S01.E04: Don’t Fence Me In

[jewel21]

Quote

Micki is uncomfortable with the spotlight Captain James puts on her during a current investigation. Walker talks to Liam about their parents and learns there was trouble while he was away. Trey applies for a new job in town while Stella starts community service and August stumbles upon some secrets from his father's time away undercover.

Airdate: 02/11/2021

[Katy M]

I have a small tv.  What did the text or whatever Walker was looking at say at the end?

[paulvdb]

3 hours ago, Katy M said:

I have a small tv.  What did the text or whatever Walker was looking at say at the end?

"Duke Culpepper, are you fresh out of jail? Just got to Jarrow Motel. Get down here. Urgent."

[thuganomics85]

Certainly won't complain about a Micki-centric episode!  While they are still only really skirted her dilemma over being a Latina woman in a white male dominated field (that go after a lot of Hispanic suspects), I think it's an intriguing enough of a story, and Lindsey Morgan is certainly elevating things with her performance.  And I think they did a good job with Walker being a supportive partner, but still being willing to question and challenge things, if something doesn't add up to him.  Really digging this duo.  And, once again, I continue to be completely charmed by the Micki/Trey couple.  I really hope nothing happens to them!

Heh, should have known that Stella's community service would lead to her getting her own love interest!  He seems like a decent fellow at least, so let us hope he stays that way, because it would be nice for Stella to have a simple teenage romance.

So, Abeline and Bonham's issues where bad enough that she had an affair of some kind with a mysterious man.  I wonder how this is all going to play out.

Not much of Bonham in this one, but I did love when Abeline told him to ask Walker something and was clearly wanting him to leave and talk to him, he simply yelled Walker's name and tried to have the conversation that way.  Yeah, Bonham definitely strikes me as that kind of guy.  Mitch Pileggi really nails down that type of "dad" character.

Looks like they're going back to making Emily's death suspicious thanks to that moment with Liam realizing that James/the captain requested the footage for mysterious reasons.  It's still too early to say if he will actually be involved, but I suspect he is keeping something from Walker (and maybe everyone else.)

Walker's double-take over the victim's daughter winking/flirting with him was extra hilarious to me, because from a meta perspective, I was seeing it as Jared Padalecki being surprised that he's playing the character that gets hit on for once.  Because I'm about three seasons into my Supernatural binge and it feels like nine times out of ten, it's usually Dean that flirts with the female guest characters, while Sam is off to the side shaking his head and rolling his eyes.  It's all new for him! 

I guess they are going to be delving into Walker's undercover work next week.  According to the caller ID, the woman's name was Twyla and it's probably safe to assume she isn't going to be anything like Twyla from Schitt's Creek!

[Terese]

I really enjoyed this episode. I found the case better developed and held my interest.

I liked the mom better. Yay! 

The relationship with Cordell and Micki is growing and I like the easy jestful banter and the sense of partnership. The "my middle name is...just kidding... it's...what's yours?" made me laugh.

What did the letter say that Cordell read?

Edited February 12, 2021 by Terese

[Terese]

1 hour ago, thuganomics85 said:

Certainly won't complain about a Micki-centric episode!  While they are still only really skirted her dilemma over being a Latina woman in a white male dominated field (that go after a lot of Hispanic suspects), I think it's an intriguing enough of a story, and Lindsey Morgan is certainly elevating things with her performance.  And I think they did a good job with Walker being a supportive partner, but still being willing to question and challenge things, if something doesn't add up to him.  Really digging this duo.  And, once again, I continue to be completely charmed by the Micki/Trey couple.  I really hope nothing happens to them!

Heh, should have known that Stella's community service would lead to her getting her own love interest!  He seems like a decent fellow at least, so let us hope he stays that way, because it would be nice for Stella to have a simple teenage romance.

So, Abeline and Bonham's issues where bad enough that she had an affair of some kind with a mysterious man.  I wonder how this is all going to play out.

Not much of Bonham in this one, but I did love when Abeline told him to ask Walker something and was clearly wanting him to leave and talk to him, he simply yelled Walker's name and tried to have the conversation that way.  Yeah, Bonham definitely strikes me as that kind of guy.  Mitch Pileggi really nails down that type of "dad" character.

Looks like they're going back to making Emily's death suspicious thanks to that moment with Liam realizing that James/the captain requested the footage for mysterious reasons.  It's still too early to say if he will actually be involved, but I suspect he is keeping something from Walker (and maybe everyone else.)

Walker's double-take over the victim's daughter winking/flirting with him was extra hilarious to me, because from a meta perspective, I was seeing it as Jared Padalecki being surprised that he's playing the character that gets hit on for once.  Because I'm about three seasons into my Supernatural binge and it feels like nine times out of ten, it's usually Dean that flirts with the female guest characters, while Sam is off to the side shaking his head and rolling his eyes.  It's all new for him! 

