Why The Texas Ranger Reboot Replaces Walker's Mentor CD
The Walker reboot continues to distance itself from the original Walker, Texas Ranger with each episode, now missing someone akin to the original series' C.D Parker. While the new Cordell Walker is working on rebuilding his relationships, the one thing he seems to be missing is a good friend and fellow law enforcement mentor. Little has been shown if anything about how this Walker became a Ranger or became a lawman, what drives him in the pursuit of justice. Unlike the original Walker, Texas Ranger’s Cordell, who often turned to his older ex-partner and owner of the local cop watering hole, C.D. Parker, the reboot’s title character seems destined to remain adrift without someone he can confide in or receive guidance from.
The relationship between the original Cordell Walker, Chuck Norris, and his first partner, friend, and mentor, C.D. Parker, was a show highlight. C.D. had shown Cordell the ropes when he was a young ranger; later, after C.D. became Walker’s Ranger Captain, he retired and opened C.D.’s Bar and Grill, remaining a guiding force not only in Walker’s life but also of Walker’s surrounding team. C.D’s establishment became something of a cop bar gathering place where the team would meet to celebrate their case victories. C.D. would often serve as a sounding board for Walker whenever he would hit a roadblock, helping to keep the ranger grounded and focused.
In The CW's Walker reboot, Jared Padalecki’s Walker seems content to stay adrift, wallowing near the ghost of his late wife’s connections with the last person to see her, Geri Broussard, played by Supergirl's Odette Anable, who owns the Side Step Bar. Walker’s relationship with his former partner, now Captain, Larry James, seems strained at best, not exactly built on the trust and respect that existed between the original C.D. and Walker. And Walker’s new partner seems to have been brought in to help keep him focused. Already several times in the series, when Walker needed to be found, he was located on a stool at the Side Step.
The reboot doesn’t seem to want anyone around Padalecki's Walker to anchor and provide him with guidance, because the suspense is in wondering how far he’ll stray in his grief and need for answers. He’s hiding in the past at the Side Step, talking to (or trying to talk to) Geri about Emily’s last night. And even that relationship seems uneasy, as they're both still in mourning - she for her best friend and he for his wife, and both appear to be carrying some sort of guilt about her death. Being at Geri’s bar allows Walker to disconnect from reality, avoiding the fact others need him to move on.
A mentor like the original Walker, Texas Ranger’s C.D. would push Walker to face his past and go forward, likely reminding him to think of his kids first. However, The CW’s Walker has avoided putting characters in place to fulfill that role. The show missed the opportunity to make Mitch Pileggi's Bonham, Walker's father, a former law enforcement officer - or even a former Ranger, someone Walker looked up to. Yet, the show doesn’t give Walker much inclination to confide in his parents, who are dealing with their own relationship issues. The show could have perhaps made Walker’s partner a little older and placed her more in that mentor role.
One thing is certain, Walker's Cordell cannot keep hanging on to the ghost of Emily and hiding out with Geri at the Side Step. Sooner or later, his wallowing is going to cause him to start making mistakes. Walker should consider following the solid example of the original Walker, Texas Ranger and give their Cordell someone to point the Ranger in the right direction, to help him focus on the most important things.
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