Cordell Walker

Name	Cordell Walker
Actor	Jared Padalecki
Dates
Location	Austin, Texas
Occupation	Texas Ranger
Episode(s)	1.01 Walker Pilot 1.02 Back in the Saddle 1.03 Bobble Head 1.04 Don't Fence me in 1.05 Duke 1.06 Bar None 1.07 Tracks 1.08 Fine is a Four Letter Word 1.09 Rule No. 17 1.10 Encore 1.11 Freedom 1.12 A Tale of Two Families 1.13 Defend The Ranch

History

Cordell Walker grew up in Austin, Texas. He is the eldest son of Bonham and Abeline Walker, and brother to Liam. He enlisted in the marines after the events of 9/11, and subsequently joined the Texas Rangers. He married Emily and they had two kids - Stella and August.

Eleven months ago, Emily was murdered, and soon after Cordell left on an undercover assignment to take down a crime syndicate known as the Rodeo Kings. During the last three months of his assignment, he had no contact with his family.

Episodes

After returning how from his undercover assignment, Cordell is still struggling with his grief over Emily's death, and rather than going to the party his family is throwing in his honor. When Liam deduces that he is probably at the gazebo at Lady Park Lake, as it used to be Cordell and Emily’s special place. His ex-partner and now boss Captain Larry James send a patrol car to find him - Micki Ramirez on her last night as a cop before she becomes a Texas Ranger. She find Cordell there, drunk, and takes him home.

The next morning, Cordell drives out to his parent's ranch and greets his parents, August and Liam, he has been staying part time at the ranch to help with the kids. Cordell then reports for duty and James introduces Ramirez as his new partner. They are assigned a case where a cop was assaulted during a traffic stop, who is unwilling to talk about the incident.

That night dinner with the family is interrupted when Cordell gets a call that Stella and her friend Isabel have been arrested, and he has to go to the police station to pick her up.

At a bar having a drink with Liam, Cordell reunites with Geri who was with Emily the night she was killed. He leaves when he gets a text from Micki, who has identified the truck involved in their investigation. They visit the business - Green Thumb & Grace - that owns the car, which is involved with the rehabilitation of people who have been imprisoned. One of the men who was driving the truck taunts Walker about Emily's death and throws a punch, leading Walker to lay into him.

After getting patched up by Micki's medic boyfriend Trey, Cordell and Ramirez discover that the truck was smuggling heroin inside plaster religious figures. Cordell is again called away when it appears Stella has gone missing from school. He finds her at Lady Park Lake. Cordell tries to talk with her, but it is obvious the Stella is still consumed with grief at her mother's death and anger at her father's absence.

Cordell joins Ramirez at Green Thumb & Grace and after a fight they arrest the owners. Back at the Ranger office, Captain James congratulates Walker and Ramirez on the rest. he warns Walker that his behavior in assaulting the suspects is unacceptable, and won't be tolerated. However he also says that the case has connections to a drug cartel and offers Walker a position on the task force. A job that would again take him away from his family.

At home Liam talks to Cordell, who admits he is still convinced there is more to Emily's murder that hasn't been uncovered, as we plays with a poker chip found on her body. Liam insists he needs to move on and be present for his family. His mother then suggests that he and the kids, rather than living in their house in town, move into a small farmhouse on the ranch.