Walker - End This Way - Review: Family Don't End With Blood!

In hindsight, one might say that perhaps Capt. James giving voice to everyone's thoughts at the very end of the episode, "where's Walker?" would make for a more apt description, but for that question to be answered, we first have to get through the Stella storyline - which gets wrapped up once and for all - paving the way for the last three episodes of the season to zero in our focus on the Jackal investigation? It sure does look like that, based on the ending we got! But first, let's circle back to what we're calling, "The Case of Ophelia Rawlins' Necklace!" (Oh that would make for a good Walker tie-in novel wouldn't it?) 

Last week's episode ended with Stella making a run for it once she figured out where exactly Hoyt had stashed the necklace, leaving Augie to deal with Liam and Geri, the former of who was pretty much a stand-in for the audience; whether it was pointing out their reckless behavior or not realizing that they have a literal Ranger, a lawyer (and Abeline Walker!) in their family, which doesn't even include their extended family members. Liam's frustrations were very much what everyone needed to hear and see - because nothing that Stella and August did was in any way justified. Not to mention that within five minutes of Augie spilling the beans about everything, Bonham and Abby were looped in as well! It would have taken a lot longer to say "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" if you ask me. Practically five minutes after that, they had backup as well when Capt. James showed up to the house with Trey. And that's what this episode does highlight, multiple times; whether it's Sadie and Abby talking about how Hoyt had a family in the Walker's, Trey and James being pseudo-uncle's who dropped everything to help with the search-and-rescue, Liam being more of a second father to Stella, "Walker" is a show that's always been about family - found and forged.

"End This Way" - WALKER: Pictured (L-R): Keegan Allen as Liam Walker, Mitch Pileggi
as Bonham Walker, Molly Hagan as Abeline Walker, Odette Annable as Geri Broussard,
Kale Culley as August Walker: Rebecca Brenneman/The CW© 2024. All Rights
Reserved.

Two characters who, despite all of the mistakes and frustrating actions, have managed to form a strong bond of trust and friendship similar to their own father's relationship but unique in their own way are Sadie and Stella. They both do mirror Hoyt and Walker very much in their behavior and personalities, and at the end of it all, they do have each other's backs; even when it's something as silly as Stella's signal for them to try and escape from Joanna's clutches being the actual word "signal!" - if it gets the job done, I guess it works? I want to take a quick minute to highlight Saylor Bell Curda in last night's episode though - I may have talked about Augie in previous reviews about being an MVP for those respective episodes, but that title passes on to Sadie for this one. Saylor's embodiment of Sadie not just being "Hoyt's daughter through and through" but also a young teenage girl searching for a family of her own and finding it with the Walker-Broussard clan and doing the right thing in returning her heirloom to the museum where it belongs, was absolutely wonderful to see. Not to mention, whoever writes her lines deserves a special shout-out! Her speech in the car when she and Stella were kidnapped by Joanna about "normal grandparents" vs. "America's Next Psycho" were flawlessly delivered! 

Not to mention, the complete opposite scene where Sadie and Joanna talk about Hoyt and how he found a place where he belonged with the Walker clan was very emotional; it was true when Joanna said that neither one of them knew Hoyt, but Abby did. If there's a standout moment and performance in the entire episode, it goes to Molly Hagan for sure. Hell hath no fury like a grandmother scorned! Abeline Walker is protective of her own and will not hesitate leave her family behind to show up on Joanna's doorstep with a rifle in hand! But it was her scene at the end when she talks about how she raised Hoyt and gave him a mother's love that Joanna couldn't and didn't, which moved me to tears! (Who else misses Hoyt's and Abby's scenes?) In the end, the necklace was always with Stella all along and everything else was just... a very long and not-very elaborate plan to... get Joanna and her co-conspirator arrested? It would have worked better if Stella had talked to anyone about this, but let's just be thankful that the story has wrapped up once and for all. 

"End This Way" - WALKER: Pictured (L-R): Justin Johnson Cortez as David Luna,
Ashley Reyes as Cassie Perez, Coby Bell as Larry James: Rebecca Brenneman/
The CW© 2024. All Rights Reserved.

So, where exactly was Walker in the midst of all this? We do see him briefly at the start of the episode when Geri calls him to vaguely mention that Stella has run away without going into too much detail; something that does get him to stop his obsession over finding the Jackal, long enough to at least make it out the door to try and find her! After that though, there more of a focus on Cassie and Luna, who are a breath of fresh air I have to say! I just like the fact that in between all the head-shaking and heavy-sighing over Stella's actions all season long and dealing with the darkness of this serial killer case, getting to see the lighthearted moments between these two has been a delight! The scene at Cassie's place when Luna does a "bit" to try and take her mind off of meeting his best friend - talk about taking things to the next level - was really cute! 

But of course, that meeting does not go the way anyone would have guessed, or did you? I wasn't completely surprised that "Ed" turned out to be more of a douche than someone Cassie could get along with, and yet! Luna dropping the "I love her!" was a little on the unexpected side - pleasantly unexpected though. Not to mention, him leaving Ed in the dust to pick up the tab while he went with Cassie to help find Stella, see now that is a man worth holding onto Perez! And even when the conversation was redirected back to his confession, it felt nothing but sincere and genuine on Luna's part; he's fallen for Cassie and though she hasn't said the three words back to him, I know that they're building up to a more emotionally charged moment for her in the future! A hopeless romantic such as myself can hope! When Walker is a no-show at Lady Bird Lake, the pair regroup with James and the others, leading everyone to the realization that although they spoke to Cordell once and left him messages, they never received any replies! Uh-oh!

"End This Way" - WALKER: Pictured: Coby Bell as Larry James:
Rebecca Brenneman/The CW© 2024. All Rights Reserved.

So where is Cordell exactly? At home with his kids and Emily?!?!?! (Genevieve Padalecki where are you?) Noooooo, he is in fact, in the clutches of the Jackal himself - who is pureeing rotten fruit (ew) and injecting digoxin into Cordell to keep him trapped! If the plan was to offer himself up as bait in an attempt to get the jump on the ever-elusive Jackal, it looks like Walker's plan worked... until it didn't. And I guess it doesn't take a genius to put two and two together to also realize that Cordell fits the bill for the Jackal's victims, at least in the latter's twisted mind about going after careless parents - it looks like we're in for a doozy of three episodes and a more intense search-and-rescue mission now!

Raise your hands if you're over the moon that the Stella storyline is finished once and for all! Who here thinks we need a hype-man the way Luna is for Cassie? (complete with dimples!) Are we going to be using "exciteh-vous" or "ner-vited" from now on? And how angry were you that Stella burned Hoyt's letter to Geri? Badass or not, it was completely uncalled for! At least there was the one letter she didn't touch when she found the necklace - and that reference to "a dear friend" is from WIndy's Abby Walker to WIndy's Hoyt Rawlins, yes or yes?

Anjali S

Anjali is a reviewer for SpoilerTV - her favorite shows include 911, Walker, The Rookie, Supernatural, Doctor Who! When she's not watching tv, she spends her free time reading and writing. She is a newly published author; her first book was released in March 2024 and she hopes to keep writing more!