I guess they are going to be delving into Walker's undercover work next week.  According to the caller ID, the woman's name was Twyla and it's probably safe to assume she isn't going to be anything like Twyla from Schitt's Creek!

I hope whatever James is doing is as a friend, a trusted colleague. I'm beginning to like him and his role as a supportive captain.

[Terese]

6 hours ago, Katy M said:

I have a small tv.  What did the text or whatever Walker was looking at say at the end?

There is a message from someone that says, "Hey Twyla."

Then a response, "Duke Culpepper, are you fresh out of jail? Just got to Jorrow Motel. Get down here. Urgent."

[Wynne88]

I want to like this show.  I really, really do.  But -

I wish they wouldn't feel obligated to have every character do something in every episode.  Bouncing from Micki and Trey, to Stella and the stable guy, and August and the camera, and Abilene and the letters, and Liam and the Emily case, etc. is frustrating.  If a storyline matters, then it should be given the majority of the hour, with perhaps one other storyline that intersects somehow getting the rest.  What they're doing keeps EVERY storyline superficial.  The only real through-line was Micki's middle name.  Really? Because that's so important?

I still had a hard time understanding some of the lines in this episode.  They've toned down the music, thank goodness, but maybe my ears just aren't tuned to the Texas accent.

In my opinion, the absolute best acting Jared did in Supernatural was when he played evil Sam (like in Born Under a Bad Sign, which he did superbly) and soulless Sam.  Walker started off a man who was so tortured by the death of his wife (11 months previously) that he couldn't even stand to face his family and couldn't quite find his place with them when he did.  Four episodes later, except for one line, he's apparently all over that.  Now he just has breakout moments of being a jerk like when he grabbed the car radio microphone out of Micki's hand and when he called her boyfriend to get information about her when she didn't want to share.  Otherwise, he's pretty unmemorable.

Some of the action reads like something straight out of a young teen novel, like Stella wanting to jump on the horse to chase after the escaped mare, and the stable manager letting her do it without any firsthand knowledge of her capabilities.  The whole thing seemed like a waste of minutes.  

I'll keep watching awhile longer in the hope that things get better, but the current format just isn't working for me.

[Hana Chan]

It would be so easy for a show like this to get bogged down with the "case of the week" format, which has been done to death on numerous other shows (as much as I love Chris Meloni, do we need another L&O series?). Walker's greatest strength is its characters and the personal relationships. There is no one in the main cast that I'm not interested in learned more about and wanting to see how their relationships evolve.

That isn't to say that this week's case was a waste of time. I always enjoy it when things aren't so straight forward and it still boils down to personal relationships. Have to say that giving your cheating wife a corpse flower was some pretty masterful shade. 

I liked how Micki's personal situation played into everything. It's always difficult to be a trail blazer and she's going to find herself in difficult positions at time when she needs to police a community that (to a degree) is going to see her as some kind of traitor. The show did a great job looking into some of the things that drew her to her career why she feels that being in law enforcement is so valuable. I totally get her disliking being trotted out as the Ranger's brand new token Mexican-American Ranger, but Trey gave her some good advice. She can't make the kind of changes that she wants, both for the law enforcement and ethnic communities if she isn't willing to play the game and use the publicity that's being handed to her.

And I love how she and Cordell get along. It's refreshing to have neither one of them totally stuck in either the joker or straight man roles and they provide some nice balance. Cordell trusting Micki's instincts because he respected and trusted his partner (even when she had nothing more than a gut instinct) shows how strong their partnership is even at this early stage. And I had to laugh at Cordell going to Trey to get some intelligence so he can understand her a bit better. As for Trey... this show has way too much pretty for its own good.

Good on Cordell for keeping what's happening with Isabelle's family on his radar (and Liam for offering help). This is a complex issue and the show is handling it well so far. I know that it's going to offend some on the political spectrum but painting this family as sympathetic and law abiding (outside of their undocumented status), now in serious danger because their daughter did a stupid teenager thing shows just how precarious their lives are. I'm glad that Cordell's interest in their case wasn't just a throwaway line to make him look good. He really does care and sees them being in legal jeopardy as an injustice. 

Some interesting family stuff going on. Liam was less of an ass this time around (helping Isabelle's family as much as he could). And interesting that there are some serious marital problems between Bonham and Abby. Have to seriously side-eye her keeping the letters from her lover if this was really all in the past as she claimed. August stumbling on things from his father's undercover job was bound to happen and seems to have opened up a big can of worms. As for Stella... as a horse-crazy teen who mucked stalls at my local barn in order to earn saddle time, her community service hardly seems like a punishment to me! Especially with the hottie who worked there.

This show seems to be the kind that is a long, slow burn. Good at first, but then just keeps getting better and deeper. I'm not gonna lie.. I'm hooked.

