on via radio and TV coverage; he rushes back to Dallas, makes his way to the courthouse, and quickly guns down LaRue. As the villain's body is wheeled away on a gurney, Alex has a conscious nightmare about him snapping back to life.
The grand finale for Victor Larue. He was a fun Villain.
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Heart of the Dragon -Walker protects a college student of Dr. Henry Lee's (Special Guest Star, Mako), who has stolen a jade dragon from a Chinese gang, who believes it has magical power that will heal his sister after a D.W.I. accident that killed their parents. At the same time, Dr. Henry Lee is dealing with health issues of his own.
The Jade Dragon aka The Jade McGuffin. lol.
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The Neigborhood - One of Walker's karate students, ten-year-old Kyla Jarvis, is mortally wounded in a drive-by shooting but inexplicably makes a full recovery. According to Kyla, she had a near-death experience: going to Heaven and encountering an Angel, who gave her a divine mission from God...to end violence in her community, however she can.
Walker helps by urging her grandfather Leon Barlow (a frustrated Vietnam veteran, who now leads a vigilante clique comprising numerous frustrated locals) to use a less-violent approach when dealing with gangs. Walker also pits himself against the "B-3 Dukes": a ruthless gang led by cold-blooded Zach Russell, who arranged the drive-by shooting which briefly kills, Kyla. Though the intended target was Barlow, in revenge for the firebombing of Russell's crack house. Finally, Walker and Kyla strive to help conflicted gangbanger Bobby Miller, the one who actually shot Kyla, to put his "gangsta" lifestyle behind him.
Gangs are evil. Another impactful episode.
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A Father's Image - Ranger Bobbie Hunt goes undercover to gather evidence against crime boss Sal Matacio. Matacio is grooming his ten-year-old son Nicholas to take over the family business, while plotting to kill his ex-wife Dana...lest she testify against him on the Rangers' behalf.
A great episode. Shame this is the final time we see Ranger Bobbie Hunt.
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The Sons of Thunder - A 2-Parter. When a preacher friend of Walker's dies, his military son, Trent, returns to take care of his family. Walker tries to get him to become a police officer, but this proves difficult because of Trent's refusal to carry a firearm (because of a childhood incident with a revolver that resulted in the death of a friend). Meanwhile, a serial cop-killer is on the loose and one of the targets happens to be Carlos Sandoval, a good friend of Walker and Trent.
The search for a cop killer gets personal especially for Walker. When Trivette is shot by the suspect with a different gun and left badly injured while following a lead, it confirms that the cop-killer is not killing at random but is instead only targeting certain cops due to a personal vendetta. Walker and Trent soon discover that the killer's next target is Carlos, as Carlos confirms the killer is actually a violent ex-cop named Rod Barkley, who is targeting the cops he blames for ruining his career.
Believe it or not This 2-Parter was a backstage pilot for the Sons of Thunder TV Series, which was short lived.
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Texas v. Cahil - When Alex's former lover, Tony Seville, who's also the defending attorney in her current trial, turns up dead beside her in bed, she's accused of his murder and sent to a women's prison that's packed with inmates who hold a grudge against her, though her cellmate, Alfre, who was put in there due to a botched defense, is able to protect her.
While Gordon Cahill returns to defend Alex in court, he helps Walker suspect that Lane Tillman, the man Alex was prosecuting, had a good reason to frame her.
Alfre would later reform and become a Construction Worker.
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Season 6 (1997 - 1998)
The Fightin' McLains - Season Premier. Belle Starr McLain, a mole for the DEA, is exposed and murdered by drug kingpin Jack Garrett. Then her Marine brother Corporal John Wesley "JW" McLain, to whom she sent proof of Garret's drug activities, goes AWOL to launch a vendetta against the drug kingpin. Instead, JW is intercepted and captured by Walker.
After JW's commanding officer, Staff Sergeant Luther Parrish, comes to pick him up, JW is sprung by his two other siblings, Jessie and Wyatt. Now Walker, Trivette, and Parrish must keep the McLains from taking the law into their own hands to avenge their sister, while at the same time gathering sufficient evidence to bust Garret for his crimes, who attempts to kill the McLains after he captures and murders the informant that was exposed due to JW's earlier actions.
