

Title	Pilot
Episode	1.01
Aired	January 21, 2021
Ratings	3.71mil - 0.4 (18-49)
Director	Jessica Yu
Writer	Anna Fricke
IMDB	IMDB
Synopsis	As Walker attempts to reconnect with his creative and thoughtful son August and his headstrong, somewhat rebellious teenaged daughter Stella, he finds that he needs to navigate clashes with his family.
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Plot

11 Months Prior

The episode begins with Cordell driving up to meet Emily before she heads off to the border. They have a little banter back and forth before sharing a tender goodbye. Emily states she's going to pick up Geri and then take the route approved by Cordell, because he's clearly worried for her safety. She tells him to go on his way to play boardgames with the family, even though he seems unsure of the rules. The next scene begins with them playing an indiscriminate boardgame and Cordell is very clearly losing (August is "mopping the floor" with him), and Cordell says he doesn't understand the rules so it's not fair. While they're joking and laughing, Cordell receives an SOS text from Emily so he leaves the room to answer her phone call.

Emily is running scared, saying something isn't right. We then hear two gunshots followed by her scream and the call abruptly ends. Cordell makes an excuse that his phone call was from work, leaving the rest of the family to head outside to try Emily's cell again. It rings a few times and we see a shot of Emily lying on the ground next to her phone, struggling to breathe. The call goes to voicemail and Cordell senses something is obviously wrong, screaming out in manly anguish as he crumples next to his truck.

Current Time

The kids are waiting outside the house, with Larry and Liam sitting on the porch. They're all awaiting Cordell's return, and Liam and Larry discuss how Larry's promotion is unknown to Cordell because it didn't seem right to mention it while Cordell was dealing with so much. A truck pulls up and August thinks it's Cordell but it's just Stan Morrison, resident "string-puller" and businessman. He exits his truck and greets the family, heading inside while asking where Cordell is. Liam and Larry decide Cordell is likely at Lady Bird Lake at the lookout.

We next see Cordell drinking in the bed of his truck, playing with a poker chip. He's daydreaming about Emily at the lookout as a trooper pulls up. Micki Ramirez exits the vehicle, asking if Cordell has a plan for the night. He doesn't seem to have one and she asks to see his license. She states she's going to take him home and he can pick up his truck in the morning.

While in the car, Cordell is a little squished because of the backseat not having enough room for his long giraffe legs. He tells Micki he hasn't been home for ten months and hasn't even seen his kids. She deduces that he's law enforcement after listening to him talk for a bit about what he's been doing. He was undercover for the time he was away, and he introduces himself as a Texas Ranger.

She pulls up to his old house and he exits the vehicle, she informs him she just got promoted and he then takes his keys to go inside. He is very clearly drunk, dropping his keys on the floor and flopping onto the couch with a sigh before he ultimately passes out on it (while still wearing his boots, bad Cordell).

The next morning begins with Cordell exiting the house and jogging down to the lookout at the lake to grab his truck. He takes one last look at the lookout before heading out to see his family at his parent's ranch. Bonham is watching a few riders as Cordell pulls up to greet him. There's a bit of tension between them due to Cordell skipping out on his homecoming. They make some small talk before Cordell tries to apologize but Bonham interrupts to tell him to go to the house and greet his mother Abeline.

He does as he's told and walks inside, greeted by two very happy puppers (the dogs are named Boone and Scout irl and they're both very good boys). Abeline gives him a hug and then August runs in to get in on the hug action. Liam enters from behind and they also hug, which turns into an impromptu wrestling match. Liam states he's been living in town with Bret playing "my two dads", instead of living in New York.

Cordell arrives at the scene of a crime to meet Capt. James, while Sgt. Owen Curtis is being treated for his wounds in the back of the ambulance nearby. They discuss the incident, stating the officer was assaulted when he stopped to offer roadside assistance. Micki arrives and says Curtis was obviously afraid of something. It's mentioned that Cordell just closed the Rodeo Kings case but very obviously doesn't wanna discuss it. Micki introduces herself and Cordell makes note of how he needs to catch up after being gone so long.

Cordell and Micki have lunch at a food truck and he congratulates her on her promotion. She says her picking him up the previous night was a chance at doing some recon and he asks to hear her "report" about himself. She says she hears he's the edge of the coin, not heads or tails, and it isn't how she works because she has a lot on the line. She explains she needed to become a Ranger because she's burned bridges with her family after being in the military and becoming a trooper. Micki doesn't want Cordell to mess it up for her because of this. They then discuss the case they're working, and they think something in the truck must've scared Curtis to keep him from discussing it.