[wlk68]

It was nice to learn more about Micki. Stella's new potential love interest was too much of a cliche for me. Kind of had me rolling my eyes. I liked the scene between Abeline and Walker. Their conversation about her "special friend" and him missing Emily.  I also liked the scene between Walker and August where they talk about the photo August had developed. REALLY wish August hadn't fiddled with the phone but did anyone else notice that when he was scrolling through the contacts one of them was Winchester Auto? 😉 

 

[Casseiopeia]

48 minutes ago, wlk68 said:

It was nice to learn more about Micki. Stella's new potential love interest was too much of a cliche for me. Kind of had me rolling my eyes. I liked the scene between Abeline and Walker. Their conversation about her "special friend" and him missing Emily.  I also liked the scene between Walker and August where they talk about the photo August had developed. REALLY wish August hadn't fiddled with the phone but did anyone else notice that when he was scrolling through the contacts one of them was Winchester Auto? 😉 

 

Winchester Auto trended for awhile last night.

http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/2021-Feb-11-THU-Fast-Demo.png

Looks like the show might settle at .2. Still good viewing numbers for CW.

Edited February 12, 2021 by Casseiopeia

[Hana Chan]

Am I the only one who gets worried every time Cordell has to walk through a door. He's going to get clocked one of these days if he's not careful!

Tall man is very tall and normal houses are not designed with Giant Jared/Cordell in mind.

[Hana Chan]

15 minutes ago, Casseiopeia said:

Winchester Auto trended for awhile last night.

http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/2021-Feb-11-THU-Fast-Demo.png

Looks like the show might settle at .2. Still good viewing numbers for CW.

That was a cute little Easter egg for the fans. I'm sure they'll also do a call back to The 100 too at some point.

[tennisgurl]

I thought this was the first mystery of the week that I was really interested in, I was actually surprised that the almost retired legendary cop was in on it. I figured he would just be too old school to listen to Mickie and possibly a bit racist, but him being actually in on the murder was not what I was expecting. The spoiled family were fun in their brief scenes, especially the daughter hitting on Walker while he is absolutely baffled by her obvious flirting, and the ridiculously extra pettiness of the husband sending his cheating wife a corpse flower to ask for a divorce. I can get behind that. 

Love getting a Mickie episode, they have continued to dig into her conflicting feelings about being a Hispanic woman in the Texas Rangers in interesting ways, and she is just a really likable and interesting character. Its great seeing Lindsey Morgan in something where she can smile a bit more! And she and her boyfriend continue to get sweet as sugar. I am guessing we will get even deeper into her conflict about feeling like a token while also being happy being a trailblazer for women of color who is trying to make the system more fair, because there is a lot to dig into there. I am guessing we will meet her mom about midway through the season, and its will be super awkward. I am also really liking the growing bond between her and Walker, they have fun banter and you can see them growing to trust each other more as they get to know each other better. I mean, now Walker knows her middle name, they are making some real progress. I also like how they don't really fall into any stereotypical cop partner dynamics, exactly, and even when they disagree, its out of a place of respect without a lot of needless conflicts. 

"Off the book is my middle name...actually its Beauregard, what's yours?"  

The family dynamics continue to be the shows highlight, especially now that we know that Abeline apparently had some kind of affair. I can certainly understand her not wanting to talk to her son about this, but when did this happen? Does Walkers dad know? I can definitely see him being the kind of older guy who never wants to talk about problems, so he might know and its just this awkward thing between them that is never discussed. Also nice to see Liam and Walker getting along better, and I am glad that they are trying to help Belle's family out as much as they can and that their plot hasn't been forgotten. The scene between Walker and August was probably my favorite part of the episode, it was very sweet and very real, and I am glad that the two of them had a scene just the two of them, as Stella tends to suck up a lot of attention with her teenage rebellion. I am liking Stella more though, its nice that she really wants to help her friend and really does feel bad about them getting into trouble, leading to all of this, and while her romance with the farm guy isn't exactly riveting, its harmless enough. 

Should be interesting exploring more of Walkers time undercover, especially with Twyla back in town...

[ukgirl71]

I enjoyed the case - good depth, and interesting twists, but I still prefer the family moments more.  I liked seeing the brothers not being antagonistic with each other, and colour me intrigued as to why Liam’s looking into Emily’s death now.  To be honest, I wish they’d ditch the storyline with Stella’s friend and her parents - it’s already boring me and just seems in there to tick an issue box.  The look on Walker’s face when he realised August had thrown him back into his undercover life 😬  I’m loving the development of Micki and Walker’s partnership.  And Micki and Trey - total relationship goals 😍

[Terese]

1 hour ago, ukgirl71 said:

I enjoyed the case - good depth, and interesting twists, but I still prefer the family moments more.  I liked seeing the brothers not being antagonistic with each other, and colour me intrigued as to why Liam’s looking into Emily’s death now.  To be honest, I wish they’d ditch the storyline with Stella’s friend and her parents - it’s already boring me and just seems in there to tick an issue box.  The look on Walker’s face when he realised August had thrown him back into his undercover life 😬  I’m loving the development of Micki and Walker’s partnership.  And Micki and Trey - total relationship goals 😍

I do agree with all you say, especially the Stella's friend storyline. It's PC, nothing more. 