I Love this Episode. The McLains were Awesome. Shame this was their Only appearance.
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Lucas - A 2-Parter. An AIDS-stricken 7-year-old tries to find his mother, who is being held hostage by a drug kinpin, Rafer Cobb. Lucas befriends Walker's and he helps the Young boy find his mom. Unfortunately, they are too late and Lucas's mother passes away.
After Lucas' mother dies, Walker takes him to the Cherokee Reservation to help him overcome his nightmares and tell him about his AIDS condition. At the same time, Walker also must stop Cobb before he kills Lucas, as he's the only witness to his drug operation. As soon as the cartel boss is caught, Lucas passes away from his own AIDS at the end of the episode.
A deep episode with some heartbreaking moments. We also learn more about Walker's childhood.
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The Last of a Breed - Another 2-Parter. Children visiting the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame get treated to Walker telling a story about the Old West's legendary Hayes Cooper.Walker continues to tell the story of Hayes Cooper. And he continues when Cooper upon seeing the family he befriended killed, he sets out to go after the ones he believes responsible for their deaths.
After getting one of them, he meets a Texas Ranger who warns him about crossing the line and after saying that he gives Cooper a Texas Ranger badge which Cooper takes. After tracking down his quarries, he gets shot but is found by some Indians who nurse him back to health and gives him a moment to think.
Probably the Best of the Hayes Cooper Stories.
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A Woman's Place - Alex's former cellmate, Alfre, is now out of prison (since Gordon Cahill was working on getting her released at the end of that episode) and has a job as a female construction worker, but she finds herself in danger after threatening to blow the whistle on unsafe construction practices, which are secretly caused by a small group of employees led by the site foreman who are actually running an illegal money-making scam behind their company owner's back.
Walker and Alex must keep Alfre and her family safe and expose the scam before the group gets to her first to keep their activities secret.
Alfre stood up against her evil bossess and is a real hero for it. Glad she got a promotion at the end of this episode.
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Tribe - Nora Shannon, an archaeologist working on the Cherokee reservation, is murdered when a greedy oil company tycoon learns there's oil under her dig site. Her rejected would-be suitor, Sam Coyote, a reservation cop and friend of Walker, is used to take the fall for her murder. Walker must work on clearing Sam's name before he is transferred to F.B.I. custody.
Walker battles, yet Another, Evil Corporation, who's targeting The Native-American reservations.
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The Crusader - Walker helps a pro wrestler Cody "The Crusader" Conway (Guest Star "Rowdy" Roddy Piper) whose ex-wife, Barbara, is in hiding after witnessing a murder by her boss, Tony Ramos, and has sent their son, Jake, whom he was unaware of to him for his own safety.
However, Cody's attempt to bond with Jake becomes complicated, as Cody is dealing with stress, having recently learned from his doctor that he has a life-threatening condition which carries the risk of killing him if he attempts to wrestle again. When this stress causes Jake to run away and gets kidnapped by Ramos, Cody must work on negotiating with Ramos to get Jake back.
The Hot Rod was awesome in this episode. The bond between Cody and his son at the end was truly heartwarming.
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In God's Hands - While pursuing a group of armed robbers following an ice hockey game, Trivette finds a 6-year-old boy named Danny McGee shot during his pursuit of one of the robbers and believes that he is responsible.
Placed on suspension and having to deal with the moral implications which sends him into depression (such as inaccurate media coverage which implicates Trivette and gets him hassled by local drunks at a bar) and the wounded boy's older brot0er, Ted, Trivette finds the man leading the investigation against him is an officer who has a grudge against him for being passed over in favor of Trivette for initiation into the Texas Rangers, and who wants to have Trivette brought up on criminal charges.
Meanwhile, Walker looks into proving that Kroeger, the man that Trivette was pursuing, was the one who shot Danny.
Sadly, this type of thing happens in real-life too. Though, Trivette was framed.