Cordell arrives late for dinner after getting caught up at work. Stella isn't there because she's out with a friend from school (Isabel). They discuss how the kids have been enrolled in the catholic Sacred Heart High School. Cordell thinks Stella is still involved in basketball but Liam mentions she's moved back to soccer. August says he's been playing with Emily's old camera, as if to break the tension during this conversation.

Cordell receives a call from the police station and has to go pick up Stella. He makes sure to thank his mama for dinner before exiting, because he's a good boy. Officer Randall informs Cordell as he arrives that the kids were brought in on possession. Randall says to thank Stan for letting Cordell know.

Walking into the front lobby, Cordell is introduced to Isabel and Stella asks for her friend to come with them, but minors can't be released without their parents approval. Isabel's parents Alma and Lorenzo arrive and Cordell introduces himself and says he wants them to help each other out. Stella and Isabel hug before Cordell takes his daughter home, and it's very sweet. Maybe they're in love. Wouldn't that be great?

Cordell tries to ask Stella what she's up to but Stella is clearly upset over her father's absence. She mentions receiving a five minute phone call in the summer and then nothing for three months. Cordell makes the situation worse by saying they need to stop acting like Emily's going to come back. This is not a wise thing to say to an upset teenaged daughter. Bad Cordell.

Micki arrives home and calls out for Trey. He comes from behind her and she jumps on him in a hug/kiss combo that's beyond adorable. We ship it. She comments on the size of his duffle bag, because he's clearly staying for a while. They banter back and forth, Trey asking about Cordell (because he's a legend?) and Micki states Cordell was a marine who signed up after 9/11, and recently lost his wife. They point out the belt buckle and Micki says it's been "Hand crafted by a Texas convict". (Go to to see where it was made irl)

Liam and Cordell enter Sidestep for a drink, talking about Stella. Geri is at the bar and turns around to ask how Cordell's been, handing him a drink. Liam stands up to leave, saying he'll be calling Bret. Geri and Cordell continue to talk, Geri stating her worry for him being gone so long. They discuss Emily and all the questions he has that Geri couldn't answer. Cordell says they need to dance, and even though she seems to not want to, he convinces her with his effortless charm. They step out on the floor and have a little dance while Liam looks on from the entrance.

Cordell receives a text from Micki and has to leave. The next morning they meet up at the station and Micki says she knows about cars so she was able to find the truck involved in the crime, because it's very distinct and there aren't that many in existence. It leads to a place called Green Thumb & Grace, a business that acts as rehabilitation for ex cons.

They enter Green Thumb & Grace and Cordell has a little heart to heart with a Jesus figurine before Milo and his sister Cheryl enter. Cordell tosses the figurine to Micki and she stuffs it in her pocket. They show Milo a photo of the truck and Milo confirms it's one of theirs. Cheryl says it was being driven by Jordan and Alex.

They all move on to the room where Jordan and Alex are working, and Jordan immediately takes a jab at Cordell by bringing up his dead wife. Jordan throws the first punch but Cordell reacts a little less than appropriately, shoving him into a box and cutting his hand in the process. Micki, who appears to be somewhere between 3 and 5 feet tall, manages to pull all 6'5" of Cordell off Jordan (because she's a badass), and she makes him leave to get his hand looked at.

Micki brings Cordell to her home and leaves the room to grab antiseptic while he sits on the couch. Trey enters and Micki comes back to introduce the two of them. Trey says he'll need more than antiseptic and Micki says they should listen to him because he's a medic. Trey leaves the room to grab supplies and Micki looks down on Cordell for his stupidity. Trey reenters and starts working on Cordell's hand. This is probably the best scene in the entire episode because of how much chemistry is shared between all three of them.

Micki says she needs to know that Cordell has her back and then leaves. Cordell gets a notification on his phone from Stella's school. He then goes to the school, where Liam is already waiting because he was her emergency contact. Stella is missing and they're trying to decide where she is.

Cordell heads to Alma's place to see if she knows where Stella is, because Isabel is her best friend. Alma says she was worried about being deported because they don't have their papers and any criminal activity will bring attention to that.

Cordell goes back to the station and discusses with Micki that he wants to help the Muñoz family. Micki discusses the way her mother reacted negatively to her becoming a Texas Ranger. They then talk about the case and how Alex seemed scared, potentially of Milo, though it's unlikely. They then recall how Curtis had been dusting himself off with some sort of dust so they take the figurine that Micki had swiped from the business and they run it under water, finding heroin inside. Micki tells Cordell that he needs to go find Stella instead of working on the case, because being a father is more important.

