But Cordell's thing is jumping in with his whole body, barely looking, because of his feelings in a moment. Things bomb with Twyla because she doesn't want commitment and marriage and counting the days they're together and messing up his family, she wants those moments when she has him. Geri is similar in that she had a guaranteed thing with Hoyt when he was there, but they both had their freedom. I don't think it would be stable with him there all the time. He would get the urge to fly for a bit, and Geri would feel overwhelmed by his attention and intensity. Cordell has a different flightiness (drop everything for the job), and a different intensity (hardcore commitment rather than hopeless drifter romantic), but is absent while being there.
It should've never worked with Cordri. (Well, and imo it DIDN'T, but I feel like that wasn't the intention lol) It doesn't make sensssse.
This is a memorable episode, and it’s taken me awhile to get around to writing my thoughts about it (after watching it three times). For me, this is the best episode of the season so far. I loved the undercover aspect of this one. I’m hoping there’s more of this in the future. I am dying to know what happened during those times Walker “went dark”. I hope we get flashbacks of this to explain some things and give us more insight into him.
What else did he do besides ride bulls in a rodeo? (I so wanted to see that). I enjoyed seeing Jared become another character. Duke isn’t Walker, and Walker isn’t Sam. This is the silver lining to the end of SPN for me. It’s interesting to see what Jared can do as an actor with other characters (but I will love Sam Winchester until my dying day). I’m also looking forward to seeing what Jensen does with Soldier Boy.
I know everybody has seen the comments and the pictures. Duke is sexy as all hell. So, why no sex? That’s the big question. Twyla Jean is an absolute mystery. What was the exact nature of their relationship? They did have sex. That’s pretty clear.
The way she dragged him into that motel and had half his clothes off in under three seconds is the behavior of a woman looking for some reunion sex. And was that scene ever hot! I have a new bandana around the wrist kink.
After a few glorious seconds, in which we get to objectify Jared, he stops her saying, “We can’t do this.” His reason? They shouldn’t be seen together. So, what does he do? He takes her to a bar-in public. WTH?
While I was trying to figure this out, I thought “Maybe the bar isn’t in Austin.” But then when I watched it a third time, it seemed more like “No, this bar’s in Austin.” So, I’m totally confused about that one.
Walker has some complicated emotions about Twyla Jean. Oh, how I want to know more about the time he spent undercover! Did he actually have any real feelings for her, or was it all pretend the way he told August?
He’s not interested in having sex with Twyla in that motel, I mean the Texas Rangers and the FBI are watching, or is he? When he had sex with her undercover, was it just part of his job? Did he have to be that convincing as a rodeo cowboy, somebody he wasn’t, that it required having sex with this woman?
Maybe he enjoyed it and started having feelings for her which made him feel guilty because Emily was dead, and it was somehow dishonoring her memory? The scene where Duke is talking to Twyla on the bleachers gives me the feeling it’s genuine, or at least he wants to feel something for her because he opens up to her about “losing someone.” It could be he misses the emotional intimacy.
Does she actually care about him? The way she argues with him over the money like she doesn’t trust him makes me take pause. Then later when she’s dancing with him with a gun pressed into his side makes me think “How much can she really care about him?” It could be she wanted to care about him but knew it was pointless because “There’s something behind those eyes that’s never quite going to let me in.”
That thing could be his whole identity is fake., so anything they have is built on a lie. It could be he’s still in love with his dead wife, so he can’t truly feel anything for her. It might be a combination of both.
The complexity of this whole storyline fascinates me. Liam says, “Cordell hated who he had to become as Duke.” And it looked to me like Walker was on the verge of a panic attack every time he ducked his head in a sink full of water. That broke my heart.
Add into this extreme level of stress Cordell is experiencing that August just can’t stay out of it. Goaded by Ruby, he follows his father and gets right in the middle of his undercover job. There’s something about this Ruby girl that has annoyed me from the start, and this didn’t help her case.
Cordell ends up yelling at August to get him out of this dangerous situation he’s put himself in. This is after his son calls him a “fake cowboy badass”. I know the kid is traumatized, but there are limits. Cordell deserves a Gather of the Year medal when he’s the one who apologizes to August later for that scene.