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Soul of Winter - Roscoe Jones (Special Guest Star Paul Winfield), the minister who replaced Trent's father, is targeted by a former military comrade, Stan Gorman, who is now the leader of a white supremacy group called the Sons of the Reich. Gorman and his men intended to kill Jones' son, Adam-- who is the best friend of Trent's younger brother, Tommy, but mistakenly killed another kid named Rodney Summers, as both Adam and Summers were running late for the Sunday morning sermon after delivering food baskets to needy families.
Following Summers' murder, the violence and intimidation from Gorman and his men escalates when they vandalize Roscoe's church, terrorize the other congregants, almost abduct Adam and Tommy, and then burn down another church, prompting Roscoe to organize a charity fundraiser for its repairs with Collin Raye headlining the event. In order for Walker, Trivette, Trent and Carlos to bring Gorman to justice for good, they must connect him to Rodney Summers' murder, a goal that hinges on finding the murder weapon.
Again, Racism is Evil, Stupid, AND Nonsensical.
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Test of Faith - A middle school in East Dallas finds itself at the heart of rising gang violence, and when Ricardo Lopez, a popular teacher and an old friend of Walker and Trent, is killed for standing up to a gang leader, fear grips the students, especially one student who was the only witness to the crime and was too scared to come forward. Walker goes undercover as a substitute teacher to catch Ricardo's killer, as well as promote the message of standing up to gang influence. However, when Faith Hollister, one of Walker's students, starts a campaign to clean up the school, she also becomes a target.
Gangs are a Plague.
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The Wedding - Season Finale. A 2-Part Episode that continues the nest season. In this season-ending cliffhanger, The gang gets ready for Alex's friends Detective Kim Rivers and ADA Phil Holland's wedding. Walker finally decides to propose to her after, but the wedding is then attacked by a group of hitmen.
When the shootout is all over, Walker tries again to propose to Alex, but she is shot by the leader of the hitmen, Karl Storm, a man she helped incarcerate five years earlier and who had orchestrated the hit as revenge against those who put him in prison.
The episode ends with Alex mortally shot by Storm. What a way to end a season, huh?
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Season 7 (1998 - 1999)
The Wedding - Series Premier. Continued from the last season. As Alex lies in the hospital in critical condition, Walker embarks on a quest to find Karl Storm (who wounded Alex at the end of the Season 6 cliffhanger) and bring him to justice.
Walker was Savage in this episode. Can ya blame him? Also, Walker and Alex get engaged at the end.
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Trackdown - Walker helps free Hector Lopez, Det. Carlos Sandoval's nephew-in-law, when he is falsely accused of a crime by his greedy former employer. Before he can be officially released, Hector learns from his cellmate, Eddie that the corrupt guard captain, Paul Kelton, is running a drug-trafficking ring within the prison, and gives Hector evidence of Kelton's corruption to give to Walker and Carlos shortly after he is released.
However, Kelton and his men kill Eddie for stealing their evidence and then realize he gave it to Hector after seeing that he witnessed the murder. As such, Hector is forced to escape from the prison and finds himself on the run.
Carlos and Walker must protect Hector and bring Kelton and his men to justice. Meanwhile, Alex, after realizing she needs to do more with her life following her recent shooting, opens her Help Our People Excel (HOPE) center to help the less fortunate.
Marc Alaimo, Gul Dukat himself, plays Paul Kelton, the Bad Guy of the Week in this episode.
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War Cry - Walker investigates a mystery illness sweeping across the children on his Cherokee reservation from polluted water, and after two children die from said illness, suspicion falls on a nearby factory.
When the E.P.A. tests find nothing wrong with the water, Walker must work with Sam Coyote to stop a band of radical Cherokee from waging vigilante justice, and prove that the factory owner had rigged the inspection by directing the E.P.A. agents to a water emission pipe that produces actual clean water, but had secretly concealed the real pipe that is dumping the toxins from his factory which Walker intends to find.
Pollution is also evil.
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Code of the West - Convicted murder and robber Dirk Morgan escapes from prison seeking retribution against those responsible for putting him there. After Morgan murders the prosecutor and head juror from his case, Walker and Trivette try to stop him before he can murder the trial's judge, who happens to be on a retreat with his orphaned granddaughter, Alex, C.D., and a group of youths who are the children of convicted felons, including Morgan's own daughter.
