Common Ground



Title	Common Ground
Episode	2.12
Aired	March 31, 2022
Ratings	1.601mil - 0.20 (18-49)
Director	Charissa Sanjarernsuithikul
Writer	Maya Vyas
IMDB	IMDB
Synopsis	Cordell reaches a breaking point with Denise who sets her sights on revenge and the tensions between the Walker and Davidson families finally hit a fever pitch.
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Plot

As Cordell prepares for the big horse race to decide the fate of the Walker family ranch, his father Bonham reminds him of the stakes before noticing Cordell appears anxious and that's affecting his horse's behavior. On the other side, Denise is still annoyed at Dan for being drunk in public... before learning from her mother Gale that the Walkers are hiding the lantern responsible for burning down the barn (and killing her late husband Marv). Intrigued, Denise vows to look further into this, but is wary that her use of county resources in the family feud could derail her entire career.

Denise brings August in for questioning about the lantern, with Cordell furious when he discovers this and that Bonham was aware of it all along. Stella feels personally betrayed that Colton would sell out her brother to his mother Denise, with Cordell retrieving the lantern and giving it to Denise in the midst of a tense conversation as the family feud escalates. Against Cordell's wishes, Liam privately offers Dan a sizable portion of the Walker property in exchange for calling off the race -- but this potential settlement is rebuffed by Dan, who plans to use the horse race as an opportunity to get closer to his son.

Encouraged by new arrival Cassie Perez, Bonham makes amends with Cordell and reveals how emotionally shaken he has been about the whole feud, though Cordi reassures his father that he is fully committed to besting the Davidsons. The morning of the race, Gale visits Marv's grave, noticing that Abeline had already left flowers there, which reminds her that Marv fell in love with Abby before marrying her. Realizing the full stakes and implications of the race, Colton tries to talk his father out of getting in the saddle... but Dan and Gale brush these concerns aside and proceed anyway.

With Geri Broussard presiding over the race, Dan and Cordell embark on the high-speed battle around their properties, with their respective families looking on. Dan is distracted by Cordell taking an alternate route and gets knocked off his mount by a low-hanging tree branch, with Cordell making sure his opponent is okay and back in the saddle before resuming the race. On the return leg, Cordell himself gets distracted by the sight of police coming toward the ranch, unaware that his saddle harness is damaged (tampered with).

Arriving on the scene, Denise reveals that forensics found evidence on the lantern to implicate Bonham in Marv's murder and the Walker family patriarch is taken into custody. Bonham's arrest coincides with Cordell's saddle harness snapping -- resulting in him being bucked from his ride and Dan coasting to an easy victory, congratulated by his family.^[1]

Trivia

Georgia Foy, who played a reporter in this episode, was also a guest star in two episodes of the original Walker, Texas Ranger, as a reporter and a secretary.

Music In Episode

Song Title	Artist	Scene Info
The New Mission Bell	The Tender Things, Robert Ellis	At the Side Step, Stella and August are hanging out, relaxing with friends; Denise shows up to confront August about the lantern.
Velvet Moon	Bee Caves	Liam finds Stella in the Side Step; Colton and Stella have a confrontation; Liam pitches a deal to Dan Miller for the ranch.
Going Down to Texas	The Ragged Jubilee	Geri reads the rules; Cordi and Dan mount up.
Life of Sin	Nick Nolan	Cordell and Dan race.
Devil’s Gonna Come	Raphael Lake, Royal Baggs	Cordell and Dan race along a stream, around the barn and back.
Ain't No Shelter	Samuel Jack	Bonham is taken away in a police cruiser.