There has never been a show before or since ever quite like the original Walker, Texas Ranger. The Chuck Norris action-crime series also doubled as a sort of lite neo-Western, with its roots deep in the Lone Star State. Not even the re-imagined Walker, which starred Jared Padalecki, was anything like the original series, other than sharing a name, of course. But perhaps one of the wildest turns the series ever took was when Ranger Cordell Walker was thrown back into the Wild West era of the 19th century to help clear a young Native American man’s name in both the past and the present. It’s a cool idea, for sure, but it’s also kinda the worst.
“Way of the Warrior” Turns ‘Walker, Texas Ranger’ Into a Classic Western
When Season 8’s “Way of the Warrior” starts, Cordell Walker is brought in to investigate a murder after a reporter hoping to expose a local businessman on a nearby Commanche Indian Reservation is killed. Lester Stahl (Rex Linn) is the real murderer, but he pins the whole thing on local John Wolf (Steve Reevis). Walker doesn’t believe that Wolf is behind it, and after receiving a vision of a Native American Shaman (Ned Romero), he collapses on the floor, only to find himself in the Old West. If Walker, Texas Ranger wasn’t strictly a Western before, “Way of the Warrior” shifts the tone entirely. It’s fun to see Cordell Walker in the past, doing all the traditional Western things like getting into gunfights, riding horses along the prairie, and a classic Old West duel at the end. Though his appearance (and choice of firearm) makes him stick out like a sore thumb, the Texas Ranger immediately adjusts to his new surroundings.
In fact, “Way of the Warrior” feels like an episode of your favorite classic TV Western, and that’s to Walker, Texas Ranger‘s advantage. The show always thrived on simplistic plots with a dash of moral edification thrown in for good measure, not unlike the television Westerns of old. As Walker helps Lone Wolf (Reevis) to clear his name and thus shatter the racial prejudices of those in the local town, we learn that it was Stahl’s ancestor, Sheriff Leland Stahl who was behind the stagecoach attack, having roped in a band of Apache to help. Unsurprisingly, Walker uses his knowledge of the past to aid him in solving the reporter’s murder in the present. Walker’s knowledge of future life-saving practices aids him in protecting the Commanche in the past, and his criminology expertise as a 20th century Texas Ranger helps him to solve the Old West case at record speeds. The episode is a fine meditation on how we in the present/future can learn from the past.
Of course, this wasn’t the first time that Walker, Texas Ranger went Western. The series often revisited the story of the mythical “first” Texas Ranger, Hayes Cooper (played by Norris, himself), back in the 1800s. In fact, the show told Hayes Cooper stories from the third season onward across a handful of episodes, including Walker, Texas Ranger‘s series finale. This is actually a longstanding tradition in the Walker brand, as Jared Padalecki (who plays Cordell Walker in the CW Walker series) also appeared as a Man With No Name character in the past, as seen in the prequel show Walker Independence. But this Season 8 episode of the original program took things a step further by tossing Walker himself into the past. While that’s exciting and certainly memorable in certain respects, it also feels flat-out ridiculous in others.
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Introducing Time-Travel to ‘Walker, Texas Ranger’ Is a Bit Too Much
There are plenty of times that Walker, Texas Ranger seemed to jump the shark over the years. In “Standoff,” our hero wore a jetpack to save the day. In “Brainchild,” there was a kid with telekinesis that felt like something out of The X-Files. And, in not one, but two episodes, Walker fought a grizzly bear out in the wilderness (“The Bachelor Party” and “Swan Song”). Most fans contend that, after the first few seasons, Walker, Texas Ranger had a penchant for going too far and airing outlandish stories that were far less believable than the show’s early years when it was still just a crime drama. The show became far more mystical, exploring Walker’s unexplained connection to Native American spirituality, and far less practical as the villains grew increasingly cartoonish.
“Way of the Warrior” falls into this same trap. Despite the interesting Western premise, Cordell Walker time-traveling to the 19th century, only to return in a matter of seconds, is a bit too unbelievable given the context of the show. Not even the rest of the cast believes him when he recounts the story later, and for good reason. It’s one thing when Walker, Texas Ranger pivoted from the present to the past to explore the story of Hayes Cooper. That made sense, given the history of the Texas Rangers as well as the show’s own love affair with the Western genre. But to send Walker himself into the Old West felt like too far a stretch. It wouldn’t have taken Walker or his partner James Trivette (Clarence Gilyard) hardly any time at all to solve their present-day murder. So Walker’s journey to the past feels both unnecessary and like a waste of time.
Again, the Western exploits are fun so long as you don’t think too hard about them. But when you do, you recognize that attention to detail was never Walker, Texas Ranger‘s strong suit. The show, as beloved as it was, sometimes struggled with its own continuity and would continue to throw itself into a vat of strangeness as the show went on. While the early seasons of Walker, Texas Ranger were fairly grounded and consistent, this Season 8 episode shows how far the series strayed from that initial premise. It doesn’t help that the episode also holds the audience’s hand the entire time we’re in the past, casting actors from the present story to play their ancestors when it may have been more effective to generate new characters. That way, at least, the whole thing would’ve felt more like a mystery, even if the audience was already in on the outcome.
Walker, Texas Ranger is streaming on Peacock in the U.S.
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A crime drama series featuring Cordell Walker, a tough and principled Texas Ranger, known for his martial arts prowess and unwavering commitment to justice. Alongside his partner, James Trivette, and the seasoned ex-Ranger C.D. Parker, Walker confronts criminal activities throughout Texas. The show highlights Walker’s relentless pursuit of lawbreakers, blending thrilling action with stories of personal integrity and heroism. Each episode presents a new challenge, illustrating the dangers and rewards of life as a Texas Ranger.
- Release Date
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April 21, 1993
- Cast
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Chuck Norris
, Clarence Gilyard
, jr.
, Sheree J. Wilson
, Noble Willingham
, Nia Peeples
, Judson Mills - Seasons
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9
- Creator(s)
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Christopher Canaan
, Leslie Greif
, Paul Haggis
