I could barely breathe through “Defend the Ranch.” It was the most intense episode yet and shook everything up.
It was well worth the wait to see Clint (Austin Nichols) take the Walker family hostage. I don’t know how many times I yelled at the screen saying, he was just doing his job, or you’re the one that got your wife killed. It was infuriating watching Clint torture Cordell Walker’s (Jared Padalecki) family that way. He couldn’t see that he got his wife killed, and everyone around him was just doing their jobs.
Liam (Keegan Allen) was dying, and Clint was just going to let him die. It’s good that he hasn’t twisted his son completely. Trevor (Gavin Casalegno) let Stella (Violet Brinson) and Auggie (Kale Culley) call Trey (Jeff Pierre), and he helped the kids save their uncle’s life. That was pretty intense. Stella had to cut open Liam, and Auggie had to brand him.
Everyone is going to need some serious therapy after this episode. All of the Walker family almost died. Hoyt (Matt Barr) started a shootout, which was dangerous with the kids and Abeline (Molly Hagan) and Bonham (Mitch Pileggi) there, but it was probably their only option at that point. Clint wasn’t backing off because all he wanted was for Cordell to suffer.
I was afraid that Hoyt might be the one to die. As he was walking around the truck to get Clint, I knew what was about to happen. At least we had a fun moment with him when he robbed the bank for Walker. He played like Cordell was his hostage so that it would fall on him. Even though I would hope that the police would clear it once the authorities knew what was happening. Walker had a gun to his family’s head. He had no choice.
I will forever love the image of Hoyt pushing Walker around and speeding off in Emily’s car.
I wasn’t worried at all about Trevor pulling the trigger. Even if he did believe Walker had something to do with his mom’s death. He may be confused, but he’s not a killer.
I did not see Liam shooting Clint to save his brother. One second later and Walker would have also died. Of course, the look in his eyes was little more than just protecting his brother, but after what he had just been through, that was totally justified.
It was such an image with him pointing the gun, red shot eyes and complete hatred, and the W branded on his chest. This picture of Liam is one of the best images Walker has given us.
I was hoping for some badass save from Micki, but instead, it was just the concerned friend, which was nice to see. It’s good that someone has Walker’s back, especially now that Hoyt died.
It was Trey who did the badass save, as I mentioned earlier. I wish we would get more of him, but I love that he’s able to make his time on screen impactful, and I love the bond he and Stella have.
During everything that was going on, Bonham’s cancer came out. But only Abeline knows so we’ll have to wait and see if they keep it from the rest of the family. This family has been through so much. It’s incredible they’re still standing.
And Walker turned in his badge! I know this show isn’t all about him being a ranger, but that’s undoubtedly a portion of it and, a lot of times, the most exciting parts of the episode. I’m not saying every episode has to end with a shoot-out, but I would love to have some.
What does that mean for the show moving forward? How will that change the dynamic? I’m sure it’s only a temporary leave of absence, but things will be different. I’ve enjoyed what the writers have given us so far, so I’m sure there are more twists and turns headed our way.
What part of “Defend the Ranch” had you freaked out the most? Tweet me @MandyTTCarr or comment below.