TV Shows had a Lot of revenge-seeking felons back then, huh?
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The Children of Halloween - The Metroplex is hit with a rash of abductions when a Satanic symbol found at each crime scene suggests that children are going to be sacrificed on Halloween by a group of devil worshippers. The investigation kicks off when one of Trent's students is abducted after class, and before long, other children get abducted, as well, increasing the urgency of the situation.
The Rangers enlist help from the owner of an occult book store (Guest Star Downtown Julie Brown) to find their man, and realize they're on the trail of a man who believes himself to be the son of Satan and has called a cemetery his hideout. The stakes run high when Alex is also abducted while trying to stop the cult from taking another childt hat was given community service at the H.O.P.E. Center for petty theft, and Walker, Trivette, Carlos and Trent must stop the sacrifice before it is too late.
Appropriately, this episode aired on Halloween night in 1998 (the only such episode to do so), and had used one of the appropriate Halloween typefaces for the title card credits and end credits as opposed to the traditional Goudy-Old-Style font used since Season 3.
Blake Foster of Power Rangers fame plays Trent's student.
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Second Chance - Walker and the Rangers find themselves in the middle of an IRA conflict when a former member-- the Rangers' old friend, Adam McGuire-- comes back to Dallas and brings his young daughter, Jennifer, for a bone marrow transplant, also becoming friends with her prospective donor. Jennifer is kidnapped by a splinter faction in retaliation for her father's killing one of their members, albeit in self-defense. Walker and Trivette must save Jennifer before either the group or her ,claims her life.
Another heartwarming epidode.
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Paradise Trail - To celebrate Walker's birthday, C.D. tells the story of a Hayes Cooper adventure, Mormons and their wagon train must be defended in the Utah wilderness from outlaws.
Gotta love Hayes Cooper.
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Eyes of a Ranger - Teenage country music artist Lila McCann plays aspiring singer Kelly Wyman. She is being closely followed by the wealthy and entitled Brad Alt and follows him under the pretense that he will help her launch her career. What she does not know is that he is trying to gain control of the heroin industry in Dallas, and is the focus of a Ranger investigation.
When Kelly is sentenced to 300 hours of community service at the H.O.P.E. Center following Brad's botched arrest at the beginning of the episode, plus Walker making a bet with Brad's father, Ramsey that he'll turn in his badge if he can't prove his son's illicit activities, it seems as though Walker and Alex just might be the ones to help make her dreams come true.
However, Brad continues to stalk her, even after Walker enlists help from Trent to protect Kelly. This episode also featured an appearance by Michael Peterson.
The Bad Guy of the Week is played by Sean Kenan aka Mike "Bad Boy" Barnes from the Karate Kid Franchise. And with this, Walker has faced Karate Kid Villains repping the OG Trilogy.
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On the Boarder - A corrupt sheriff (Guest Star Lee Majors) fakes a drug-related accident to disguise a murder of a trucker who refused to participate in his drug smuggling. But when the boy's mother claims to Alex that he would not have anything to do with drugs, she gets Walker and Trivette to help her investigate.
Again, only a small percentage of Law Enforcement are Bad Guys.
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The Principal - A principal of a high school, who is an old friend of Walker, has his suspicions about a faculty member who is supplying drugs and is murdered when he accidentally witnesses the exchange between a teacher and a student after the Rangers busted the Head of Security who was thought to be the ringleader.
When the corrupt teacher tries to disguise the principal's death as a suicide, Walker and Trivette believe otherwise and go undercover as the new Principal and Head of Security to find those responsible. The Power Team guest stars in this episode.
The Dude who played Raiden in Mortal Kombat Annihilation plays the Bad Guy of the Week.
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Livegirls.now - Trivette's girlfriend, Kristin disappears and pictures of her surface on an Internet site, with details that suggests that she is to be sold in a sex-slavery auction with other missing girls. He and Walker then have only a few days to find her before she is sold.
Another cool (mostly) Trivette focused episode.
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Brothers in Arms - Simon Trivette, Jimmy's estranged brother, is arrested by the Rangers. They learn from Simon that he is in deep cover and that there's a murder contract out on Jimmy.
