S01.E03: Bobble Head

[jewel21]

Quote

Walker’s life gets more complicated when his childhood best friend, Hoyt Rawlins, returns to town. Abeline is thrilled to have Hoyt home but Geri has conflicted feelings for her ex-boyfriend. Meanwhile, Micki has her suspicions about the real reason Hoyt returned to town.

Airdate: 02/04/2021

[Hana Chan]

Another more than decent episode. I'm glad that we got away from the whole family treating Cordell like a leper and we're getting a sense that the whole Walker family is more than a little fucked up. I was less interested in the case than seeing how things are progressing between Cordell and the kids, and I sympathized with Cordell's ordeal with trying to drive stick - I've never gotten it down enough to drive pass the driveway.

And am I the only one mourning the fact that we missed out the opportunity to see Cordell go undercover as a male stripper? Unfair!

The dynamics between everyone were pretty interesting. It had to be frustrating for Cordell to be in the shadow of his charismatic friend, and I wish that we could have gotten more info as to why Cordell's mom was so in love with Hoyt when everyone could see that he was a six pack of trouble. Bonham certainly saw through Hoyt, as did Cordell and Liam. It was pretty apparent that the only reason Hoyt was invited to dinner was because of Abby's fondness for him and not because he brought wagyu steaks.

I'm so glad that August called out Stella on her behavior towards their father (even if he had to get shitfaced to do so). Liam seemed more willing to respect the bounds that Cordell set when it came to the kids and made it clear that he understood that he needed to pick up the kids because Cordell was on a bust and not because he was screwing up again. And Cordell seemed to handle both his kids with an evenhanded manner - making it sure that they knew that they screwed up but not beating them over the head with it (except for the pillow with August).

I love Cordell's and Micki's partnership. There's some nice balance there and I'm looking forward to seeing how it progresses.

[thuganomics85]

Ah, the old "troublemaking friend from the past returns and ends up being on opposite sides of the hero" story!  A story that has been told quite a few times in television land!  Thankfully, this type of character is right in Matt Barr's wheelhouse, so he was pretty much a perfect fit as Hoyt.  And he certainly seemed to fully commit to the stripping sequence (well, as much has he could for a show on The CW!)  Not surprised that he ended up being bad news and had to be arrested, but I did like seeing some glimpses of a time when Walker and Emily were carefree, and had crazy times with the likes of Hoyt and Geri.

I'm usually not one for family drama, but I continue to actually enjoy the stories and obstacles between Walker and his kids.  I think what helps is that no character here comes off either as a perfect saint or an obnoxious scumbag.  Instead, all of them are capable of both good and not so good moments, and can be right about some things, but wrong about others.  In short, they are flawed in a realistic way, and it makes them more relatable.  It probably won't be an easy journey for the three to come back to a place of normalcy, but I do think they're all trying in their own ways.

Hmm, it sounds like Abline and Bonham are going through some kind of rough patch. I know the latter in general can be kind of a cranky hardass (in other words, Mitch Pileggi!), but I wonder if someone else happened to put so much strain on their marriage.

Bummed that we didn't get any Trey this episode, but Bret is showing himself to be a worthwhile "love interest" character.  Loved how he started out annoyed when he thought Liam was going to bail out Stella again, but once he heard that it was actually because August was drunk, he was like "I am not going to miss this for the world!"

Liked the scene between Bonham and Micki.  They might have a lot of differences, but I can see those two characters also getting along very well.

I wonder what information Walker will get out of Micki first: her favorite movie or her middle name?! 

[Sweet Tooth]

5 hours ago, Hana Chan said:

wish that we could have gotten more info as to why Cordell's mom was so in love with Hoyt when everyone could see that he was a six pack of trouble.

I was wondering that until the end.

Hoyt seemed to genuinely care that he was letting her down yet again, and you can tell that because Hoyt didn't grow up in a loving home, Cordell's mom tried to be kind of a mom to him, so she keeps hoping that if she doesn't judge him like everyone else does, maybe she can turn him around. She knew him as a boy, so he's probably built up more goodwill with her.

5 hours ago, Hana Chan said:

And am I the only one mourning the fact that we missed out the opportunity to see Cordell go undercover as a male stripper? Unfair!

