Wow.
Just look at those beauties.
They seem... frightened.
Can you blame 'em?
Rounded up, separated from their families, locked in cages.
All in the name of clearing grazing land for cattle ranchers.
Disgusting.
These animals were born free.
Y'all ready to do some good?
Yeah, yeah.
- Let's do it. - Yeah.
Yeah, come on. Hyah!
Pull 'em out!
Go!
- Go, go! - Come on, come on!
Get down!
Stop. Stop!
Hey... Whoa, oh!
Hyah, hyah!
Go!
Go, go!
- Morning, Stella. - Morning.
- Morning, Daddy. - Good morning.
Uh, Mama know you're messing with her favourite bacon skillet?
She left me in charge. Don't fret.
- Well, it's your... - Hey!
She got word that some farmer's market
up in Odessa's selling some kind of a rare chili pepper, so...
The T-Rex Chocolate Chili Pepper.
Melt your damn face off.
What are you doing today, Uncle Liam... baling hay?
No.
I'm starting equine therapy, actually.
Uh, I found a therapist that makes house calls.
Or "horse calls," as she puts it. Um,
- but we're going over to the Davidson's to the pipe corral. - Hey.
I talked to Colton about it. Uh, hey,
Cordell, I know you've been doing your own thing,
but, I don't know, maybe
if you have time, you'd want to join me.
- Uh... Really, I-I'm good. - Stella.
- You used the last clean towel. - There's more in the dryer.
- I told you this. - Ugh. No, you didn't.
Augie is just mad because I have the bigger room and he wants it.
Okay. You said I could have it when you left for Sauber.
Yeah. And I never left. Ergo, the room is still mine.
Back me up, Uncle Liam.
- From a legal point of view... - Stella, Stella.
Stella, I think we're all just trying to wrap our heads
around this new reality of you not going off to college.
- Myself included. - Speaking of which, what do you plan
on doing with yourself now that it's not Sauber?
Well, I th... I think...
I mean, I mean, like...
You know I-I really like helping people,
so, something like that?
Helping people is great, obviously.
But, um, that's not... a plan.
Lucky for you, I just so happened
to talk to your Aunt Geri last night, and she agreed
to give you a part-time shift at the Side Step.
What? No. It's only been a few weeks.
And you said you'd help me figure this out together.
And that's exactly what we're doing.
We-we are figuring it out together.
It's four hours a day, Stel.
Maybe, uh, you can save enough money
to restore the Mustang to its former glory.
Amen. That hood scoop's an abomination,
- and those racing stripes? - Ah, ah,
I got to get. I got to get. All right.
Uh, all right, have a great day. Have a good day.
Geri's expecting you at 10:00.
Well, all right.
Excuse me just a minute. I'll grab a bag. Y'all,
start eating this food, please, before it gets cold.
- Will do. - Cooking for nothing.
Cordell.
A word.
I know, Daddy. Liam.
Can't you see the boy's hurting?
Of course I can that he... he's hurt-hurting.
Daddy, I-I just...
You just-you just what?
You were a Marine Raider, for God's sake, Special Ops.
You were trained to handle captivity, torture and pain.
William was not.
And look, I...
I understand where you're coming from, I do.
There were things that I saw over there, things that I did...
Hell, I didn't like talking about 'em, either, but...
there's got to be some wiggle room.
He's your brother, Cordell.
Yes, sir. Uh, uh, yes, sir.
I understand.
- Yeah. - Hey.
- Oh. New vision board?
I love all the different colours.
- Sorry. You wanted to see me? - Yeah, uh,
- it's, uh, it's about Walker. - What's wrong?
Why do you automatically assume something's wrong?
Oh, 'cause he's Walker.
Okay. Fair.
No, I've just been,
you know, thinking,
after the Rodeo Kings, after Emily,
I probably put him back in the field too soon then.
And I just... I don't want to make the same mistake
here, you know?
Abby kind of put the fear of God into me when he went missing.
She has a way of doing that.
Yeah, look, just keep your antennae up.
All right? See something, say something.
- Heard. - Thank you, ma'am.