Trivette's Brother is played by the Dude who played Balrog in the 1994 Street Fighter Movie.
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Season 8 (1999 - 2000)
Countdown - Terrorists plan an urban release of anthrax in 48 hours, sending Walker and Trivette into action to stop them. They recruit Rangers Francis Gage and Sydney Cooke to help.
The Official Debut episode of fan faves, Gage and Sydney.
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Safe House - Gage and Sydney protect an accountant along with his wife & daughter, so he can testify at the trial of a crime boss who wants him and his family dead. Gage & Sydney manage to foil two separate attempts on the accountant and his family before making it to a safe house with a built-in panic room. However the accountant's wife mistakenly calls her mother to let her know they are alright (despite being warned earlier not to), alerting the mob boss to the safe house's location.
I love how most of this episode focused on the partnership of Gage and Sydney
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Way of the Warrior - An Indian shaman transports Walker back to the 19th century to prevent a recurrence of a 20th-century injustice.
Would've been cool if Walker met Hayes Cooper in this episode, sadly, Cooper never shows up.
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Tall Cotton - Sydney and Gage go undercover in a bar to locate Gage's reporter sister who had gone missing working on a story regarding the bar's owner. Meanwhile, Walker and Alex's romantic camping trip is interrupted by a lost Boy Scout troop.
Another Sydney and Gage focused episode. I love those.
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The Lynn Sisters - The Lynn sisters are set to headline a benefit concert for the H.O.P.E. Center at CD's Bar and Grill, a gesture of gratitude toward the Rangers after they busted their former record producer for pirating their merchandise. En route to a gig in San Antonio, however, their tour bus is ambushed by a team of mercenaries hired by two brothers who run a major record bootlegging operation.
The attackers murder the sisters' two roadies and music manager—a former service buddy of C.D.'s—and abduct the singers, all as part of a scheme by the brothers to drive up sales of their illegal recordings. When CD doesn't hear back from his old friend, the Rangers are on the case to find the kidnappers.
The Lynn Sisters play themselves in this episode.
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Suspicious Minds - The deaf daughter of an Elvis impersonator witnesses the murder of an undercover cop by a mob boss's underlings, necessitating the Rangers' protection until the boss can be captured.
Can't go wrong with The King.
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Fight or Die - A deep-cover cop is killed while investigating a prize fighting tournament inside an Arkansas prison. The Governor of Arkansas calls in the Texas Rangers, since it will be easier for out-of-state lawmen to maintain an undercover status. Trivette (as a guard), Walker and Gage (both as convicts) must have time to discover that the warden (Guest Star Charles Napier) is behind this brawling-for-dollars ring...before, Hammer, the warden's leading undefeated Champion (Guest Star UFC legend Frank Shamrock) gives Walker and Gage the fight of their lives.
The Late Great Legend "Macho Man" Randy Savage Guest Stars as a Prisoner that Walker fights. Ooooh, Yeah, Diggit!!!
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Rise to the Occasion - Sydney poses as a singer to investigate a corrupt club owner, while Walker seeks to end the conditions that led to a middle-schooler's suicide.
This was a great episode and Nia Peoples (as Sydney) got to display her singing talents.
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A Matter of Principal - A retired Texas Ranger (Guest Star Robert Fuller) joins Walker in the pursuit of those who shot his daughter during a jewelry store robbery.
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The Day of Cleansing - In this crossover episode, which continued from the Martial Law episode "Honor Among Strangers", Walker comes back from Los Angeles with Sammo Law (Guest Star Sammo Hung) to track down the white supremacist Cliff Eagleton, whom they had caught but had later escaped custody. To help determine Eagleton's next target, Sydney and Gage go undercover to gather information, with Gage infiltrating Eagleton's hate group and Sydney going to a ranch owned by the man who is financing Eagleton's operations.
Sammo Law was another show that didn't last too long.
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Black Dragons - Gage is assaulted by the son of a Chinese diplomat (Guest Starring Mako), who is protected by diplomatic immunity. However, when Gage reveals he overheard the son talking about a drug shipment, the Rangers start a new investigation, when they believe that it's connected to the deaths of several students and gang members.