Yeah. I was like wait...is Cordell going to go undercover as well? Because that would be AWESOME.

34 minutes ago, thuganomics85 said:

I'm usually not one for family drama, but I continue to actually enjoy the stories and obstacles between Walker and his kids.  I think what helps is that no character here comes off either as a perfect saint or an obnoxious scumbag.  Instead, all of them are capable of both good and not so good moments, and can be right about some things, but wrong about others.  In short, they are flawed in a realistic way, and it makes them more relatable.  It probably won't be an easy journey for the three to come back to a place of normalcy, but I do think they're all trying in their own ways.

I agree. I know people have used the word "jerk" when speaking of Cordell, but I never saw that. Just a flawed dude trying to figure out his life. 

I'm a fan of characters being shades of gray. Much more interesting, for sure.

36 minutes ago, thuganomics85 said:

Thankfully, this type of character is right in Matt Barr's wheelhouse, so he was pretty much a perfect fit as Hoyt.  And he certainly seemed to fully commit to the stripping sequence (well, as much has he could for a show on The CW!) 

He was really good, because he had that combination of charmer and smarmer, depending on who was talking to him. And then at the end getting you right in the feels. He did a really good job.

Yet another character who wasn't totally bad. Just someone who only knows one way of doing things. 

[Terese]

I like characters over plot. So, how the case works out doesn't interest me nearly as much as what develops with the people along the way. I was rather hoping that Hoyt left a clue in the note that would have alerted Cordell as to the actual location of the gun deal. That way he could cover himself from Loretto, and do the right thing. 

I don't care much for Cordell's mom, again. I tire of her bossy remarks, where she has no problem rebuking and controlling her family; yet, falls all over herself for a charming outlaw. 

I like the relationship with his kids. He stayed with the lesson they both needed to learn, while not judging and letting them know he is there for them. 

[Wynne88]

The best episode out of the three, in my opinion.

[Hana Chan]

5 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

I think what helps is that no character here comes off either as a perfect saint or an obnoxious scumbag

That's what makes all of this work. You can understand and sympathize with the POV of everyone involved. It's totally understandable why Stella would have such an ax to grind against her father, and why she's so willing to constantly dig it into his back. You can understand August's fear about losing what little family he's got left. You can sympathize with Cordell, who didn't mean to make his kids feel like they were abandoned because of his work and is moving heaven and earth to make things right for them. You can even feel some understanding for Liam, who didn't expect to have to step up to play daddy while Cordell was away, and is having a difficult time stepping back now that Cordell is back.

This episode showed a good balance of how these relationships were progressing. Stella seemed less overtly resentful of her father, though she still wasn't going out of her way to build bridges with him. August was finally starting to crack a bit, but in a way that was realistic for a young teenager. Liam was still there to support the kids, but as their uncle who understood that the only reason that Cordell wasn't there was because he was in the middle of a case. It wasn't like Cordell could tell the bad guys, "Sorry, but I can't do this bust right now. My kids are at a bonfire and my son just got wasted. Can we do this tomorrow?"

And I loved how Cordell handled Stella during her court case. That he would stand by her side as her father and not use his position to shield her from the penalties that she'd earned. He wasn't going to punish her unfairly or hold this over her head for the rest of her life, but he made it clear that she'd screwed up and would have to deal with the consequences. With August, he seemed understanding that kids were going to drink (something he'd probably done himself more than once) but was going to make his son think twice about doing it again. Bashing his hungover son with a pillow to wake him up and then making him jog a little while teaching Stella to drive her mom's car (a really nice touch at softening the punishment she was facing without erasing it) was a playful way of reminding August that he screwed up.

The relationship between Hoyt and Cordell managed to defy the usual tropes because it was presented in a nuanced manner. It's obvious that there was still a lot of affection and caring between them, but their lives went in two radically different directions. In a way, Cordell outgrew their childhood friendship to a large degree, but still had a lot of affection for his old friend and clearly didn't want to be in the position of having to arrest him (and didn't shy away from doing so when he had no other options). And Hoyt didn't blame Cordell for the mess that his life became. 