All right, good morning, good morning.
First order of business:
let's all welcome back Ranger Cordell Walker.
Yes. Glad to hear it.
Uh, let's also officially welcome to the morning brief...
Come on.
For his final week of instruction...
Ranger Trainee Trey Barnett.
Yeah. Yeah.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, everyone.
Thank you, Cap.
I really appreciate you sticking your neck out for me.
Hey. Hey. Look, y'all know
I've been trying to shake things up a bit.
You know, modernise, reform. It's been...
it's been a process.
But in getting to know Trey here,
it very quickly became a question of,
how many times does he have
to save my life before I offer him a job?
So, I got DPS to waive the seven-year trooper requirement.
They're gonna use Trey's military experience instead.
It's the first time they've ever done anything remotely
like this, which is why your training's been
so unconventional, why there's been such a spotlight on it.
It's also why, if this doesn't work out,
I'm not gonna be able to pull it off again.
But, you know, no pressure.
So, in order to make sure you get all the required training,
Captain James had to find the perfect case.
Yes. Serial horse thieves.
- Trey? - Sir.
Get out of the way.
Oh, I'm sorry, Cap.
They just hit their fourth federal facility,
almost took out a barn hand in the process.
Um, one of our CIs has implicated
the two bozos in the packet as the ringleaders.
Okay, Cap, judging
by what you're saying, we don't have probable cause yet.
- That is correct. - Guess that means
we just got to catch 'em in the act.
That is also correct, but here's the thing.
The crimes all took place on federal land,
so we're gonna be sharing jurisdiction with FBI, ATF, DHS.
You're gonna have to figure out how to effectively collaborate
with all the different agencies. It's a vital skill
all Rangers need to master, so, you're running point.
Wait, me?
- You-you serious? - Ranger Walker,
Ranger Perez and myself will be there as backup,
but it's your case, man.
Oh, okay.
By the end of this week,
you will be a Texas Ranger.
Or you will wash out and I'll be out of a job.
But again, no pressure.
Yes, sir. You can count on me.
I'm good to go, Cap.
- Look at that. - Oh, yeah.
- Oh, let's go! - All right then.
- Let's do this thing. - Let's do it. - Let's do it.
Hey, my man. My man.
Okay.
Okay, okay. I got this.
Cap, you weren't kidding.
There's a whole lot of Feds here.
All right. Lots of new friends for you to play with, Trey.
Question is who do you invite into the sandbox first?
I'll start with the FBI agent.
- You sure about that? - Case file says that
the FBI was first to arrive on the scene,
so, stands to reason that they would
have the most relevant info.
- Huh. - Huh. - Hmm.
Y'all are ridiculous.
You know that, right?
- FBI was the right call. - Yeah.
- He's batting 1.000 so far. - Mm-hmm.
Yeah, but I got a feeling he's about to strike out.
What? Are you kidding?
Trey might very well be the most charming man on Earth.
Second most, maybe. Trust me.
Uh, that FBI agent is gonna give him a run for his money.
Right, Cap?
- What do you mean? - Oh, come on.
Tell me you don't remember him.
His face isn't ringing any bells, no.
Killjoy. FBI Special Agent Kilbourne
from that Galveston thing. Picture him with facial hair.
- He had one of those silly, little... - Oh, my God.
- Yes. Yes. - That's him.
- - Who? - Kilbourne ran point
on this bank robber case we worked, like, 100 years ago.
We had another nickname for him.
- Killjoy, the Hairy Brick Wall. - The hair...
Yeah, yeah. Get it. Ooh. Ah.
- Yeah. - Looks like
hell week might be a little more fun than I thought.
Congrats.
You haven't uttered a single word this entire car ride.
Okay. What do you want me to say?
You know, you've single-handedly ruined my entire junior year.
I-I just... I-I thought that whenever you went to college,
it'd finally be my year.
But you stayed home and I get nothing, as usual.
Okay, wow, that was... kind of harsh.
But you do make a point.
What is this, some kind of, like, Jedi mind trick,
-reverse psychology thingie? What are you... -No.