The Late Great Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, aka Shang Tsung, plays the Bad Guy of the Week and Byron Mann, who was Ryu in the 1994 Street Fighter Movie, plays his #1 guy.
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Soldiers of Hate - The Texas Rangers must stop a white supremacist group from destroying a Unity Festival. Meanwhile, Gage finds out that a little boy is being tempted towards gang life by his brother's influence and decides to be a positive role model to help steer him away from it.
Again, White Supremacy is evil and dumb.
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The General's Return - Dallas detective Steven Nimh -- the son of General Nimh, who is Walker’s former martial arts instructor and superior officer during his time in the corps, is killed by a Vietnamese gang led by Billy Lo after having his cover blown while infiltrating his organization and assisting the Rangers in busting his illegal operations.
In the aftermath of his death, the Rangers and Alex support Steven's grieving family-- his father, his widow, Michelle, and his young son, Peter -- while seeking to bring Lo and his gang to justice. Meanwhile, the Rangers, Alex, General Nimh and Michelle help Peter come to terms with his father's passing, as well as deal with a bully across the street.
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Showdown at Casa Diablo - A 2-Part Episode. To get their cannabis operations flowing, a pair of Mexican Cartel brothers seek to acquire a ranch near the border, especially after the owner was killed. The ranger pose as ranch hands in order to aid the widow while discovering her foreman's part in the killing.
Walker, Trivette, and Gage go to Mexico to rescue Alex and Sydney. They work their way across the Mexican countryside to Casa Diablo. In the ensuing showdown, the drug lord and his brother are both killed.
I loved it when Walker told off that clueless Bureaucrat in this episode.
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Wedding Bells - The 2-Part Season Finale. As Walker and Alex prepare to tie the knot, Walker finds out that they have both been targeted for death by an assassin. The wedding, which features a performance by country singer Tracy Lawrence, proceeds without incident. However, what happens en route to their honeymoon in Paris is a different story. Joan Jett plays an ex-CIA Agent in this episode.
Walker and Alex finally tie the knot and begin their lives together. It was about time.
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Season 9 (2000 - 2001)
White Buffalo - On the reservation, Walker investigates the mystery of a statue of a white buffalo (an animal sacred to the local native Americans) that appears to cry real tears. Gage goes undercover to bust the dealers of a designer drug called "white buffalo", while Sydney and Alex, who are on a hike in the mountains with a young Cherokee girl, Fawn, to visit the site where the last white buffalo was killed, inadvertently stumble upon the headquarters of the drug distributors and Sydney is injured when she is shot in the arm forcing them to hide to escape their pursuers.
The last of the "Native-American" Episodes and it's a good one.
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The Avenging Angel - Matt Escobar, an old friend of Trivette's from their days on the Dallas Cowboys who is now a professional wrestler under the name "The Avenging Angel", dies in an act of sabotage during his trademark flying entrance into the ring, and when their search suggests that this was due to an extortion scheme against his manager by a local businessman to forcibly merge his company with their wrestling company,
Sydney and Gage go undercover to gather evidence to prove it. At the end of this episode after the case has been solved, in an unrelated and unexpected turn of events, Walker and the group receive devastating news that C.D. Parker has died.
Ernest Borgnine guest stars as Eddie Ryan. CD's death was heartbreaking.
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The Winds of Change - Walker must stop a criminal genius who has infiltrated Federal law enforcement computer systems by leading a task force consisting of himself, Trivette, Gage, Sydney, a New York cop, and a computer hacker.
Michael Iornside Geest Stars as The Chaiman. The 1st Part in the Chairman Saga.
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Lazarus - The Chairman (Special Guest Star Michael Ironside) continues to use knowledge gained from his computer hacking to terrorize Federal agents, and manages to keep Walker at bay. However, Walker's hacker manages to discover a crucial detail in the Chairman's plan that could give them a breakthrough.
Part 2 of the Chairman Saga.
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Turning Point - Walker begins making real progress in ending the Chairman's reign of terror. Hoping to gain an edge over Walker, the Chairman hijacks a plane carrying a key witness to protect one of his associates, and Gage and Sydney are their only hope of delivering it safely.