Don't hate me. I suppose Micki and Trey's relationship highlights the honeymoon stage of a budding relationship. But being super supportive and half naked, thinking only of Micki, is wearing thin. He feels more like a narrative device to fill in the blanks about Micki's childhood and middle name, than a substantial real character. He's too perfect, too supportive, too handsome, while getting the best job on the first interview, then home and waiting half-naked, in a cape.

[OzarkDD]

“Lucy, you got some ‘splaining to do,” (said in a Cuban accent). 
 

In this episode, son August’s school chum developed film that was in the deceased mother’s camera. She then printed a picture of a negative she thought were August’s parents. August grabs the pix out of the developing tray and hastily leaves the darkroom. Later in the epi, he confronts Walker asking who the woman is since it’s not his mother. Walker says it’s his partner when he was undercover. August asks why they have no pix of Walker and his mother looking equally happy as the picture seems to reflect. Walker responds that the mother was the family photographer and often wasn’t pictured. 
 

1.  So, WHO took the picture of Walker cuddling his undercover partner using deceased wife’s camera?

2.  Why would Walker not have an access code on his telephone to prevent his children/whoever from texting various names in the “contact” file?

Listen up Showrunners if you respect us as fans, do a little better with eliminating  plot holes before the show is edited. 
 

overall, digging the show. I don’t care if this Walker never throws a roundhouse kick! Apologies to Chuck!

[Grandred1]

“Lucy, you gots some ‘splaining to do!” (Said with a Cuban accent...)

So, Walker’s son, August,took a bunch of pictures using his deceased mother’s camera. Apparently there was film left in the camera and when August’s school friend developed the film, she printed a picture from the negatives that she thought was a pix of August’s parents. August takes one look at the pix, grabs it and confronts Walker later in the epi demanding to know who the woman is in the pix. Walker shares she is his partner from his recent undercover gig. August asks why there are no pix of his dad and mom hugging like the pix and Walker replies that deceased mom had been the ‘official’ family photographer and therefore took the pix of everyone else. 

wha?

So, WHO TOOK THE PIX OF WALKER CUDDLING WITH FEMALE PARTNER?

and, WHY WAS DECEASED WIFE’S CAMERA USED?

Attention SHOWRUNNERS: tighten up the plot holes. We are liking the characters but get a grip on the writers!

[Katy M]

2 hours ago, Grandred1 said:

So, WHO TOOK THE PIX OF WALKER CUDDLING WITH FEMALE PARTNER?

and, WHY WAS DECEASED WIFE’S CAMERA USED?

Attention SHOWRUNNERS: tighten up the plot holes. We are liking the characters but get a grip on the writers! 

I thought that was a different camera.  One he grabbed from the box with the phone.

[Terese]

8 hours ago, Grandred1 said:

“Lucy, you gots some ‘splaining to do!” (Said with a Cuban accent...)

So, Walker’s son, August,took a bunch of pictures using his deceased mother’s camera. Apparently there was film left in the camera and when August’s school friend developed the film, she printed a picture from the negatives that she thought was a pix of August’s parents. August takes one look at the pix, grabs it and confronts Walker later in the epi demanding to know who the woman is in the pix. Walker shares she is his partner from his recent undercover gig. August asks why there are no pix of his dad and mom hugging like the pix and Walker replies that deceased mom had been the ‘official’ family photographer and therefore took the pix of everyone else. 

wha?

So, WHO TOOK THE PIX OF WALKER CUDDLING WITH FEMALE PARTNER?

and, WHY WAS DECEASED WIFE’S CAMERA USED?

Attention SHOWRUNNERS: tighten up the plot holes. We are liking the characters but get a grip on the writers!

Interesting question. I assumed that the picture may have been one of many taken by Emily. If Walker and his partner were posing as man and wife, it is reasonable that things such as pictures would be used as props to support the ruse. I can see Emily helping with that.

[roctavia]

On 2/14/2021 at 4:18 PM, Terese said:

Interesting question. I assumed that the picture may have been one of many taken by Emily. If Walker and his partner were posing as man and wife, it is reasonable that things such as pictures would be used as props to support the ruse. I can see Emily helping with that.

I thought the undercover job was after his wife was dead. 

[Terese]

6 hours ago, roctavia said:

I thought the undercover job was after his wife was dead. 

It wasn't clear to me when this case was in time. I would think Walker would have been on several undercover cases over the years.