It's the truth.
I didn't really consider how any of this would affect you.
Or me, for that matter.
I made this crazy,
last-minute decision to ditch college,
and I have no idea what I want to do with the rest of my life,
and that is pretty terrifying.
So, maybe you could try
just cutting me a little slack
while I figure things out.
Whatever.
I'm late for homeroom.
So, how much experience
do you have working with horses, Liam?
- Well, um, I grew up on the ranch next door. - Mm-hmm.
My daddy had us riding pretty much since we could walk.
When you say "us," you mean you and your brother,
Cordell? That's the one you were held captive with?
Yeah.
What we do here
is called EAP.
That's equine assisted psychotherapy.
See, Liam, horses have a way of...
putting people at ease
and helping 'em open up.
There's something mystical about a horse.
Now,
this here's Ol' Kenny.
Now, before you come over and introduce yourself,
I want you to take a couple
of deep, cleansing breaths,
try to clear out all that negative energy.
Okay. I'm fine, Chelsea.
- I've actually been around horses my whole life. - Okay.
Come.
Wh-Whoa, whoa!
Whoa, baby. Hey. Hey, now. That's okay.
- What'd I do? - A horse can sense a person's energy.
And yours is just...
just "meh," right?
What do you say?
You want to try this again?
Wow, that FBI agent...
I swear, talking to that man is like...
- Talking to a brick wall? - Yeah.
Wh... You know the guy?
Yeah.
I see what this is. Y'all set me up.
- Oh, no, no, no, no, no. - Sw-Swear. No.
We had no idea he was gonna be here. Just dumb luck.
Dumb, bad luck.
But if charisma is your superpower,
then that man is your kryptonite.
I don't know why y'all find this so damn funny.
- I got nothing. - That's not true.
You learned a valuable lesson.
Feds don't always play by the rules.
A Ranger has to learn how to adapt.
- You know? Pivot. - Yeah.
All right, what's the next move, Trainee Barnett?
The plan is to catch these people in the act, right?
I've reviewed all the files,
and there are four federal corrals within a 50-mile radius
of Austin that they haven't hit yet.
If I could convince the Feds
to play nice and pool our resources,
we'd have enough agents to stake out each one.
I mean, who knows. Maybe we get lucky, right?
All right, Barnett. Stakeout it is.
Uh, snacks are on me, but you're buying the energy drinks.
I got you.
You realise we could all be home right now
instead of chasing a bunch of criminals who...
I mean, let's face it... Didn't actually
do anything all that criminal.
Last time I checked, destruction of federal property
was still fairly criminal.
Okay, sure, but,
I mean, they were freeing a bunch of mustangs
who otherwise would have gone to slaughter.
I mean, is that so terrible?
Look, these people know the law.
They're intentionally breaking it.
They could have gone through legitimate channels.
They didn't.
Well, sometimes...
people ignore legitimate channels
when conditions on the ground suggest
a different approach might be needed.
Wait. Are you agreeing with me?
I...
I don't know. I-I think I'm just...
Uh, it was just... Overtired.
Oh, look. It's my new BFF, Agent Kilbourne.
No activity at any of the other corrals, either.
I'm sorry, Cap.
All right, it's nearly sunup.
- My butt hurts. - Ugh. Yeah.
Let's pull up stakes and head home.
Yeah, let's head home.
Uh, but that means, uh, hey, new boss,
we're gonna need a different plan.
Right.
Copy.
Hey.
- You good? - Uh, yeah.
I'm doing great, Aunt G. I'll be done here in a second.
Oh, uh, just real quick before I forget.
Um, I might have to cut some of Augie's weekend hours
in order to make room in the schedule for yours.
Yeah. Your dad, he kind of made me promise him
to make you work at least one weekend shift.
- So, sorry about that. - Great.
So he's officially treating me like a five-year-old.
As if making me work here wasn't enough.
- Not that I don't love working here. - No. I get it.
Bussing tables isn't your dream job.
I mean, I'm 18, and I just graduated from high school.
How could I possibly know what my dream job is supposed to be?
You can't, and that's okay.