The 3rd Part of The Chairman Saga.
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Retribution - In a desperate bid to avoid capture as Walker closes in, the Chairman orders hits on the task force. But when that fails, he kidnaps Alex.
The Grand Finale of The Chairman Saga.
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Faith - Faith Berry, the young granddaughter of Dionne Berry (special guest star Dionne Warwick), a close friend of Walker and Alex, who was diagnosed with a genetic liver disorder, is in need of a transplant when her current liver starts to fail and doctors diagnose that she may have a month or two to live.
A donor, a young girl who was hit by a car, is found in Fort Worth two weeks later, but as the ambulance transporting the organ makes its way to the hospital, it crosses paths with a trio of bank robbers who did business with a ruthless loan shark whom Sydney had arrested three years prior. During their escape from law enforcement after committing a bank robbery, the getaway driver is injured, prompting the trio to hijack the ambulance, killing one paramedic and abducting the other.
The robbers have no knowledge of or interest in the liver, needing their hostage solely to treat their injured comrade. Worse, Faith's current liver begins to fail rapidly than expected. As Dionne agonizes at the prospect of losing her granddaughter, having already lost her daughter (Faith's mother) to a drug overdose, the Rangers are left with very little time to track down the thieves, rescue the paramedic and recover the liver.
Another emotional episode.
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Desperate Measures - After two bank robbers break their girlfriends out of a prison transport bus en route to the women's prison in Gatesville to continue their robbery spree, Walker and Trivette are in hot pursuit. Meanwhile, Gage, en route back to Dallas following a charity motorcycle ride, unknowingly hitches a ride with two other inmates from the same prison bus after the drive belt for his motorcycle is cut by two men whom he roughed up for harassing the women.
One of them, Jane Harrelson, is a thrill killer who killed three of her lovers, but the other, Lara Pope, is the victim of a setup by her entrepreneur ex-husband, Garrett, who, upon hearing the news, sends his men out to kill her. While he and Trivette are in pursuit of the four female escapees, as well as the boyfriends of the two female robbers, Walker suspects that Lara's case was mishandled and asks Alex to reexamine it.
It was cool that Gage had a solo adventure this time.
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Division Street - To help prevent gang-related activities, Walker and Boomer Knight (Special Guest Star the Late Great Hulk Hogan) organize basketball tournaments amongst a group of rival gang members. When Boomer convinces the kids not to work for a local drug dealer, the dealer takes his revenge by kidnapping Boomer. Now, Walker embarks on a manhunt to rescue Boomer and put an end to the drug dealer's reign.
What'cha Gonna Do, When The Hulkster And Walker Run Wild On You?!!
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Saturday Night - Walker and Alex have dinner at a local nightclub with the wife and daughter (Guest Star Laura Bailey) of the owner, Frank Bishop (Guest Star Frank Stallone). Meanwhile, Trivette goes undercover as a street hustler to investigate recent mob-related murders, which are also associated with the main plot.
It is revealed that Bishop owes money to a loan shark working for a notorious crime lord who wants him to repay the debt by signing over the club by Saturday night, even the threat of harming his family. Additionally, it's not only Frank's club that the loan shark is after; he and his associates aim to take control of every business in North Texas, whether legitimate or otherwise. Walker sets out to find a way to bring down the loan shark, and the murders may prove the smoking gun.
The Texas Rangers once again go up against Gangsters.
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8 Hours - An awards banquet where Alex is being honored for her work at the H.O.P.E. Center quickly turns into a race against time when Heather Preston , one of the center's best volunteers and the teenage daughter of Dallas billionaire businessman Tim Preston bound for Cornell University in the coming fall, is taken hostage by her traitorous bodyguard, McNeely, during the ceremony.
McNeely is demanding a $100 million ransom or else, within six hours, he will kill Heather. Walker, who has dealt with numerous ransom cases, warns Tim that McNeely won't free Heather even if the ransom is paid, because to complicate the situation further, McNeely brazenly plans to broadcast her murder on a live Internet feed, which quickly finds its way worldwide once the local news is alerted and offers live coverage of the crisis, after which he plans to escape the country.
