Walker Episode 5 Review: Duke

This Walker review contains spoilers.

Walker Episode 3

Walker’s “Duke” takes too long to get to the point of the episode, aka that his undercover flame is in town. That leaves us believing that Walker is just being overdramatic for about 10 minutes before the realization hits that he’s doing it to protect his family. All of it is to protect his family. And the fact that no one trusts him is infuriating but realistic at the same time.

Micki stepping forward and doing what is needed is what makes her a great partner. Yes, she might act annoyed with him 75% of the time. But that’s her partner there. And like any good sibling, because they are totally siblings at this point, she isn’t going to let Walker deal with the FBI and a botched undercover mission from the past, take him down.

Walker’s annoyance at seeing Micki also feels real. He’s used to doing things on his own and here’s this woman that says, “No. I have your back. Just suck it up.” It takes him a little time to accept the help but when he does, things start sailing a little bit smoother. And it makes you wonder if she is the missing link that would’ve saved him all sorts of trouble in the 10 months away.

And then there’s August. He is the truly annoying one of this episode. He is the child. Walker is the father. Walker doesn’t have to tell him anything when it comes to work. In fact, he shouldn’t tell him anything at all. August walking into Walkers undercover operation is the stupidest thing this kid has ever done and it probably won’t be the last one.

Stella in contrast has an arc that is easy to connect with. She throws herself into soccer because she hopes her father will invest in her like he did with Emily’s games. But Coach Trey is right. Stella needs to start doing things for herself and not her father. Only then will she be able to find out what kind of young woman she is and what she wants to be when the time comes.

Ultimately, it’s a good thing that we got to see a darker side of Walker in “Duke.” It was made even better by the fact that Walker got to say goodbye to that piece of himself that he never wants to see again. It’s like closing a chapter in his life full of pain, loss, and the aftermath of everything that happened with Emily’s passing. 

There’s still plenty to work on. Walker needs to find some sort of balance between work and his home life. But trying counts and that’s what he’s doing, little by little. Even Micki ends up working on herself and what she wants with Trey. And the kids end up in a more stable place where they don’t feel so out of sync. Round it all up and you’ve got an episode that continues developing on the concept of family while entertaining, week after week.