Walker Episode 7
For too long, the narrative focus on Walker has been on Cordell, Emily, and their family. Which makes sense because Cordell is the lead. But Micki is also a major character who deserves just as much of the attention. She is Cordell’s partner and back up when things go south, and that dynamic is only made richer the more we learn about Micki’s backstory. In “Tracks,” we get some of that narrative balance, spending some more time with Micki and her family. Micki’s faith in her mother, Adriana, is kind of surprising because she spent the entirety of “Bar None” warning Cordell about her. Adriana is the villain of the story that Micki has been painting. And it’s easy to be wary of her. Her actions in “Tracks” fly in the face of that and make us question what exactly Micki knows about her mother. Meanwhile, Stella and August’s plot line is ridiculous and it starts from the top. Trey never should have been allowed to take the kids on this trip by himself—this is especially true if the kids do this every year. The administration at the school let Trey down and, in turn, the kids are able to run amok. The twist that follows in “Tracks,” involving some local gangsters, is even more ridiculous and partly relies on the premise that a grown man thinks it’s OK to beat a kid. Trevor may have needed to stand up for himself and the rest of the gang, but he didn’t need to escalate things into a fight. That being said, who knows what they’ll do when faced with a gun and some not-so-veiled threats to attack the young kids in their care? Walker, Micki, and Trey arrive just in time to save the day. Personally, I believe those kids deserve more than a hug and affirmations that everything is OK. They need consequences that teach them that what they’re doing is wrong and dangerous. But you could argue that almost dying by random street gangs is punishment enough. But the real meat of the episode comes in the relationship between Micki and Adriana. What Micki’s mother tells her—that, biologically, she is her aunt and that she changed their names and moved to town so Micki’s biological mother couldn’t find them—is more than a surprise; it’s a shock that could potentially turn Micki’s entire world upside down. And it will make her question herself, everything she’s ever known, and what brought her to this place in her life. Because when you’re told something like this, it breaks you open. Ultimately, Walker’s “Tracks” is about what we’re willing to do for those we care about and the lies we keep to protect ourselves and those around us from harm. Micki is hiding the truth from Trey, scared that being honest will make this real. Trevor is hiding his past, and how he almost shot Walker to avenge his father. And Micki’s mom was hiding the truth until this episode, when everything crumbled around her because of those lies.