Yeah, tell that to my dad. He had no clue what he wanted
to do after high school.
And Uncle Liam said he always wanted to be a lawyer,
but now even he's changed his mind.
I wish there were some Walker footsteps
that I actually wanted to follow in.
Well, Stel, you are forgetting
about one very important Walker.
- Your mum. - Well, she was a social worker, right?
- That was her dream job? - It didn't start out that way.
He can be a stubborn ass sometimes.
Reminds me of somebody.
See, this is another thing I wish I could
talk to my brother about.
You know?
You know, he, um...
he went undercover a couple years back.
He was gone for, you know, ten months.
And, uh, when he came back,
he had to recertify with the Rangers,
and he was really struggling with this...
basic equestrian course.
He had to overcome this emotional block
that he had with...
horses.
I just wish that I could, uh...
wish that I could talk to my brother about this
and not a horse.
Didn't you tell me your brother didn't want
to have anything to do with this?
Isn't that kind of the whole reason you're here?
- Yep. - Yeah.
Hey, Chelsea, um,
you wouldn't happen to have a...
a sugar cube or something?
Yeah.
Open heart. And grateful.
Good job.
Cap?
Sorry to barge in, but...
See something, say something?
Yeah. That thing Walker said last night,
and that weird look on his face?
Yeah, I noticed it, too.
Should we be worried? I mean, Walker usually...
Hey, guys, I think I found something.
I finally convinced the Feds to pool all their evidence
- and share it with me. - Really?
Now there's not a ton to go on,
but there's two different receipts
for the same coffee drink...
A chocolate chip ice blended with light whip
from two different Jaxon Java coffee trucks
on two different days.
Now, one of the coffee trucks was parked over here.
The other one, over here.
Both of them are only a few miles from two
of the federal corrals that our crew already hit.
Interesting. Okay, so your theory is
every time these guys hit a kill pen,
they go to a nearby Jaxon's Java
and get an ice-blended coffee?
I know this is thin, but there are two more
Jaxon Java coffee trucks in this area right here,
which is only a few miles from this corral over here,
which they have not hit yet.
This right here... This could be their next target.
- Could be. - A-All right, look, Cap.
You're always saying that a Ranger's got
to trust his gut, right?
Using my own words against me.
- Nice. Nice. - Mm.
So if I don't listen, it's like I'm a hypocrite.
That's good, man. You're learning. All right, look,
you guys go ahead, I'll grab Walker, we'll meet you there.
- All right? - Yes, sir.
- Let's bring it in. - Mm.
Rangers on three. One, two, three.
- Rangers! - Come on, dude.
- Wha... Are you serious? - I told you he'd do it.
- You did. - I told you he'd do it.
- You said he would do it. - That's dirty. Oh.
All right, folks, Ranger Walker here
with a friendly reminder. We got a BOLO
for a late-model pickup, dark in colour.
May or may not still be hitched to a stock trailer.
No sign of 'em over here at the coffee truck.
Oh, it's like finding a needle in a stack of needles.
All right, just take it slow, people.
If they're nearby, I don't want you guys to miss 'em.
Roger that, Cap. Slow is smooth.
And smooth is fast.
Hold up. I think I might have something.
It's a silver pickup.
Late model.
Horse trailer's already hitched up.
Okay, what kind of trailer... Gooseneck,
bumper pull... and how big?
Gooseneck trailer.
No living quarters. It's approximately...
- 25 feet long. - Means it could carry
at least a dozen horses.
Which must be what
- our suspects are using. - Okay. Trey,
we're gonna need a positive ID
before we move in.
Can you confirm?
It's a busted side-view mirror.
The police report stated
that the suspects sideswiped a barn hand,
and nearly broke his shoulder.
This has to be it. This is their truck. We got 'em.
Good work, Trey. Uh, we're en route.
Whoa.
Well, it looks like
somebody has finally taken a shine to you.
Well,
carrots definitely helped.
So does your attitude.
You've made
some good progress, Liam.
Should be proud of yourself.
You know? There you go.
- Thank you. - Mm-hmm.