I'll agree that the personal relationships are what's driving this show, and in a large way it's what's going to distinguish it from other cop shows (where the personal matters almost always take a distant back seat to the case of the week). You find yourself caring about these characters and that's what's going to keep me invested even when the case of the week doesn't interest me. L&O SVU was at it's best when I loved the characters (and my interest faded dramatically once Chris Meloni left the show). Walker is proving to be it's own type of show.

[Raja]

12 hours ago, Hana Chan said:

 

The dynamics between everyone were pretty interesting. It had to be frustrating for Cordell to be in the shadow of his charismatic friend, and I wish that we could have gotten more info as to why Cordell's mom was so in love with Hoyt when everyone could see that he was a six pack of trouble. Bonham certainly saw through Hoyt, as did Cordell and Liam. It was pretty apparent that the only reason Hoyt was invited to dinner was because of Abby's fondness for him and not because he brought wagyu steaks.

 

I was more wondering about that entire Abby Bear thing as she treated him like an extra favorite nephew when she dropped that line about Hoyt saving her son's life. As I was getting a "we dug coal together" vibe from them. It doesn't hurt that I see more Raylan Givens in this Walker than Chuck Norris. I would bet it was Hoyt's actions which endangered Cordell in the first place. But who knows maybe it was Liam as they were kids before the social revolution.

Edited February 5, 2021 by Raja

[wlk68]

I liked the episode. Don't have much more to add that wasn't already stated above. I continue to prefer the family dynamic over the case of the week.

One thing that continues to bug is all the flippin' commercials. Seriously, I feel like there were commercial breaks every 5 seconds and that those commercial breaks were longer than the episode content in between.  

Edited February 5, 2021 by wlk68

[Jeddah]

I’m liking this show more and more each week. 

I had to laugh that they thought adding a baseball hat would make Walker look 17 years younger in the flashback. That didn’t work. Walker and Emily were questionable parents from the start. We’re having a baby, so let’s gamble the car!

I don’t care that he’s older and has a beard, I still can only see Psycho Derek from One Tree Hill when I see Matt Barr.

August dancing was the best part! That kid is adorable.

[Katy M]

I'm still getting a weird vibe from Liam.  It was like he was trying to dig that wedge in deeper when he told Stella that he wasn't coming because it was her dad's decision.  Maybe he was just stating a fact, but it seemed calculating to me.  I guess I made up my mind that he's shady and I'll just make all the facts fit in with my hypothesis:)

All I could think of when Walker made August jog home was how my sister almost lost custody of her daughter for making her walk 3 houses down because she was being a brat in the car.  Hope nobody tells Liam what happened.   Yes, I apparently am obsessed.

I'm sure this is a real thing, but I also found it scary that you can apparently just stop a car cold with an app. No way that could ever be dangerous.

So, I really loved that Walker went to court in "regular" clothes, and is making Stella work off the fine  Too many times it seems like parents just let their kids off the hook because "it's not fair."  Or, because they're sure they won't do it again.

[wlk68]

11 minutes ago, Katy M said:

So, I really loved that Walker went to court in "regular" clothes, and is making Stella work off the fine  Too many times it seems like parents just let their kids off the hook because "it's not fair."  Or, because they're sure they won't do it again.

Is it just me or did anyone else find their "going to court" clothes just a tad too casual for the occasion?   

[Katy M]

Just now, wlk68 said:

Is it just me or did anyone else find their "going to court" clothes just a tad too casual for the occasion?   

I definitely did with Stella.  It looked to me like she was wearing a t-shirt with writing on it. I've never been in a courtroom, but I always thought that was a no no.  I don't know that Walker needed a suit for family court.  Just a nice shirt and pants seems like it would be fine. I'm assuming he wasn't actually wearing the hat in the courtroom. And I don't know that August was even in the courtroom at all, but if he was, he was just sitting in the background, so it didn't matter that much what he was wearing.

[wlk68]

2 minutes ago, Katy M said:

I definitely did with Stella.  It looked to me like she was wearing a t-shirt with writing on it. I've never been in a courtroom, but I always thought that was a no no.  I don't know that Walker needed a suit for family court.  Just a nice shirt and pants seems like it would be fine. I'm assuming he wasn't actually wearing the hat in the courtroom. And I don't know that August was even in the courtroom at all, but if he was, he was just sitting in the background, so it didn't matter that much what he was wearing.