Walker even refers to August when he has the idea to “kill” Duke by saying “let’s give my boy what he wants.” This happens in a staged shootout where Duke pulls a gun on the FBI. An agent “shoots” him, and he falls into a swimming pool.
The English major in me has to talk about all the submersion symbolism in this episode. The first thing that comes to my mind when I think water and symbolism is emotion. Cordell is clearly overwhelmed by confused and churning emotions.
The next meaning is the baptismal one or the cleansing and washing away of sins. Cordell definitely feels the burden of them, but we still don’t know what they are. Again, what did he do undercover? Does he feel he has failed as a father? Does he think he failed as a husband because he should have “protected” Emily? I feel like we’ve only gotten a small glimpse inside of him, same with Twyla. We very well may not have seen the last of her. If not her, other people Walker knew while he was undercover will be brought into the story.
At the end when he falls into the pool “dead” then rises back up, it is his symbolic resurrection. The question is “What is this new life he’s being born into?” I think this is tied to the conversation Stella has with her new soccer coach, Trey. She tells him she played soccer while her dad was gone because she thought it would bring him back. Her father went to all her mother’s college games, so she thought by playing soccer it would bring him to her too.
In a notable conversation, Trey tells Stella she has to decide who she’s playing for. Is she playing for herself or her dad? I think there’s a definite correlation to Cordell here. Why is he doing what he’s doing? Is he trying to prove something to someone? Is he trying to atone for Emily’s death because he somehow feels responsible?
The most extreme thing he’s done is go undercover. Why? Why so soon after his wife’s death? Cordell has secrets, secrets we don’t know yet.
I didn’t tag anyone in this because I don’t know who would be interested in this sort of thing. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode. If you want to be tagged in these reaction/analysis posts let me know.
Watched the new Walker first thing today. Basically I was mentally yelling at everybody except Mawline this ep.
* I'm really glad to see mawline angry with bonham for telling cordell to move out, cuz wtf. She TOLD him to live there. What about family? I hate when families leave the homestead for no goddamn reason. I hated it on og Charmed and I'll hate it here if they push it through. Bonham needs smacked upside the head.
* why the fuck is cordell so goddamn trusting? This drives me crazy so often but especially rn wtf. She's a REPORTER, Cordi. Can you keep some shit close to the chest? Why is *she* trustworthy???
* there had better be something undercover going on with this trey situation or I'm gonna start BITING after all that "this is where you're supposed to be" (also the whole "had to fight hard for this so don't blow it" and the fact a new black ranger is the one to lose his job on his first fucking dps hearing ever). But im not sure, this could be for real real. Trey did get warned twice about following the orders he was actually given and following CHAIN OF COMMAND
* Liam, you are a lawyer, why do you seem so fucking stupid about legally binding decisions lately?? You're gonna ruin stella's life making her sign on as partner at 18 when you didn't even figure this shit out before getting the fucking charity label!!
* Stella, you need to talk to some DIFFERENT ADULTS ASAP
* i am sus af of julia and kevin
* julia is either in on something or just plain reckless and gonna get cordi in big trouble
* actual "romance" storylines (people becoming couples or shippy and the dynamic changing, rather than building up unspoken tension) really squick me out, and i wasn't fully aware HOW MUCH lately because spn (and merlin, to some degree) catered directly to me. Or maybe the quickness and lack of buildup is the real issue for me. I have no feelings there. It feels like when kids would couple up on recess in elementary school. kevin/cassie was fine cuz I'm sus of him, but im really glad she put her foot down this ep. Stella/colton was cute until it happened. I saw comments about cordell/julia somewhere and gagged cuz it's a possibility with this show! She's pretty, but i don't care!! That's not what i require to care. Meh. At least she's not Geri. I will never get my cordri feelings back because they opened the oven too soon and the souffle of tension deflated so much it sunk in and made a hole
* I'm sus of the whole damn squad and im even sus cordell's mentor isn't dead
* i would really appreciate it if cassie would stop talking rangers into problematic decisions. she doesn't have to stop trying, but it's getting frustrating that NO ONE has conviction to follow orders they've been given for a reason
* idr what else i was gonna say. I need the next ep right now.
