#Walker Season 1 Episode 3 Review: Bobble Head

Called it!!

Didn’t I say that things would look up when Matt Barr brought Hoyt to town?

Hoyt made one helluva entrance on Walker Season 1 Episode 3, but his visit was far too short, like many good things.

Oh, come on!! That stripper dance was a much-needed respite from the dour Walker Season 1 we’d seen so far, and it’s great to know that Barr has not been resting on his laurels during COVID lockdowns.

It’s been a while since we’ve been treated to his shirtlessness on TV (Did they officially cancel Blood & Treasure on CBS due to this debilitating period of COVID and lockdowns??), and as you can tell, I happened to think it was worth the wait.

Everyone loves a bad boy, and we can include Cordell Walker and his mama, Abilene in that sentiment, too. Geri, Stella, and August were all thrilled to see him, too.

Bonham and Micki had to be the voices of reason to keep the rest of us from flying too high into the sky with Hoyt pipe dreams, but that allowed them to bond. Who would have guessed that would happen?

So the deal is that Hoyt and Geri were a thing and hung out with besties, Walker and Emily. They have a history all tied up in one another, so it must be particularly difficult for Walker to walk the law side of things while Hoyt tends to break it.

We didn’t get a lot of information about him, but his memory looms large. Abilene has a soft spot for Hoyt to the point that her advice for him was no different than what she’d share with her own kids and family.

Although Walker enjoyed seeing his friend again, it was easy to see he was torn with his arrival. The good memories were all twisted up with the bad, and we still don’t know the extent of what got Hoyt so turned around.

He was the kind of friend, though, that always toed the line of right and wrong not in life, but even with his best friends.

That glorious, cherry red Mustang was tied to one of Walker’s best memories of Emily. They were happy, in love, and he learned that she was pregnant with their first child on the very day he first tried to drive the Mustang.

Learning how to drive a standard transmission is a memory you’ll never forget, but add in those extra special moments that indicate the start of a new life with the person you love, and you’d think they would have wanted to keep that car close forever.

We don’t know enough about Emily and Walker at that point to understand why she thought putting up the Mustang in a poker game was worth the bet, but Walker tried to warn her against it. He knew his friend, and if he cheats on a good day, with stakes that high, Walker expected Hoyt to be on his worst behavior.

So tied up in that beautiful day was knowing that Hoyt probably cheated, taking away the precious and recently anointed Stella.

That wasn’t the last time Walker saw Hoyt. Hoyt is well known to Stella and August, So How did Hoyt keep the car hidden from Walker all that time? He never drove it after winning?

That could have been better explained, but that’s OK. They were warm memories, and instead of Walker recalling the worst times in his life when it came to Emily, he recalled one of his best without dragging it down.

That’s the kind of flashback we need, and if they continue in that vein, adding to the story and propelling Walker and the family in present day, then I look forward to more of Genevieve Padalecki as the season continues.

After the events of Walker Season 1 Episode 2, Walker, Micki, and James are getting along better. It’s as if the first two episodes were supposed to introduce and quickly wipe out any tension between the three of them.

It’s still odd that James seems so distant with Walker after all they’ve been through, but he did have Walker’s back when Walker was silently working Hoyt to get details on the upcoming job.

Micki’s still green, but James gave her no indication that he’d back Walker as he did, so I can’t blame her for being concerned about Walker and Hoyt.

Micki also saw in Hoyt an old friend she lost because she treated him with kid gloves. Walker is beginning to get under her skin a little bit, demanding they open up to each other and get to know one another.

They’re going to be spending a lot of time together, and the better they understand how the other person thinks and feels, the better partners they’ll be in the long run. The ice is thawing, and there could be a beautiful partnership on the horizon.

Hoyt was in town just in time to offer advice to Stella about her day in court, too. That relationship showed Hoyt’s potential and why it must pain Abilene to see Hoyt choose the wrong path. There is a lot of good in him. He just needs to take the time to cultivate it.

As Micki said, no one benefits from the easy route. Hoyt is going to benefit from a little hard time for taking that route. Maybe it will set him right, and he’ll be back in the future to entertain us again. Please and thank you.

Speaking of Stella, she and August seem to have grown up in the span of two episodes. She’s not as angry, and August isn’t as uptight.

August was at the heart of one of my favorite scenes of the night. Liam’s fiance (does the guy have a name?) was eager to be angry with Liam for dropping everything when Stella called only to be thrilled at the opportunity to see drunk August.

We need to see more of the fiance. For example, why isn’t he ever at family dinner? Is he unwelcome?

And Geri “just doing her job” by asking for payment for the shot she poured for Micki after she arrived with an apology wrapped in that same phrase. Cops always want to use that excuse, so it’s nice to see someone else throw it back at them.

Maybe it was the familiarity of the case with Walker’s personal connection that made it feel more suited to the Walker format, but it wasn’t bad at all.

Things are looking up for Walker, the show, and now that it’s been renewed, we can see where it will go without worry that it’s going to be canned before it gets there.

What did you think of “Bobblehead”? If you missed it, you can watch Walker online and then drop by here for some conversation.

Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She’s a member of the Critic’s Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on Twitter and email her here at TV Fanatic.