Agree re the graphic t-shirt. And again, Walker didn't need to go full suit but a step up from the jeans, Henley and an old flannel shirt he wore would've been nice. As you say, maybe a pair khakis and a button down Oxford? 

Agree that August, who was probably sitting in the gallery if he was allowed inside at all, would probably have been fine. 

[Jeddah]

2 hours ago, wlk68 said:

Is it just me or did anyone else find their "going to court" clothes just a tad too casual for the occasion?   

I thought the same thing. Stella looked like she was going to school, not court.

[tennisgurl]

This was my favorite episode yet, the character dynamics really continue to be the highlight of the show. I like that no one is really the "bad guy" or are even acting in ways that seem overly unreasonable or melodramatic, its just people that have known each other for a long time and have a lot of complicated history, and sometimes make mistakes but also try to make up for them. You can tell here that Stella is warming to having her dad around again, but hasn't totally gotten over her resentment of him leaving yet, and that Walker is still feeling awkward around his kids and is walking on eggshells around Stella, but he realized by the end that he still needs to be a parent, and that means having to teach his kids about consequences, even if that means possibly upsetting them. I am also glad that everyone seems to be giving Cordell more of a break, I know that he didn't handle things well when he lost his wife, but he did lose his wife after all and was obviously devastated, and he really is trying to reconnect with his family. 

So we meet Hoyt, the Old Friend Who's Obviously Trouble, a staple character on this kind of show, but I liked how they played things and the actor playing Hoyt was quite good. You could see how charming he could be, enough that you can see why people still hang around him despite him being clearly bad news, but also his more smarmy side that makes these really bad choices and lets the people in his life down. I am curious about what his story is with the family, Abline seemed to imply that Hoyt had saved one of her sons before, even beyond her taking him in as a surrogate son/nephew, and that means she just keeps giving him chances no matter how many times he lets her down. Even then, I do actually buy that he does care about Walker and his family, and he did seem regretful in his last conversation that he let Abline down again, and when Walker and Micki caught him, he seemed almost proud. 

I continue to really like the growing partnership between Micki and Walker, and we even got a nice scene between Micki Bonham bonding over quality stake and finding Hoyt annoying. They are really balancing each other out as partners. I hope that we can see Micki having some more scenes with the rest of his family, I think Stella would really like her. 

August is really moving up my favorite character list, his drunk dancing was so endearing silly, as was his narration of their return to school. He is also quite insightful, especially when he was asking Stella if she was trying to drive their dad away. 

[Terese]

6 hours ago, Jeddah said:

I’m liking this show more and more each week. 

I had to laugh that they thought adding a baseball hat would make Walker look 17 years younger in the flashback. That didn’t work. Walker and Emily were questionable parents from the start. We’re having a baby, so let’s gamble the car!

I don’t care that he’s older and has a beard, I still can only see Psycho Derek from One Tree Hill when I see Matt Barr.

August dancing was the best part! That kid is adorable.

And August's British accent. 🙂

[Terese]

5 hours ago, Katy M said:

I'm still getting a weird vibe from Liam.  It was like he was trying to dig that wedge in deeper when he told Stella that he wasn't coming because it was her dad's decision.  Maybe he was just stating a fact, but it seemed calculating to me.  I guess I made up my mind that he's shady and I'll just make all the facts fit in with my hypothesis:)

All I could think of when Walker made August jog home was how my sister almost lost custody of her daughter for making her walk 3 houses down because she was being a brat in the car.  Hope nobody tells Liam what happened.   Yes, I apparently am obsessed.

I'm sure this is a real thing, but I also found it scary that you can apparently just stop a car cold with an app. No way that could ever be dangerous.

So, I really loved that Walker went to court in "regular" clothes, and is making Stella work off the fine  Too many times it seems like parents just let their kids off the hook because "it's not fair."  Or, because they're sure they won't do it again.