Stella is seated at the lookout by Lady Bird Lake and Cordell pulls up. He tells her how worried they've been and she comments on him showing up for once. They have a bit of a tense heart to heart, Cordell saying they can't keep going the way they're going. Cordell says he's trying, but Stella doesn't seem to believe him. She clearly misses her mother and comments on how Emily managed to do everything. Stella says they needed their father and that he should be paying attention to his kids.

Micki shows back up at Green Thumb & Grace and she mentions the heroin to Milo but he seems unsure of what she's talking about. Cordell enters as Cheryl does, and then Cheryl pulls a gun on the Rangers, because she's clearly the ring leader of the whole operation. Micki and Cordell stop Cheryl's escape and then Micki arrests her.

The Rangers then meet with Larry James in his office and discuss the arrest. Larry mentions that Cordell is being recommended for an assignment with the Special Operations Group to work on the drug cartel case, as it's much broader than just what Cheryl was up to. Larry also chides Cordell for his behavior with Jordan, and rightly so. Bad Cordell.

Cordell meets Liam on a bench and they discuss Stella for a bit. Liam comments on Cordell being preoccupied with Emily's murder. Cordell states that it's suspicious that the poker chip was found because Geri and Emily were just delivering water and food at stations in the desert. He also wonders why Emily's eyes were closed, because it seems personal. Liam reminds Cordell that Carlos Mendoza confessed to the murder and Cordell looked the man in the eyes and knew he was telling the truth. Liam says Cordell just needs to start "being here".

Cordell goes back inside to speak with his parents. Abeline is working on fixing up an old lamp and Bonham leaves the room, letting his son know that Stella will settle down. Cordell goes to sit with his mother and they talk about parenting and how similar Stella is to how Cordell was as a teen. Abeline also mentions how August is working far too hard to keep everyone from worrying about him and that it's twisting him to bits. She says Cordell needs to be there in their house, not his own house that he used to share with Emily. She tells him to live in the farmhouse because it's been fixed up for him. Cordell mentions the task force recommendation and Stella, standing in a nearby doorway, overhears before leaving.

Cordell greets August and they go out to the farmhouse. Taking a brief pause, Cordell turns to see the ghostly figure of his departed wife, a flashback to better times. They share a smile before August calls to him. They enter the farmhouse and August shows his dad the table he refinished, and Cordell tells him he did a good job. They share more sweet bonding moments and then August says he wants them to sleep out in the farmhouse.

Stella comes in to find Cordell and a sleeping August on the couch. Stella says she heard Cordell before, then sits on the floor in front of the couch instead of joining her father. He says he's not taking the job, but she doesn't seem to believe him right away. He tries to reassure her by saying he's learning. It's all very sweet and we hope for the best for this broken family.

Trivia

The quote "Doomed for a certain term to walk the night", said by Cordell in the backseat of Micki's car, is a quote from Shakespeare's Hamlet.

It was confirmed by Chris Labadie (Jordan) that when he spit on Cordell's face, it was CGI spit.

Abeline and Bonham's dogs are played by Boone and Scout, trained by Jessy Gabriel at Dogworx Academy

Emily's lockscreen is a photo from a few years back, of the real life couple Jared and Gen. Thank you to @jjarpads on twitter for this find

In the background of Micki's home it shows a room with many drawings, and one of these drawings is taken from a still of Raven Reyes, the character Lindsey Morgan previously played on The 100. It's confirmed in episode 4 that Micki is the artist.

Music In Episode

Credit to @Larrs9325 on twitter for most of episode 1. Others from Tunefind

Song Title	Artist	Scene Info
In a River	Rostam	Opening scene with Cordell and Emily kissing goodbye.
Waters Crossed RE	Royal Forest	The Walker family game night; Walker gets a SOS text from Emily.^[1]
Go Down River	The Heavy Heavy	11 months later, the kids wait for Walker.
It Might Get Dark	White Denim	Walker jogs to his truck at lookout point on Lady Bird Lake.
Low	Chill Russell	Cordell and Micki have lunch together.
Those Who Wait	Christy Hays	Cordell has dinner with the fam and gets a call from the police station.
Westfall	Okkervil River	Stella and Cordell leave the police station.
Rhythm Revue	Loteria	Liam and Cordell talk at the bar.
The Hard Way	Turnpike Troubadours	Geri and Cordell dance (and it's adorable)
RUN	Abhi The Nomad	Jordan insults Cordell and gets his ass beat.
Poison In The Well	Ethan Burns & The Ragged Jubilee	Micki brings Cordell to her house for Trey to tend to his wounds.
Valley	Kevin Morby	Cordell finds Stella at the lookout by the lake.
Livin' In	The Mammoths	Cordell and Micki confront Milo about the heroin.
Souvenir	Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus (Boygenius)	August has a snooze in the farmhouse and Cordell tells Stella he's not taking the job.