Is everything, uh, all right, Chelsea?
Yeah.
And... no.
See, my partner got
the career opportunity of her lifetime.
But the catch is it's way up in Michigan.
So...
I'm gonna be moving on here pretty soon,
along with Ol' Kenny and the rest of my therapy animals.
As in...
this is it?
Now, look, I'm gonna give you the name
of some other equine therapists you can call.
And please,
just find a way to keep doing this.
This is clearly doing you good.
All right, one order of disco fries coming up.
Wow. Okay.
- Right? - Oh, my God.
You know, I thought that was gonna be gross,
but that might be the greatest thing
I've ever eaten in my entire life.
- Oh, it's so good. - Oh, wow.
It was our favourite after-school snack back in high school.
- Your mum... - Mm-hmm.
Your dad and Hoyt... We would all ditch class,
and we'd meet up at that old diner on 6th.
Wait a minute. I knew my dad and Uncle Hoyt were crazy,
but Mum was, too?
Your mum? Oh, my God, yeah.
She was just a lot smarter about it than the guys.
She never got caught.
It's so hard to picture you guys as teenagers,
or even, like, normal human beings.
Yeah, your mum was just...
She was just kind of good at everything, you know?
Which put a lot of pressure on her.
And her dad... he really wanted her to go to law school.
So, she thought that that's what she wanted.
I cannot picture Mum as a lawyer at all.
What happened?
9/11 happened.
Changed everything.
It made her take stock.
She realised that corporate law wasn't her dream
because it wasn't her passion.
And I feel like it, you know,
took a few years for her to figure out what was.
It's weird. I've... I've literally never thought
about what my parents lives were like at my age.
The world is full of opportunities.
Incredible opportunities, Stella.
You just... you have to give yourself enough time
and enough space to find the right one.
For you.
But it's out there.
Promise you that.
Suspects are getting into their vehicle.
What's your 20, Rangers?
Yeah, coming to you.
Wait for us to get back, Trey.
Gonna be a minute.
Don't have a minute.
We need to catch 'em in the act, Cap.
Hey, you heard me. You're not a Ranger yet. Wait.
They're taking off, man.
Whoa.
Get in. Let's go.
All right, y'all load 'em up.
Guys, what's your ETA?
Trey, we're four minutes out.
- All right, listen up, man. - I'm sorry,
Cap, but I had to do something.
I couldn't just let these guys
take off and get away.
I know I put my promotion at risk, but...
We'll talk about that later. Right now, I want you
to keep this line open and listen to my orders.
- Roger that, Cap. - Hey, Trey,
- can you stall them? - There's no time.
These guys are about to hightail it right now, Cap.
What do you want me to do?
One second.
Cap, it's your call, obviously.
But for the record, I think he can handle it.
- I second that. - Cap?
- All right. - Cap?
All right, Trey, listen up.
It's still your case, so it's your call.
If it looks like they're going to get away, you think
you can stop 'em, then do it. Don't wait for us. Clear?
Yes, sir. Crystal.
Out.
That's all of 'em, boys. Let's get.
Texas Rangers. Stay in the vehicle.
Stay in there.
Get in the trailer.
Get.
Hey. Hey!
Damn it.
Get off the horse.
Go on.
All right, buddy. Let's go for a ride.
Right up ahead.
Cut him off. Let's go!
Hey, get off and get your hands behind your back!
Get down.
You disobeyed a direct order
when you jumped in the back of that trailer, Barnett.
- Now, Captain... - No, no, no.
Insubordination is a cardinal sin, you know that.
Ranger trainees have washed out for far less.
I don't know what to tell you, man.
A Ranger needs to know intuitively
when and when not to push the envelope.
I mean, look, Walker, Perez, they're two of my best.
And I can tell you right now...
they would have done the exact same thing you did.
So I guess what I'm trying to say
is welcome to the team, Ranger Barnett!
Cap!
- Finish the job. Let's go. - Yeah, y-yes, sir.
All right, get up.
Good Lord, Cordell.
What the hell you thinking?
We don't have any more stall space for ponies.