I felt the exact same way as if Liam was positioning Cordell as the bad guy, blaming him for unreasonably asking Liam to step away. It was subtle, but undermining in a way that could contribute to resentment.

[ukgirl71]

I think this was my favourite episode so far.  I loved the way Hoyt’s arrival and involvement allowed work and family to blend more, and enabled more emphasis on a case. 

At first, I couldn’t understand how Abeline adored Hoyt so much, and was so girlish around him, but Matt Barr played him as a colourful, lovable rogue who you didn’t know whether to arrest or hug.  I think, for “Abbie-bear”, he’s a broken bird who she owed big time for saving (presumably) Cordell.  From what, we will hopefully find out (we need serious flashback scenes for that), but I’m sure we’ll see Hoyt again.  I think also that Hoyt is a contrast to her two, let’s face it, apparently play by the rules sons.

Even the apparently throw-away scenes were so nicely done - Bonham (who I’m growing to love) and his moments with Micki and Abeline (at the end), Geri and Micki, Brett’s delighted reaction to drunk August.

The kids fitted in well this week too, without overwhelming the storyline - August Attenborough, goofy, gangly drunk August, Stella maybe growing up slowly after court.

Nice use of Tusk too, by the way, moving effortlessly from family singalong to shootout.

[KittenPokerCheater]

Is that the end of Hoyt, or will he be a recurring character?

[Terese]

31 minutes ago, KittenPokerCheater said:

Is that the end of Hoyt, or will he be a recurring character?

Involved in gun running. I should think he would be a very old man when he gets out.

[Terese]

18 hours ago, ukgirl71 said:

I think this was my favourite episode so far.  I loved the way Hoyt’s arrival and involvement allowed work and family to blend more, and enabled more emphasis on a case. 

At first, I couldn’t understand how Abeline adored Hoyt so much, and was so girlish around him, but Matt Barr played him as a colourful, lovable rogue who you didn’t know whether to arrest or hug.  I think, for “Abbie-bear”, he’s a broken bird who she owed big time for saving (presumably) Cordell.  From what, we will hopefully find out (we need serious flashback scenes for that), but I’m sure we’ll see Hoyt again.  I think also that Hoyt is a contrast to her two, let’s face it, apparently play by the rules sons.

Even the apparently throw-away scenes were so nicely done - Bonham (who I’m growing to love) and his moments with Micki and Abeline (at the end), Geri and Micki, Brett’s delighted reaction to drunk August.

The kids fitted in well this week too, without overwhelming the storyline - August Attenborough, goofy, gangly drunk August, Stella maybe growing up slowly after court.

Nice use of Tusk too, by the way, moving effortlessly from family singalong to shootout.

A colorful loveable rogue who is involved in gun trafficking. Apparently has no moral compunction about where these guns go. They go to criminals, who use them to rob, kill, hold hostage and so forth. Maybe if they had used the character in a more sympathetic crime, I could have actually cared about his fate.

[KittenPokerCheater]

For some reason I thought the character was supposed to join the cast a regular. Too bad.

[Terese]

8 minutes ago, KittenPokerCheater said:

For some reason I thought the character was supposed to join the cast a regular. Too bad.

I don't know. Gun trafficking carries a minimum of 25 years. Additional charges of shooting at the agents etc.  I would think they would have either had him an informant, or involved in a far more sympathetic crime to be a returning character. 

[Katy M]

9 hours ago, Terese said:

I don't know. Gun trafficking carries a minimum of 25 years. Additional charges of shooting at the agents etc.  I would think they would have either had him an informant, or involved in a far more sympathetic crime to be a returning character. 

Maybe it will turn out he's deep undercover with a federal agency.

[Raja]

9 hours ago, Terese said:

I don't know. Gun trafficking carries a minimum of 25 years. Additional charges of shooting at the agents etc.  I would think they would have either had him an informant, or involved in a far more sympathetic crime to be a returning character. 

 

9 minutes ago, Katy M said:

Maybe it will turn out he's deep undercover with a federal agency.

Respect.

Third Watch fan? When TPTB love a character they find a way.

[Terese]

17 minutes ago, Katy M said:

Maybe it will turn out he's deep undercover with a federal agency.

