4x11 Review
Let's Go, Let's Go was an interesting episode with a lot of twists and turns, cryptic messaging, and a lot of social media hype. As much as I love Walker and I support Anna Fricke's foray into directing, I'm not sure this episode quite lived up to what it was trying to do. It was a fine episode that served it's purpose, but I do have some critiques. I'll try not to get too bogged down with those in this review but I will be honest. So, here we go.
I'm going to split this recap/review into two sections- one covering Cordell's dream world and one covering the real world.
Let's talk about Cordell's confusing dream world first.
This episode picks up right where the last one left off, with Emily coming down the stairs into the farmhouse kitchen to see if everyone is ready for August's graduation.
Cordell is floored by seeing her again, unable to speak initially. But we breeze past it easy enough as Cordell gets caught up in preparing for August's big day. Emily takes them back to their bedroom- noticeably different than the room he just came out of- and helps Cordell pick what he wants to wear, something that Emily treats as a big deal while Cordell is just ready to get the ball rolling.
Side note: This is the longest they've been on screen together and I absolutely love them <3 I'm glad we got this before the end.
The story continues with everyone going to the ranch house to meet up with the rest of the family. In this dreamworld, Liam is at the ranch after flying in from New York. Despite this version of Liam not having nearly as much mileage with the kids, Cordell still decides to ask him for help with Stella as he's noticed his daughter isn't really talking to him. This concern is swiftly brushed off and forgotten as the front door blows open, leading Cordell to his next odd introduction.
He steps into the blinding sunlight, mirrored by a flashlight in his face in the real world, and runs into none other than Hoyt, in from OKC with Geri and Sadie. While everyone celebrates their arrival, Cordell finds himself missing details and his attempts to get answers are rebuffed with almost flippant comments from the rest of his family.
Side note: Did anyone else feel like some of the characters were written out of character this episode? I got that feeling with Bonham especially.
The women of the Walker family get together to clean mushrooms and we get some cryptic dialogue while Cordell "catches up" with his long lost best friend. He's surprised Emily is so emotional over the day- and himself too. But Hoyt reminds him that that's what life is all about, reaching for this bog moments whether we're ready for them or not. Which he segues nicely into talking about the new event business venture he's working on with Geri and Abby.
The rest of the time spent at the ranch is filled with more cyrptic dialogue from all the characters. From Emily and Bonham cornering Cordell about retracing his steps and not taking the people around him for granted, to Hoyt telling him a somewhat unrelated story from their childhood, Cordell is confused about where exactly all this is going- and so is the audience.
Then, the moment is here. We arrive at August's graduation- which is being held at Ranger HQ. Emily, Cordell, Stella, and August walk in together and we get some more confusing dialogue as everyone but Cordell seems to be in a somber mood. As we enter the hall where the graduation is being held, we get more hints that something is wrong. Kelly is there but James is not. Abby tells Cordell he doesn't have to go up to the stage just yet. Emily tells Geri and Cordell everything will be okay. All the while, Cordell is just trying to enjoy this day with his family.
Then, the mood shifts. The graduation podium is replaced with a coffin and the white chairs are all switched out for black. And August starts delivering a eulogy that the rest of the family slowly joins in on. We're not here for August's graduation; we're here for Cordell's funeral.
Emily approaches him again as Cordell realizes what's happening. She encourages him to wake up, to go back to the world he knows, to be there for his family and make up for what he missed before it's too late. But Cordell doesn't want to go. He wants to stay here, with Emily, with Hoyt, with his family whole again. He doesn't want to go back to a world without her. And maybe they would all be better off without him, since he only ever seems to ruin things. As dirt falls on him, Emily begs him to let "us" go and just wake up.
Side note: I loved the line about there not being a universe without Emily in it. Even if she's dead, she was still there. It's perfect.
And then, he's awake, just in time to get to work.
I'm going to be honest here, I'm not a big fan of the storytelling in this section. I understand that confusion was kind of the whole point of this part of the episode, but I feel like there's a point where it's just too confusing to even make a point. I understood the main message: Cordell needs to make up for all the time he's lost with his family while obsessing over things like Emily's death and the Jackal case. His family needs him. I understand that. But in the moment, watching the episode, I was too bogged down in the cryptic dialogue and out-of-character interactions to fully get the emotions at the end. Maybe this episode just wasn't written for me, or maybe it will make more sense on a rewatch, but I really feel as if this story could've been delivered better.
Now, let's talk about the tragedy of reality:
At Ranger HQ, Jams, Trey, Cassie, and Luna discuss Cordell's disappearance. From the beginning, Cassie is convinced something is wrong, that Cordell went off on his own and got kidnapped by the Jackal. James hears her concerns but reminds them all that there could be anything happening at the moment.
Then, Trey finds on his credit card data that he booked a motel room- aka, he never went home when he was ordered to. This seems to confirm Cassie's fear that something bad likely happened to her partner. Armed with this knowledge, they decide to retrace Cordell's steps and see what they can find.
Side note: I just want to take a moment to appreciate that Cassie is angry in this episode- rightly so- and the show lets her be. It's just nice to see her feelings being validated for once.
At the motel, they find Cordell's room empty, but perfectly in tact. This gives them confidence that if Cordell was grabbed, it was outside the room, and they head to the front office to check the security cameras.
While Trey sorts through the footage, Cassie fumes at Cordell's idiocity. This isn't the first time he's run off on his own and caused trouble for everyone else and it doesn't help that she just had a conversation with him about this a few days ago. Luna is a comforting shoulder for her to lean on, assuring her that they'll find him alive.
Shortly after, they spot a mystery laundry truck blocking the camera's view of Cordell's room. Not only that, it's there on a day that they don't usually come to the motel. James orders them to track the license plate and they get moving- hopefully to let the Walker family know what's going on.
The next time we see them, they're suited up and ready to rescue Walker. Once they're armed, they clear the abandoned laundry truck and James orders them to split up and look around for clues.
During the search, Luna finds an empty grave and sends it to Cassie. He calls her to make sure she got it and assure her that they're getting closer. They got here in time to stop it happen. Cassie, excited, says she's on her way. And... she almost says something else.
Just as they hang up, Luna is attacked.
Later, Trey, James, and Cassie all find the shallow grave where Luna was. Trey and James start digging Cordell up and Cassie notices a bloodstain. She leaves them to follow it, growing more concerned as she sees more and more blood.
Then, she finds Luna dying on the ground. She rushes to his side and tries to help but.... It's too late. He's lost too much blood and all she can do is hold him in his final moments.
I've gotta be honest, I take issue with their decision to kill Luna. It just seems unnecessary and needlessly cruel to remove Cassie's Big Plot for the season right before the finale, with no room for her to really expand past this. It just seems unfair that all the other characters are getting concluding arcs in the finale except Cassie. And there was no real reason to kill him off, even if they didn't intend for Cassie/Luna to be endgame. It just seems like a setup for Cassie to have a revenge plot in the next episode, which just seems really unnecessary. Maybe they'll handle this better than I think they will, but I'm not holding my breath.
As usual, I'm left with a lot of questions following this episode. Where was Cordell being held on the gurney? Is it the same place where the Jackal has taken their other victims? How did the Jackal get the drop on Luna? How will the family react to finding out Cordell was almost taken from them? Will Cordell be able to fix the relationships he's missed out on in the next two episodes? How will Cassie handle losing Luna? Will there be time to give her plot the resolution it deserves? Will everything truly be wrapped up in time for August's graduation?
Hopefully, all this and more will get figured out next week. See y'all there!