Uh, don't you worry, Daddy, they're not for you.
They're for Liam.
You're kidding, right?
No, I'm serious.
You know, I've seen just how much
equine therapy has been helping you,
and I figured maybe a few more ponies couldn't hurt.
You have no idea how perfect this is, the timing.
I mean, my-my therapist is getting ready to move,
but with these new horses, I mean,
I could start a therapy program at the Davidson's barn.
That's a hell of a lot to take on, a lot to...
a lot to learn.
It's worth a shot, right? I mean...
- surrounded by experts. - Well...
And, Stella, you have experience with a rescue horse. I mean,
you could be a part of this, too.
We could be Walker Rescues.
Gale Davidson said she was gonna start a horse rescue.
Why not make good on that promise?
I got to go check the smoker.
Hey, stinker, uh, hang back a sec.
Uh...
- Hey. - Hey.
Cordi, thank you.
- Truly, I... - You're welcome.
- I don't know what I... - No, you don't-you don't
have to... you don't have to... you don't have to say anything.
You don't have to do anything. I want to say something.
I, um...
I want to help you.
Of course I do.
I just don't always know how.
You know?
And I know this may not be what you wanted
from me, but I'm-I'm hoping it's what you needed.
Just do me a favour and take it slowly.
Last thing you need is more stress right now.
I-I know you're still, uh...
I know you're still struggling, little brother.
Thank you, big brother.
I, uh, I do need this.
I can't keep relying on you to make me feel better.
Thanks.
So, how was school?
It was school. Now, can you just
drive me home, please?
No, actually, I can't.
Uh, yeah, Stella, there-there's cars behind us.
We kinda have to go.
Yeah, why-why... why do we need Dad's bobblehead?
Because Mum gave it to him
when she taught him to drive stick in this car,
and Dad did the same when he taught me.
It's kind of like a Walker family tradition.
And now, since it's your turn...
Wait, do I get to drive the car?
Slide over.
Just remember to slowly ease off the clutch,
- like I showed you. - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And no, you still can't have my room.
Okay, cool. For sure.
- Hey. - Cass, hey.
God, you're still here. You must have missed me.
All right.
You were right.
Okay. Well, there are a multitude of subjects
that could apply to, so you're gonna have to be
a tad more specific.
The other night at the... at the stakeout.
Cass, I-I saw that look
between you and James.
Okay, Walker, look, I just...
And I know that you're concerned.
But you don't need to be.
I mean, am I-am I struggling with some things? Sure.
But I'm not...
consumed by them.
Cass, I will always
be cards-up with you, okay?
And I'll always have your back. I promise.
Thank you for sharing that.
- I know th... - I'd like to show you something.
Yeah.
This belonged
to a fellow Marine.
Uh, this...
belonged to Gunnery Sergeant Clay Cooper.
Um, Coop...
was, uh...
was my mentor.
Coop was my, uh...
he was my best friend.
Coop was killed in action,
uh, which is ultimately why
I, uh, traded in my dog tags
for a badge.
I've never told anyone that. Not even my family.
I just kind of tamped it down, you know, just, uh...
just compartmentalised it.
I think, uh...
I think captivity
just brought it all back to the surface.
I know you probably don't want to hear this right now,
but if this flag means this much to you,
just think about what it could mean
to your buddy's family.
Cass, it's complicated.
No, it's-it's really not. It's actually pretty simple.
You just
drive over there and knock on the door.
Hey.
I got your back, partner.
Ma'am, uh...
My name is, uh, Cordell Walker,
a-and I, uh...
I served with your son.
Oh, I'm sorry, I'm not Mrs. Cooper.
Unfortunately, she hasn't been feeling very well lately.
But I can go upstairs and check.
- Come on in. - Sure. Uh, thanks.
Make yourself comfortable. I'll be right back.
So, uh, how'd it go?
Great.
Yeah, um, it wa-it was good.
Good to, um...
Good to talk with her.
Thank you for suggesting this.
Anyway, I don't know about you,
but I am famished.
Want to grab a bite?
- Oh, yeah. - All right.
Let's do it.