When he left the note on the Mustang, Codell said that he knew where Hoyt was. When Micki asked how do you know, he responded that he just knows and to trust him. Then there was the little nod between them during the arrest. So...maybe.

[Bobcatkitten]

Some weird plot holes I'm having trouble with. I mean Walker recognized Hoyt immediately in the video and Micki tracked her truck to their house where Hoyt was but they were all like, "too bad we don't have enough evidence to arrest him." What huh? 

And in the last scene with the Mom - why was she being so bitchy to the father? He didn't do anything. Hoyt got his own ass arrested. I didn't understand the Mom's attachment to Hoyt.

[Katy M]

19 minutes ago, Bobcatkitten said:

Some weird plot holes I'm having trouble with. I mean Walker recognized Hoyt immediately in the video and Micki tracked her truck to their house where Hoyt was but they were all like, "too bad we don't have enough evidence to arrest him." What huh? 

Were they able to see the face in the video, or did Walker just recognize the "moves."  But, yeah, maybe don't drive a stolen truck straight to a cop's house, because how else did it get there?  Fingerprints inside?  And, why wouldn't he have called Micki to tell her where her truck was?

 

[ukgirl71]

Walker made a comment to Hoyt along the lines of “you did your victory dance”, so that’s what gave him away.

[Terese]

4 hours ago, Bobcatkitten said:

Some weird plot holes I'm having trouble with. I mean Walker recognized Hoyt immediately in the video and Micki tracked her truck to their house where Hoyt was but they were all like, "too bad we don't have enough evidence to arrest him." What huh? 

And in the last scene with the Mom - why was she being so bitchy to the father? He didn't do anything. Hoyt got his own ass arrested. I didn't understand the Mom's attachment to Hoyt.

I think it was explained that Hoyt's face wasn't on camera and that he had cleaned the car leaving no trace of himself. They knew it was him; but, not the kind of proof for court and conviction.

I don't care for the mom, so far. She's controlling and dismissive. May be the underlying reason for Cordell's difficulties.

[Featherhat]

So I got around to watching this and I enjoyed it. It probably was the best one so far and I was more interested in the case this week because of Matt Barr even though it's still only a tiny percentage of each episode. 

I feel like we actually got to see a bit more of the true Cordell Walker this week as his family weren't quite so up his grill about things and he has some measure of closure over Emily's death (for now). However, I know it's Matt Barr and he's hella charismatic but Walker attempting to convince himself he was following intel was a pretty weak thread. I know he was proved right in the end but I was annoyed at half the episode for going "he's definitely guilty but...." That said if he saved one of her sons' lives I can see why Abilene might have a blind spot. 

Micki's still my favourite. I really enjoy her partner chem with JP and they work well together and like each other, which is a relief, no big man child vs straight laced, uptight "shew" so far. I really enjoyed her an Bonham's brief moment in the barn. It looks like he could use the company this ep as well. James seemed to be less uptight about being by the book this ep, essentially shrugging "it's just Walker and Hoyt" and telling Micki to deal with it. 

Liam and his fiance were cute with their scene together. Liam was less of a pain this ep but I did wonder if there was some left over apportioning blame in "it's your dad's call not mine". That said I was glad that the family have acknowledged that Cordell has an actual job and isn't on benders every time he can't pick up his kids and he picked up two drunk teens without a big issue. 

Stella's storyline was heavy handed with both Hoyt and Micki's "friend" Garrison providing the cautionary tale. That said, working off the fine and community service might well provide some storylines channel her pain into something productive and help her understand her dad. Maybe. August continues on his trying to be perfect but also about to explode path, it's leaking out of him now. Great break dancing though. 

Hmm, Bonham and Abilene are going through a rough patch. It's good if it gives MP something to chew on but also I don't really care that much so far. 

I like Odette Anabel and I'm glad she has a new gig but I still kind of wonder what the point of Geri is. It still feels a little like someone went "oh, wait we need an age appropriate attractive 30 something to play pseudo love interest to everyone because we're not saddling Micki with that!" 

They in no way made JP and GP look 16 years younger than they are now. Everyone has access to SPN guys, we know what they looked like. I can provide evidence going back to Rory Gilmore's first crush. But holy irresponsible parenting. You try to make your nest egg by gambling against a known cheater! 