With Tim having already dealt with the pain of losing his wife and now agonizing at the thought of losing the only family he has left, the Rangers initiate a statewide manhunt to catch McNeely and rescue Heather before the deadline.
I like Heather's cute nickname for McNeely - McShadow.
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Medieval Crimes - Workers at a Medieval-themed restaurant moonlight as fine art and jewelry thieves. But after one of them is killed during a robbery, Sydney and Gage go undercover at the restaurant to find the rest of the gang. Trivette goes to a prison farther away from Dallas to pick up a prisoner that says that he is a jinx to have him testify in a murder trial, at which point they encounter many hijinks en route back, from Trivette's car breaking down to getting sick from eating bad swordfish and the like.
A fun episode with a fun insert song.
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Unsafe Speed - After a truck driver who was using meth kills a family of three by colliding with their minivan, he tells the Rangers who his supplier was before he dies and the supplier in turn tells them that The Raptors, a biker gang, gave him the meth.
Meanwhile, Alex discovers that with the driver's record of traffic violations and drug convictions, he would not have been qualified and given a trucker's license in Texas, let alone any state in the union, and there have also been similar recent incidents of unqualified drivers.
The recent fatal accident triggers a two-pronged investigation for the Rangers: while Sydney and Gage go undercover as bikers to infiltrate the gang and shut down their meth lab, Trivette goes undercover as a new trucker applicant at a licensing firm in Colby to find the person who is illegally issuing trucker's licenses.
Special Guest Star Steve "Sting" Borden as The Leader of the Raptors. Sting is the biggest reason why I love this episode.
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Without a Sound - During his high school reunion, Gage is forced into a leave of absence after an explosion caused by a gang of high-tech carjackers badly ruptures his eardrums after the leader of the gang, who goes by the name of Skull, brutally murders his former girlfriend, Marilyn Elkins, and her fiancé, Ted Moran.
While Gage contemplates surgery to fully restore his hearing and Sydney is tasked with protecting him from assassination attempts by Skull and his gang to prevent him from testifying after he had provided a composite sketch following the aftermath of the thefts, she, Walker and Trivette work shut down the carjacking ring and apprehend the gang, eventually learning that their criminal enterprise extends to smuggling stolen vehicles across the border into Mexico in exchange for cocaine.
All the while, Sydney and the ENT doctor performing the surgery reach out to the director of a school for deaf individuals to help Gage come to terms with his new disability and rely on his other senses that ultimately prove useful in protecting himself.
I like the insert Song of this episode. I also loved how Sydney and Gage became super close, setting up a potential romance.
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The Final Show/Down - The 2-Part Series Finale. A gang of Walker's former enemies break out of the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville. They proceed to exact revenge on Walker and his fellow Rangers by exterminating Ranger Company B in its entirety... including Wade Harper (along with his wife Betsy indirectly which both of them were last seen in Season 8's "A Matter of Principle") and Cliff Jensen, who were among the attendees in the pre-birth barbecue Walker and Alex were hosting. The leader of this group, Emile Lavocat, also reveals that he murdered C.D. Parker via ricin poisoning before he shot Jensen. Meanwhile, Alex goes into labor and makes clear her concern for Walker's well-being, as she does not want to raise this baby alone.
Elsewhere, Trivette asks an old girlfriend Erika to marry him (she was last seen in Season 8's "Justice Delayed", recruiting Trivette to help clear the name of her jailed father). One last Hayes Cooper story also concurs: Cooper retires from the Texas Rangers to raise a family, but a group of outlaws, led by an old enemy (who is Lavocat's ancestor), plot to kill him, which could force him out of retirement.
At the episode's end, the Rangers take down the gang (with Walker blowing up Lavocat with a grenade), and Alex and Walker introduce their daughter Angela (a reference to Chuck Norris's 1988 movie Hero and the Terror) to their friends.
The Grand Finale to a Grand Show.
Well that's gonna do it for this edition of Great Episodes. Until Next Time, Resist Modern Attitudes and Stay Gold.
Rest In Power, Chuck Norris.