[Katy M]

15 minutes ago, Featherhat said:

hey in no way made JP and GP look 16 years younger than they are now. Everyone has access to SPN guys, we know what they looked like. I can provide evidence going back to Rory Gilmore's first crush. But holy irresponsible parenting. You try to make your nest egg by gambling against a known cheater! 

That was probably the most ridiculous part of the episode. I don't care how young they were supposed to be.  Selling the car would have made more sense.  Emily was pretty much like "there's a small possibility he won't cheat so this makes total sense."  Yeah, sure it does.  If they (the writers) wanted to get the car into Hoyt's hands so that he could return it, they could have sold it to him, he could have stolen it (either known or unbeknownst to them), or at the very least they could have been unaware at that point that he was a cheater.  I still don't like the idea of gambling your only asset (per Emily).  

 

[Terese]

2 hours ago, Katy M said:

That was probably the most ridiculous part of the episode. I don't care how young they were supposed to be.  Selling the car would have made more sense.  Emily was pretty much like "there's a small possibility he won't cheat so this makes total sense."  Yeah, sure it does.  If they (the writers) wanted to get the car into Hoyt's hands so that he could return it, they could have sold it to him, he could have stolen it (either known or unbeknownst to them), or at the very least they could have been unaware at that point that he was a cheater.  I still don't like the idea of gambling your only asset (per Emily).  

 

This may be a reach...it could be Emily is being established as that kind of incautious free spirit "bubble" rather than bobble head? A risk taker with a big heart, though naive? Something out of the ordinary culminated in her murder. Trusting the wrong person(s)?

[Hana Chan]

Have to give the show some credit for their use of Fleetwood Mac's "Tusk" for the big fight scene. Besides it being a total bop with that great drumbeat (and how it builds tension), the lyrics perfectly document Cordell's problems with his kids.

Quote

Why don't you ask him if he's going to stay?
Why don't you ask him if he's going away?
Why don't you tell me what's going on?
Why don't you tell me who's on the phone?
Why don't you ask me what's going wrong?
Why don' you ask him who's latest on his throne?

Don't tell me that you love me
Just tell me that you want me

The kid know that their father loves them. What they need to know is that he actually wants to be there in their lives. They need to know that he's there because he genuinely wants to be and not out of a sense of obligation.

That was a subtle but telling reflection of everything that's going on in Cordell's life at the moment. Nice touch, show!

[ctlady]

On 2/8/2021 at 5:06 PM, Terese said:

I don't care for the mom, so far. She's controlling and dismissive.

I don't either.  Her passive-aggressiveness in that last scene with her husband made me want to punch her.  And Hoyt referring to her as 'AbbyBear' was creepy.  That's more of a father/daughter type endearment - not coming from a guy young enough to be your son.  Ick.

So here's a tip to all future illegal arms dealers - when you're doing an exchange in a warehouse/hangar (wherever) CLOSE THE OVERHEAD DOORS!  And wouldn't you think that the guys buying the guns at least have high grade weaponry  rather than hand pistols for defense?

The entire Hoyt storyline was boring and just plain contrived.  What was the point of introducing him ?

[Terese]

9 hours ago, ctlady said:

I don't either.  Her passive-aggressiveness in that last scene with her husband made me want to punch her.  And Hoyt referring to her as 'AbbyBear' was creepy.  That's more of a father/daughter type endearment - not coming from a guy young enough to be your son.  Ick.

So here's a tip to all future illegal arms dealers - when you're doing an exchange in a warehouse/hangar (wherever) CLOSE THE OVERHEAD DOORS!  And wouldn't you think that the guys buying the guns at least have high grade weaponry  rather than hand pistols for defense?

The entire Hoyt storyline was boring and just plain contrived.  What was the point of introducing him ?

You nailed it. Hoyt...yeah. Supposed to be roguish and charming. I found him obnoxious. This is further compounded by my dislike for Abilene. I thought he may be working undercover, which could have been more interesting. But, no; just some annoying childhood friend, who cheats his friends, and is adored by an otherwise rude, cold passive-aggressive.